8/17/10 Petit Manan

Cool and foggy when we started out. The Hollingsworth Trail to the shore is short but varied.






Low tide and fog. When we got to the shore we left the trail and headed down the shoreline which does not have a trail.


I am continually impressed with how life appears in the, apparently, most inhospitable places.


Another, this one in bloom.




Apparently people do come this way and have stuck lobster trap buoys on this tree.


Kelley finds a pond




The fog started to dissipate and it became much warmer so we turned back the way we had come and found this bee on a thistle.




Not fresh water but cooling anyway




By the time we got back to the trail the fog was back in place


We had passed Pigeon Hill Sanctuary on the drive in and never having been there, and in spite of the fog, made the short climb to the summit. Again the fog lifted somewhat but you can see the fog still along the coast.



An interesting hike with a variety of terrains and weather. 3-1/2 hours

8/15/10 Holbrook Island Sanctuary II

Back to Holbrook to do the rest of the trails. The bottom part of the Summit Trail was short and basically flat- we only did the part we hadn't done last time. We then did the Iceworks Trail to Fresh Pond, over to Aaron, and that to the road and then returned the way we had come. These trails were also mainly flat ( except for a fairly steep drop to the road at the end of Aaron) pleasant woods walks.

A happy Kelley finds water on the Iceworks Trail


In the small Howard Cemetery beside the Aaron Trail


End of Fresh Pond


That all went pretty quickly so we parked at the picnic area and walked down to and along the shore, exploring for a while. Hard to keep Kelley from crunching whatever scraps of seafood she could find.










We then drove over to the Bakeman Farm Trail. A short but pleasant walk through woods. A pleasant bit of walking on a pretty day. 2-3/4 hours

8/13/10 Cutler Coast

A beautiful day. As we were just starting the hike Kelley got excited about some people ahead of us and when we caught up to them it turned out to be Dave and his wife and friends. We had met Dave on Sand Beach back in February and he had taken pictures of Kelley and put them on his site. What a nice surprise. After a brief chat they let us go ahead ( they wouldn't then have Kelley dogging their heels the whole way). The Coastal Trail starts in woods and has a nice overlook when you reach the ocean.


From there the trail weaves along the coast, sometimes with the ocean in sight and sometimes in woods.


Kelley just wanted to see




Break for an apple




We continued past the Black Point Cutoff for a ways and then turned back. At Black Point Cove there is a fairly long set of steps that Kelley had bushwhacked around going up and now she didn't want to down them either. Then she spotted a dog on the beach below and started crying to get down. The other dog , whose name we found was Kenai, ran up and down the steps as if to show Kelley how it was done and she finally ran down them to play with Kenai. I couldn't decide which of these to post so I'm posting them all.






Kenai and her owners

While I was taking this picture Kelley slipped off and found Dave's party to bother again. We stopped with them and had our lunch and then we took the cutoff to the Inland Trail. This trail has woods, open areas and marshy areas where Kelley could cool off.



A good hike, nice people, and Kenai for Kelley to play with. 4-3/4 hours

8/12/10 Holbrook Island Sanctuary

This state park was recommended by Scott some time back and it turned out to be a good one. Most of the trails are short so we did several of them. Brief descriptions on the map above.

First trail was Backshore which ended ( fittingly) at the shore which Kelley appreciated.






We started at the falls end of Goose Falls-they are mostly under a bridge but the trail is pleasant. There were a bunch of kids playing on the shore of the island across the water and Kelley cried because she couldn't get to them.


Beaver Flowage was much grown over without visible water until near the road end. But lots of lush vegetation.








The Mountain Loop Trail was very pleasant and serene and mostly flat ( as were the other trails) until near the end of the Summit Trail


When we encountered steep rocky sections. These had another sort of beauty and felt like we had been transported to another place.






The summit is mostly wooded but gives glimpses through the trees. A good spot for lunch.


Fresh Pond Trail seemed like a good bet for a swim for Kelley and did not disappoint.


Yet another waterlily




A beautiful day and very nice hikes with lots of variety. Total walking time 3-3/4 hours.