hiking

We spent an early fall weekend camping on the nearby coast of Maine.

With more than 3,478 miles of coastline, we always find something new when we visit. This trip we camped at Bradbury Mountain State Park and spent a long day hiking the Oven Mouth Preserves.

The fall color was just starting to hit in places so even a casual drive to the sample the local brew was full of interest.

Did you know? There’s some excellent tent camping just over the NY border…

This weekend a number of MetaFilter folks came up to the White Mountains for a lovely time on Welch and Dickey Loop Trail.

As far as Ruby Jean is concerned, ATV roads aren’t just for ATVs, and Maine is unspeakably beautiful. Even outside the coast.

Be prepared. Prepared for what? Why, for any old thing…

When you travel out into the unknown as much as we do, it’s wise to know how to get back home. Our digital devices are great for this, but as we learned in Newfoundland, you can’t always depend on the availability of power or a signal. So Alison asked an experienced hiker-friend for advice and she graciously invited us to join a map and compass workshop she was planning with her husband.

We started the morning with some group training and soon moved on to a full day of field work.

Our task was to bushwhack our way to the summit of Bald Knob. No phones allowed.

After several hours of hiking, we arrived at the summit where training continued.

It was an incredible group. Regardless of everyone’s level of hiking experience, fun was had by all!

And the views weren’t half bad either…

While studying our spiffy new New Hampshire map, I noticed a curious patch of the White Mountains called the “Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest”. And I was like, “WHAT? An experimental forest just a few miles from our house? This is a situation requiring some first-hand investigation…”

Happily, there are incredibly wide and impeccably maintained roads that head back into the wilderness for miles. And they welcome non-motorized use — so, SKIING!

The highlight of our weekend touring mid-coast Maine was our hike through La Verna Preserve. After a peaceful hike through a piney forest, the ocean suddenly appears through the trees.

Everyone had an absolute blast exploring the rocky coastline!

Of course, the scenery is too beautiful for words…

And the rocks! The rocks are true works of art.

Did it rain on us all day? Yeah. Did we care at all? Nope.

Today we discovered an incredible group of waterfalls, a magnificent glassy pond created by beavers, and that in an emergency, Zorro can swim like Michael Phelps.