@farmerman,
Good morning, Farmerman
I hope that, on your way to Eastport, you'll consider a stop in Blue Hill. We have lots of room--the third floor, which has the best views of MDI, would be all yours, complete with two large bedrooms and a private bath--so we'd would be delighted to put you up for a night, rather than simply feed you. It would be great fun to chat in person. This is a serious invitation, so please keep us posted on your plans.
Snow shoes! The modern ones, made of light-but-strong metal alloy and strung with synthetic webbing, are a joy to use. Most of them come equipped with a hinged, toothed metal flap on the bottom of the shoe, which makes moving across icy snow much easier--and safer for the ankles. There even exist models with such long teeth that one may use them for ice-climbing, a sport that, frankly, doesn't call my name. The bear-paw design will support, in the proper size, a 200-pounder. As with any athletic equipment, one may pay anything for snowshoes--$19.95 (asking for trouble) to 499.95 (asking for a ripping off). I have found the moderately-priced (around $100 a pair) L.L. Bean models a good buy--and sturdy. Also, at Bean's, there is a customer rep one may talk with by phone, who can advise you on the best snowshoes for you size and usage. I find snow shoes much more fun than cross-country skis--especially for back-country. In winter, I weigh around 180, and I find show shoes highly maneuverable. At 105 pounds, your wife could probably stay atop the snow wearing modified badminton racquets; I don't think that fitting her will be problematic!
A small pan is immediately going into my light hiking pack. My wife would, most definitely, be thrilled with a nugget pendant. But, of course, I shall keep that possibility a secret, the same as I keep the size of my intended trout catch a secret when I go fly-fishing!
There is, apparently, still some gold on the Blue Hill peninsula--but it's no longer a commercial proposition. I may dip my pan in some remote streams here, but you are undoubtedly correct that MDI and the Meddybemps area are more likely areas.
Your avatar looks like Ulysses S. Grant. Is it Grant, or do you closely resemble him? A very interesting and accomplished fellow, Grant was. So, he drank a bit and raised a little hell? Most really interesting people do or have done so! He was a brilliant writer, on top of his other achievements. And I say this as a descendent of many Confederate officers.