Spring Beach Hiking: A Warm Thought For A Cold Day

Authors Note: Back in April of last year I started what I called a ‘Wilderness Therapy’ journal, meant to document and inspire fun outside adventures with my child. The idea sort of got lost in the shuffle of summer; we did have a few adventures but they didn’t get written about. But now with creating this blog this winter, I’ve reignited the intention to write about adventures with my family. So with yet another snow day here in Maine , I’m going to take a trip down memory lane to spring of last year and blog an original entry in the journal… and think happy warm, spring thoughts. 

Ferry Beach State Park, April 21

It’s only 3 miles away and a 5-minute drive, but Ferry Beach kind of has it all: a paved mile-long road free of traffic, a mile of trails winding through the forest, a pond, and a long stretch of beach continuing in either direction. Spring is an ideal time to go because there’s hardly anyone there, minus the elderly people power walking and the lone Park Ranger.

With Josie in the Ergo and Beasley on a long leash, we set off walking the park road. Of course, B chooses to do her business as a crowd of four people are there to witness. Classy. Josie doesn’t sleep because she wants to watch Beasley prance. [Chances are, I was taking a walk trying to get the baby to nap. Very typical in those days.]

Oh, sand and sun… Soaking it in with Beasley and baby (not pictured.)

The beach is deserted. We walk north (I’m guessing but it seems right) towards Bay View beach on the low tide sand. Waves crash (as much as they can at low tide), gulls squawk…it’s lovely. But then we turn around to walk back and the wind barrels in to my face. Josie buries her face in my chest and somehow (finally) falls asleep. I’m thankful to see the park fence again!

We head to the trail system. For being pretty close to the road, the Park actually feels enveloping. The trail is completely  flat but its a mix of gravel, boardwalk, and bridges, and it passes through clusters of differing species of trees. We the pass the Ranger on her bike, and she wears glasses, which I think is cool. [I also am be-spectacled.]

We run into a couple of dogs on the trail and I have to yank on B’s leash, which wakes the babe up. I then feel a whole lot of warmth on my abdomen and realize Josie has peed on me, through her own clothes and onto my sweater. Luckily we’re not far from the car. A good hike had by all!

Maine Winter Magic

I finally got my snowshoes out of hibernation to enjoy the 6 inches of fluffy fresh powder. Hiking with B at Ferry Beach State Park.

Hitting the Sylvan Trail on a frigid -7 degree morning.

Though we live in the fairly flat area of southern Maine, the Saco Bay Trails group maintain “a permanent network of easily accessible, well-maintained, well-marked and well-known trails through the Saco Bay Area that are used by a wide range of people with a broad range of abilities.” http://www.sacobaytrails.org

My furry friend waiting for treats. Who knew a Georgia peach could be such a snow bunny?

And last but not least, my little person enjoying the fluffy white stuff.

Tiny Feet, Tiny Hikes

Once upon a time, in a land before baby was born, I was a lone hiker. I would traverse my way across peaks, daring to climb where no woman had climbed before. (Okay, that’s not true. I stuck to pretty mainstream routes.) Acadia National Park and Downeast Maine were my stomping grounds, trails and mountains to explore and reflect upon.

Thankfully, not too much changed when baby came around. Instead of bagging the monstrous 1,000-footers Maine has to offer, we’ve downgraded slightly to tiny-feet-friendly hikes. And though we didn’t get out as much as mama would have preferred, for a 2-year-old Josie does have an impressive repertoire of hikes under her belt (or…diaper.)

In my research for our trip and spring hiking preparation, I’ve been perusing National Geographic’s Guide to America’s Outdoors and AMC’s Maine Mountain Guide. So here is my version of a “Tiny Feet, Tiny Hike” guide for Maine (keep in mind, it’s not comprehensive or in any particular order, just some of our favorite trails we’ve done with baby.)

• Blue Hill Mountain, Blue Hill. One of my all-time favorite hikes. It’s only 900′, but it has many fond memories and an absolutely spectacular view of Blue Hill Bay and Acadia from the top.

• Barred Island, Shore Acres, and Tennis Preserve trails, Deer Isle. 3 of many great hikes along the water’s edge on the island of Deer Isle.

Barred Island Preserve

• South Bubble Mountain, Acadia National Park.

  

  He-man lifting the bubble!

• Ferry Beach State Park trails, Saco. Our go-to when we need to get out of the house. Really easy flat trails that lead to the ocean, and beautiful in the fall.

  

  Ferry Beach SP

• Scarborough Marsh, Scarborough. As a section of the East Coast Greenway, it crosses the largest marsh in Maine. Birds abound! (Sidenote: the ECG is a very awesome concept, as its a foot/bike path that will eventually connect Key West, Florida to Calais, Maine – both places dear to me!)

• Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Wells. Our favorite, simply because it’s perfect for little feet to walk. A flat, 1-mile loop, it has great views of the marsh and ocean and so, so, so many acorns to pick and plants to touch! (Just ask Josie.)

  

  One happy girl at the Rachel Carson NWR

• Douglas Mountain, Sebago. My 27th birthday hike! Great views of the Western Maine mountains and the Whites. Plus a cool tower on top.

• Bradbury Mountain, Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal. Special because it was Josie’s first ever hike. Though there are many trails here we haven’t hiked, the Mountain itself is a really easy, family-friendly hike. And they allow dogs.

• Mount Agamenticus, York. Even only at 692′, Big A is actually a pretty good hike. The Ring Trail has  great interpretive story boards for the kids, and at the summit is a nice big expanse of grass, lookout tower and Learning Lodge. Dogs welcome also!

And in New Hampshire…

• Mount Kearsarge, Warner, NH. Technically, we didn’t hike the whole mountain – we drove up the mountain road and then hiked the rest of the way to the summit. But hey, remember tiny feet…

  

  Nina and Tyler, with Josie riding high on Dad’s back.

• Mount Chocorua, White Mountain National Forest, NH. We hiked the Champney Falls trail for Father’s Day and it was really beautiful. We didn’t make it to the summit, as we were unprepared for the 7-mile hike, but we’ll be back to this for sure!

Our Deuter child carrier backpack made all the difference when hiking with Josie. She slept in it, ate in it and had a great view when on our back. It may have cost as much as my car payment, but it was a worthy investment! So were the $10 used Keen sandals for when she was up walking. Thanks thrift store!

So with our sights set on spring, and then on to our summer journey, hopefully our list of summits will keep growing and growing, Who knows, maybe we’ll work up to those 1,000-footers once again!

A Walk in the (Almost) Woods

Photo: Tyler Walker

Ahh, winter sickness. After more than a week straight of quarantine with Josie, we’re back into the world once again! She’s back to daycare this week and I’m keeping myself busy with job seeking and to-do lists. In fact, this morning I woke up to so many things to do today, I had to write everything down so my head didn’t literally explode. A free day! Must. Do. EVERYTHING.

But you know what, after I dropped her off at school I went for an impromptu hike, which was NOT on my list. The dog was in the backseat really needing to do her business, so I drove to a nearby trail. Clad in my pajamas and Bean boots, and it being a whopping 17 degrees out, we hiked almost 2 miles through the almost woods, as most of the trail paralleled I-95, Maine’s only major highway. Along with the cacophony of morning commuter traffic and semi-trailers, the dog and I crunched through the snow and ice, feeling the sun through the trees and following deer tracks. It was lovely.

With the idea of our cross-country trip taking shape, I have been inundating my mind with overwhelming thoughts of the future, jobs, careers, school, where to live, what do I want in life, even what’s the PURPOSE of life… It’s crazy and exhausting. Instead of letting thoughts come and go, it’s like they take up permanent residence in my mind instead of a short little vacation. Like building a frickin’ brick building instead of a week in a furnished cottage. But in the woods, hiking at a brisk pace (brr, chilly!), the thoughts are still there but not quite so loud. A friend of mine recently shared her experience of going to church and the positivity she felt from that, and I realized that maybe where I get my positivity from is the outdoors – the woods (even almost woods), the mountains, the ocean!

Just another reason to take a leap of faith and embark on our family’s cross-country adventure. I see us hiking (probably at a toddler’s pace) in beautiful forests, in the desert, camping under the stars, Beasley running free of a leash, putting her hound nose to work. I see Tyler shooting video and myself being inspired to write! Take photographs! Be silly with our kid! Really sharing the things we love with her. Having some real family adventure time!

In the meantime, I’m encouraged to take a pragmatic approach to life: working towards a goal, one step at a time. So, I shall continue my yoga practice with Yoga With Adriene (try it, she’s really good!), hike with dog in the winter, with child come springtime, and keep the overwhelming thoughts at bay.  After all, to quote Charlie Brown, “Life is like an ice cream cone. You have to learn to lick it!”