Mere Point to the Goslings – a great paddle in calm weather

Mere Point Bay and Middle Bay are easily quite accessible at any tide from the boat launch at Mere Point.  After putting our kayaks in at almost low tide, we paddled on the inside of Birch Island, toward Upper and Lower Goose Islands and then around the outside of Lower Goose to the Goslings. On the farthest Gosling ^th. 

Lower Goose Island

there are Osprey nests and paddlers are discouraged from landing there until after Aug. 15

On this day the wildlife was prolific – more Blue Heron than I have ever seen in one area including a mom and pop who were very protective of their youngster even from a distance. The small fish my husband kept calling “brit” were everywhere in the water and the birds were having a feast.  They were as loud as they were visible, darting, diving, and squabbling. It looked like there was a bully herring gull trying to take the lunch that each of his buddies caught.  He would have spent a less energy finding his  own lunch rather than trying to steal one.

We beached on the inner Gosling for lunch and a stretch our legs. There are trails on this island and one may camp here. I like camping at the Holiday Inn. The Maine Island Trail Association is trying to raise enough money so that the island may be purchased and saved for paddlers and others who want to enjoy some open land.  If you want to donate, every little bit helps.  

Lunch stop on the Goslings

Please do not leave trash of any kind, and if you see trash left by someone else, please take it out with you. We all appreciate the clean, natural beauty of these Maine Islands.

On the outside of the Goslings there are some ledges that we read about where seals like to hang out and often have their babies. We stayed at least fifty yards away and still quite a few seals splashed into the bay as we glided by. Several stayed put on the ledges barking and carrying on a conversation among themselves. As we paddled back into Middle Bay a small seal that I thought might be fairly young popped its head up out in front and between our boats which were about thirty yards apart at that time. It turned its head back and forth to watch both of us as we paddled toward it then slipped under the glassy water.

This is a paddle I would do again, but weather conditions must be ideal as it is fairly exposed. Today, the few motor boats that went by us provided a little wake for entertainment and play in the waves.

Irony Island

The trip was about seven miles and we took our time, taking about four hours to paddle from Mere Point, around the outside of the Goslings, Irony, and Birch Islands. Take special care between Birch and White Islands as there are several spiny and shallow areas at low tide.

Even thought the temperature is mild tonight, my shoulders are tight and I will be using my Maine Warmers’ microwave heating pad to help loosen those tight muscles from paddling and lifting the kayaks.

Dyer Long Pond in Jefferson, ME

 The put-in at the southern end of this lake is lovely and picturesque and parking is easy but the ground water
seems to be high in this area, as advertised in QUIET WATERS, so you might want to have your water shoes on before you get out of the car. We were glad to have our heavy duty mosquito repellent handy, even with the wind blowing 10 to 15 mph.  Fortunately, the town grader had just been over the dirt access road, making it smooth and easy to drive over.

This lake is developed, but not completely, and many of the houses and camps are spread out. The east side of the lake is fairly deep, and in windy conditions, we were reluctant to take out for a break.  If the water and air temperatures were warmer we might have risked getting wet.  The west side of the lake is shallow but much of the land is posted or too filled with low growing vegetation to get close to shore. So we ate out lunches in our boats.  

A bald eagle startled us as we paddled under the overhanging branches where he had been perched. I think we startled him too. We heard more wildlife than observed on this lake, maybe because we put in late morning instead of earlier. On this day, with a steady northwest wind, about half of the time, we were paddling moderately hard. Because the lake is fairly narrow, the waves were minimal, and we were able to find sheltered areas.

This beautiful patch of Water Iris was a nice surprise.

After three hours without a stretch we were ready to disembark, but happy we had a chance to see this lovely spot in Maine. I was wishing I had left a Maine Warmer on the dashboard of my car so when we drove home I would have heat to relieve my stiff muscles.

We drove up on Rte 1 to Rte 215, along Damariscotta Lake, and found the drive to be quite beautiful in mid-June. The drive back to the Portland area was about ½ hour faster, taking Rte 126 west to Gardner and south on 295.

Nequasset Lake in Woolwich, Maine

This quiet lake and stream provided a wonderful wildlife experience and was easy to access. We put in at the bridge on Old Stage Road off of Rte. 127, only a few miles from Rte. 1, at the north end of the lake. The put-in was easy, and we were able to get a parking place in the four-car lot. Otherwise we would have parked on the side of the road, before the bridge. There are not any public rest rooms, which we fortunately anticipated ahead of time. But there were places to stop on the lake and get out of the kayaks for a few breaks.

Nequasset Stream

We paddled the stream first – about a mile north and a mile back. I was surprised that we only saw one painted turtle sunning itself on a rock, but we saw a huge snapping turtle sunning itself in the water, just under the surface. I was happy to paddle away from that creature. Great blue herons and small birds entertained us as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We maneuvered under and around a couple of fallen trees. The stream ends at a small waterfall and an open meadow with some houses in the distance.

We turned the kayaks around and paddled with the current back past the put-in and under the bridge to the lake, where we saw an osprey scouting out his lunch just above us. He dove into the lake a couple of times and came up with nothing, but the third time he carried it away a decent sized fish. About half way down the 2-mile long lake, we saw a bald eagle fly overhead and hoped we would catch sight of him again. When we stopped on the east side of the lake, we watched young fish swimming close to shore like they were chasing a food source or playing tag.

 

Nequasset Lake

The lake was outlined by rocks and we saw a small dark, almost black, animal making its way just above the rock line. At first, we thought it was an otter, but it seemed fatter than an otter, and it had an almost cat-like shape. Later, speculated that it was probably a fisher cat.  I thought it must be hunting fish, but I read that fisher cats seldom eat fish.

Nequasset Lake does not have many houses on it and is a drinking water source for the surrounding area. It’s a wonderful place for a paddle and one I would love to paddle again.