Majestic Maine

I was in no way prepared for the quiet astonishing beauty of Maine. The luscious dark green trees, the multitude of lakes and ponds, and the gently rolling hillsides wormed its way into my heart immediately. Prior to this trip, the only piece of New England that I had sampled was Boston. I knew that extreme splendor lurked and stretched far beyond the Boston city limits, but I had yet to explore this pocket of the world in the detail that I wanted. So when I was invited to partake in a trip to Maine to spend a week living in a cabin on the edge of Great Pond, I enthusiastically said yes.

The location of my Maine adventure was Bear Spring Camps, approximately 30 miles Northwest of Augusta, Maine. Part of a treasured family tradition, my hosts have been coming to Bear Spring Camps, for the past 28 years. I had envisioned lazy days reading by the lake, going for the occasional swim, and getting lots of rest. Little did I know that there would be so much to do! The week was action-packed and I was anxious to not miss a single moment.

Days consisted of fishing white perch and bass, kayaking out to Chutes Island, sitting on camping chairs reading on the beach, nightly bonfires spent listening to Pearl Jam and big hair bands last heard in the 80s, multiple runs along the hilly winding country roads sucking air as the humidity caught me off-guard, walks up the deceiving steep hills for grand views of Great Pond, participating (briefly) in the annual 2.1 mile swim, pontoon booze cruises in the afternoons, fishing boat tours of the islands, lazing on rafts, happy hour at various cabins, sneaking naps in the hammock, rainy day spent playing cards, needing a flashlight to navigate the dark lakeside paths at night, devouring lobster rolls for lunch in Belgrade Lakes, lobster shopping at The Green Spot, and meeting and spending time with an amazing group of people.

The days tended to revolve around mealtimes and were easily distinguished by three categories: post- breakfast, post-dinner, and post-supper.

A typical day would start off around 7am with a 3-4 mile run along the country lanes near the camp. After cooling off, with a quick shower or a dip in the lake as some people preferred, it was time for breakfast and much needed coffee. Others used the time to take an early morning walk or to squeeze in some extra rest before sleepily making their way up the gravel road to the communal dining hall.

Post-breakfast

After consuming a hearty breakfast, plans were made each day for what to do in the pocket of time before dinner. Most days, a big group took the pontoon boat out fishing searching for the abundant white perch and bass that lived in the fresh waters of Great Pond. Armed with a fishing license, fishing rod, and someone to bait my rod, I was ready to tackle fishing for the first time.

Waiting for the hungry fish to nibble, we watched the lake come alive around us. Loons dipped in and out of sight as quickly as you could spot them; a bald eagle and a hawk circled each other, both wanting to swoop in on the fish we had thrown back into the water. Watching all the wildlife activity and lulled by the gently rocking boat with the sun warming my shoulders, I was content and no doubt grinning from ear to ear.

One morning of the week was devoted to the Annual Otter Island Swim. About 18 years ago, a few of the family members started a tradition of swimming the 2.1 miles from Otter Island to the shore of the camp.

This year nine people participated, with six swimmers making it to shore. The pontoon boat carried the crew out to Otter Island around 10am and as the swimmers jumped into the water, the spotters, driving the fishing boats, sprang into action. This year’s swim took about 1 ½ hours. Even though I hadn’t swum in any real capacity in many years, I still wanted to give it a try to see how far I could go. Turns out, not very far! About 20 minutes into the swim, I had to signal for one of the boats to come fetch me out of the water. Oh well, perhaps next year!

Post-dinner

Returning from dinner, the biggest meal of the day, the afternoons were a bit more hectic; chock full of water activities to suit any mood. The pontoon boat made several booze cruise trips out on the lake each afternoon. My first afternoon there was spent on said booze cruise. Life doesn’t get much better than sitting on a raft next to the boat anchored in the middle of the lake, drinking a cold libation, and listening to music. The lake was surprisingly warm and I did my best not to think about what creatures might be lurking in the water beneath my dangling feet.

Another glorious afternoon, a group of us rented kayaks and went on a tour of the lake. Our destination was Chutes Island, about a mile and half from the camp shore. This was my first time kayaking and while I can definitely use some refinement on my rowing skills, I loved skimming along the shoreline and soaking in the intoxicating natural splendor that surrounded me.

After a hard day of playing on the water, a nap was in order when we got back to camp. The nap destination that day was a two person raft. The raft was equipped with a cooler to store our cold beverages and after several attempts of trying to stay near shore, we tethered ourselves to one of the buoy’s, near the boat dock, to keep from drifting away. As I slipped in and out of sleep, the sound of laughter drifted from the shore where all the kids were happily playing in the water and the sand. I can’t remember when I had last had such a carefree day.

Lucky to only encounter one rainy day that week, we made the most of the forced downtime. The soggy weather drove us all inside that day, where a group of seven of us gathered to play a lively game of Phase Ten. Little did we know that this particular card game would spill into the next day and we finally had to call it quits when it became clear that no end was in sight. From my seat around the coffee table where we played, I had uninterrupted views of the lake. With the wood burning stove going full force and the cozy atmosphere of the rustic cabin, I was secretly happy to have an excuse to slow down and just enjoy the day in all its simplistic beauty.

On my last afternoon, we took one of two person fishing boats out for a grand tour of Great Pond. Seated at the helm of the boat, I clutched my cranberry and whipped cream vodka cocktail, while trying to take pictures of this scenic outing. However, once we turned away from the shoreline, the water became so choppy that the boat wore most of my lovely drink. I also gave up on taking pictures and just enjoyed the bumpy boat ride with the wind blowing through my hair. Not a bad compromise, if you ask me.

Post-supper

Each evening, one of the cabins hosted happy hour. Everyone would meet for cocktails and nibbles before heading up to the dining hall for the last meal of the day.

After a leisurely supper, we lingered over dessert and coffee before getting ready for the nightly bonfire held at a different cabin each night. Sitting bundled up around the campfire watching the moonlight dance on the lake was the perfect way to end each day. The hard part was peeling myself away to get some rest, so that I could do it all over again the next day!

As the week came to a close, I found that I had taken quite a liking to life on the lake. As someone who usually has a hard time staying put when traveling and tries to cram in as many destinations on each journey, I realized that I got just as much satisfaction out of exploring one little nook of the world and experiencing all that it had to offer. I hope that my travels will take me back to Great Pond in the coming years. Now that I have had a taste of it, I can see why my travel companions have been returning for the last 28 years.

Until next time!

Coming next: Bear Spring Camps