A Quick Look at the MIT

August-September 2005

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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Story by Zoie Clift
Photos by Dave Mention

 

See www.mita.org/trailflash.html for a flash map of the trail.

If you’re an east coast paddler, chances are you’re familiar with The Maine Island Trail, that 325-mile king of water trail systems, also known as MIT, which spans coastal Maine from the bustling waterfront of Portland to Machias Bay, about 20 miles from the Canadian border. Just looking at a nautical chart of the Gulf of Maine can make the eyes go wide and the grin get bigger in anticipation of grabbing a kayak and heading for the closest put in.

About 3,000 islands lie along Maine’s lengthy and varied coast and about half are private property—Maine has the highest concentration of private islands in the US. The Trail includes some of those private islands as well as others which are publicly owned, about a hundred in all.

Paddling the Trail provides freedom to go from island to island and enjoy a broad range of landscapes and topography, from the spruce forests of Pendleton Island near Deer Island to the granite rock landscape of one-acre Steves Island in Penobscot Bay. In fact, the Trail is so long, it’s best to think of it as various regions to explore.

Paddlers can approach the long system of loosely linked islands by dividing the Trail into six sections. In general, the Casco Bay area, near Portland, is fairly protected, as is the Western Rivers section from Cape Small to Port Clyde, the departure point for Monhegan Island, known for its summer artists colony and lobstermen who begin their season in winter. Some sections offer a chance to experience the exposed waters of the open Atlantic, such as off the islands near the coastal fishing village of Corea, or the Junk of Pork off Portland, near Jewell Island (the largest island on the Trail at 220 acres).

Be prepared for a large tidal range.

The evergreen-covered islands of Deer Isle are gateway to offshore sections of Acadia National Park. This well-known area is also home to Stonington, a busy fishing village on the southern tip of the region, as well as the narrow Deer Island Thoroughfare with its calm currents. Further downeast on the Trail lies Mount Desert Island, divided by Somes Sound, the East Coast’s only fjord, and the region east of Schoodic—foggy, remote, sparsely populated and well-suited to the skilled and adventurous. As you approach the Canadian Maritimes, the Trail is wild, with exposed headlands and rocky outer islands.

Regardless of which section you explore, be sure to study a nautical chart of the particular region, as coastal Maine is infamous for being able to turn around even the most non-directionally challenged. One reason is the fog, very much an issue in summer with the clash of the cold Labrador offshore current and the warmth of coastal shorelines. Another navigational challenge is the eastward cant of the coastline, which places the mass of coastal Maine north, rather than west as most expect.

There are very strong tides in this region, so be sure to secure your kayak well above the high water mark. Tides of around 30 feet are common and cause strong currents along with frequent rips and eddies. One example of the power of these conditions is Old Sow and Pigs, in Cobscook Bay, a series of whirlpools marked even on highway maps as the largest whirlpools in the western hemisphere.

These conditions call for strong pre-trip planning, such as detailed research of the region’s weather and water conditions and tide and current tables. Information on the latter can be found at www.coastguides.com.

Also, be aware of potential hazards such as hypothermia. The waters here are cold, even in the summer it’s around 50 degrees, so drysuits are recommended.

Solid paddling skills such as a dependable roll, rough-water paddling experience, and rescue skills such as tows and assists are also essential. As with any ocean trip, a key when undertaking any section of the Trail is to have strong solid navigational skills like knowing how to read a compass, how to dead reckon, and how to compensate for set and drift.

As a precaution, in the summer months, be sure to know the local traffic patterns of these regions as you’ll most likely be sharing the waters with fishing and commercial vessels. More information on traffic patterns can be found at the Maine Port Authority (www.maineports.com).

Also, due to the complex combination of wind, weather, topography and tides that affect sea conditions along coastal Maine, you may want to hire a guide if you haven’t paddled here before. The Maine Association of Sea Kayaking Guides and Instructors is a good place to start: www.maineseakayakguides.com.

Regardless of where you paddle, there is great wildlife viewing along the Trail, with a range of mammal and bird species, from harbor seals to bald eagles. Dramatic headlands can be found along lengthy stretches of the Trail.

Whether you decide to take on a substantial chunk of the Trail or just a small portion, island and mainland sites are available for day excursions or overnight camping. Campsites are located within a day’s paddle of each other throughout the Trail.

The Maine Island Trail Association is the caretaker of the Maine Island Trail. Access to private islands on the route is reserved for MITA members (memberships are $45: www.mita.org), while the public islands are open to all. Members of the organization get a detailed guidebook to the Trail, complete with chart excerpts, recommended landing areas, local hazards, and where on each island camping is allowed.

With the increasing number of paddlers who have explored the Trail over the years, MITA’s primary mission is to protect the ruggedness of the islands while allowing access to them. It’s the continued success of this goal that makes this waterway stand out. Low impact guidelines endorsed by MITA include ‘pack it in pack it out’, avoidance of trampling moss and lichen to protect the fragile island soils, and limits to group sizes which vary from island to island, depending on acreage and protected species. MITA’s handbook spells out limits for each island along the Trail. The info is also posted on island signage. For a complete list of leave-no-trace camping practices, see www.Int.org.

In the future, this route may expand in the Western Rivers area or into Canada. According to MITA, the overall goal is to provide more points of linkage and better access for everyone to enjoy.

© Zoie Clift is a freelance journalist from Little Rock, Arkansas. She was introduced to the joys of paddling the eastern shores while attending Boston University, and escapes to the coast as often as possible.