A Maine Sampler

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pudgy_groundhog

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Location
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I only post trip reports once in a blue moon, but figured since Steve and I were probably the last VFTT souls to make it to Maine, I thought I might as well post a report. :D

Over Labor Day we spent a week in Maine visiting Baxter, the Bold Coast, and Acadia. Given my "motherly condition" (as a ranger put it), our trip was more low key than normal, but still very enjoyable.

We started out in Baxter where we first spent two nights in Nesowadnehunk Field, where we really enjoyed the wide open space for star gazing and we had a female moose serve as our alarm clock one morning. While in this part of the park we hiked Sentinel Mountain, Doubletop, and The Owl and also paid a visit to Niagara Falls and canoed on Daicey Pond.

For our last two nights we stayed at South Branch Pond. Wow -- what a campsite for car camping! We really enjoyed our stay at South Branch Pond and hiking the Traveler Loop was one of the highlights of our trip.

Lazing around South Branch Pond:

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Hiking the Traveler Loop:

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After Baxter we headed for the coast where we stayed at Cobscook Bay for one night and hiked the Bold Coast trail on the Cutler Preserve. This was another highlight. A nice 10.5 mile loop (~4 miles or so along the coast) with beautiful views of the rugged coast and we had it all to ourselves (besides the seals, porpoises, and bald eagle :D ).

A few steps from our campsite at Cobscook Bay:

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From the Bold Coast:

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Our last stop was Acadia. Up to this point we had seen very few people (on several hikes we never saw another person), so Acadia was a little bit of a shock, but it still wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected it to be. We were pretty lackadaisical in Acadia, mainly doing the tourist thing. :p The highlight in Acadia was attending a tide pool talk with a ranger (our timing was good, they only offer it in the spring and fall -- this was the second talk of the fall season). There was a group of about 20 who met at Ship Harbor and made the short hike to the water. After the ranger, Lisa, debriefed us on tide pooling she set us loose to see what we could find. Everybody brought back their finds and she talked in depth about all the plants and creatures. It was a lot of fun and interesting.

Steve exploring the tide pools:

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A starfish:

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Anyhow -- that's it in a nutshell. Loved our time up there and hope to make it back eventually.

Thanks for taking a look!

FYI, all of the pictures and some trip notes are here:

Maine 07
 
Gorgeous pics, as always!

Looks like you two got to see some great parts of Baxter that most people overlook (including me - I'm yet to do anything in Baxter besides climb Katahdin)

Thanks for sharing
 
Thanks!

I joked with Steve that all the list people would gasp if they knew we were going to Baxter and not climbing a single 4000 foot peak. :p

In retrospect, I probably could've done Katahdin since I did the Traveler Loop just fine, but it's all good. The Traveler Loop was a real gem -- so much trail above treeline with beautiful views. And some really awesome blueberry patches. It's definitely worth getting up to that portion of the park. We loved South Branch Pond.
 
pudgy_groundhog said:
Steve and I were probably the last VFTT souls to make it to Maine
Better late than never - way to get out there!!

You picked some choice spots in Baxter that probably don't get much attention. I have fond memories of meeting up with the Canadian army at Nesowadnehunk Field - yeah, it's car camping... but far from it!!

For me, the only sampler that beats yours is the one at the Long Trail Brewery :D
 
I have to say pudgey - you have some of the best photo's I have seen on any hiking site.
Thanks! I wish I could take all the credit, but I can't (Steve takes a lot of pics and well, when presented with such pretty scenery, it makes it a lot easier! :) ).

You picked some choice spots in Baxter that probably don't get much attention. I have fond memories of meeting up with the Canadian army at Nesowadnehunk Field - yeah, it's car camping... but far from it!!
I'm kind of surprised that some of the places we visited in Baxter don't see more visitors, but fine for us since we more or less had them to ourselves (being there midweek had to help too). :p And it is more like backcountry car camping (if there is such a thing) than regular car camping. It was nice to get the wilderness experience, yet have the comfy air mattress. :D

And -- Canadian Army?!
 
Let me guess--you used the Canon 17-85 mm IS lens with a polarizer on some pics.
Bingo. :) I love our polarizer -- helps so much (except when we forget to take it off when doing a series of pics we're going to stitch together :( ).

I also do some very basic photoshop post processing on the pics.
 
pudgy_groundhog said:
I love our polarizer -- helps so much (except when we forget to take it off when doing a series of pics we're going to stitch together :( ).
The polarizer was a bit obvious on a 17mm FL shot with lots of sky--it was dark blue in one region and much lighter in another...

Guess it would also have a similar effect on a wide stitch.

Since I'm too lazy to stitch, I picked up the 10-22mm lens. Didn't get a polarizer for the above reason.

Doug
 
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