Where else could one find a squirrel on the firing end of a paintball rifle; or a lizard, a host of Alice in Wonderland characters, and Tigger, on skis? Only at the Midcoast Conservancy winter biathlon, held Saturday, March 2 at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson! Nearly 100 racers, ranging in age from 5 years old to over 80, took to the groomed 1 kilometer ski lap while encouraging spectators urged them on with cheers and cowbells. Using Midcoast Conservancy’s paintball rifles, skiers flopped down at the firing range between laps to take five shots at the targets under the supervision of a host of gun safety volunteers. Missed shots led to short penalty laps around a nearby pond before the next lap could begin.

Racers skied at all skill levels and either individually or as teams of four. Team names were creative; winner of best name this year was Unicorn Splat. Costumes spawned even more creativity: the Cunningham family, winners of best costume, sewed and coiffed all four of their outfits. A team of woodland critters included Tom Fake in full squirrel regalia, and Theo Crocetti cut a dashing — and highly visible — figure in his bright orange Tigger suit. A group of intrepid first-time snowshoers came from Lincoln Academy and raced with smiles on their faces the whole way.

Fire pits kept everyone warm between races, and the Alna General Store had hot chocolate, coffee, veggie chili and cookies for hungry racers. The s’mores station was the most popular spot for the 30 kids who raced in the biathlon. Volunteers made the day run smoothly, taking care of everything from trail grooming and parking to support on the race course. Newcastle Chrysler Dodge supplied a shuttle van and driver to get racers to and from the parking lots.

Race winners were: in the Novice race, Michael Harris and Kathy Paul won the Adult category, Mark Liu and Jessica Uviovo won the High School category, and Teo Steverlynck-Horne and Emma McCausland the Youth race. Intermediate Adult winners: Nick Rathbone and Amy Palmer; High school: Eli Moore; and Youth, Vernon Smith and Klea Cunningham. In the Advanced race, Andrew Legere and Laura Post.

For more information on ways to spend time at HVNC, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/preserve/hidden-valley-nature-center/ or call (207) 389-5150.