|
Sunday, August 8, 2004
Hidden Gem
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||
 |
||||
These boots, which have carried me to the peaks of New Hampshire's Presidentials and through Mahoosuc Notch were not built for beachcombing at the Dodge Point Preserve, on the shores of the Damariscotta River. Come to think of it, neither was I. I am a hiking snob of sort. By no means am I an expert mountaineer, but I like a challenge. I've made a nice dent in New England's 4,000 footers. I like to reach the top of a ridge only to look up and see the peak still a few miles away. I like the sensation that comes when you touch the cairn that marks the peak, when you look down and out and you can see everything. I like descending carefully, lest you slip and bounce your way down the mountain. The human body is an S.U.V. Most of the time, we drive it around doing pretty mundane things. But sometimes, you have to take it out and really see what it can handle. I knew even before I left for Dodge Point that it wasn't going to be that kind of hike. A short walk through the woods to the shore of the Damariscotta River, with the promise of impressive views was the payoff for the little effort. The hike back from the river to the parking area just off the River Road would be slightly uphill. According to my map, the high point in the Dodge Point Preserve was 200 feet. The Shore Trail was listed at 50 feet, but unless those 150 feet were made up by scaling a cliff, I could expect a gentle walk. The guide at the trail head didn't surprise me. Each trail was listed as moderately easy, a nice way of saying if opening a door doesn't make rivers of sweat poor down your face and make you wish you could have a nap, you'll be fine taking this walk. Just staring at the Old Farm Road trail, I knew I didn't want to take it just yet. A loop of the 521 acre preserve, the Old Farm Road was a wide, crushed stone hikers freeway. I walked down the trail 50 yards or so to the start of the Ravine Trail. Just under two miles long, the Ravine Trail cut down the middle of the preserve, catching up with the Old Farm Road near the start of the Shore Trail. Immediately, the Ravine Trail was the kind of trail I'm used to, plenty of roots and rocks that required close attention to footing, just no climbing or descending. Before long, I'd wished I'd taken a DEET bath before hitting the trail. Mosquitos were descending on me like an invading armada. I walked and swatted, trying to ensure that millions of skeeter larvae would be orphaned. After a half-hour hike, I arrived on the western shores of the Damariscotta River. Visitors to the Dodge Point Reserve can also access the area by boat, and a dock jutted out from the trail. I turned north and walked the Shore Trail. At one point, I stopped, left the trail, and hopped onto the rocks lining the shore. I stood and stared at the river, and the hiking snob in me checked out. Until earlier this week, I never knew this place existed. How did it escape me for so long? Because unless it promised steep climbs, the need for crazy lung power and the possibility of painful leg cramps, you didn't give it a thought, chump, was my mind's reply. The Shore Trail runs perpendicular to the river, occasionally turning away from the water before cutting back toward it again. I was eager to check out the end of the trail, Brickyard Beach. In the 19th century, the area along the Damariscotta River was home to a large brick manufacturing operation. Bricks were made along the shore using marine clay, and according to the information at the parking area, the beach was still chock full o' bricks. A picture hanging next to the trail descriptions made the beach look like a brick-lined street. What I saw looked more like an old construction site. Fragments of bricks littered the beach. In some areas the bricks had been piled into makeshift fire pits. I thought of picking a brick up, then thought again. I reached the north terminus of the Shore Trail, where it meets the Old Farm Road, and turned around and retraced my steps. It didn't take long to reach what, according to my map, was the middle of the preserve. I walked to the end of the dock and ate my small lunch staring out across the water. I walked back to my car via the Old Farm Road. If one were to walk all the trails in Dodge Point, it would come out to slightly more than nine miles. I probably hit around half of that, but I came away knowing I'd come back. I'll bring mosquito repellent, and I'll leave the hiking snob at home. Travis Lazarczyk Ð 861-9242 tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com |
||||