April activities in Maine vary with each outdoor adventurer, but five options attract myriad participants — fishing, picking fiddleheads, digging dandelion, hiking and bicycling.

The Maine Mountain Guide, published by the Appalachian Mountain Club, has served as the comprehensive hiker’s reference to the trails of the state since 1961. A new edition of the book, due out this month, promises to carry on the long tradition as a trusted pathfinder for hikers seeking outdoor pleasure and healthful exercise in the woods and mountains of Maine.

After months of fits and starts (Snowstorms! Droughts! Freezing temps! Record-breaking highs!), we’ve reached the end of ski season. Skis and boards are getting stored, replaced with golf clubs, boats and hiking boots.

Maine bicyclists, this writer included, often dream of living in a state or country that allows year-round bicycling without cold and snow from December though March.

Deer pie, bear meatloaf, duck kebabs and moose sausage are not unusual snacks to find at a Maine camp or rod and gun club potluck dinner.

One thing all winter sports enthusiasts learned this winter is that Mother Nature is a fickle friend, and she’ll occasionally let us down.

Spring birding in Maine is phenomenal. Many birds, like warblers and flycatchers, return to Maine from more southerly wintering areas to nest. Other birds, like most sandpipers and plovers, are passage migrants; we get to enjoy them briefly as they migrate through Maine to more northerly breeding grounds.