Right about the time we returned to
camp, it began to rain. We'd stopped on the way to fill a small
container from a trickling stream so that I could wash my hair. I stood
in the rain in my drysuit and rinsed with the water, but I could have
just let it rain on me. We were low on potable water so Mark rigged the
tarp to collect the rain. It ran down to the low point in the left rear
of the photo, then trickled down the cord and into a pot on the ground.
We gathered several gallons this way, more than we needed for the rest
of the trip.
It
rained and rained for the rest of the day. Everything was wet. We were
wearing all the clothing we'd brought - wool hats, wool socks, wool
long underwear, fleece vest, rain jackets. It was cold and damp. I read
almost all of the book I'd brought. Mark finished his.
Finally
at the end of the day the rain stopped. We made plans to move on the
next day. It was forecast to be mild, sunny, in the 70's. I put the
drysuit away.
We
left Head Harbor as soon as the tide was up enough, paddling up the
harbor toward Jonesport. It would have been a great day to go around
Great Wass but it was way out of our route. The white line shows the
route we took, over to Moose Neck where we'd begun. We were a few miles
from our starting point, easy to reach the following morning.
It
was a massive gear-spread, trying to dry everything that had been
soaked the day before.
photo by Mark Stephens
Again we lounged around reading and walking and
washing away the camp grime from the past week. It wasn't the greatest
campsite, might have been nice to paddle out to Green Island which is a
little more wild - but it was also much more exposed. We stayed here at
Carrying Place Cove. A full moon rose over
us that night.
The
next morning was dead calm and warm. Mosquitoes swarmed the tent,
convincing us to pack up and leave without making breakfast. We could
stop on the way home.
It
was a perfect ending to what had been a thoroughly Maine trip. We'd had
the islands all to ourselves, never saw another kayaker, hardly saw any
boats except for the lobster boats around Jonesport.
photo by Mark Stephens
We'd paddled about
55 miles, an easy distance for a leisurely vacation. We both agreed we
liked paddling unambitiously and then staying put for a few days to
explore the area. It made for an excellent vacation.
The
downeast Maine islands are a few hours' drive away but feel like
another world. There are more islands than we could have explored in a
month, and each one has its own personality. I'd like to come back
again to see some of the locations we had to leave out because of the
days we were fogged in - Bois Bubert would be high on the list.
We
got our breakfast in Millbridge, gigantic pancakes served up by an equally sizeable woman
named Queenie, in a cafe furnished from various yardsales. We had to
walk through the kitchen to get to the restroom. It was the slowest
worst service ever. Wouldn't have missed it for anything.
back to beginning
other trip reports
and, by popular request, Mark's camp menus