Ahhh…the red’s, blues and green’s are so much brighter here. We drove from Hopewell Rocks, a by product of erosion and tide, to this perfect beach. First we skipped rocks then tried to enjoy the Nova Scotia night but were swarmed by unrelenting Mosquitos who then buzzed outside our tent all night. Actually worse than what it sounded like. Off now to Cape Breton and hopefully the bugs do not come with.
Rested, we left the bed and breakfast in E. Machias for the Maritimes. Across the remainder of Maine and into New Brunswick Arthur’s footsteps could be felt in the trees down and lack of electricity in many stores. But from what we could tell from the radio reports no one was seriously hurt in either Maine or Canada and it felt good to be starting the next phase of our trip.
Colder, much more wild, and considerably less crowded, New Brunswick offers a glimpse of what maybe Maine was like fifty years ago. In-between small cities like St. John exists large tracts of woods, family owned farms, and stunning views of the Bay of Fundy. Bay of Fundy National Park, which offers not only the largest tides in the world but also wild, clean rivers and trails reaching deep into the heart of old growth forests, has exactly one tourist town on the perimeter. It is walking distance from our campground and offers less than a half dozen places to eat, three motels, and a bed and breakfast. The main road leading through is almost completely deserted after dark.
After hiking to a waterfall and then along one of those wild rivers, we took a dip in the salt pool. Replenished nightly from the bay, the water is filtered but not chlorinated. Despite a cold wind and only mid-60 degree weather the pool attracted more than a few families. Pressed close to the bay itself and with a glass wall surrounding the pool, it is easy for one to imagine that you are swimming in the ocean yourself. And that is what Henna and I did until we left to go get some ice cream. Noel
I am writing to you now from a warm “Down East” bed and breakfast (Down East here is the way locals refer to the north east coast Maine coast line). I have a good bottle of wine and a patient wife waiting for me while the coolest daughter in the world settles down to bed. Had fireworks today too which was pretty special since Arthur’s delightful antics shut down the pyrotechnics last night.
When I hear Arthur, I can’t help but think of the loveable drunk that Dudley Moore played a few decades past. That might be part of the reason why I, along with seemingly everyone else in the Acadia National Park world we inhabited not so long ago, underestimated that tropical depression that used to be a hurricane. No one knew exactly when the big fellow was going to show up, but all agreed it would be little more than a rain. Truth be told it was more than a rain and although it never quite terrified us like maybe it should have, it walloped Maine like a welter weight. Less than ten yards from our tent a tree splintered. Another tree plopped down right in the middle of Maine Street at Southwest Harbor and seriously inconvenienced folks (like us) trying to get off the island. At “Maine’s first winery” the power was out and the place ran on candle light and rain water collected to rinse out glasses if needed. On Route 1 we saw power lines ripped from their poles and trees littering lawns. And the thing to consider with all of this is that Arthur never made it to land; this was just the ripples making their way from the eye. What if the dumb drunk had connected? Noel
So we weathered the hurricane last night in our tent. Lots of wind and felled trees. We are safe and heading north with the storm. Lesson learned: if a Hurricane is coming…..get out of town:)
It does not get more heart warming than this. The Common Good Soup Kitchen Community has been re-imagining the soup kitchen since 2009 when Chef Bill Morrison began making soup in his own kitchen for elderly neighbors. Since then the operation has expanded to a former, very quaint restaurant in Southwest Harbor immediately adjacent to Acadia Park’s Seawall Campground. In the summer it serves up yummy popovers, oatmeal, and coffee with jam, butter, and impressive views of the Atlantic. The place is a magnet not only to people in need, but also backpackers, campers, and the better heeled tourists. There also is a stage for music making and I write this now with the pleasing sounds of Timbered Lake playing in the background. It is pretty close to being 100% volunteer operated and also is a venue for assisting vocational skills for local special needs children. For more information go here
A volunteer at work
Gray Knob is a pretty special place offered to the public by the Randolph Mountain Club. Founded in 1910 , the RMC maintains two back country cabins, two lean-tos, and one hundred trails that wind about the White Mountains. So impressed were we by the cabin and their mission statement, we joined the RMC even though it might be years before we go back. For more information about this super- duper Hennacornoelidays recommended club go here. These are the details.
Where it is: Gray Knob is located on Mount Adams in the twilight of Timber Line (in the Presidential Mountain Range trees stop growing at approximately 4500′ which is an extremely low elevation considering the mountains share the same latitude as the French Riviera; in Colorado Timber Line is closer to 10000′).
How to get there: You gotta hike in. There are many trails that will take you there, but Lowe’s Path is the easiest. You park your car for a buck at Lowe’s gas station off Route 2 in Randolph, NH. Lowe’s store has been around for several generations with Mr. Lowe instrumental in building this path about a century ago. You then walk on the side of busy Route 2 for a tenth of a mile to the trail head. The 3.2 trail is neatly bisected by another trail called The Link. The first 1.6 to The Link is a lazy, pleasant walk in the woods that marginally gets you a little bit higher than where you started. The other half throws many a rock scramble along with inclines that will make your lungs scream. At 2.6 miles you reach a lean-to called the Log Cabin. The 3 walls and roof will keep you dry, but the bugs might also keep you company. It is $8 a night/per person to sleep there. The next .6 is mighty interesting and tired out our knuckles from gripping rocks. It took us, with packs, about 4 hours to do the trail. Most people probably do it closer to 3.
The amenities: For $20 a night/ per person (cheaper if you join the RMC, more on that later) you get to sleep on a worn out mattress set amongst a sea of other mattresses upstairs. As a snorer, I was pretty stoked to be able to observe first-hand the many different snoring methods. Downstairs is a wood burning stove for winter, two tables with benches, and counter space for setting up your backpacking stove. We filtered water from a spring .2 miles away. The cabin also has an impressive library (which I perused under flashlight) and a collection of board games. The main attraction of the cabin is that it offers easy access to a whole bunch of alpine trails including a reportedly not so hard 5 mile trek to Mount Washington. We chose a 1.6 mile hike to the summit of Adams which included a healthy dose of rock scrambles. The weather here is Artic born and is easily stirred up by the mountains. Storms come out of nowhere, it can snow in July, and you do not want to set out without rain gear and a willingness to turn back at a moment’s notice.
The toilet: The toilet is a state of the art environmentally conscious outhouse that utilizes solar power in order to maximize the composting process. To minimize waste, guests are encouraged to pee out in the woods. For #2 guests are asked to add a cup of mulch to their contribution.
Who runs the show: The caretaker runs the show. He or she collects the money each night (including from the Log Cabin and another nearby lean-to called the Perch) and makes sure no one accidentally burns down the cabin. For us, caretaker Hannah not only succeeded in keeping us from harm, but also went way out of her way to ensure that Henna had a good experience in the backcountry. This included on the first night trying to keep Creepy Man from continuing his incredibly inappropriate ghost stories and then later teaching us how to play Cribbage. Her personality and all around niceness reminded us a lot of our niece/cousin/house sitter Abby and we hope to catch up with her again. The visitors change nightly but they all were willing to share stories and other niceties.
Other lodging options up there: Crag’s Camp is more spacious, offers large windows overlooking a steep ravine, and a deck. It is a pretty easy .4 miles away from Gray Knob. For approximately $100 (again, per person) you can sleep in an AMC hut where you will get running water, people to cook for you, and an actual bed (but with no privacy; as frequent Gray Knob camper Carl said “at the end of the day you still sleep in a room with a bunch of strangers snoring). Noel
All smiles now……but once it was cracked…..eewwwww.
When you make your kid carry their own pack up a mountain you kind of owe them a Children’s Museum. The one in Bangor is mighty cool and a great place to spend a sultry day. Next stop the ocean!
. Downtown Bangor Maine grabbing lunch before heading into discovery center. Cool antique store with tons of goodies (no violin though: Henna is looking for one). Cafe is nestled in a corner with retro chairs and tables…..no Stephen King sighting either.
More to come later, but here are a few photos from our weekend backpacking trip up Mt. Adams in NH. We stayed in a super cool and rustic cabin called Gray Knob where the people are fit and interesting (and in one case creepy).
Hennacornoeli Days 