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Sunday, June 11, 2006
Stevens Pond
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Although the pond is only two miles long and one mile wide there are many hidden coves, marshes, and islands to paddle along and around. The shoreline is comprised of a series of granite ledges and outcroppings. Paddlers can land anywhere along the shoreline to relax on the soft pine needle carpeted forest floor. We visited on a recent Saturday morning and were the only people on the pond for the duration of our four hours of exploring. That will change during the summer. Judging by the two ropes hanging out over the water from a sturdy oak at the launch site, and the two picnic tables on the lawn this public park sees a lot of use in July and August. This is where the local kids spend their summer vacation. Remember back a few years; we all had a special swimming hole, where a summer day seemed to last forever. HOW TO GET THERE Consult the Delorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map #14 for help in planning your outing. To get to Stevens Pond, follow Route 3 east from Augusta toward Belfast. Just past Lake St George State Park in Liberty, turn right onto Route 220. In 1.1 miles, turn left onto Route 173. Follow Route 173 for 1.3 miles to the boat launch site on the north end of Stevens Pond. Directly south of the launch site sits a large forested island with a few rustic camps hidden in the darkness of the pines and firs. At its southern end it is connected to the mainland by a 20-yard long gravel access road. If you explore down the western side of this island you can easily portage across the gravel road and put back into the lake on the other side, and continue exploring to the far end of the lake. If you only have an hour or two to paddle, head sharply left from the launch site and explore the lake to the east of the island. Here you will see more wildlife and enjoy the magnificence of the marshes. On the southern end of the lake there is a long peninsula sticking northward out into the lake. Note the extraordinary stand of red pine. The peninsula is posted as private property so we just sat in the canoe and listened to the song of the wind in the treetops. It reminded us of Antlers Point on Lower Jo-Mary Lake deep in the heart of Maine's fabled "100-Mile Wilderness" portion of the Appalachian Trail. Antlers has always been one of our favorite places along the 276-mile length of Appalachian Trail in Maine. SIGHTS AND SOUNDS ABOUND Stevens Pond is as much about sounds as it is about sights. On the eastern side of the pond we were greeted by the high-pitched cries of osprey pairs in every cove we paddled into. The gobbling of wild turkeys echoed throughout the forest. Woodpeckers tapped away on dead trees. Floating islands of sphagnum moss host a wide variety of bog plants and flowers. On a number of dried logs protruding into the lake turtles sat sunning themselves. We were able to drift to within a few feet of most of the turtles and marveled at the brilliant color schemes and patterns of the painted turtles. Yellow stripes running down their face and neck gave way to brilliant red stripes. Their shells were black on top and a showy orange on the bottom. We also saw one musk turtle, also known as a "stinkpot" because of the foul liquid it secretes from the musk glands under its shell. The shell of the musk turtle is more dome-shaped than the flatter shell of the painted turtle. In another spot along the marsh eight painted turtles one by one plopped into the water from a muddy shelf. The splashes reminded us of someone skipping flat rocks across the water. There was so much to see we nosed the bow of the canoe into the grass and just sat and quietly watched. We stared up into the deep blue sky looking for turkey vultures and osprey, and then down around the canoe at the red remnants of pitcher plants from the previous year and the fresh green cups emerging up out of the peaty soil and from under the water. A number of tamarack trees dotted the marsh, all looking like the forlorn needle-less Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The tamarack is in fact the only evergreen that drops its needles in the fall. We examined the branches and were delighted to find fuzzy balls of needles all along each branch ready to explode into their summer green, and one again turn the naked tree into an evergreen. We headed back to the launch site and enjoyed a picnic lunch all the while absorbing the soothing sound of cascading water tumbling over the outlet dam and headed for its march to the sea. Stevens Pond, along with a number of other nearby lakes, forms the headwaters of the St George River. Robins hopped about the grass, and black-capped chickadees and yellow-rumped warblers flitted about the riverside brush. It was hard to leave. Instead of heading home via Route 3 and Augusta we decided to head down through Appleton and Union for some great views east toward the Camden Hills and the river and lake highlands of the St George River. The town park in the middle of the village of Union is worth a stop. An interpretive display illustrates the early history of Union as captured in the Maine novel "Come Spring" written by Ben Ames Williams who summered in nearby North Searsmont. South of town the views of the red-hued blueberry barrens with deep blue Seven Tree Pond and the patchwork gray-brown mountains in the background will leave you breathless. Maybe a good-sized wedge of banana cream pie is waiting for you at Moody's Diner in Waldoboro or one of Maine's largest lobster rolls at Red's Eats in Wiscasset? Don't let the adventure end just because your canoe is on your roof rack. A good adventure starts at home and ends at home, and from start to finish, Stevens Pond will help provide a great one. 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 schools and civic groups. He can be reached at dreams@ime.net
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