the mouth of the Kennebec river

Julie writes:

During our long walk in the summer of 2010, Rick and I formulated our plans for 2011. We had started the Pacific Crest Trail at it’s southern terminus, Campo CA, the Mexican border on May 17, 2011. Our plan was to reach Canada. Somewhere mid-September, we did. Very wet, very cold and very thin.

During the nearly endless step-step, pole-pole rhythm of that hike one of my favorite directions for distractionary thought was: what will we do next summer, in 2011. Up and down the mountains, Rick and I discussed future plans. But not too much. I didn’t want to wear that subject (or any other) out. Rick and I shared a 2,600 mile hike in near total isolation from others. One requirement for 2011: I wanted to sit down. I knew my knees needed a rest. Another: our adventure would take place during July and August. That is when we rent our house for income.

Bicycling or kayaking?  Rick had always wanted to kayak the Maine IslandTrail.  This is a ‘water trail’, made up of hundreds of offshore and river islands in Maine, some publicly owned, some owned by individuals and some owned by conservation organizations. http://www.mita.org/  Most are small and uninhabited; many allow camping. The Maine Island Trail sounded good, closer to home and I could sit. Best, perhaps, looked at from the Pacific Crest Trail where we had a cold wet winter closing in on us, kayaking in Maine did not dictate a mile quota for each day. There was no actual ‘trail’ to finish, no prescribed order in which to visit the islands. We knew we would not kayak from New Hampshire to the Canadian border.

In the winter, when we were home from the trail, our plans for the summer of 2011 became complicated by obligations. Kayaking in Maine would be sandwiched between selling Rick’s work at Maine craft shows. In August we would go to Maryland to see Rick’s sons. Our route would be a loop: starting and ending in Freeport.

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