Tom Casey Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Okay, while we try to sort through who wants to go where, when they want to go, and with whom they want to go, how about some expedition training to get the ball rolling? Peter Logan and I have been kicking around the idea of a trip out to Monhegan Island for awhile now. Monhegan is one of the outer islands in Muscongus Bay, Maine. Our (very tentative, I need to confirm this with Peter) plan is to pick a weekend in September (probably the 11-12th), get permission from MITA to use on Burnt (or is it Allen) Island as our base, and see if we can make it out to Monhegan. The idea would be to approach this as if it were an actual expedition, to get practice for whatever trips we eventually decide to undertake.So, let me know if you're interested. This would be an unofficial trip, which I'd rate as a level 5. You would need to be a MITA member, and also willing to participate in the pre-trip planning session. I'm not sure what the capacity of Burnt (Allen) Island is, that would probably dictate the group size. Cheers, Tomtom@casepeople.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I'm not at this level of paddling yet, but urge anyone who is to go for this trip. Monhegan is a beautiful island (I've been there via ferry from Port Clyde). You are likely to see puffin and seals on the rocks both near and on the island, and possibly even whales. The island has year round residents, but no cars. You land in the tiny town which has basic provisions and a few lodging places and can walk paths around the entire island. Kayaking on the ocean side of the island would likely be dicey -- the waves look pretty large and irregular as they hit the cliffs (with nowhere to land)...but like I said, I'm not even at the level to get myself there. Many famous artists have spent and do spend time painting here. The path through Cathedral Woods is the one that is home to many tiny fairy houses, which kids and adults alike build out of bark and sticks and whatnot so that homeless fairies who happen upon them have a nice place to live. It's a very charming place.--b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KayakDan Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Tom,that would be Burnt Is. Allen is privately owned,and not on the MITA list. Burnt is owned by a member of the MITA board(we just did some trail work there). Camping probably won't be a problem if it's after the Outward Bound schedule. The day I was out there it was really calm,and Monhegan looked SO close! But no kayak with me.. For those who can't make the Monhegan leg,there's Warren Island,a 3 mile crossing,and the MITA meeting is the on Warren that same weekend,so Monhegan is out for me.Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 If you haven't already seen the messages in the "Interested in Expeditions" thread this trip would be beyond the level of some interested participants. It sounds like an interesting trip with 10-15 miles of open water each way. I'd suggest making it separate from expedition training lest you limit interest in the program as a whole. Or perhaps this is the stuff of expeditions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Casey Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Bob,By island hopping through Muscongus, the longest stretch of open water is about 5 miles (the last leg to Monhegan). But you bring up a critical point and one that I want to make abundantly clear (from my perspective at least).No, my idea of expeditions is not to seek out the most challenging conditions. Like Bethany, I paddle to connect with the natural world, and sea kayaking provides a unique way of doing that. I don't want to exclude anyone who's interested in expeditioning, just the opposite. The whole point of the training is to include those who want to participate and, as a group, develop the skills and judgement that we'd need to kayak in places where we can experience nature in a way that's just not possible along the Massachusetts coast.So your point is very well taken. Having the first trip to Monhegan probably sends the wrong message. At this point my goal is simply to build some momentum, and Monhegan was the first thought that popped into my mind. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Cheers, Tom Caseytom@casepeople.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eneumeier Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Paddling out to see the puffins at Eastern Egg Rock over the 4th, Mohegan was just off the east, okay about 5 miles. It looked REALLY tempting. How hard it would be is totally related to the conditions the day you paddle.Alas, I have a family obligation that weekend. :-((I see an array of NSPN trips coming out of this: - January down south for those who like warm water. - Summer up north for those who like whales and ice bergs. - Tooling along the Maine Island Trail for those who want to stay closer to home.Liz N. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarlson Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 The Monhegan Island trip sounds interesting though I sure don't consider myself a Level 5 paddler. Perhaps with some MITA "warm-up" trips, as Dan suggested in the other thread, more folks (myself included) could get to where the Monhegan trip is realistic, at least at some level of conditions.Thanks for keeping the ball rolling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lbeale Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Like Carl, I would love to do all or some of this trip--but I am not a level 5--is there a method to have different stages or accommodations on this trip for lower level paddlers?there might be other club members like myself at a solid level 3 who wouldn't want to hold others back; at the same time, would be open to some of the challenges of this trip-- les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Fuller Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Since this is a two stage run, it would be possible to get paddlers of several levels to play, but you'd need to consider the size of the group and that would be determined by what permissions you could get on Burnt.Basically its only a little over 3 miles out to Burnt directly maybe a mile more if you island hop starting at Port Clyde. Unless there is a snorting southerly its not a difficult paddle. It's a little over 5 then in open water out to Monhegan. Scenario for a two night experience would be paddle out to Burnt on a Friday PM. Then Monhegan folks out and back on Saturday ( no camping on Monhegan) other folks explore some of the islands in mouth of Georges River (by then there are some opportunities to day visit some IF&W nesting islands.... see Dorcas Millers book). Then everybody paddles back to Port Clyde on Sunday after camping again on Burnt. Monhegan would be more difficult to do if its a one night party, as the Monhegan folks would have a 13- 15 miler on Sunday. Not impossible just more work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Casey Posted July 23, 2004 Author Share Posted July 23, 2004 Hi Carl.Long time no see. We should do something about that!Yeah, I don't consider myself a level 5 paddler either (well, not unless it's late at night and I've had a couple of beers). So my plan is step back from the Monhegan trip and possibly do something in Casco Bay in September, maybe a point-to-point trip like Jed and some others did a few years back. Maybe start at the New Meadows River and end up at Eastern Point in Portland. I'm traveling this weekend, so I'll post a few ideas next week.Cheers, Tomtom@casepeople.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Casey Posted July 23, 2004 Author Share Posted July 23, 2004 Hi Les.As I discussed in my reply to Carl above, I'm thinking about a trip in Casco Bay instead. My intent is to get people involved, so I think Casco Bay (since it's closer and has more bail-out options) would be a better starting point. We can all build up to Monhegan (and beyond) together!Cheers, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 I would be interested in a trip to Casco Bay. When were you thinking of doing that trip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarlson Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 Hey Tom,Yeah, let's do some paddling! Casco sounds good or anywhere else on the Maine coast for that matter. Have a good weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debd Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Deb and I would be interested in joining you on this trip. We have sailed out to Mohegan many times and have had to motor several times (which would have been more fun in our kayaks). I only mention that to point out that if you pick your day, it can be quite a nice paddle. On the other hand we have also come back in some rough seas. Burnt is a great island to stay on and even if the conditions did not allow for the Mohegan crossing, there is lots of good paddling in the area.We would also be up for helping out whatever expeditionary trip NSPN would like to take on.Thanks Dave & Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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