Paddle for the Bays

Ok so this event was not in Maine - you got me.... but I did participate in it, and it was an amazing time - so it still gets a mention.  :)

I'm sure you have seen my post from a month or so ago about the Lobster SUP Cup (if not, you should check it out here).  While my friend Sarah and I were at the event, we met many new people from all over New England of a wide variety of levels of experience with SUP races.  At the time I had never done a race, and I was only at the Lobster SUP Cup to volunteer while Sarah raced.  During dinner in Belfast at Rollie's after the race, another racer, Kim, mentioned a SUP race that was happening around my birthday in Cape Cod that had both a 10 mile race and a 5 mile race.  Not really thinking it through, I said "Yea of course!  That would make a great way to celebrate my birthday!"  Then in the weeks that followed, I began to think "Holy cow.... I've never done a 5 mile paddle on my board, let alone a race!"  But by that time I was committed, and there was no turning back.

September 20th came around, and it was time for us to make the trek down to Osterville, MA.  By that time, Kim had set up everything for us so that all we had to do was register and show up for the race.  She opened up her home and loaned boards to many racers that weekend since she has her own SUP business in MA.  You can find a link to her website here.  There was a group of 20+ that she brought to the race.  Kim and her husband, Bruce, are truly amazing people that we are so glad to have met.  We arrived at the house we would be staying at, and there were so many racers from all over New England, NY, and beyond.  When we actually sat down to tally it up, we had racers from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and South Carolina.  And there is a very real possibility I missed someone in there!

About an hour after we arrived, Kim had arranged for us all to do a paddle clinic with Patrick Broemmel of Bahn Pho Surfboards.  I was not sure what to expect from this clinic, as I had never been to one before.  It was so informative and so much fun!  Patrick taught us different techniques for our paddle strokes on dry land to start the clinic going through different exercises we could do on our boards and answering any questions we had.  The second half of the clinic we were able to get out on the boards and put those lessons into practice.  Having never done much with racing, I found it made me feel much more comfortable with the upcoming race.  He was open to giving you critique on your stroke, and there were so many other experienced racers there that they also jumped in to help you out with any questions you had.  After paddling around for a bit, many of the racers traded boards to try out something new.  Everyone was so open to sharing their equipment that I had the opportunity to try boards of different lengths (12'6" boards and 14' boards) and many different types - Bark, SIC, Rogue, etc.  We also had the opportunity to meet a SIC rep that had some boards there for us to try.  My favorite boards was a 12'6" Rogue board that Roxane had, other than the fact that it was pink, that is :)

After the paddle clinic, everyone had supper together at the house.  I like to think that I have a broad range of experiences with things liek this - sporting events, volunteer events, travel.... I can say that I have never met a more welcoming crowd than the SUP community.  You will show up not knowing anyone and come away feeling like you have known these people forever.  I really believe that the people, just as much as the sport, keep you coming back time and again.  A true testament to how small this world can be - the board rep from SIC trained with Tony (see the whitewater rafting blog post) rafting in Maine.  We talked for quite a while about the rafting guide training and stories from the river.  I will say this, though, my most memorable moment that Friday was beating Marta at a game of pool.  Marta is such a tough competitor in anything that she does that beating her at anything is something you'll remember forever.

The morning of the race, I have to say I was very nervous.  I love experiencing new things, but when it's competing in something new like this - I get butterflies.  I always like to do well in any sporting event I take on (who doesn't) but I felt very ill prepared for the race.  I kept thinking "I'm going to fall off my board a million times" and "I haven't ever paddled 5 miles before - let alone on the ocean" and "Why did I spend all my time playing ball instead of prepping for the race?"  But whether I felt ready or not, race time was fast approaching.

It helped to settle my nerves that I knew some of the other racers in the division I was in, and once they called for us to line up to get ready to race - well there was no backing out then, that's for sure!  I felt pretty good at the start of the race, but then of course - like I knew I would - I fell off the board.  Staying on a racing board is very different from the 11'6" BIC I have, and SUP on the lake is a heck of a lot easier than SUP on the ocean.  I ended up falling a total of 5 times across the race, but one of them was not my fault.  A passing boat got too close and knocked me off the board - boats seem to have little regard for SUP racers.

The conditions were brutal (and I wasn't the only one that thought so).  With the wind against us for what seemed like half the race and my lack of overall conditioning for the event, I ended up finishing the race in about 1 hr 45 min.  It sounds horrible, but my goal for my first race was simply to finish and not finish last.  I reached that simple goal.  I came across the finish line and felt like I could barely walk.  Most people ask me about SUP and think it would hurt your shoulders more than anything.  If you are paddling correctly, or trying to in my case, you will feel it more in your core and legs.  Just staying balanced on the board for that long really had my legs burning.  After the race, they handed out the awards for the top three finishers in each division and age group while I sat by sipping on some coconut water and enjoying the break.  I was not one of the top finishers, but I had a great feeling of accomplishment just having been participated, finished, and done something a little outside my comfort zone.

With the awards done and everyone packed up into their vehicles, we made a stop at Kettle-Ho.  There was a local brewery that had sponsored the race, so we had to go have a pint with our supper.  The food there was great, and you could tell everyone really had an appetite after all that work on the water.  Most of the SUP racers that had stayed with us the night before were taking off for home or to visit family after the race, so we said our good-byes before heading back to the house.  I'm always left wishing that they all lived closer so that we could get together and do this more often.  But again - the people just make you want to race even more. :)

Our last night in Osterville was a very chill night with a game of Cards Against Humanity (if you have never played it - go find the game and give it a try - wicked good fun!).  Katie, Judy, Sarah and I were laughing late into the night and finished the entire game before crashing for the night.  I woke up the next morning so sore I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but its' a good feeling when you know you really did something to earn it!  We had to jet home that morning to Maine for a concert that night, but I know that we will see everyone again at a SUP race soon.  And I feel like we've created a birthday tradition in the Paddle for the Bays :)

Crown of Maine Balloon Fest 2013 :)

God, I love the smell of propane in the morning.

I must sound like an escapee from "Apocalypse Now". And honestly, I am okay with that. As my friends will tell you - and the author of this blog I'm guesting for - I have always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie.
When I look back, I can't pinpoint the exact moment where my brain mentally stripped itself of the fear of heights and ridiculously dangerous stunts, or if I just never had it. As a teenager,  I climbed up on rooftops to count stars while my mother worked night shift (oops. Sorry, mom). Later in college, I would climb atop police barricades, or hang outside the window of the highest building on campus. And at summer ninja camp, learning to climb up trees in the dark, be in shadow. (yes, camps for ninjas exist. Just try to find us. heh.) I was the family daredevil who coaxed my dear aunt to go skydiving with me, and later a group of six fantastic women to do a Class Five white water rafting expedition. My father, of course, had no issue taking his first born on his roofing jobs. :) Funny how that works.

Rest easy, I am not nuts. I have always loved just being way up as high as possible, like a bird perching itself on the farthest reaches of a a tree branch, all the green of the world draped as far as the eye can see. Is it any wonder that the "Wizard Of Oz" is one of my favorite movies?

It was only a matter of time before hot air balloons floated its way into my heart and imagination.

Here in the far reaches of northern Maine, the end of summer brings with it the Crown Of Maine Balloon Fest, or as we in the know call it, COMBF - or the week that nobody in PI sleeps, and I am sure the amount of Tim Horton coffee consumption triples by crew and pilots alike.

This year, COMBF was held August 22 - 25, with balloon launches held at dawn (5am, hence the exorbitant java consumption) and dusk (5pm). On average, about a dozen pilots come from near (3 local pilots, two are a father-son duo based in PI, and a retired pilot from Caribou who I fondly call my grumpy guy), and far as Quebec, Florida, and Alabama. A lot of these pilots come from urban areas that have heavily regulated airspace. And as you can imagine, not many open spaces to launch and land. Fortunately, Aroostook County has many open green fields just waiting to be graced by a balloon landing.

And the pilots, I have often heard them say, truly love coming to our far little corner of Maine to fly.
The best ways to experience COMBF is one of four ways: as a photographer, as a crew member, as a passenger, and as a pilot, of course.

For amateur and professional photographers alike, the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest has an amateur photography contest with awards given to whoever submits the most captivating photo during the festival. Details and contest rules are posted on the festival's website, crownofmaineballoonfest.org along with the photographs of previous year's winner. During the festival week, you will see many cars pulled alongside fields and farm roads with their long lenses, gawking at the colors on parade, and hoping to get that perfect shot.  The contest judges often have difficulty settling on one photo as the winner, they see so many beautiful entries!

For a fee and a little courage, you can also become a passenger. To score a spot with a pilot, you should contact the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce and speak with a staff person there, who have a list of pilots who take passengers. Be advised that hot air ballooning is very much weather dependent. The wind conditions must be right, and rain is definitely NOT good for the equipment, or to fly in. So if you are scheduled to fly, be patient and prepared for a cancellation if the weather is bad. The pilots do want to see you have a wonderful experience flying, so they do reschedule at the next possible time. Also, keep in mind that pilots fly at only two times, dawn and dusk. They do not do middle of the day. So you need to be flexible and open to a flight at dawn if you can't, or are unable to do a dusk flight. Yes, you will lose a few hours of sleep, but seeing a sunrise over the green fields of the County from the air is well worth it, I assure you!

Another way to experience the festival, if you're not afraid of a little elbow grease, is as a crew member to a pilot. If you'd like to experience ballooning up close and personal, and are not afraid to lose an extra few hours of sleep for the week, then this may be right up your alley! If you are truly interested, you need to contact the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce and let them know you would like to crew. You will need to attend a mandatory training session for crew and pilot members to review basic safety rules, and be assigned to a pilot.

Once the festival starts, you will need to report to the launch fields at 5am (yep, you read that right. Not a typo.) and 5pm for launches. It is work, for certain. You will be helping lift heavy equipment, rolling out the balloon fabric, exposed to high heat, possibly driving the chase vehicle, assisting in both the unpacking and packing of the gear, and lack of sleep. So why do it? Because its FUN WORK. :) You will meet and learn from experienced, kind pilots who have a passion for what they do. You will be surrounded by other people working just as hard as you, with attitudes kissed by sunshine. Because how can you not feel happy by all the color that surrounds you, and the wonder you see on the passengers' faces? Oh, and the stories you will be regaled with by the pilots and crew. Like the one pilot who had a balloon land in his backyard, that so enchanted his young son, that somehow ballooning became a family affair.  Or the one morning that a pilot landed on a farm, and a family of young Amish girls came running out to greet them in their long dresses and bare feet, showing childlike glee at the wonderful sight in front of them. Or how one pilot lowered the basket low enough over an apple orchard, so a passenger could pluck an apple from the very top of a tree.

If you find yourself bit by the ballooning bug and want to become a pilot yourself, there are schools in the United States, and pilots to mentor under. Like all things, becoming a pilot takes time, patience, hard work and the willingness to do your homework.

Tips On Enjoying the Festival -

1 - Be willing to give up a little sleep for a couple days;
2 - Be a courteous driver. You will see chase vehicles on the road, whose primary jobs are to not lose sight of the pilot and balloon and to guide them from the ground via walkie-talkies or cell phones on where to best land. These vehicles make frequent stops, so do not tailgate. Be mindful of the photographers who are also making frequent stops to pull over and take photographs. So be aware as you`re driving.
3 - Do go to at least one Balloon Glow during the festival. Glows happen when the pilot and crew return to the fairgrounds and inflate their balloons, the propane flames visible in the dark. It is truly a beautiful sight.
4 - Check out the schedule of events at COMBF website, http://www.crownofmaineballoonfest.org/events/, for a full listing of events. There are bands playing, a street fair, food trucks, a 5k road race to raise money for Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp, just to name a few.

I have been both lucky and blessed to be both a crew member, a passenger, and a couple times, a student pilot! Perhaps someday, I will be one of the certified pilots to fly at the festival.

If ever there was a truly remarkable way to experience the beauty of Maine, it is from a hot air balloon. It is from way up high, that all the world looks amazing and full of potential.
If by chance, you do make your way to the festival, I hope that you do get to see or perhaps even fly in one of the beautiful balloons floating through the County skies.

 May the winds always be at your back!

Acadia National Park: Gorham Mountain Trail and The Bowl

Jack and I on top of Gorham Mountain

Tuesday I had tentative plans to climb Mt. Katahdin - which I have never done before.  It's a bucket list item that I hope to cross off next summer.  So with a day off from work and hiking plans fallen through, what was I to do?  Find another hike, of course!

I chose Acadia National Park because they are a dog-friendly park.  If I had followed through with Baxter State Park, I would not have been able to bring Jack with me.  When I got to Acadia, I was not sure what hike I would end up doing because they do not allow you to bring pets on every park trail.  A quick stop by the Visitor Center was all it took to figure out which hike to do.  The park officials were very helpful in answering my questions about the hike, how long it would typically take, and my dog's ability to complete the hike.  We settled on a loop that started at the foot of Gorham Mountain and traveled up and over the mountain with a quick hike up to The Bowl before heading back down to Sand Beach and the Ocean Path.  As I was coming back to the parking lot, I could hear people making comments like "I didn't realize dogs were allowed in the park."  Well yes, folks, they are!

There are some trails that you can take without actually going through the park gate, but this is not one of them.  Should you decide to try this hike, you will need to either pay a $20.00 access fee (good for 7 days access to the park) or you can pay a $40 access fee for a season pass if you plan on coming back again.  Both are available right at the park gate where they will also give you a complementary trail map.

To get to the beginning of the hike, take the Park Loop Road past Sand Beach and Thunder Hole.  The parking lot for this trail is clearly marked with signs.  In our case, the parking lot was full - but no worries!  A short drive past that parking lot there was another.  The loop that we hiked can be found here minus the quick hike up to The Bowl.  Without the added trip to The Bowl, the hike is approximately 3.5 miles at a moderate difficulty.  The trail is clearly marked with blue trail markings and cairns.

While it is a pet friendly hike, I'd like to make some recommendations when bringing your pet:

• I would not recommend taking any smaller dogs on this hike.  Jack is a 75lb dog, and he could easily navigate the climbing that was required.  I would not be surprised if any smaller dogs would need to be carried over part of the trails.
• Be sure to bring appropriate supplies including baggies to clean up after your pet, water/water bowl for your pet, and snacks for your pet.  Like any human hiker, dogs have needs, too!
• Do NOT bring your pet on this hike unless they are very good on a leash.  The trail can be very steep in places.  No hiker wants to tumble on their descent when their dog decides to pull on it's leash.
• Do NOT bring your pet on this hike if they are not good around other people and/or dogs.  This is a popular hiking trail for families with small children and pets.
• I would highly recommend alerting any hikers you may come upon with children of your presence before you get close.  No matter how friendly your dog is, some children have a fear of large dogs.  A simple "Is your son/daughter okay with dogs?" is much appreciated and gives you and other hikers a chance to scoot around each other in a comfortable manner.

Now - back to my hike! :)  This is the one photo that I got on my hike that day.  Unfortunately when I got to the actual summit of the mountain (about 525 feet), I was holding my phone in the same hand as Jack's leash when he decided to pull on it.  A < 3 foot drop later, and my phone was toast.  The photo above is courtesy of a very nice family that I met from NY.

From the Gorham Mountain Trail.

I took this at a little turn out just before reaching the summit where Jack and I stopped for a water break.  In the left of the picture you can see the coast over near Sand Beach.  There are spectacular views from this mountain, and I am very sad to have not gotten the opportunity to capture them.  But that gives me a reason to hike it again!

There were many people of all ages on the trail that day, and Jack and I stopped for a chat with quite a few families.  The family that took our photo at the top actually hiked most of the rest of the way down the mountain with us, and the little girl probably would have taken Jack home with her if she could! haha  We said goodbye at the start of The Bowl trail, as they were headed on their way directly to Sand Beach.

The Bowl is not a very long or difficult hike.  A map of the trail can be found here (minus The Beehive portion).  The "Advanced" difficulty rating you see when following the link is specifically for The Beehive which takes you up a cliff face with iron rungs set in to help you climb.  Jack's lack of opposable thumbs took that off our itinerary for the day ;)  I was surprised to find that The Bowl trail was made up of mostly steps that were set into the trail.  It was quite the flight of stairs to climb, but the view at the top was worth every one of them.

Looking across The Bowl.

Acadia National Park permits swimming only in certain areas of the park.  Lucky for us, The Bowl is one of them.  This is what makes it such a popular spot on a hot day.  Sand Beach is very busy during the summer months, as everyone wants to swim in the ocean.  While there were people here swimming yesterday, it was not over crowded.  As soon as Jack saw the water he was very anxious to jump in and cool off.  We made sure to make our way around to an area of the pond where there were no swimmers.  While the park has restrictions on taking your pet off a leash, I did sneak in a few minutes of free time for Jack to get a swim.  We spent 10-15 minutes just playing fetch in the pond before turning back to the trail to make our way down to Sand Beach.

The hike back down to Sand Beach seemed to take no time at all.  There were some very rocky areas on the trail, but it was fairly easy going.  Once we reached the Park Loop Road, the Ocean Path was like a stroll in the park - literally.  The Ocean Path is just what it sounds like.  It's a dirt pathway that takes you along the ocean between the shore and the Park Loop Road.  We walked by Sand Beach and Thunder Hole on our way back and stopped to talk with several people along the way.  Something about having a dog makes everyone want to be your friend, or so it seemed.

The entire hike took us 4 hours or less.  I was timing our hiking time on my phone, but we all know what happened there!  Jack was tired enough when we reached the Jeep that he took some coaxing to get him to jump in the vehicle.  I think he had a good time making new friends, getting some exercise, and swimming in a new pond, though :)

For more information on park trails, where you can swim, and where you can take your pets - please visit the Acadia National Park website at http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Rafting the Penobscot with Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting

I'll start this out with saying - best day EVER! :)  I had done a whitewater rafting trip on the Penobscot with Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting a few years ago with some girls I work with.  Our guide, Josh, was great, and we had an amazing time.  Due to one of the girls in our raft not being able to swim very well, we didn't hit the rapids as hard or surf like the other rafts - no complaints to the guide, as he was just doing his job and doing it very well!  But I had always wondered what it would be like to get in a raft full of crazy people like me .... this weekend that's what I got!

I'm always trying to drag my friends along on these little adventures, so when I had a weekend open up to book a trip I called up Sarah and Rashell to see if they wanted to join.  I don't think they had to think too long on that one!  We packed up and headed for the Penobscot Outpost on Friday afternoon with plans to spend Saturday rafting and Sunday hiking.  The Penobscot Outpost is worth the trip all by itself.  Friday night was karaoke night, and between the guests, the staff, great food, and cold beer we had an awesome night.  Three Rivers has several options when it comes to accommodations, but being that we are all County girls - we obviously chose to rough it with a tent campsite. :)  The campsites are very reasonable at $10 per person per night, and with The Boatman's Bar & Grill on site - there were definitely some good times to be had.  I will also say that this is one of the cleanest camp sites that I have ever stayed at.  The staff at Three Rivers have high standards, and it was a pleasure camping there.  Should you ever visit them and not want to rough it in a tent over the weekend, they also have several other options available.

We started our Saturday off right with a buffet style breakfast before gearing up and running through a safety briefing.  Being that we had such a good time on the last trip, I had requested Josh as a guide on this trip, as well.  While they accommodate those requests whenever possible, it turned out that Josh was on an overnight rafting trip that weekend.  No worries, though, as we ended up in a raft with one of the owners, Tony, and I dare say there is no one that knows the river better.

Once everyone had their guide assignments, we loaded up onto the buses and headed for the starting point of our 13 mile rafting trip.  The water level wasn't quite as high on this trip as it had been a few years ago, but I think that was a good thing.  We were able to take the time to put the raft in and go through some of the basic commands Tony would be giving us during our trip.  The first time I had rafted the Penobscot, we did not have this luxury since the water was running at about 3,200 cfs rather than 2,600 cfs - which sucked us right into the first rapid rather quickly.  After going through "all ahead", "all back", "back left", "back right", etc. we started on our way down the river - with our first rapid being a Class V!

To sit here and give you an accurate description of how much fun this river was.... it can't be done.  It's one of those things you have to experience to understand.  All I can say is that they live up to "The Home of Serious Fun".  We had a raft full of crazy people like me that wanted to hit every rapid as hard as we could.  I've heard people say before "I went rafting, but I wish I had been in the fun raft."  Well we were that raft!  We took one hit so hard it broke the zipper on our raft!  Don't worry, we were fine - it didn't affect the raft's ability to hold air, only it's ability to hold it's shape.  It was loud, but we were almost to our first stop on the trip so we just picked up another raft there.  Plus we got the bragging rights that we were so awesome the raft couldn't handle us ;)

Lunch is included as part of the rafting trip, and I remember sitting there at the picnic table just being in awe of Maine.  Which, if you have read other posts on my blog, happens quite often and with good reason.  Here's just a sneak peek of why I say that now:

Photo by Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting.

Here we were, all 100+ of us, sitting around picnic tables having a hot lunch that the guides prepped for us over a fire next to the river.  People from all over were connecting, enjoying the great outdoors, and it's just always a good feeling to witness that.

Directly after lunch, we were set to hit Nesowdnehunk Falls.  I have always thought this was funny.  Let's feed you and send you on the equivalent of a rollercoaster ride.  My last experience with the falls was in 2011, and it was memorable enough that Josh remembered me even though it had been two years since I had seen him.  As I said before, we had a raft of 6 women (most of whom I worked with).  One of the women is deaf, so it made it a little more challenging for her since she could not hear Josh's instructions from the back of the raft.  She could only watch me and do what I did, as I was sitting in the front of the raft.  Before hitting the falls, Josh gives us the "game plan" - how are we going to approach this section of the river.  He told us that he needed us to paddle all ahead as hard as we could right up until he told us to hold on.  If we didn't give him all we had right up til that moment, we weren't going to hit the rapid how he wanted to.

The river bends left just before the falls, and you can't see the falls until you're about to head into it.  It's not really that rough before the falls, so you can actually hear the roaring of the water well before you get there.  The anxious feeling of not being able to see what's going on around the corner is crazy!  And it's heightened when you see a raft go around the bend and all you can hear is people screaming like they would on a rollercoaster.  When it's our turn, Josh gives us our instructions and we start paddling with all we have.  Till we hear "Oh sh**! Hold on!"  As one we immediately stop paddling and grab onto whatever we can near us.....and realize it was not Josh that yelled.  Being deaf, one of the women hadn't gotten Josh's instructions.  If someone could have gotten a picture of his face in that moment, it would have been priceless.  There was no time for us to grab our paddles and recover, it was all on Josh at that point.  When we went over the falls, the left side of the raft took a hard hit - which is where I was.  I got thrown across the raft and remember thinking along the way "Oh well!  It will be a good story!"  While I didn't end up going out of the raft, I did end up caught half in/half out of the raft and took quite a pummeling from the river.  But nothing I couldn't handle!  Thanks to Josh we came out of it without flipping our raft and a story that both us and the guide would remember.

Because of the last time going over the falls, I was a little anxious already.  Then I heard the falls.  Then I heard the screaming as the first raft went around the bend.  At this point I was pretty confident in the group I was rafting with NOT to stop paddling, but still my stomach was all butterflies.  We came around the bend following Tony's instructions and I remember that moment as the raft was starting to go over the falls.  Picture it - there you are in a raft at the edge of a 13ft waterfall looking down over the falls.  It's one of those moments where you get a huge adrenaline rush and time slows down... until we actually went over it.  On the first run of the falls (yes that's right we did it more than once!) we took the biggest hit.  The raft tipped up on it's left side.  I had a hold on the rope and leaned way back trying to transfer my weight as far that way as I could to keep the raft from flipping.  I joked later that it felt like riding one of those mechanical bulls.  We came out the other side with the raft upright but we were missing several passengers - including our guide!  There is a pool after the waterfall, though, so getting everyone back into the raft really was no problem at all.  With everyone loaded up, Tony asks us "Are you ready to do that again?"  That's right - we did the falls not once, but three times!

This view of the falls is from the opposite side of what we run.  It's more impressive from the other side of the river, but here you can see the exposed rocks in the middle of the river.  That's where we carried the raft upriver to run the falls again.... and again!  We also got the chance to do some surfing at the falls - which was a lot of work but so much worth the effort!

 The raft in the above photo is actually facing upriver.  Tony referred to the falls as "recess" because after lunch we stopped there to play for at least an hour.  Eventually we had to head back downriver, though, even though I honestly could have spent an entire day at the falls.

There are many rafting companies here in Maine, but I was impressed by everything about Three Rivers.  We learned a lot about the area we were rafting through, heard some great travel stories (I swear my bucket list doubled in size), and anyone that can put up with all those bad attempts at British accents and over abundance of sarcasm in our raft deserves kudos.  We had so much fun that we decided to stay another night and leave on Sunday rather than head north Saturday night.  With nightly bonfires, a band on Saturday night, and great people - how can you turn that down?! :)

Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting also has trips on the Kennebec River and the Dead River that run out of The Forks.  I have not had the opportunity to do either of these trips yet, but I plan on being there for Last Blast on the Kennebec in October.  Next year maybe I'll get up the nerve to do a Jump & Raft package with them (which includes rafting and skydiving).  For now, though, find Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting on Facebook and check out their website for more information on the trips they offer.

Lobster SUP Cup 2013

I'm a little late getting this entry in, but better late than never!  Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of being a volunteer for the inaugural Lobster SUP Cup.  If you haven't read my previous post about Stand Up Paddleboarding, you can find it here.  SUP is relatively new to Maine, and while constantly growing in popularity - it's still relatively unknown to most people who live here.  It seems every time I am out on Brewer Lake I will get questions about "What do you call this?", "Where can I get one?", and a range of other questions about the difficulty of the sport, what I like about it, etc.  As such, Maine hasn't developed much in the area of competitive SUP racing.  Until now...

Thorfinn Expeditions hosted the first SUP race here in Maine with their 2013 Lobster SUP Cup.  The race spanned two days and covered 25 miles of Maine's rugged coast line.  Being that I just picked up the sport this year for exercise more than as a serious racer - I only attended as a volunteer this year.  My best friend, however, did race.  That's right.... she's a super star!  She just picked up the sport in May, and already has done a long distance race.  Here she is at the start of the SUP Cup in Rockport Harbor:

Our trip started the day before the race, as we wanted to make sure to be there with plenty of time to help out in any way necessary.  All of the SUP racers and volunteers were very friendly and in no time at all we felt like we had always been part of this group.  We filled out all of our paperwork, and then were left with the rest of our Friday night to just chill in the Lincolnville area.  Saturday morning would be when all of the festivities/race would start.

Saturday morning's race began in Rockport Harbor and traveled to Lincolnville Beach with a detour into Camden Harbor.  I spent my morning helping load up the boats while Sarah and the other racers prepped for start time.  Typically I consider myself to be a fairly athletic looking person, but looking around at the athletes in this race I no longer felt that way.  These people were in some serious shape - which is a testament to exactly how great a workout SUP can be.  This race had drawn people from as far down the coast as NC and even a former Olympic gold medalist from Canada named Larry Cain.  You can find his blog post about the race here - his post is probably much better.... he does this for a living, so cut me some slack!

While everyone else was going to spend their day on a board, I got the opportunity to spend my day on a boat taking photos of all of their hard work.  Jared Cumming's boat The Osprey was the place to be if you were a volunteer.  I'm always amazed at how openly welcoming people are in Maine whether they grew up here or have come from away.  The volunteers on The Osprey were no different.  All of the volunteers were so much fun to spend the day with, and Jared was a very gracious host.  This race featured some spectacular scenery along the Maine coast, and it was a pleasure volunteering to photograph it all.  Some of my favorite shots were as the racers passed the lighthouse coming out of Rockport Harbor, shots as the racers came through Camden Harbor, and catching video of the start of the race.

Lighthouse coming out of Rockport Harbor.

Marta Downing coming through Camden Harbor.

As the racers came through Camden Harbor, there were plenty of spectators all cheering them on.  From there they traveled up the coast to finish in Lincolnville Beach where they were rewarded with an after party at McGlaughlin's Lobster Shack.  There they had their choice of a lobster dinner (not one, but TWO lobsters), fried seafood platter, and BBQ chicken.  The food here was amazing, and the atmosphere was on par with the food.  It was great to be able to spend some time with the SUP racers, share some of the day's photos, and make some connections for some future races.  As part of the after party, awards were given out to the top 3 male racers and top 3 female racers.  

Day Two of the Lobster SUP Cup started in Lincolnville Beach with a finish line in Belfast.  Rather than start from the water as they had in Rockport Harbor - the racers were doing an actual beach start.  Unfortunately given the nature of the start, I could not get some video of this one.  I did get to spend the day on the water again, though.  I'm constantly amazed at the things that are available to people right here in Maine.  There is so much to experience if people just seek it out.  Being out on the ocean for the day was no different.  Everything from the scenery to the people - could not have planned a better weekend on the coast.

Since I was on a chase boat rather than the photography boat, I did not get quite the same photos on the second day of the race.  With my camera it always seemed that the SUP racers tended to get lost in the rock face they were paddling by - but here's a peek at part of their trip that day.

I think that my favorite part of day two was following the last racer's trek towards Belfast.  She showed such perseverance and determination that it was inspiring.  Inspiring enough for me to agree to do a smaller race (only 5 miles) in Cape Cod later next month. :)  Here's my absolute favorite shot of the day - her crossing the finish line while everyone cheered her on from shore.  I wish the angle had been better so I could have gotten everyone else in the background - such a supportive group!

This day the after party was in Belfast, and we all headed for Rollie's.  Rollie's is such a great little bar - the beer selection had something for everyone and the food was awesome.  We spent a good bit of time there refueling before heading to the unofficial after party place - Three Tides.  I can't think of a better place to have had the after party.  This is an eccentric bar/restaurant that didn't disappoint.  They even have bocce ball set up for their patrons.  Being that we were in a competitive crowd, it didn't take long for us to make use of that.  The evening ended with all of us exchanging contact information and making tentative plans to meet up at future races. All in all, it was an amazing weekend with some really great people!

Saying goodbye at Three Tides.

For more photos of the race, find me on Facebook or visit the Lobster SUP Cup Facebook page.

 

Monhegan Island, ME

A few years ago I purchased a book filled with recommended hikes, kayak trips, and mountain biking trails in Maine.  One of the entries in the book was for hiking at a place called Monhegan Island.  I was immediately interested in making the trip out to this remote island to hike the cliffs and see a bit of the island life.  It took a few years for me to finally plan the trip, but this past weekend we made it out to the island to do some hiking and see what we could see.

Sunset on Monhegan

Monhegan Island is a small island about 1.7 miles long and 0.7 miles wide that is about 10 miles off the coast of Maine.  The only way to get there is by boat either on the Monhegan Boat Line, Hardy Boat Cruises, or Balmy Days Cruises.  We chose to take the Monhegan Boat Line out of Port Clyde, ME.  The boat is a no-frills way to get to the island, but it was nice to sit in the very front of the boat out on the deck and watch the islands go by during the one hour trip out to Monhegan Island.

Lighthouse at Port Clyde

Coming into the harbor you can see the smaller island of Manana which shelters the harbor from the harsh weather this far off the coast.  The smaller island is uninhabited.  It's last resident was a hermit and his herd of goats, but he passed away in 1975.  A film was made about his life called The Hermit of Manana.  There is still a herd of goats on the island, but not much else.  For a brief period there was a manned Coast Guard station there, but that has since been automated.  While the small island has no residents, you can make a day trip over to explore during your stay on Monhegan.  Just go to Swim Beach and ask/radio for Rusty who will take you across in his small boat.  We did not make the trek over, but I hope to go back someday to see it.

Manana on the boat ride to Monhegan

Closer view of Manana

Our first experience when getting off the boat was seeing The Barnacle right off the dock.  The Barnacle is a bakery and coffee shop that sells fresh made pastries, chowder, coffee, tea, etc.  The food is made at the Island Inn and then brought down to be sold at the store.  If you happen by The Barnacle, I highly recommend the raspberry croissant or the strawberry rhubarb muffins.

The Barnacle at Monhegan Island

Walking up the hill towards the village there is the Island Inn on your right.  This Inn has an amazing view of the harbor and holds 32 rooms and suites.  While we did not stay at the Island Inn, we did go there for supper on our last night on Monhegan - it was amazing.  I had a Curry Squash soup for an appetizer, Filet with lobster and white wine risotto for main, and then topped it off with a Blackberry Rhubarb Crisp ala mode.  A heads up to those that enjoy beer/wine with their meals - it is illegal on the island to serve alcohol.  You can buy alcohol at The Cantina, The Barnacle, or The Novelty and bring it to dinner, but they cannot serve you alcohol anywhere on the island.  Expect the prices at the Island Inn to be a bit more expensive than the rest of the island, but the food there was very good.  I also found the bulletin board with an FAQ sheet about the Inn to be quite interesting.  Tidbits such as how they get electricity on the island (3 large diesel generators power the whole island costing $0.70/kwh) and that they have to pay $10.00/bag just to send trash off the island.  It really put things in perspective when you think about how many people live on the mainland.

Across from the Island Inn is another place that offers accommodations to visitors to the island - the John Sterling Harbor House.  The Harbor House has no restaurant, and we did not stay there so I cannot speak much to the characteristics of the accomodations - but I thought it worth a mention.

Continuing up the hill there is a small craft store called Winter Works that we found very interesting.  Many people on the island do crafts during the winter to sell to tourists in the summer (hence the name Winter Works).  They assembled a craft co-op of sorts, and there were all kinds of interesting things to be found there.  Crafts made with sea glass or shells, painted ornaments, or even knitted items.  The woman who was working here was very friendly and open to questions about the island.  She is a full-time resident of the island, and she has lived there 20 years.  There are 40-50 full-time residents on the island, and they even have a one room school house which currently has one second grade student and two kindergarten students who attend half days.  The island residents are working hard to encourage young families to move out to the island, as the population has been declining as people move the less remote mainland.  Even though the island is remote, it still has things like high speed internet and a cell phone tower - some of the residents have telecommuting jobs where they spend the majority of their time working from the island with occasional infrequent trips to the mainland.

The island seems to attract many artists that wish to paint the coast landscapes, wildlife, and the small village itself.  This artwork can be found on display and for sale in many galleries across the island.  Most shops (and The Rope Shed) have a map of where the galleries can be found.  Another essential item if you plan on hiking while you are there is a Trail Map.  They can be purchased for $1.00 at either the Lupine Gallery or the Cantina (the island's only grocery store).

Taking a right at the end of the road, we headed by the Cantina (here you can buy groceries and find the Island's only ATM) and then Swim Beach.  Swim Beach is really the only safe place on the island to go swimming.  Much of the island's shoreline is very rocky with high cliffs and unpredictable waters.  Swimming anywhere other than Swim Beach is not a good idea - and after hiking the entire perimeter of the island, I can see why.  They have had people lost, swept out to see as late as 2011.  There is no emergency service on the island (not even a police force).  Swim Beach is also where you will find Rusty, who will take you over to  Manana for the day should you wish to explore the smaller island.

Just past Swim Beach you will find the "Rope Shed".  This is the go to place for all announcements, information, and events on the island.  It acts as a community bulletin board where you will see postings for everything from cleaning services to jambories to gallery events.  If you want to know what is going on on the island during your stay, take a peak at the Rope Shed on your way by.

Just past the Rope Shed is Fish Beach where you will find The Fish House.  The Fish House was not open during our stay, sadly, but it has great reviews on Trip Advisor and from word of mouth if you are in the market for some local seafood.  They are a take-out place, and as such they are a cheaper option than the Island Inn should you want to sample the local catch of the day.

Beyond Fish Beach you begin to get into the Village center.  There is a small Post Office, The Black Duck Emporium (gift shop), the island's only church, and The Monhegan House.  The Monhegan House is where we stopped for dinner on our first night on the island.  Their prices were much more reasonable than the Island Inn, and honestly - the food was a notch above.  We had Parsnip/Leek/Ginger Soup for starter, and I tried the Atlantic Trout for a main.  Both were amazing.  I will say that were I to recommend the ideal place for a sit down meal on the island, this would be it.  The staff were very courteous and the atmosphere was very laid back.  They also have a sandwich/pizza shop at the back of the Monhegan House called The Novelty.  We tried the pizza there one afternoon for lunch, and it was possibly the best pizza I've ever had.  It was also funny to meet the man working behind the counter and find out he was from The County not far from where we grew up.  Like many of the people we met on the island, he was a summer resident working just for the season.

Past the novelty the road inclines sharply, and in our case that meant carrying our bags up the hill to get to The Hitchcock House where we were staying.  In my opinion, if you are coming to the island for a weekend and just looking for the experience - no bells and whistles - this is the ideal place to stay.  We stayed in a room called "The Yellow Room" which had two twin beds and a semi-private bath.  It was just $85.00 a night, and that was very reasonable for the accommodations.  We had access to a large deck, patio furniture, and a propane grill.  The room was very comfortable, clean, and quiet - also being that it was on the top of the hill - the breeze kept it cooler than it was down near the harbor.  Barbara Hitchcock owns The Hitchcock House and The Black Duck Emporium.  She was very friendly, informative, and made us feel right at home on the island.

The Yellow Room at The Hitchcock House

We had taken the last boat out to Monhegan, so our first night there was spent just looking around the village, having supper, and then watching the sunset - which was gorgeous over Manana.  But the next day we decided to start out early and hike around the Island.

**An advisement to all hikers on these trails - they are not very well marked (take a trail map with you everywhere) and the terrain off the trails is very rough, so stay on the trail.  If you go off the trail to do something like watch the seals in the harbor from the rocks - make sure to come back to the trail before you continue on.  Bring a good pair of hiking boots, as well.  We packed light and brought sneakers rather than boots - learn from our mistake!  We are both very fit and sure-footed but with just sneakers it is still very easy to lose your footing on some of the rocky terrain.

The first half of our day took us to the northern side of the island.  We spent the morning climbing over rocks and watching the wildlife near shore, stopped to take photos of a local lobster boat setting it's traps for the day, and then stopped for a mid morning snack on a cliff overlooking the water.

Lobster boat setting it's traps

Seals playing off shore

Unlike many other hiking trails in Maine, these trails are not very well traveled (at least at this time of year).  So be sure to hike with someone in case of emergency, as there is slim chance of meeting anyone else on the trails.  Our trip around the island brought us to a trail that wound right back to The Hitchcock House where we re-stocked on water and walked to The Novelty for lunch.  From there we chose to explore the other side of the island at Lobster Cove where there was a ship wreck (an old tug boat that had crashed up on the rocks during a storm) and more cliffs to climb.  By early afternoon we had made our way around the entire perimeter of the island and gotten some great photos along the way.  It left us just enough time to clean up and head to the Island Inn for dinner.

Ship wreck at Lobster Cove

We had a relaxing day the next day waiting for our boat to leave at 12:30, and I couldn't help but think about how peaceful and easy-going life on the island seemed during the summer.  I'm sure it's much more harsh during the winter given the remoteness of the island, but for right then - the idea of living somewhere where you had to be as self sufficient as possible.... it just seemed like that is how we are meant to live.  Not a slave to the endless rat race trying to get ahead of the person next to you - but as a community living, working, thriving together.  Taking the boat back to the mainland it felt almost like traveling to another world - even now being home it hasn't really sunk in yet.  This little island just 10 miles from Port Clyde but worlds away in terms of quality of life.

If you live in Maine or are just visiting - whether you can spare a day or a week - Monhegan Island should be on your list of places to see.  It is one of those places in Maine that will show you why they say "Maine - The way life should be."

View from the cliffs hiking around Monhegan

Looking over one of the cliffs at Monhegan

Greater Bangor Area Businesses

Recently I decided to make this blog not only about hiking and outdoor adventure in Maine, but also to throw a bit in here about local businesses that really are worth the trip to check them out.  I'll start a post for each area I visit that details all of the places I feel that anyone coming to the area needs to check out.  We'll start with the Greater Bangor Area.  This blog will be updated as I visit more post-worthy places.

Nocturnem Draft Haus
First on the list is Nocturnem Draft Haus. This local bar and beer garden is really a gem, as they offer a great selection of craft beers on tap as well as an extensive bottled selection.  They carry 14 different beers on tap at any given time, and they rotate them frequently so there is always something new to offer.  Their website is updated frequently and always carries a Current Draft List for those that would like to check ahead of time.  Nocturnem also offers a simple menu of sandwiches, wraps, and burgers that is locally sourced if available.

Most people in this area would think a bar like this is for "beer snobs" but that is not the case.  The staff at Nocturnem are all very friendly and seem to truly love what they do.  If you're unsure what to order, any one of the bar tenders can give you a suggestion based on what types of beers you have already tried and liked.  I can honestly say that I have never asked for a beer recommendation and been given one that I didn't like.

The bar is also known for having many events going on showcasing local bands, housing promo nights regularly, and also having a Monday Night Flite Night where you can purchase a sampler flite of beer if you're feeling adventurous and want to try more than one of the drafts offered.  Their website offers a current calendar of events and other happenings at the bar.

4 Points BBQ and Blues House
This place has got to be the best place to go on a sunny day (or any other day for that matter!).  Located in Winterport, ME, this place is a little bit out of the way if you are visiting Bangor, but their authentic BBQ and great atmosphere are well worth the drive.  The restaurant itself has limited seating with only 4-5 picnic tables, but this year they have built an outdoor seating area with a stage to offer more seating and showcase Blues bands throughout the summer.  See their website for a calendar of events that are scheduled most weekends through to the end of September.

4 Points has their own set of BBQ sauces and sells bottles of them right there at the restaurant for you to take home.  I recommend a mixture of Memphis and Maine XXX for a spicy/sweet sauce.  When ordering your sides, be sure to try their BBQ Baked Beans, as well.  And as if great BBQ wasn't enough - they also feature some locally brewed beers from Penobscot Bay Brewery (located in Winterport, ME).

Grand Lake Matagamon

  This past weekend my father and I took the snowmobile and headed in to camp to just spend the day.  The camp is at Haybrook Meadow just north east of Grand Lake Matagamon.  As we were sledding across the frozen lake, I got to thinking about how there are so many people that will never have the experiences that I have been fortunate to have growing up in Maine.  I take those for granted at times, as much as I hate to admit it, and it's moments like that - speeding across the ice and looking over at the rock face of Horse Mountain - that it really hits me how lucky I have been.  Here is a bit about our camp from what I remember of stories from family.

Our hunting camp has been in the family since only 1983 (according to my grandfather that's the year he built the camp), but that area is rich with family history going back to at least the 1920's.  My great grandfather, Herschel A. Steen, used to trap up in that area.  He was a registered Maine Guide, and I've heard many stories about him guiding hunting trips for people from all over New England.  Ironically enough, he had a brother, Amos, that was a game warden in the same area.  I'm not sure if that helped or hurt his business, though. :) 

My great grandfather (Pappy as I called him) used to take his canoe all by himself across Grand Lake Matagamon to where he had his original camp at Hay Brook Logan.  This is probably well over 7 miles to paddle a gear laden canoe all by yourself.  My great grandfather was definitely much more hardy than I am!  He used to travel to camp in this fashion right up until the day he took my great-grandmother in to camp with him....after which she bought him a motor for his canoe insisting that it was too far for him to be paddling a canoe in there.  This is a photo of them at the original camp:

My great grandfather had this camp right up until some time in the 60s/70s (I am unsure of the year) when Baxter State Park officials decided that they did not want a hunting camp on park lands - and then burned it to the ground.  I have not been up to the old camp site at Hay Brook Logan, but my father says that the old wood stove is still there today just sitting in the woods.  That's all that is left of the camp that Pappy, Grampa, and Uncle Bob spent so much time at.

A funny side note to this story - without a camp to stay in, Pappy had to improvise when hunting/trapping in the area.  So he built a make-shift shelter out of plastic wrap and tar paper.  Grampa says that they just wrapped this around some trees, fashioned a roof, and stayed in there when they were in the woods.  Complete with a wood stove, shelves for food stores, and everything:

Plastic shack

Uncle Bob in front of Pappy's shack.

Around about 1983, my grandfather acquired a lease from the logging companies to build a camp further up Hay Brook at Hay Brook Meadow.  This camp is only maybe 30 feet from the park line, but since it is on the logging company's land - it has not suffered the same fate that Pappy's camp did.  Grampa built the camp with some family and friends over the course of several weekends.  It is just as rustic of a camp as the first one.

Grampa's camp.

This is what the camp looked like shortly after it was built.  It is on leased land, and from the looks of it Grampa used the logs from the trees he cleared to put the camp here to actually build the camp.  Even though it is in a different location than the camp that Pappy originally had, it is still located in the area that Pappy and his brothers would hunt and trap.  Proof of this can be seen in a birch tree on the trail to camp:

MBS are the initials in this tree - Maurice B Steen - with the year beneath them - 1931.  This tree has been there for 82 years, and you can still clearly read the carving Pappy's brother left there. Talk about a living piece of family history!

Our camp is about as rustic and off the grid as it gets, and over the years it has gotten a lot of use.  My parents used to go in there with my grandfather when I was very young - which ended at least one time with me getting carried out in a pack basket (apparently I was too tired to walk back out).  Uncle Bob (my grandfather's brother) used to take us in there as kids for a few days over Thanksgiving break while he was hunting.  We would play in the woods, feed corn bread to the Canadian Jays, and play cribbage til late into the evening.  They are memories that I thought as a child, everyone had the opportunity to make.  Now that I'm older, I appreciate them so much more because I realize that not everyone has that or will have that.

The years have gone by, and camp gets less use now than it used to.  As a result, there was a lot of work that needed to be done to bring it back to being livable for more than just an afternoon.  The mice had torn the mattresses apart and built their nests everywhere they could.  Several winters of heavy snow had taken it's toll on the structure of camp.  The stove pipe needed replacing.  Even the outhouse wasn't safe - an animal had torn right through the side of it!  It was time, we all decided, for someone to do a little maintenance to camp, and so my dad waited for the winter when he could take materials across on his sled and then set to work.  My father can be likened to Tim the Tool-man Taylor if Tim had actually known what he was doing.  He never does anything half-way and is a perfectionist in every sense of the word (which is why he is so good at what he does).  I remember thinking "I hope he leaves camp like a camp" - rather than completely re-doing the structure and turning it into the Taj-mahal of hunting camps.

Kudos to my dad - he brought camp back to it's former "glory" without stripping everything that made it camp:

Dad in front of an updated camp

Updated camp from the side

 Camp has stayed the camp that we all have fond memories of, but it is now updated with new mouse-proof cabinets, propane piping for the cook stove and lights, new stove pipe, and bed boxes that keep the mice from tearing the mattresses apart for their nests.  He's also fixed some structural issues and has plans to add a metal roof so that there are no worries about snow building up and causing the roof to collapse.

We spent that day at camp taking pictures of everything that was done so that family members could see the changes that were made.  It's the fist time in a long time that I've had a chance to be at camp, start a wood fire, spend the day... I don't think I realized how much I'd missed it til just then.  I came back with photos to send to the family, and honestly I even felt a little lighter - spending time in the woods can really have a healing effect on a person, I think.  Uncle Bob lives in Florida now, but he asks about the camp every time we talk.  Aunt Heather lives in VT, and she's often said "If you can't find me, that's where I'll be - in the woods at camp a few hundred miles from everything."  Now I guess she really could do that if she wanted to.

To many people camp means a place they go to go boating and throw parties and have bonfires, but I don't think many people know what it is to have a camp that is off the grid like this one.  A place that feels almost untouched by time and so saturated with memories that whether you've been there once or a hundred times, whether you were there 20 years ago or just last week, it feels like home.

Here are some photos Grampa shared with me from trips to camp back years ago:

Great-Gram Steen on the boat ride to camp.

Some hunters that Pappy was acting as guide for.

View of Pappy's camp from the water.

Pappy (standing) and Grampa (right) at Pappy's camp.

Uncle Bob posing with his deer.

Pappy fishing at Matagamon.

Grampa feeding the Canadian Jays.

Grampa said he was told "Do the dishes or else!" haha

Grampa snow-shoeing with his pack basket.

Original view of interior of camp.

Interior of camp today

Photo with bed box open.

Grampa on the front porch at camp.

Pappy on the boat ride in.

Grampa at camp.

Canadian Jays - yes they are that brave to come right inside the camp.