Fernald's Neck, Lake Megunticook

By MICHAEL PERRY

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Paddle name: Fernald's Neck, Lake Megunticook Nearest town: Camden Region: Midcoast Water type: Lake Difficulty: Advanced Beginner Length: 6 miles roundtrip Put-in: There's a boat launch site on the west side of Fernald's Neck of Route 52, located 2.9 miles from Route 1 in Camden. Take-out: Same as put-in Maps: Get driving directions from MapQuest. View a topo map from Maptech MapServer.

Circling the evergreen-covered island to the west of the neck, we stopped to admire brilliant yellow birch leaves reflected in the water. We just happened to look up to a dead pine branch hanging out over the water and there, staring piercingly down at us was a mature bald eagle, regal in its brilliant white head and ruffled neck feathers, fierce, steadfast eyes and yellow beak. Motionless, it sat and watched us in our awed stillness.

As tempting as it was to stay longer, our necks were getting sore and we wanted to give this majestic bird its privacy back. It would be just one of many surprises and delights the morning would provide.

With autumn here, it is time to reclaim some of our favorite places, knowing that we will no longer be encountering the frenzied throngs of July and August. One such gem is the Camden Hills area. And one of the great mountain and lake experiences in midcoast Maine is paddling around Fernald's Neck in the heart of Lake Megunticook.

On this outing we will take you along the intricate shoreline of Fernald's Neck from the boat launch site on the west side of Route 52, located 2.9 miles from Route 1 in Camden. Then after we get the canoe secured back on the canoe rack we will hike the Maiden Cliff trail up to a spectacular outlook over the lake, where we can retrace our paddling route. Consult the Delorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 14 for help in getting to the boat launch site and to the trailhead.

Do not be dismayed at the row of homes lining the southern shoreline of the lake across from the boat launch area, or the sounds of hammers and saws from end-of-season repair projects. Once you paddle the short distance over to Fernald's Neck you will have three miles of wilderness shoreline to explore before turning around and retracing your route. Portaging across the narrow portion of the neck may look tempting on the map, but that land is privately owned and posted.

Fernald's Neck is home to the 315-acre Fernald's Neck Preserve and is under the management of the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. The preserve area was owned by the Fernald family from 1806 to 1969. In response to increased development pressures, local land-conservation supporters raised the money, purchased the land and transferred it to the Nature Conservancy. A 30-acre parcel also was generously donated by the Fernald family. The land at the end of the neck was given to the town of Camden by the Bok family and is maintained as a water-access wilderness park.

Paddle across to a narrow peninsula sticking out into the lake beyond the line of cottages. The gravel shoreline provides a nice spot to stop to admire the hulking mass of Mount Megunticook stretching from north to south across the narrows. Here you can also watch the impressive rock climbing cliffs below the Megunticook ridge line emerge out of the morning shadows.

Continue around the point and head straight across to Fernald's Neck. A 50-yard-long line of smooth ledges rises out of the water providing a fabulous stop for breakfast, newspaper reading or just plain relaxing in the morning sun. The large red and white pines behind the ledges help create a cocoon of early morning warmth to ward off the autumnal chill. At any point on your excursion venture up into the woods and enjoy the majesty of the trees and the soft silky light dropping to the forest floor.

The western shoreline of the neck is the most spectacular of the shorelines, offering convoluted cliffs and ledges that create striking reflections in the calm morning waters. Add to that the reflections of the mountains surrounding the lake, from Bald Mountain just to the west to Moody and Levenseller mountains to the north, plus Megunticook, and you have a never-ending series of double images to enjoy. All the more reason for an early morning start before the afternoon southerly winds begin to rustle.

At one point granite cliffs tower 60 feet above the lake and you can rub elbows along the cliff as you float past. Gnarled pines miraculously emerge out of small cracks and crevices and hang like flag poles over the water. The shade is cool and invigorating. This spot has a Minnesota Boundary Waters feel to it, and you might even expect to spy petroglyphs hidden along the wall someplace.

Black ducks erupted into the air in a flurry of beating wings out of one cove, and mergansers out of another. Chickadee calls and the raucous cries of blue jays found their way out to us from the deepness of the preserve forest. Then we saw the eagle, and all too quickly it was time to head back around the tip and explore up the eastern side a mile before heading back to the vehicle.

The eastern side, while peaceful, is less rugged than the western side. It does, however, provide those great views of Megunticook. High up on open ledges above the lake sits a giant white cross. The story goes that a 12-year-old farmer's daughter by the name of Elenora French was climbing the mountain as part of a Maying party on May 7, 1864, and fell to her death while trying to reach out and grab her hat, which a gust of wind had stolen from her head.

That will be our next destination. After changing from sandals to hiking shoes, we drove a few hundred yards down to the Maiden Cliff trailhead and hiked one mile up to the cross for an airy view straight down to the lake. And we do mean straight down! It was wonderful retracing our every move on the lake, excitedly pointing out where we had landed, and to look across to mountains that we had gazed up at earlier.

The sun cut a southerly swath of gold across the water. It looked so beautiful down there. We soaked in the warm afternoon sun and closed our eyes. The day had been good to us; we had reclaimed a favorite part of Maine to enjoy and shared it with the best of company: wild nature.

Michael Perry is the former director of the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools, and founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in inspiring outdoor slide programs for businesses, schools and civic groups. For a free listing of our slide programs contact:

dreams@ime.net