10th Annual NSPN Downeast Paddle Retreat, Bar Harbor, ME, Sept. 12-15, 2024

   This  4 day event will be in its 10^th year and is designed for NSPN folks to gather, socialize, and paddle in the Mount Desert Island area of downeast Maine.
This year’s retreat will be from Thursday afternoon Sept. 12th to Sunday afternoon Sept.15^th, with group paddles each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Most people travel & arrive on Thursday afternoon or evening, and depart on Sunday afternoon. But some arrive sooner and leave later, and there will be an option for a Thursday paddle or other activity. Some participants also take days off from paddling for bicycling or hiking on the trails of Acadia National Park.  
Our base of operations will be at Rose Eden Cottages, a cottage resort with some 12 cabins between the Narrows and the town of Bar Harbor, near Hadley Point.  We can gather at Rose Eden for car caravans to launch sites, and in the evening to socialize and plan next day’s trips.  
For those who plan to stay elsewhere, there is a wide variety of accommodations in the area, 
Accommodations are on your own. Make your own arrangements (including reservations, cancellations deposits , etc) for your entire stay during this event. You are encouraged to make reservations (at Rose Eden or elsewhere) as far in advance as possible, as Bar Harbor is becoming more popular as a travel destination, and many hotels are booked many months in advance.  
For those who plan to stay elsewhere, there is a wide variety of accommodations in the area. Hadley Point Campground is a recommended camping spot: it’s  just across the road and a stones throw from Rose Eden.  
  The general plan is to have each day’s paddle trips planned the previous day, usually in some sort of meeting at Rose Eden or nearby.  
Some favorite destinations are: the Porcupine Islands off of Bar Harbor in Frenchman’s Bay, the Cranberry Islands on the south side of MDI, Bartlett Island and Sound, and the dramatic eastern shore of MDI   between Bar Harbor and Seal Harbor .
There is also a Sullivan Falls Tidal training class with Pinniped Kayak on Thursday timed to coincide  with this event. Most years several NSPN’ers have done this class  in addition to the retreat.  
This is a rain or shine event, unlikely to be canceled  since there’s usually some place to paddle around MDI in all but the  harshest conditions, an­d there are many other activities in the area as an alternative.
Please  check the  trip posting in the Trips forum of the message board for more detailed information. 

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP ( check " I’m going") Here in the Calendar Posting 
A Group PM thread with all  participants will get going a few months before the event , for information sharing, planning and communication. 

If you have any questions (PeterB on the message board)  by PM on the message board, or reply here.