Day 39- Aug 7, 2019 Fogged in at Mt Desert Island
It would not be a trip to Maine if you didn't get fogged in at least once, right? Last night we sat down to discuss our plans for the next week. We had 3 scenarios on where to be when in order to be sheltered from two storms that are forecast- one Wednesday night, one Fri/Sat. An early morning blanket of fog made the choice for us- we'll stay in Mt. Desert at least one more night. This is actually a lovely spot to lay over, and I'm actually looking forward to sitting here another day.
Mt Desert is anything but a desert. It was named by the explorer Samuel Champlain around 1605. In French 'desert' means bald (according to the our book on the history of Mount Desert Island!) And back 400+ yrs ago the tops of the mountains were bare. Today they are lush forests of birch & spruce.
Brent took an afternoon hike across two smaller peaks to then reach the top of Mount Acadia. The trails included very steep climbs up the granite cascades. At the top was fog. The fog shifted just long enough to catch a snap of Second Star from atop the cliff where the Peregin Falcons nest.
Along the way he passed Man 'o War Spring where both French and British war ships filled their casks back in the earlier days of pre colonial feuding. Filling casks would be quite difficult because of the steep incline and slippery rocks, but at least the clear spring water rolls cleanly right to the waters of Somes Sound.
Yesterday with visibility around 1/10 mile through the fog we pulled anchor and carefully crept into North East Harbor to refill water tanks, aided by radar and a sharp lookout. Due to the weather forecast boats from around the area were coming in quickly competing for very limited moorings and dock space. Over the radio we heard lots of self righteous demanding and just plain pleading for accommodation from the incoming boats. The dock master staff were polite but frazzled. We got out of there quickly, glad to be independent sailors very happy to ride out the storm on our own anchor. We went right back to the spot we were anchored earlier to find ourselves the only boat there.
The wind and rain materialized as per the forecast. We spent the day enjoying the sound of rain in this beautiful cove, while the mountain kept the wind off of us. The fog has persisted even after the storm abated.
As we write this post we are enjoying our fourth morning here. We are starting to feel the itch to get moving again & if the fog lifts we have a plan to move the boat. If not we have a plan to further explore the land adjoining our pleasant anchorage.
Mt Desert is anything but a desert. It was named by the explorer Samuel Champlain around 1605. In French 'desert' means bald (according to the our book on the history of Mount Desert Island!) And back 400+ yrs ago the tops of the mountains were bare. Today they are lush forests of birch & spruce.
Brent took an afternoon hike across two smaller peaks to then reach the top of Mount Acadia. The trails included very steep climbs up the granite cascades. At the top was fog. The fog shifted just long enough to catch a snap of Second Star from atop the cliff where the Peregin Falcons nest.
Along the way he passed Man 'o War Spring where both French and British war ships filled their casks back in the earlier days of pre colonial feuding. Filling casks would be quite difficult because of the steep incline and slippery rocks, but at least the clear spring water rolls cleanly right to the waters of Somes Sound.
Yesterday with visibility around 1/10 mile through the fog we pulled anchor and carefully crept into North East Harbor to refill water tanks, aided by radar and a sharp lookout. Due to the weather forecast boats from around the area were coming in quickly competing for very limited moorings and dock space. Over the radio we heard lots of self righteous demanding and just plain pleading for accommodation from the incoming boats. The dock master staff were polite but frazzled. We got out of there quickly, glad to be independent sailors very happy to ride out the storm on our own anchor. We went right back to the spot we were anchored earlier to find ourselves the only boat there.
The wind and rain materialized as per the forecast. We spent the day enjoying the sound of rain in this beautiful cove, while the mountain kept the wind off of us. The fog has persisted even after the storm abated.
As we write this post we are enjoying our fourth morning here. We are starting to feel the itch to get moving again & if the fog lifts we have a plan to move the boat. If not we have a plan to further explore the land adjoining our pleasant anchorage.
Comments