| Sunday, April 16, 2006 Bold Coast Trail
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The Bold Coast Trail, a 10-mile loop through the Cutler Coast Management Unit of the Maine Public Reserve Lands System, may be the most spectacular coastal hiking venue, outside of Acadia, in the eastern United States. Whether you choose to make it an overnight backpack, as I did in early April, or a long day hike, you'll no doubt find this place to be a special corner of our natural world. The first mile of the trail leads over a gently rolling pathway through a moist forest of spruce, fir, birch and cedar. Soon enough you'll begin to hear the waves pounding against the shoreline rocks and squawking gulls overhead, and breathe in the salty air. Shortly, emerge from the woods and scramble down into the open at a dramatic peninsula of jagged rock jutting out into the ocean. Here the surf roars below you, its raw power and infinite energy on display. The wild and rugged coastline of dark green forest and black rock disappears around countless headlands and into narrow coves and cobble beaches far out of sight. From the rocky promontory, walk southward for four stunning miles, wending your way past precipitous cliff edges, through open grasslands, across wetlands on log bridges and up craggy outlooks, the wide expanse of the ocean ever over your left shoulder. The beach at Black Point Cove makes a good pause for lunch. Take some time to explore here (and farther along at Long Point Cove) and you'll find evidence of the fishing industry washed ashore by storm waves: Lobster buoys, mooring markers, fishing nets, lobster traps, oil and gas containers, soft drink bottles; never mind pebbles tumbled smooth by the sea, pretty shells and odd clumps of seaweed. I used to view the detritus as trash and an intrusion upon the land, but now better understand and appreciate it as part of the colorful co-existence of man and nature. If you've toted along your house-for-the-night on your back, there are three primitive campsites beyond Long Point Cove, a quarter mile apart for maximum privacy. The campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register at the trailhead kiosk to ensure a space. Each site is tucked just into the woods above the rocky shore. There's room for two small tents, logs to sit on for relaxing and cooking dinner, and a crude open-air privy that makes relieving yourself quite an experience. Open fires are prohibited for good reason: With the blustery ocean winds a fire gone astray would spread quickly and be devastating to this pristine area. Use of a camp stove is required. Fresh water is not available at the campsites, so pack in a sufficient quantity for cooking and drinking. Take a seat out on the rocks and enjoy a grand campsite view like no other. In clear weather you can look across the Bay of Fundy to the Canadian island of Grand Manan, and down the coast to the lighthouse at the mouth of the Little River and the entrance to Cutler Harbor. You might eye a tanker plying the deep waters offshore or a lobster boat bobbing closer in, hauling in its catch. Shorebirds will be busy playing on the waves, as will the occasional seal and porpoise. And in late summer, at least three species of whales may be spied offshore. At nightfall the towers of the Cutler Naval Station to the west are unmistakable, but strangely, seem not to intrude. The rhythmic clanging of an offshore buoy and the lighthouse foghorn will likely lull you into a restful sleep. At Fairy Head, the trail leaves the ocean and turns inland for the five-mile return journey. You'll pass frequent outlooks as it climbs over rocky knobs, through mossy woods and grassy meadows, across peat bogs and around freshwater marshes. A cliff overlooking a beaver pond makes a scenic snack stop. From here, more bog bridges lead you back to the car. The Bold Coast trailhead is on Route 191 in Cutler, 17 miles from Route 1 in East Machias, where a post-hike visit to Helen's Restaurant for a slice of their famous blueberry pie is a must. For information and a trail map, contact the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands at 287-3821 or www.maine.gov/doc/parks online. The Cobscook Trails Coalition publishes a handy guide to the many hiking trails in the region. To get a copy, contact the Quoddy Regional Land Trust at 733-5509 or www.qrlt.org online. Carey Kish of Portland makes an early spring backpack trip the Bold Coast nearly every year. He can be reached at: maineoutdoors@aol.com. | |||
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