| Maine
Nature News wants to hear about your
travels! If you'd like to share a personal story and photos of
your travels while out and about enjoying Maine to its fullest send email to Robin. All
submissions must be
received by 12pm Tuesday to be included in that week's edition. Please review our general guidelines prior to submission. Monday, August 31, 2009 Trout
Brook TWP (Map 51) Baxter State ParkHeaded out this morning for my annual trip to Baxter State Park. Last year's trip was in the southern end of the park so this year's trip will find me exploring the parks more northern section. Passed through the Matagamon Gate House a little after 12 noon and was greeted with very fall like weather. There was a stiff breeze blowing and temperatures were in the upper 50*'s under a mostly cloudy sky. From there I head up Horse Mountain which is about a 3 mile round trip hike. It's an easy hike with no views from the summit but a short trip down the east spur trail will lead to a nice open ledge. From here there is a grand view of East Grand Lake Matagamon along with Sugarloaf Mountain (not the ski area) and Mount Chase off in the distance. The Traveler Range also looms near.
 With the overnight rain the
trail was
still damp and muddy in places and in one spot in the mud was a paw
print of a black bear. After the hike I checked into my cabin at Shin Pond Village (Map 51)
which will serve as base camp for
the next few days. After dinner the breeze had died down so it was time
for a quick
kayak around Upper Shin Pond. Along the way there were a number ducks
and three loons. There is also a nice view of Mount Chase off to the
east.  Tuesday, September 1 Day two in the park is spent in the Upper and Lower South Branch Ponds Area. Though small in size these two ponds are a real treat to kayak. With the Traveler Range on one side and South Branch Mountain on the other you get the feeling you are in some type of an inland fjord. In the upper pond through a gap in the mountains is a nice view off to Katahdin. There is a lot of beaver activity in the area and you can see how in some places the trees along the ponds banks have been thinned out. You can even see their logging roads they use to skid and haul their logs to the pond. After lunch it's time for a short hike up the Ledges Trail. From here you can really see how this area looks like a fjord . Next up is a other short walk into South Branch Falls. Here South Branch Stream dips and rolls through a series of small falls, chutes and flumes. 
 Wednesday, September 2
Day three in the park is again spent in the South Branch Ponds Area. What's up for today is a seven mile loop hike up and over the North and South Peaks of South Branch Mountain. The trail is steep in spots but also has a few level areas to catch your breath. There are no views from the North Peak but a open ledge just a short ways before the summit offers up views off to the Traveler Range and down to Upper South Branch Pond. 
 As the trail dips into the
saddle between the two peaks there are a lot
of moose droppings. There are even moose droppings at the top of South
Peak at 2,585 feet. South Peak is wide open and offers grand views.
From here the trail drops down through a boulder field and then into a
high
alpine meadow dotted with spruce and fur trees and where white and
yellow wild flowers are in bloom. Back at the cabin the sun is setting
as day slowly turns to night. The full moon is rising over Mount Chase
and the sounds of loons can be heard rising up from Shin Pond. The
perfect ending to the perfect day. Thursday, September 3 Well it's time to start thinking about heading home. I head south towards Millinocket and the southern section of Baxter Park. It's been a few years since I last kayaked Lower Togue Pond and it was high time I do it again. Of all the ponds I have ever kayaked this is my favorite. The view of Katahdin from this pond is just breathtaking. 
I see a family of loons with one very, very small chick. I don't think
I have ever seen this small of a chick this late in the season! I have
lunch at Togue Pond Beach and it's here the park rangers have posted
sighs to stop peeling the bark off of the birch trees. Many of the
trees have large sections of bark missing. From here it was a trip up
the Golden Road first stopping at Abol Bridge to just gaze off towards
Katahdin and then at Nesowdnehunk Falls. Last but not least was a stop
at what I think has to be one of the best places in the state to have a
picnic lunch on a warm summer day. From the sun warmed rocks and a
few pine trees mixed in for some shade and Katahdin of in the
distance, the Cribs Works on the West Branch of the Penobscot is just
plain grand. SY 
  Rain, rain, go away! Come again
another
day!! With all the rain this summer, our first few
months in
Maine have been a bit less active than we'd
hoped. We
braved the completely unpredictable weather patterns, however, and took
our troops on a three day camping trip to Harrington (Map
25) in
mid-July.
We did well and only got rained out the last night of the trip, so we
all camped out in the tent a little early that night.
We took
turns narrating a revolving story with our kids.
That was
quite an adventure! 
Harrington Cove
Clam Digger Maine Wild Blueberries Brad and I found a really nice campsite right on Harrington Cove that was off the beaten path and wasn’t crowded at all. Right there at our camp, we were able to pick wild blueberries to snack on, watch the fish jumping like popcorn during high tide and clam diggers working diligently for their haul during low tide. We enjoyed those gorgeous Washington County sunsets we’ve come to love and were serenaded for quite a while the first night by coyotes – a beautiful, haunting sound we've never heard before. I am constantly amazed how closely wildlife co-exists with humans in this new home of ours.  Our
kids, who are accustomed to swimming in the St. Croix river, decided
the water in the cove was too cold for their taste, so we ventured out
on a day trip to Roque
Bluffs State
Park (Map 26). What a gorgeous spot!
The ocean side
was too cold for swimming, but the small pond across the road was
perfect. While the kiddos played in the water, I caught some
shots of various sea birds and ducks as they descended on the pond,
completely ignoring the splashing children in the vicinity. Roque Bluffs State Park The
final day of our journey started out too damp and foggy for outdoor
play, so we decided to take the “scenic route” home
and
went out to visit the small fishing village of Jonesport (Map 26)
on
Moosabec Reach and the Indian River. Jonesport has the
interesting distinction of being the only town on the
continent of
North America to bear that name. We hope to return soon for
one
of the famous puffin watching tours that are available in the
area. We'll wait for a sunnier day! Duck
landing on
Roque Bluffs Pond
Jonesport
Harbor Every nook and cranny of Maine holds the key to some long hidden treasure! Every turn of the road, and goodness knows she has some winding roads, reveals a stunning feat of nature that we are granted the opportunity to observe when we are persistent enough to just keep driving. If it takes me a lifetime, I'm determined to see them all! Tammy
Morris
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