Ten members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club paddled 10 miles on Cobbosseecontee Lake yesterday and enjoyed a lunch comprising mostly cookies.

The big attraction of Cobbosseecontee is the two dozen or so islands -- with an extremely attractive grouping almost dead center in the lake. Our plan was stop at one for lunch. Participants were urged to bring cookies and other non-nutritious food to share. They did, in abundance!

Amanda Blaine and Katherine Birnie, both new members, didn't have a boat. So I loaned them my canoe, a Bear Creek Cubby, a Maine-made product. John Therrien and Connie Gatz paddled another tandem canoe. The rest of us had solo kayaks.

Members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club pose near the start of yesterday's trip on Cobbosseecontee Lake in Winthrop.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Our flotilla launched at the East Winthrop boat ramp, posed for a group photo, then paddled a beeline for Ladies' Delight island, complete with its delightful 1908 decorative lighthouse.

Our group at Ladies' Delight Island yesterday, with its delightful and decorative 1908 lighthouse.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Then we paddled south past Cuba Island and Little Cuba. Continuing south, along the east side of Hodgdon Island we encountered a flock of about 25 loons, the largest group of these large birds that any of us had ever seen.

Just off Hodgdon Island we encountered about 25 loons, the biggest gathering of the big birds that any of us had ever seen.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Soon we stopped at Mosquito Island, owned by the Kennebec Land Trust and open to the public.

Boats pulled ashore at Mosquito Island.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Mosquito Island is owned by the Kennebec Land Trust.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Lunch on Mosquito Island yesterday, more or less dead center in Cobbosseecontee Lake.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

After lunch, we paddled a few hundred yards west to an exposed ledge and went swimming.

Katherine Birnie and Amanda Blaine paddle my Bear Creek Cubby canoe yesterday, approaching our swimming island.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Katherine Birnie swimming in Cobbosseecontee Lake yesterday.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Following our swimming break, we navigated around the southern tip of Horseshoe Island before heading back north to where we started. Along the way -- about five miles -- we took another swimming break.

Back at the start, Peter Thomas, who carried a GPS unit, said that we'd covered almost exactly 10 miles. And we'd been on the water almost exactly six hours.

After taking out and tying down, most of us headed for Mulligan's, a couple of miles away in Manchester, for ice cream. That's the tradition wrap for MOAC summer trips.

Cherie Perkins finishes her day with an ice cream, the traditional wrapup for MOAC summer trips.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

With the end in sight for the 2007 paddling season, I started talking up ski trips.

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