Forks Maine & Maxie Falls

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Yes it was time to say good bye Greenville after 4 great days full of activity.

Rain stopped bothering us and we just went forward with our plans no matter what ,the changes in the weather are so rapid that it is hard to believe and sometimes from rain to sunny skies can take few minutes.

The general plan was to drive North along Moose Lake to Rockwood and from there to Jackman,leave the trailer in a campground and drive with the truck to the trail head of Maxie Falls.

The scenery from the road was fantastic, we stopped several time to see the view ,smell the wet woods ,get a bite and stretch the legs.

           

The C.G in Jackman gave us the creeps and we decided on the spot to continue South till Forks (two rivers join at Forks) closer to Maxie Falls  Trailhead hoping to find a C.G where we can leave the trailer.

At Forks we pulled into a outfitter center for rafting and other outdoor recreation to ask about the existence of any C.G in the area and they were kind enough to point us to a small C.G just 6 miles down the road.

The C.G belongs to another outfitter and has only 5 RV spots ,all on grass and along the river,no water and no sewer,so we filled water in the center and happily parked the trailer in the C.G just 5 minutes from the center.

As it was only 2PM, we quickly unhooked the truck and set off for the Maxie Falls and what a beautiful hike it was, the falls were very impressive and besides the regular mosquito attacks we had a great time.

I  like when it all comes together,the unfitted C.G in Jackman lead to a great spot on the river,it was so nice we decided to stay 2 nights-that is called FREEDOM,do what you like,when you like.

After the hike we had dinner,rested and head to the center that has a pub,brewery ,hot tub,swimming pool restaurant,pool table and  a live music-can’t beat that..

The band was to noisy,but the whole atmosphere was nice and relaxing.

What a day….

Rockwood & Moose Safari

We took a drive to Rockwood area just 30 minutes North from where we camp in Greenville,the road is along the Moose Lake with some beautiful scenes from various look out points that open up to mountains and vast nature.

Near Rockwood runs a river that connects two lakes and along that river many houses are built touching the banks of the water ,usually a boat or a plane tied at the end of the garden is seen in this part of Maine.

In the evening we joined a Moose water Safari hoping to see some of this shay animal in his normal habitat ,so at 4PM we boarded a platoon boat and got ready for 3 hours of adventure,at first we thought that the Moose have taken a day off but finally we spotted some in the water.

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It was a beautiful day and a great cruise that ended in an Italian restaurant with a lot of good food and laughs.

Golf Hagas Hike-Maine

In Maine one must take advantage of good weather to do outdoor activities,so we have prepared ourselves for an 8 mile hike in Gulf Hagas, that is a part of the Appalachian Trail and has along the way 5 waterfalls.

The head of the hike is reached by gravel road from Greenville, it takes about an hour and payment is required at the gate that goes to maintain the road.

The hike is a round trip along the river,one way on the rim and the other along the lake.

We decided to take the rim difficult road first and come back the “easy” way.

The depth of the Gulf can be seen walking in the rim trail ,and the locals call it Grand Canyon because of the resemblance.

It rained days before the hike and left the grounds muddy and the rocks slippery and it sure did not make it a bit easier on our knees and back and this was on top of the mosquitoes and bugs that made you feel that you are in an airfield.

We had to cross the river a few times to get to the trail ,a and carried a spare of

sandals with us to avoid hiking with wet shoes.

It took us 5 hours on the rim trail to reach the last fall and 2 hours back on the pleasant lake trail, it was a great hike,the muscles were not sore anymore,we came back dirty,wet and hungry alive and happy.

On the way we meet a nice young couple from Massachusetts Ben&Shauna and enjoyed hiking parts of the way together,what amassed us that we were the only ones on this hike but added to the “wilderness” feeling.

Here are pictures from the hike:

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Day trip to Kokadjo

End of pavement at Kokadjo

North Maine is a haven for ATV’s ,so many off roads that lead to beautiful places,lakes,waterfalls and Moose paths.

We took a drive to Kokadjo just North of Greenville and from there to a local gravel road with a brook stream,we hoped to see some Moose but they were out of site that morning.

The scenery all along the route was breathtaking,crisp air, beautiful flowers and colors and pictures houses on the lakes.

There were no special adventures only calm beautiful ride to the Nature.

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GREENVILLE Maine

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After a week camping in Medway hiking the Baxter S.P we are off to Greenville.

Greenville is located at the center of outdoor activity next to Moose Lake,one of the biggest lakes in North East USA.

The road fro Medway to Greenville passes through beautiful country,small farming villages,lakes and forest.

Our first stop was after an hour in a resting area next to a lake for coffee,view and restrooms ,it was so calm ,cold morning air and smells of wet wood was very refreshing ,it made everything look great.

A week ago the trailer shocks were removed to avoid them ribbing against the tires and the plan was to fix this in a “big” city in a proper garage, but jumping on North Maine roads made a mess in the trailer and we found a local Garage with a great guy that can fix it all,and so he did. In 3 hours he managed to place the shocks further from the tires and we were back in business.

Taking it easy we arrived to “Moosehead Family C.G” in Greenville and found a small nice C.G with water & electrical hook-ups and free Wi-Fi…that's how I am on the “air” now.

The plan is to hike a part of the famous Appalachian Trail called Gulf Hagas,8 miles round trip to a huge canyon with 300-400 feet drop,drive some scenic drives off road around the lake and to do a water Moose Safari-very promising…

Baxter S.P ME-hiking to the falls

In my previous post I have written about our unforgettable hike to the top of Mountain Baxter in Baxter S.P Maine that took us 11 hours,climbing up and down the “monster” using most of our body parts to stay in one piece including knees and butts.

Well it took us 2 days to get our bearings back and come again to this beautiful S.P to discover other corners of this Natural and close to be untouchable park. The morning weather was not a big promise ,but this did not stop us from taking a drive into the park with some picnic lunch to hike to some beautiful falls.

In the last 2 days it rained without stopping what made the hike slippery and wet but as I have said before “we can not control the weather, so we have to live with it”,at the end it all paid off and we had a fantastic day.

On the way to the falls we had to cross a river with slippery rocks,with no other options the shoes went off and we were on the way to the other bank.

The way to the falls was through a forest with some interesting sights,big huge boulders covered with different vegetation,tree routs hugging rocks,shelf mushrooms on dead trees and a lot of GREEN.

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Finally we have reached the waterfall called “Big Niagara Falls” ,and I am happy that this name did not reach the “ears” of the REAL Niagara Falls in Ontario/Upstate NY, but it was a beautiful sight regardless the name.

I only wish for many more for many more days like this….

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Climbing the Baxter Mountain ME

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We knew it is 10Miles round trip and we knew it will take 10 hours but we had no idea that we will be hiking on a rocky surface most of the way and some time on our knees and butt most of the time feeling like a mountain goats.

Here is a Model of the Baxter Mountain with the highest peak (on the left) of 5267 Feet,we started the hike at 830AM at the bottom where you can leave your vehicle ,took the Chimney Pond Trail and then the Saddle Trail (2nd from the right) that brought us up to the ridge but still had to hike left to the peak.

THE WAY UP ON THE SADDLE TRAIL

THE SADDLE TRAIL ON THE LEFT

It took us 7 hours to get to the top ,it was difficult but very rewarding,here are some pictures from the way up and the summit.

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And 5 hours to get down-why?? here take a look

AT THE END OF THE DAY WE WERE TIRED ,SORE BUT HAPPY WE DID IT…