June 6, 2019

Sterling Parssinen

Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land

June 6, 2019

Sterling Parssinen

Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land

Jamie capturing some low-light footage of Max shooting the lake and stars.

Max trying reviewing his last frame, making sure the highlights in the sky aren’t blown-out.

Our journey began at Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land which is located in Fanklin, Maine. This is an area just outside and inland of Acadia National Park, comprising of several small rocky mountains and freshwater lakes.

Arriving late in the afternoon we took some time to shoot the setting sun all while slowly setting up camp. We continued to shoot into the evening as the stars came out, while cooking over an open fire; something long overdue. This trip was already giving us good signs.

We woke early in the morning to hike Schoodic Mountain which overlooks the lake. This exposed rocky knob rises 1000 feet above with great 360 views. Access was simple as the trailhead is directly off of the southwest end of the beach. The hike was moderately steep and loose, but after just over a mile we arrived to some spectacular outlooks. I’m not sure that there is a better view of the entirety of Acadia.

We wandered around the summit shooting for a good while, fueling up on some oats and dreaming of a warm cup of coffee back at camp. Although we didn’t get the spectacular sunrise we were dreaming of, we still considered it a success. After warming up and fueling up we packed up, and just like that we were on to the next spot.

As always; Jamie capturing footage. This was the first peak of Acadia from Schoodic Mountain. We were pleasantly surprised by the view.

Max admiring the view of Acadia National Park which is not far from Donnell Pond Public Reserved Lands.

The view of the summit. There is a huge amount of granite to wander around on up here with many different views of the surrounding lakes and hills.

June 5, 2019

Sterling Parssinen

Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land

June 5, 2019

Sterling Parssinen

Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land

Jamie checking out the rocky beach below. Views like this are typical along the trail.

When we pulled into the trail head for Cutler we found that we had the place to ourselves. This was a good sign, as we had to hike 5 miles in along the coast to our campsite for the evening. Knowing that we would have rain later that day, we packed our rain gear, and got moving to try to beat it.

We had the trail to ourselves (likely because of the impending rain) and the mood was right for a downeast hike. The trail follows cliffs along the coast, with some drops nearing a hundred feet, I would guesstimate. Some areas travel slightly inland through some large grasslands before plunging again into the dank mossy green forest.

It had just started raining once we arrived at camp. We setup quick, ate dinner, and hunkered down for the night. We were all exhausted from the hike in. This was probably the worst part of the trip for me. It poured all night, the rain pounding like a drum on the tent fly. I just couldn’t sleep, and worse, felt claustrophobic stuffed into my mummy bag, hiding out in the tent. Fortunately we were able to stay dry, I’m not sure what I would have done that morning if I was wet.

In one of our more clever moves, we had forgotten the coffee. This pretty much set the mood for my hike out in the morning. A restless 10 hours in the tent, to another 5 mile walk out. At least it had stopped raining by morning. This meant that we could at least stop and check out the views, shoot some more photos, and explore a bit more then we had a chance to the day before.

Bad luck strikes at the worst times. If it had not poured all night my trip to Cutler would have been amazing. It’s not that it was bad, I just didn’t have the opportunity to fully experience what this amazing piece of land has to offer. I will certainly return.

Taking a break to shoot some photos at the first viewpoint of the hike.

This was the first viewpoint that we were very excited to see.

Tromping through the dank, mossy green forest.

June 4, 2019

Sterling Parssinen

Rocky Lake Public Reserved Lands

June 4, 2019

Sterling Parssinen

Rocky Lake Public Reserved Lands

Our third day and final night of the trip turned out pretty great. The plan was to travel to Cobscook Bay State Park, and camp along the coast. When we arrived we had a classic Griswold Family moment - the state park was closed.

This was a real bummer, because the three of us were really looking forward to an easy campsite. We weren’t quite sure what to do. Fortunately, Jamie was packing a road map, and we were able to find another plot of public reserved land 30 minutes away. Off we went.

When we found Rocky Lake Public Reserved Land we were pleasantly surprised. Not only did we yet again have the place to ourselves, we were able to drive up and unload, and it was free. We all agree that this was better than Cobscook Bay could have possibly been (we hope).

With the sun setting, we got our fire going, and began cooking dinner. About this time we had a visitor, a local fellow named Frank, who was from Eastport I believe. We were in this mans world, and we were happy to have had him run into us. Frank knew the area like the back of his hand. We spent the evening chatting about the local fishing spots, the mountains of Maine, and even foraging in the local forest. As it turned out, we scored a free education that evening at Rocky Lake.

After spending the night finishing up our leftover supplies (mostly beer) we dowsed the fire and turned in. We woke with the sun, and immediately began shooting. There was a decent amount of fog over the lake, and the sun rising lit it right up. We could hear loons in the distance; no sightings though. We took our time in the morning, made some breakfast, and slowly packed up.

All in all it was a fantastic trip. Sometimes the plan works out, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s when there is an opportunity to do something better. I think we learned how to seize that opportunity on this trip. I’m looking forward to the next!