Corrected Copy----(thanks Norma Akins!) Sneak Peak at next weeks article, Winter Fun: Hiking Great Wass Island Preserve (sorry about the lack of proper spacing, font, etc. as I have no way of attaching the original double spaced, Times Roman finished piece): Winter Fun: Hiking Great Wass Island Preserve By Ralph Ackley, Jr. Winter Fun: Hiking Great Wass Island Preserve By Ralph Ackley, Jr. What do you do when there’s not an inch of snow on the ground, your Ski Doo is parked on your snowmobile trailer, the snowshoes still hang from a nail in the woodshed and the cross country skis sit in a corner gathering dust well into the first few weeks of winter? One option is to be thankful. As they say, rain shovels easier. The precipitation amounts Maine received in December were monthly records in several parts of the state as were the above average high temperatures experienced around the Christmas holidays. The warmer weather has been a blessing for many since we usually face much higher heating costs with this time of year. Another option is to “take a hike”, not with drooping shoulders as some poor, forlorn lover would upon hearing his romantic advances rebuffed but choosing to get some hardy exercise walking the many robust, spectacularly scenic trails in Down east Maine. These trails are not only free of snow and ice right now but are also remarkably dry considering the heavy rains that fell the last two weeks. The popular Bold Coast Trail in Cutler was in fair to good shape two weekends ago when this reporter spent a day hiking the shorter loop to the cliffs with his family. A few days later, even dryer conditions were experienced along the Great Wass Preserve Trail next to Beals Island. This trail is always a bit dryer given the strong winds that blow off the coast of Beals and Jonesport and the smaller trees that provide less shelter and more open space for evaporation of wet areas. While the 1,770 acre Bold Coast Preserve was purchased by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 2008 in an initially acrimonious battle with local residents who didn’t want to see their land taken off the tax rolls or their whole region become a state park (see Fred Hastings’ excellently researched and written article in the April 28th, 2008 issue of The Downeast Coastal Press at moosecove/propertyrights/landtrusts/MCHT-DCP-Trescott-080428.shtml), The Great Wass Preserve Trails were designed and created after the acquisition of 1,576 acres of land by the Nature Conservancy of Maine, a group with a much less contentious history with the public. The trail is a wild walk of breathtaking views full of interesting plant life and roughhewn, windswept sections of granite ledge. Carey Kish who writes “Maineiace Outdoors” for Maine Today says that the Great Wass trail is “one of the very best hikes on the Maine coast” with “an incredible section of wild beach, cool woods and plants and wildlife and damn fine scenery every step of the way” (mainetoday/outdoors/hiking-great-wass-island-one-best-hikes-maine-coast/). While author and year-round explorer John Cristie opines about the positive benefits of hiking Great Wass Preserve during the summer months, hiking it on a cold winter’s day is equally satisfying perhaps in the perverse, raw kind of way only a hardy Down Easter would appreciate. To access Great Wass Preserve, take Route 187 just past Columbia Falls along Route 1. After crossing the bridge to Beals Island, turn left onto Barney’s Cove Road. After the stop sign just across from the small RLDS church on the left past Carver’s Shellfish, continue along Bay View Drive for about 1.2 miles, past the causeway leading to Great Wass Island. Take the first right on Black Duck Cove Road (a Great Wass Island Preserve sign appears below the road sign on the post), and travel for about 2.5 miles. The circular parking lot will be on your right. Make sure that you plan appropriately as the trail is rather tough to traverse compared to other in the area. The brochure says “These trails are rough, rocky and difficult. Your hike will take longer than you think.” Don’t forget to leave your canine friends at home as Great Wass Preserve is not dog friendly. A couple of “No Dogs Allowed” accost canine lovers the first few feet of the trail. Remember to wear appropriate footwear as the up and down nature of the many outcroppings of bare ledge strewn with the tough and gnarly roots of dwarf pine and stunted spruce make the walk in to the shoreline sometimes treacherous and always a bit more challenging than anticipated. Two trails begin together at the eastern portion of the parking lot and then diverge about 100 yards down into the woods. The first is the Little Cape Point Trail which is about 2 miles long and forks off to the left. Its’ serpentine path leads over deep, deer moss covered ledges of jack pine and then after about the first mile drops down into a rich, coastal raised bog. Further along the trail, a well maintained boardwalk cuts through a swampy area full of rare pitcher plants and sundews. Plan to stay energized and hydrated by taking plenty of water, trail mix and healthy snack bars with you since it is about a 3-hour round trip. The Mud Hole Trail is 1.5 miles and leads the hiker northeast to the edge of Mud Hole. It follows a narrow, fjord like cover and from there twists it’s’ way further east to Mud Hole Point. Breathtaking views of the islands of Eastern Bay serve as a reward and a place to rest before heading back to the parking area. This trail takes 2 to 2-1/2 hours to complete. The hardy, more adventurous hiker can take the complete walk around the loop if he or she plans a nearly full day there especially given the winter’s shorter days of sun. To do this, one must walk the loop between the two trails following the shore which is marked with small, chalk blue squares of paint here and there on the ledges and jack pines lining the edges of the forest entrances. Strategically places signs also keep the hiker from accidentally departing the trail. This trip takes about 4 to 5 hours to complete. Great Wass Island Preserve is filled with rare plant life that even in the midst of winter cannot be found on other trails. Several hardy, botanical varieties of plants grow on the island’s exposed ledges and headlands. These are very rare in Maine and in North America and include the beach head Iris (Iris hookeri), marsh felwort (Lomatagonium rotatum), blinks (Montia fontana), and bird’s-eye primrose (Primula laurentiana). Additionally, less rare varieties grow in abundance and include roseroot stonecrop, pearlwort, bluebell, oysterleaf and seabeach sandwort. The coastal raised bogs, a kind of peatland unique to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and eastern Maine are thousands of years old. They began when sphagnum moss started accumulating in basins that were left when the glaciers retreated the North American continent nearly 12,000 years ago. You might spot an eagle or two but don’t hold your breath for a glimpse of the ubiquitous osprey as he and his clan have taken their annual migratory trail south of Florida (though they depart individually, first the male parent, then the female and finally, the young). They enjoy the warmer climates of countries like Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico this time of year.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 15:12:26 +0000
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