Somes Sound (Mt. Desert Island Day #2)

Just a quick post for the second paddle Ben and I did in Mt. Desert Island a couple weekends ago!

Date: July 16th, 2010
Distance: 16.3 miles

We paddled north from Southwest Harbor into Somes Sound, riding the tide on the way in, and paddling a little bit against it on the way back. We stopped for lunch in Sargent Cove on the east side of the sound.

Starfish at the launch in Southwest Harbor

 Yum, mussels! Sadly we only found empty shells.

 This is paradise!

On the way back, a thick fog seemed to be rolling in from the ocean, so rather than paddling around the island at the end of the sound, we headed back into the harbor.

Hiking in the Whites: Mt. Moosilauke

This Sunday Travis and I took a quick day trip up to the Whites to climb Mt. Moosilauke (4802 ft, pronounced Moose - ih - lock). We chose to take the Benton Trail (3.6 miles to the peak), where, according to the guestbook, we were the first hikers of the day. Apparently some of the more strenuous (but shorter) trails would have been very slippery since it rained the previous night.

About a mile a little (~8") owl swooped out a few feet in front of Travis, and landed in a tree to our left. I'm no bird expert, but it looks like it could be a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

About 1.3 miles we took a little side trail that led us to a great view. The tops of the mountains were hidden by clouds, but we were still low enough to have a beautiful view of the valley.

About 0.3 miles from the top we hit the tree line and started following the cairns that marked the trail. I don't think I've ever been on a mountain this tall that is still well-covered in grass. The orange-green mix of ground-cover contrasted beautifully with the dark mountains around us and the storm cloud that looked to be rolling in.

The really high winds were blowing clouds towards us at a very high rate. It was a really neat experience to be at the exact elevation of the clouds. We watched them moving towards us from a distance, and when they hit, the damp whiteness swirled around us until it passed over.

Since the wind seemed to be picking up (and there was a very dark cloud approaching us -- will add photo soon!), we only lingered at the top long enough to take pictures with the summit sign and have lunch in one of the little protective shelters. As started hiking back down, we ran into an enthusiastic (and possibly crazy) hiker who asked us approximately 6 times in a row whether we had hiked this mountain before (we'd had a similar conversation with him in the parking lot earlier). He also warned us of an unusually large bear population on the side of the mountain we had come up. Apparently he'd heard many of them on his way up... 

We made it back down without too much excitement (aside from encountering some piles of fresh bear scat), and headed back to Manchester.

You've gotta start somewhere...

8 years old in kids camp at BayCreek, first time in a kayak

Absolutely terrified! These little EPI boats were super tippy.

Seal Cove and around Bartlett Island (Mt. Desert Island Day #3)

Here is part 3 of 3 (Yes, the days are out of order, but I guess that's just going to be a trend in this blog), a guest post by Mary Kate Wheeler summarizing our third and final paddle on Mt. Desert Island in Maine. 

After a last minute decision to join Nena and Ben's MDI Expedition, I headed east from Warren, Vermont on Friday, arriving at the campsite just minutes after dinner ended. Fortunately my ever prepared companions dug up some leftovers and even an extra tent to make me feel well at home.

 Fisherman dinghies at the put-in.

Mist hovered along the coastline as we drove to our launching point on Saturday morning. After hearing a rumor of exceptionally friendly marine life off the western side of the island we chose to paddle out of Seal Cove. Although it seemed to be a popular spot for fishermen and motor boats, the cove provided a nicely sheltered place to launch kayaks.

 

 At the put-in, with Mary-Kate's self-made skin-on-frame kayak in the background.

Our goal of having close and personal encounters with marine mammals was quickly and unexpectedly met. Paddling among lobster buoys on our way out of the cove we spotted dark dorsal fins of several porpoise (at least we think they were porpoise – probably harbor porpoise) swimming in our general direction. We paddled towards the pod and waited, scanning the surface, until a pair came up almost underneath Nena's boat. Not too interested in paddlers, the porpoise continued on their course and we observed for a while before continuing on ours.

After leaving Seal Cove we turned north and paddled along the western shore of MDI, passing Hardwood Island to our west. We continued north past Folly Island and Pretty Marsh Harbor. By the time we entered Bartlett Narrows - the waterway separating Bartlett Island from the main island - the flood tide had created a strong current that carried us quickly to the northern end of Bartlett Island.

Knowing that we would be paddling against wind and current on our return trip, we still chose to paddle around the northern point of Bartlett Island and return on its more exposed western side. Although the paddling became more difficult our work paid off as we saw two harbor seal - one on the northern side of the island, and a second one near the island's southern point. 

 Mary Kate and Ben paddling next to Bartlett Island.

About half way down Bartlett Island we stopped for lunch at a gravely beach with a beautiful view of Blue Hill Bay. We timed our rest so we would be off the water while the flood tide current was at its peak. Still, the final part of our trip was a good challenging paddle, with wind, current, and some small but exciting waves off the island's points

We made one crossing, from the south point of Bartlett Island back to the western shore of MDI, and then retraced our path from the morning. On the way back into Seal Cove we sighted guillemots, small diving birds with amazingly red feet, close relatives of the puffin.

Date: July 18th, 2010
Distance: 17.6 miles

Our long day of paddling along the incredible Maine coastline was completely satisfying. Yet we somehow managed to fit in more adventures that evening, climbing the highest peak on the Atlantic Coast, Cadillac Mountain (by car) before indulging in a fresh seafood dinner at Head of the Harbor restaurant in Southwest Harbor. 

Not bad for a summer Saturday in Maine.

- Mary Kate

Long Pond (Mt. Desert Island Day #1)

This is the 1st post in a series of 3. Ben, Mary Kate, and I recently (July 14 - 18) spent 3 days kayaking in and around Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island (MDI) on the coast of Maine. Ben & Mary Kate will be guest-blogging for the 2nd and 3rd days!

After a fairly eventful journey to Mt. Desert Island which involved car camping (the type where you sleep in the car at a rest-stop), we (Ben & I) arrived early Thursday morning at Seawall Campground. After a 3 hour nap and a satisfying lunch, we set out to do an easy afternoon paddle on Long Pond, a large freshwater lake on the west side of Mt. Desert Island.

Date: July 15th, 2010
Distance: 9.7 miles

We put in at a public launch site that is located next to the local water treatment plant (hence the angry no-swimming signs). From the launch it was also possible to hike up a few of the surrounding mountains, but we decided to stick with kayaking for the day.

 Checking out the east side of the lake on the way up.

We paddled up the east shore of the lake, passing a few (but not many) motor boats and cliff jumpers along the way. Other than that, the views were great. The shores were almost completely undeveloped, which was a welcome change from the Finger Lakes and other paddling I've done so far in NH. At the end of the lake we encountered a public beach with some very loud children, so we didn't dawdle there for long.

On the west side of the lake we took a right into a calm, peaceful cove where we ran into a fisherman in a kayak. He urged us to backtrack and look into the trees, and sure enough, we were excited to discover a bald eagle, perched at the top. He chilled out just long enough for me to get a picture, then flew off:

Bald eagle in the trees on Long Pond.

We headed back along the west shore, admiring the rolling mountains that surround the lake on all sides.

That one straight ahead is Mansell Mountain.

All in all, a great first day exploring Mt. Desert Island! That day we were surprised to find out that President Obama was planning to vacation with his family on the island for the weekend. The entire island was covered in "Welcome Obama!" signs, and flags dotted many of the telephone poles.

Southport Island in Boothbay, Maine

(This day actually happened before the previous post)

Now that you're all (the 3 of you who actually read this) probably getting bored of my posts, I've invited a guest blogger!!! I now present you with Jeff Buchman, kayaking partner for the weekend of 7/9-7/11 on our visit to Boothbay Harbor in Maine...

(Plotting our course on Friday night by candle lantern light)

Saturday morning we awoke to the sound of what we though were rain drops on the tent but it turns out it was only large amounts of fog dripping off of the trees. Since it was predicted to thunderstorm I was more than willing to deal with heavy fog since last time I checked no one was ever electrocuted by fog. When we arrived at the beach at Gray Homestead Oceanfront Camping where we were staying we couldn’t see Squirrel Island which is only about 1 mile off the coast of Southport Island where we were due to the thick fog. As we were launching, the fog began to lift and a little bit of sun began to shine from behind the clouds. The first part of the trip was against the tide toward the open Atlantic. While paddling against the tide is a bit more challenging, it is somewhat reassuring to know that if something goes wrong you won’t be getting swept out into the North Atlantic. The wave height was probably 3-4 feet but unlike the Lake Ontario waves we are used to where 3-4 feet means breakers these were all swells with a long wavelength so it was very gentle.

(Nena paddling east towards the open ocean)

As we approached the Cuckold Island Lighthouse, the waves began to get a little bit bigger and we could see fairly large breakers in the distance so we made the decision to cut through Cape Harbor on the south end of Southport Island. We had been debating crossing Sheepscot Bay to the Five Islands area but since there was thick fog moving in and out we decided it would be best to stick to shore and paddle the circumference of Southport instead. While paddling along the western coast of the island we found a number of pleasantly named coves (Christmas Cove, Cozy Cove, etc...) to explore which ensured us that our decision to forgo the crossing would not be regretted.

(Jeff paddling past the Cuckold Island lighthouse)

While in Cozy Cove we saw an area that had a gate built across it and an opening just big enough for a kayaker to squeeze through so naturally we had to investigate (Note from Nena: I managed to run head-on into the edge of the gate and nearly flip myself, but Jeff is being nice and not mentioning it). Inside we found a large salt water pond with a few unused docks that were covered with the remains of seabird meals. Nena found a nice sea urchin skeleton and cleaned it up to take with her but sadly it was later crushed. We stopped for lunch on what we first thought was an uninhabited island but after getting out of the boats we found there we a number of cabins near our landing point. Upon closer inspection no one was in the cabins so we decided to stay and eat lunch while the sun was shining. After lunch some threatening clouds appeared in the west so we decided to up the pace and try to get into the shelter of Townsend Gut (a gut is a small body of water connecting two larger bodies of water) on the north end of the island before any sort of storm appeared. In what became a theme for the weekend, the threatening clouds produced only a slight drizzle. The bridge on Route 27 crossing over Townsend Gut onto Southport Island is a swing bridge so taller boats can get through. Rather than splitting in the middle the whole bridge pivots on a center point and rotates 90 degrees, moving itself out of the way.

(A pile of lobster traps in Christmas Cove)

The paddle back to the campground at low tide was rather uneventful until we reached the take-out and decided to get out on the small floating dock they had there. The combination of two sea kayaks, a steeply angled ramp, and a moving platform made getting the boat up to the beach a bit tricky so after maneuvering Nena’s boat up the ramp we decided it would be best if I paddled back to the beach. Our first day of paddling covered 13 miles and about 100 feet of swimming off the dock once we got back to the campground.

Date: Saturday, July 10th 2010
Distance: 13 miles
Time: ~4.5 hours (incl. lunch)

After paddling we decided to head to the lovely little town of Boothbay Harbor where to cure her headache most likely caused by dehydration Nena had some espresso and double chocolate gelato. I decided to go local and try the sea salt gelato, it was surprisingly good. We spent a few hours exploring the town before going back to camp to get ready for Sunday’s paddle. (see previous post)

~ Jeff

Maine: Foggy Knubble Bay & Robinhood Cove (Not Peter Pan or Huckleberry Finn!)

On day 2 (the days are out of order because Jeff is guest-writing the day 1 entry!) Jeff and I made the *calculated* decision to be impulsive and stop at a flea market on the ride between our campground and Reid State Park (where we planned to launch). Amongst the piles of overpriced rusty items we discovered a box of Man Stuff. Although I encouraged him to prove himself by purchasing one of the incredibly useful things in the box, Jeff chickened out and chose to remain un-manly.

When we finally arrived at Reid State Park, we were informed that it would cost $12 to park there, so we turned around and launched (somewhat illegally) at the south end of Robinhood Cove. I hid my car in the woods so it wouldn't get towed. Another great reason to have a forest green car!


Date: Sunday July 11th, 2010
Distance: 18 miles! longest paddle yet!
Time: ~ 5.5 hours

The overall route for the day included paddling up the length of Robinhood cove, heading up to the top of Knubble Bay, popping our heads out into Hockomock Bay, surviving the infamous 'Lower Hell Gate' on the way back into Knubble Bay, circumnavigating Macmanhan Island out in the Sheepscot River, and returning to the south end of Robinhood Cove.

When we first set out, an ominously dark cloud had us worried, but we continued on and eventually it passed without incident. Throughout the day we experienced a number of Maine's signature paddling elements:

1. A persistent, slow, steady drizzle that kept us damp but cool for the majority of the day

2. Intermittent bouts of fog that roll in unexpectedly, in a matter of minutes. These are caused by warm continental air flowing over the colder water, causing the moisture in the warm air to condense. When they roll in you can feel strong alternating breezes of hot, humid air and chilly, ocean air. At one point we watched a sailboat become engulfed in a thick layer of fog infront of us. We could only see the top of the mast sticking out of the layer. While we were watching we could hear a motorboat getting closer and closer to the sailboat, which was sounding its fog horn every minute or so. At the last minute the motorboat finally slowed down and veered off to the side of the sailboat. Throughout this whole business we stuck very close to the cliffs on our left to avoid any close encounters in the fog.

Here's a picture of Jeff next to someone's enormous 'joyride':


This one was taken exactly 5 minutes later (according to my camera) after a thinner fog rolled in.


3. Strong tides that had us doing (scary according to me, fun according to Jeff) scary eddy turns and paddling against the current to get back. 'Lower Hell Gate' was supposed to have very fast moving water since it's relatively narrow and shallow, but we hit it just after high tide, so it wasn't too troublesome. In case you don't already know about the rule of twelfths, here's a basic rule of thumb that comes in useful when planning trips in tidal regions:

- Tides are spaced by 6 hours (ex. low tide at 11am, high tide at 5pm, low tide at 11pm)
- In the 1st and 6th hours, 1/12 of the water moves (between 11am and noon)
- In the 2nd and 5th hours, 2/12 (1/6) of the water moves
- In the 3rd and 4th hours, 3/12 (1/4) of the water moves

Ok, enough fractions. Overall lesson: The closer you are to slack tide (the moment when water stops moving in and starts moving out, or vice versa), the slower the water is moving.

Other fun fact: The higher north you are along the coast, the more the tides change (in Boothbay it was about 9 ft, in Acadia National Park next weekend it will be more like 11 ft).

4. Saltwater armpit chaffing. Enough said. Ow.

We stopped for lunch on Macmahan Island in the Sheepscot River.

Beautiful contrast of misty Sheepscot River and bright green salt water grasses:


Although our landing was nice and clean on the rocks, by the time we'd finished lunch the water level had dropped enough to make our launch quite messy. We got stuck in the slippery seaweed...



On the way back we discovered a shipwreck in Robinhood Cove that we hadn't seen at high tide when we started:


How to end a weekend of paddling in Maine? $13 lobster roll. Absolutely delicious!

Packing List!

Click on the image to see what I do when I have too much time on my hands...

I figured that since I'm packing my car pretty much every weekend, it might be worth it to make some kind of comprehensive list so I wouldn't forget anything. Obviously I don't bring all this stuff on every trip, but this should cover pretty much any trip I'd want to go on!

Ok, now back to packing...

Off-Roading on the Segway

Since I sit at a desk 40 hours a week next to 4 charging Segways, I feel that it's fair to dedicate one blog entry to them. Besides, I used the off-road version, which makes it hardcore enough to be in an outdoorsy blog, right?

Last week Chris and I begged our superior full-time friends to take out one of the company's Segways over lunch and teach how to use it. I won't go into too much detail since the entire affair lasted about 20 minutes, but here is a (hopefully amusing picture). Out of my way Simon!!

In order to maneuver, you just lean forward, backward, and side to side, depending on which way you want to go. It's pretty intuitive, but you have to completely trust that it will catch you, even though you feel like you're just going to fall flat on your face.

Loons, Bugs, and Bears on Lake Winnipesaukee

Winnipesaukee is a BIG lake (approximately the same surface area as Cayuga Lake) located just south of the White Mountains in NH. It's a little over an hour from Manchester when the traffic is cooperating. We (Tina, Brian, and I) stayed over at Chris's condo on Long Island (not the famous one), which stick out into the middle of the lake.

The kayaking portion:


Date: Saturday, July 3rd

Distance: 15 miles

Time: 4.5 hours including breaks

On Saturday morning I got up at the ungodly hour of 5am (ok, it was 5:30 when I was done snoozing) for a 6am launch. Due to a lack of sea kayaks (or more likely morale at 6am), I embarked on this journey alone.

The lake felt very different from the Finger Lakes for a number of reasons:

1. It's not long and skinny, so you never know what's just around the corner!
   
2. Island hopping!!
   
3. More motor boats... more chop (hence the 6am launch)
   
4. Beautiful mountains on every horizon

Around 8am I met up with a loon family (two adults and two chicks). Here's a picture & movie of them!

I made it back feeling pretty tuckered out (slightly sore in the shoulders/abs), but I'm starting to have hope that I can paddle the length of Cayuga -- if we kept up the same rate (and the weather was perfect, etc...) it would take about 12 hours, which is an hour less than the hours of daylight in Ithaca in September...

The non-kayaking portion:
On Sunday morning the four of us got up "early" (9am, ha!) for a hike (Tina's first!) to the top of Red Hill, which sits between Squam and Winnipesaukee. On the dirt road to the trail head, a tiny black bear cub jumped into the road and scrambled across right in front of my car. We watched it run into the woods and join its mother and sibling 100 yards away!

It was a little under 2 miles to the peak (2,030 ft). The views from the fire tower at the top were incredible. We had a 360 degree view of both lakes, the Whites, and a number of other mountain ranges nearby.


We spent the rest of the weekend swimming, hanging out on the boat, basking in the sun (but not getting burned!), enjoying good food, and reading.