Winter can be both very quiet and very loud. Earlier this week, when the temperatures plunged into the negative digits, I loaded my cross-country skis into the car and headed out. As the sun was setting and nearly everyone else had gone home for the day, the shushing of my skis was the only sound. Well, it was the only sound until I reached the water’s edge where an eerie symphony of creaks, groans and snaps pierced the chilly air. When I managed to wipe the frost off of my eyelashes, which had nearly frozen together, I looked out onto Harpswell Cove to see a Dr. Seuss–like landscape of what looked like a menagerie of ice creatures creating these sounds.

One of my favorite places to ski in the winter is at the Kate Furbish Preserve on Brunswick Landing. This preserve is composed of two halves separated by Harpswell Cove — Kate Furbish East and Kate Furbish West, both of which are managed by the Town of Brunswick. When the former Brunswick Naval Air Station closed, the U.S. Navy conveyed the 591-acre parcel to the town and it has since been improved for recreation including the addition of parking areas, signage and the grooming of trails for cross-country skiing.

Kate Furbish East is the more industrial side of the preserve and includes some old bunkers you drive past as you get to the trail head. There’s a loop trail there that is around 3 miles with several spurs that lead to other trails. Kate Furbish West runs along the side of the Mere Creek Golf Club course and one of the main trails is along an old road, so it is nice and flat for easy skiing.

There is a complex environmental history of this piece of land given the Navy’s previous presence there. With the development of the land came interruptions in the natural flow of the water. That includes Mare Brook, which runs through the Kate Furbish preserve and ends at Harpswell Cove. This seemingly little brook has an impressive reach way up into the residential streets of Brunswick and all the way out to the coast and has been diverted in many directions and through many means over time. As it travels through those places, it picks up chemicals and various inputs that eventually make their way into the ocean. For that reason, Harpswell Cove has had its share of ups and downs in water quality, including the recent spill of PFAS-containing firefighting foam, which have led to closures in shellfish harvesting. This is something the town has invested in improving via clean-up efforts and also by reseeding the local shellfish stock. There is hope that, over time, the area may be open again for harvesting.

For the time being, it is a beautiful place to visit and to appreciate how it has continued to offer respite and recreational opportunities throughout the seasons. There are many meandering paths to explore on both sides of the preserve and a good description of the trails can be found on a helpful website — Maine by Foot. Also, the Town of Brunswick’s Parks and Recreation Department has a webpage with updates on the skiing conditions on the trails and also when they have been recently groomed.

The squeaks and groans of the ice that shifted over the surface of the water were a loud reminder that there is more to this little cove than there might seem on an otherwise quiet winter day and also that we are fortunate to have access to places like these to explore even on the coldest days.

Susan Olcott is the director of strategic partnerships at Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.