It is always fun to do something different than the usual routine, and my best friend and I spent Saturday afternoon doing just that, getting “caught up” in a corn maze.

After spending the morning enjoying Chalk on the Walk in Biddeford, we took the scenic route to Pumpkin Valley Farm in Dayton, and found our way to the field of corn. It was such a great afternoon for getting lost in a cornfield. 

At the entrance of the maze was a large aerial graphic of what the corn maze looked like — a gigantic spider web covering five acres of field — and while parents were picking up maps to lead their children through the eight-foot-tall stalks, we went at it blind. We figured if all else fails, we’d just head toward the noise of the entryway with the tractors pulling the hayride and the pop of the corn launcher as cobs were shot into the air by the homemade air gun. 

There were two points of entry, which split the cornfield in half, and we chose the second half to conquer. As we began walking the maze made by cutting through the cornfield, we took turns picking left, right or straight ahead. Voices of people trying to decide which way was the right way could be heard drifting through the rows of stalks and we often crossed paths we people we had seen more than once. 

The path was bumpy, but it was a nice walk, with twists and turns taking us anywhere and nowhere at the same time. When we came upon a set of stairs to a footbridge, we climbed up only to discover exactly how far we had gone into the maze. 

A tree that I believed to be close to the entrance as I glanced up at it from the maze, was in fact closer to the back of the field. It was hard to believe we had covered that much ground, but then again it’s hard to tell when all you can see is husk and sky.

After a brief photo session in the corn and on the bridge, we began our journey again, doubling back on our previous tracks only once or twice. Eventually the sound of people entering the maze grew louder and the tree at the beginning grew closer, and with one turn we were back to where we started. 

It took us nearly one hour to travel through half of the maze, and by the end it was as much a fun activity as a physical activity. 

All the seasons in Maine allow for fun outdoor activities that families and friends can participate in together. Children were running around the maze with their parents trailing behind and I couldn’t help but think, “What a great way to get some exercise!”

Last year I worked as an instructor for Healthy Kids Club after school at Kennebunk Elementary School and we took the children outside nearly every afternoon. Some of them complained about going outside when it was cold or having to do some form of physical activity, but I always told them they needed to be outside and enjoy it. 

Now that I’ve been sitting at a desk job for nearly five months, I appreciate every moment I get to be outside and enjoy the wonders Maine offers. While I cannot say I’m thrilled snow season is approaching so quickly, I am already excited for days of skiing and snowshoeing, but before that snow begins to fly I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy fall and spend an afternoon getting caught up in the gigantic spider web of a corn maze. 

—Emma Bouthillette