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.
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| Lower Goose Island |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.