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Sunday, August 14, 2005
So close, yet so far
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||||||
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ISLE AU HAUT — The excitement building for T.J. Mills and Lauris Wren was palpable as they sat hunched over their hiking guide book on the Down East ferry, the Miss Lizzie. After hiking the backside of Cadillac Mountain up to a "conga line" of tourists days earlier, the New Yorkers were full of expectation as they took the 50-minute ferry ride from Stonington past the giant rock gardens colored with peaches-and-cream boulders. They were passing by the tiny islands of Merchant Row, an archipelago frozen in time, and Stonington's version of Casco Bay. They were on their way to Isle au Haut, where Acadia National Park owns roughly half of the 10-square-mile island and maintains 18 miles of hiking trails. This island - which the Isle au Haut Ferry Service calls the "quiet part" of Acadia - has the beauty of the mainland but none of the hassles. "I don't think I'd like it as much in Bar Harbor," said Mills of Manhattan. Dressed in shorts and hiking boots, he was happy taking a 90-minute ferry ride to spend six hours in the tiny island's woods. "We want somewhere where you feel you are in the wilderness," Wren said. Near Jordan Pond, "it was beautiful, but there were people there." Considering Wren is from Queens, that says something. WORD OF MOUTH AND MORE The New Yorkers said they got lucky, finding Isle au Haut by word of mouth and with a little research. "It's our first trip Down East. We bought a book the day before we left and planned from there. That's the most planning we've ever done," Mills said. "We needed trails that were pet-friendly. We just looked at those that were listed." Riding the Isle au Haut Co. ferry, they knew, without even having seen Isle au Haut, that they were about to complete their long-awaited vacation by finding something special: a remote outpost of natural coastal scenery and uncrowded hiking trails that have been preserved by the National Park Service, but are underused. Since May, there has been more buzz about the tiny island after U.S. News and World Report recommended Isle au Haut as one of the 20 best vacation spots you should visit before you die. In the past few months, there has been noticeably more traffic, said Mike Archibald of Canton, N.Y., who has a summer house on the island, and likes to share it, and keep it a secret, all at once. While Mills and Wren were exploring the island's southwest trails for the first time, the Archibald family was exploring the lesser-known parkland trails near their summer home, on the northern part of the island. Archibald has been traveling to Isle au Haut all of his 40 years, the past 20 to a house he bought with his siblings. Now for two weeks every summer, he and his family drive from Canton, N.Y., to escape to remote island life. "We hike almost every day. Typically, we see one or two groups, but we don't see a lot of people on the trails. We take the less popular trails," Archibald said. "It's a very special place and we're lucky to be a part of it." BARRIERS TO OVERUSE For the most part, the park on Isle au Haut is designed for little hiking traffic. Merchant Row - the ocean channel full of tiny islands between Stonington and Isle au Haut - helps by preventing automobile traffic to the park. No auto ferry services the island; according to the Park Service, day trippers may be denied access to the park if too many visit at once. The ferry runs on a first-come, first-served basis. The Isle au Haut Co. ferry runs year-round to the town landing, where bicyclists must disembark, and from June to September to Duck Harbor, which is central to the 18 miles of hiking trails on the island. Ferry Capt. Josh Weed grew up on Stonington and he said he's hiked on Isle au Haut only a handful of times, mostly near Duck Harbor, where he said most visitors go. "I love hiking (on the island)," said Weed, as he steered the boat over blue-green water and beside undeveloped coastline. "But getting the time is hard. I climbed Cadillac Mountain on the hardest trail. Last weekend I hiked in Gulf Hagus." The ferry runs five different trips to the island from Monday through Saturday; on Sunday it runs just two. Rarely are there crowds. Biking along the seven miles of paved and dirt road provides glimpses of the coast and wooded areas. Occasionally, a trail head appears and disappears into a thick pine forest. The footpath here is both soft and rocky. The hiking trails, which also lead up 400-foot Bowditch Mountain and past Long Pond, cut across the interior of the island, but they also offer the Cliff Trail and Goat Trail, which pass several harbors. JOY TO DISCOVER The island draws hikers from around Maine and lots of first-time visitors, Weed said. "I get everybody, from little kids up to 80-year-olds. A guy biking the island the other day was 75 or 80. He was absolutely full of energy," Weed said. "The dirt path is quite difficult on a bicycle." The dirt road circles the island, but mostly cuts inland. Strewn with potholes and sharp turns, the road makes you slow down. The fact it is shared with some motor traffic is one reason why, but the limited speed is a blessing. Glimpses of rocky coast look different going out and coming back. From the west side of the island, the next stop is Vinalhaven, but it seems far away. From the south side, the next bit of land is even farther away - the islands of the Caribbean, like Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe. This is why Miss Lizzie passengers feel so removed as they head toward Isle au Haut, which is surrounded by shades of green water: kelly green, olive green and light green. Carroll Veltrop of West Simsbury, Conn., sat alone on the Isle au Haut ferry, reading the National Park's guide to the hiking trails her family of five would soon explore. While they sat above on deck, she escaped inside. "We knew we wanted to go to Duck Harbor. It's less populated," said Veltrop, visiting the coast for the first time. "It's gorgeous. It's really beautiful." For her Connecticut family of five, she said the trip to Isle au Haut would be the high point of their stay near Acadia National Park. Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:
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