Category: Recreation

Hiking Maine | Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth

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Hiking in Maine

So, summer got away from us a little bit. We were so focused on getting our girls ready to leave the nest, that there was little time left over for blogging. On the plus side, I now know all about VISA requirements for Sweden and how to vacuum seal a comforter so it will fit in a suitcase.

Even with all the chaos, we did find a little time here and there to fit in some summer adventures (more coming on those soon) and keep up with our weekly hikes (well, for the most part).

As we approached the drop off date to bring our youngest to college for her Freshman year, we headed out for a later afternoon hike and she decided to join us. Our girls aren’t big on hiking, so it was a nice to have her decide to come along with us for this one.

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Sunrise Views from Cadillac Mountain

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The full size bed took up all but a narrow path that circled the perimeter of the room requiring us to take turns as we got dressed in the dark. We had chosen this bed and breakfast because of sentimentality. We got engaged here almost a half century earlier. We’d chosen this particular room because of the lower cost and the fact that it was available on short notice.

I didn’t need my phone alarm to rouse me although I had set it as a precaution. I woke up naturally when I heard my husband get up first and, once he finished dressing, I got out of bed reluctantly but determined not to miss the first rays of sunshine to hit the East Coast. We were quick and ready to leave in ten minutes giving us just enough time to get to Cadillac Mountain before the scheduled sunrise which according to our tandem google searches the day before would be 4:50 am.

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Hiking Maine | Trek along the Bold Coast in Cutler

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Sometimes the timing of a hike impacts the end result and even the most beautiful of spots ends up feeling like more of a challenge and a little less fun than expected. After a day spent getting up close with the Puffins of Machias Seal Island, we were more tired than we realized and underestimated the difficulty of the hike we had planned to Cutler to explore the Bold Coast.

It didn’t help that we left our go bag in the car and didn’t have any bug spray to ward off the mosquitoes that were coming out as the day was winding down especially as the first mile of the trail is through the woods without any ocean breezes to keep them at bay.

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Hiking Maine | Hirundo Wildlife Refuge Trail

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Spring hikes can be beautiful but challenging.  As soon as you pause, you are swarmed with mosquitoes. While the bug spray keeps the biting at bay, it is still distracting to have hundreds of mosquitoes buzzing around your face as you’re trying to take a sip of water. The mosquitoes are especially thick in forest hikes with nearby water sources.

So, of course, this past weekend we decided to head to the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge. The trail we picked starts off near a stagnant pond before heading deeper into the woods and then turning along a stream. No surprise the mosquitoes were bad but at least the views were beautiful.

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