GREENWOOD — Many people skiing last weekend at Mt. Abram – perhaps most of them – didn’t know why the first trail spotted from the lift is named “One Today.”

“The thing I know about that trail is if you take it, then you don’t have to hike up to the chairlift from the other trail,” said Aaron Lincoln of Camden.

Well, the idea behind “One Today” does represent a bit of a leg up.

The “One Today” trail is named for the poem written by Richard Blanco of Bethel for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2013.

The poem speaks of the idea that every day we all toil, play, sweat, dream and love under the same sky, the same rising sun, beside similar mountains and rushing rivers, and this experience binds us. It’s a story about us. Or at least it was when Blanco read it at the inauguration.

Born in Madrid, the son of a Cuban exile, Blanco moved to the United States as an infant and was raised in a close-knit Cuban community in Miami. He went on to build a most unusual American success story as he excelled in college and became an engineer-turned-award-winning-poet. So who better to describe the American Dream?

Touched by Blanco’s words and spirit, the ski area owners down the road from his home named a trail in his honor. Mt. Abram owner Maureen Lally said the poem represents the communal work and play that happens at Mt. Abram every day during winter.

“The poem’s theme of togetherness and working hard toward a common goal with a ‘let’s all do our part’ mentality is crucial to the soul of a mountain like Mt. Abram – it’s not any one individual who gets the job done well,” said Lally, who owns Mt. Abram with her husband, Rob.

“Rather, it’s the collective whole who makes the job meaningful and symbolic, and therefore gets the job done better.”

Last weekend it was difficult to find a skier or snowboarder on the chairlift who knew the story behind the trail name. But it took no time to find those who appreciated it.

“This is a nation of people from all parts of the world. That’s the beauty of it,” said Courtney Locke of Woolwich.

Locke took a copy of the poem to share with her two teenage children.

“It’s a beautiful story,” she said. “Now it’s my favorite trail.”

Lincoln, who sails a schooner out of Camden Harbor, said his family has been in Maine as long as there has been a Maine, but he loves the diversity of views in the midcoast. And he loves offering visitors an outdoor adventure that helps people set aside their differences.

“There is something magical being on that boat,” Lincoln said of his schooner, the Olad. “The worst time to own a charter boat company is during an election year, because you have people who are sitting so close to each other having a disagreement. These are conversations they don’t need to have. I tell them, ‘Enjoy this moment. You’re in one of the most beautiful places in the world. You’re having a lucky day. Go with it. And let your disagreements go for right now.’ ”

Lincoln believes Maine’s rugged outdoor landscape helps teach understanding and hope.

“The thing I’ve found, spending my life on the ocean, is how insignificant it makes you feel,” Lincoln said. “Whether I’m out on the ocean or skiing here, I don’t worry.”

The beauty in nature is an important universal truth we all share, others said as they bounced past the trail sign “One Today.” Some listed favorite aspects of Maine we all enjoy: the mountains, forests, islands and even winters.

Some skiers acknowledged there is a sharp divisiveness in our culture today, too.

“In the ’70s, we used to be more united, there was a greater sense of community,” said John Klimas of Shapleigh. “People are so concerned with themselves today. I think people are afraid. They’re scared because they don’t know what’s coming.”

A year ago, Klimas started an outdoor club in Shapleigh and learned to downhill ski.

“As I get older, I want to get fit and stay fit. I want to be active,” Klimas said. “Being outdoors lets me forget what’s going on in the world. When I’m skiing down this slope, I don’t think about politics, I think about trying not to fall.”