Downeast Lakes canoe trail and reading room trip€¦ · with Mark before the trip, but when we...
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Downeast Lakes Water Trail and Reading Room Last summer my 25 year old daughter Anna and I did a "canoe trip" on the Grand Lakes. We paddled, but not for bragging rights. We were there to absorb quiet, vistas, clear water, solitude, and undistracted time to read. We have had plenty of canoeing adventures in Maine and Canada. We didn't need the adrenaline of whitewater, not to mention the bother of long travel and the expense of outfitters. This time we came just to wander from one lovely campsite to another, to jump in the water whenever we felt like it, and to read on the beach. We decided to go to Grand Lake Stream because that part of Maine was a quadrant we didn't know. I had learned the remarkable story of the land conservation achieved by this small town from Mark Berry, Executive Director of the Downeast Lakes Land Trust. Mark circled a few campsites on a map for me. I couldn't find much in the paddling guidebooks, but I found a partial description of routes in a very old canoeing book mouldering on my bookshelf. Staring at the Maine Gazetteer produced a vague plan. With no reservations required, and short enough distances with the time we had to spend, we could improvise our route day by day. We drove from our home in southern Maine to the town of Grand Lake Stream. I had told Anna all about the land trust, and this great guy who directs it. I hoped to introduce her to him. I wasn't able to connect with Mark before the trip, but when we arrived at the boat ramp onto West Grand Lake, we learned that in true Maine style we could find Mark just across the water at the cook‐out following the land trust's annual canoe race. The one canoe in the twelve‐mile division was just then powering in. The tired paddlers told us about the wind we would soon face. We unloaded our gear and parked in the boat ramp lot. A short paddle to the other shore brought us directly to Mark and his little son, a water sprite. We said a quick hello and then waved goodbye to this idyllic scene of families celebrating in the golden afternoon. Our canoe was the gorgeous Old Town that my husband and I had bought in rough shape from a summer camp on Damariscotta Lake that was going out of business thirty years ago. We had painstakingly restored the old boat over a winter before we had had any children.
Transcript of Downeast Lakes canoe trail and reading room trip€¦ · with Mark before the trip, but when we...
DowneastLakesWaterTrailandReadingRoom
Lastsummermy25yearolddaughterAnnaandIdida"canoetrip"ontheGrandLakes.Wepaddled,butnotforbraggingrights.Weweretheretoabsorbquiet,vistas,clearwater,solitude,andundistractedtimetoread.WehavehadplentyofcanoeingadventuresinMaineandCanada.Wedidn'tneedtheadrenalineofwhitewater,nottomentionthebotheroflongtravelandtheexpenseofoutfitters.Thistimewecamejusttowanderfromonelovelycampsitetoanother,tojumpinthewaterwheneverwefeltlikeit,andtoreadonthebeach.WedecidedtogotoGrandLakeStreambecausethatpartofMainewasaquadrantwedidn'tknow.IhadlearnedtheremarkablestoryofthelandconservationachievedbythissmalltownfromMarkBerry,ExecutiveDirectoroftheDowneastLakesLandTrust.Markcircledafewcampsitesonamapforme.Icouldn'tfindmuchinthepaddlingguidebooks,butIfoundapartialdescriptionofroutesinaveryoldcanoeingbookmoulderingonmybookshelf.StaringattheMaineGazetteerproducedavagueplan.Withnoreservationsrequired,andshortenoughdistanceswiththetimewehadtospend,wecouldimproviseourroutedaybyday.WedrovefromourhomeinsouthernMainetothetownofGrandLakeStream.IhadtoldAnnaallaboutthelandtrust,andthisgreatguywhodirectsit.Ihopedtointroducehertohim.Iwasn'tabletoconnectwithMarkbeforethetrip,butwhenwearrivedattheboatrampontoWestGrandLake,welearnedthatintrueMainestylewecouldfindMarkjustacrossthewateratthecook‐outfollowingthelandtrust'sannualcanoerace.Theonecanoeinthetwelve‐miledivisionwasjustthenpoweringin.Thetiredpaddlerstoldusaboutthewindwewouldsoonface. Weunloadedourgearandparkedintheboatramplot.AshortpaddletotheothershorebroughtusdirectlytoMarkandhislittleson,awatersprite.Wesaidaquickhelloandthenwavedgoodbyetothisidyllicsceneoffamiliescelebratinginthegoldenafternoon.OurcanoewasthegorgeousOldTownthatmyhusbandandIhadboughtinroughshapefromasummercamponDamariscottaLakethatwasgoingoutofbusinessthirtyyearsago.Wehadpainstakinglyrestoredtheoldboatoverawinterbeforewehadhadanychildren.
Thelureofwhitewaterpaddlinginalltheyearssincemeantthatthiswoodandcanvasbeautyhadsatinthebarnunscratchedfordecades.Thislaketripputthebeautifulboatinitselement:travelingfast,trackingstraight,slicingthewaves.WemadequicktimetoLittleMayberryCovecampsiteanddecidedtokeepgoing.Wewonderedwhatwewouldfindwhenwewereoutoftheshelteroftheheadland.Soonweunderstoodwhymanypaddlersonthislakeoptforwind‐sheddingseakayaks.
Thewindandwaveswerejusttoohightogofurtherthatafternoon.Wesettledintoreadandswim.
Theafternoonturnedtoevening.Wewatchedthesunset.AtonepointinthenightIfrettedaboutthebrightlightthatacottageacrossthelakeseemedtobeshiningthroughourtentwall.ThenIrealizedthisbrightlightwasthemoon.
ThenextdaywespentafunmorningjumpingintothewateroffofCaribouRock,abigboulderaquartermilefromshore.Aropetohelpwithclimbingupthesteepfacedangleddowntothewater.Welaughedtilithurtaboutourcowardiceinlaunchingoffthedropthefirsttime.Aftermultiplejumps,wepaddledontoMcLellanCoveatthenorthernendofthelake.Oneremarkableaspectofthecampsiteshereisthattheyarecleananduntrampled.Usuallycanoeroutecampsiteshavethemossscuffedaway,pathsworn,andallnearbydeadwoodallburnedupinthefirepit.Clearly,thesesiteshadhadlightuse.Theforestfloorstillhaditsbeautifulleaflitterundisturbed.Therewassomuchbeautytoenjoy,nottomentionbookstoread.
Wehavebeenonmanycanoetripswherewespendsomuchtimecoveringmiles,makingcamp,cooking,andwashingthatwebarelyhavetimetogoforaswimorevensitdown.Onthistripweintendedtomakeshortworkofeverythingtakingawayfromenjoyingnatureandourbooks.Ifdinnertookmorethanfiveminutestocook,weweren'tinterested.
Thenextdaywepaddledwest,roundedCoffinPoint,threadedTheThoroughfareintoPocumcusLake,andlandedatacampsitesowonderfulthatI'dliketokeepthesecret.Thebeachwassandyandsunny,thepicnictablewasshaded,theswimmingwaswarmandcalm,andtheoptionsforsittingwithyourbookwerehardtowinnow.
ThenextmorningwepaddledtowherethewaternarrowsandthenemptiesthroughculvertsintoWabassusLake.Thedirtroadfromtowncrosseshere.Wehauledoutthecanoeandputonoursneakers.Asixmilerunbacktoourcarwashotanddusty,butmuchthesimplestshuttleI'veeverdone.Wejumpedintothelakefromtheboatrampforacool‐down.
It'salwaysfuntodriveagainafteramuscle‐poweredtrip.Wedrovethedustymilesbacktoourcanoeandloadedup.
NextcamesandwichesatthePineTreeStoreinGrandLakeStream.
WefoundtheofficesofthelandtrustacrossthestreetandlearnedfromMarkaboutthenextchallengeforthelandtrust:acquiringthe21,870acresfortheWestGrandLakeCommunityForestasthelastcriticalsegmentofthe370,000acresconservationprojectthatispartofa1.4millionacrewildlifecorridorbetweenMaineandNewBrunswick.Wecanmarvelandtakeprideintheaccomplishmentofatinytown'slandtrustinprotectingaswathoflandofascopetogiveyouthefeelofwilderness.IntheeasternUnitedStates,itispreciousandworthyofheartfeltsupporttopreserveaplacewheretheonlylightshiningisthemoon.Visitingthisenclaveisfreetopaddlers,butthepriceisthehard‐foughtvision,theyearsofeffort,andthemillionsofdollarsfromgenerouspeoplewhocherishthenaturalworld.
KarenHerold August2012
