Circumnavigating Mount Kineo

   About 15 years ago, I looked at a map and thought "Huh, Mount Kineo (one of Maine's geographic wonders) is less than a thumbs width (about 3/4 mile) from a launch site.  We could do that."

A map at the launch area

   And so we packed up a Naturebound canoe, a Wilderness Systems Cape Horn kayak, two small kids, a bunch of paddles and life jackets and headed for Rockwood, a tiny town on the western shore of Moosehead Lake.  When we got there the wind was blowing and large white-capped waves were funneling through the squeeze point in the big lake.  It didn't take but a glance to see that there was no way this particular set of paddlers and boats was going to make it to Kineo.
  Instead of attempting the crossing, we paddled into Barrows Cove and explored there.

  Then a few weeks ago, while paddling on Mathew's Cove in Moosehead Lake, I saw Mt. Kineo in the distance and thought, "This would have been the perfect day to do that paddle."  It was a still day, and, unlike years ago, even if the wind picked up we had seaworthy kayaks and spray skirts.  But the day was more than half over, and there was work to get to at home.  

   This Friday was another calm day, so we packed up our Current Designs Sirocco and Wilderness Systems Zephyr, spray skirts, life jackets, paddles and assorted gear and headed once again to Rockwood.

   At the launch we discovered a dozen or so hikers hoping to catch the Kineo shuttle, a pontoon boat which makes the crossing about hourly in season. 

  But we didn't have to wait, we could take right off for Kineo.

One the way there!

   Mount Kineo has hosted a huge resort hotel between 1848 through 1938.  Presently, it's home to some lovely, grand cottages, a golf course (with a restaurant open to all), and a fairly large structure which was merely the employee housing for the old hotel.

The employee housing is the palest building

   We paddled into shallow waters of Frog Pond(actually a bay), admiring the views.

Mark paddles by a shallow area in Frog Pond.

  At the back of that bay is the narrow causeway which connects Kineo with land.  Kineo is not an island, but a penninsula.

Boats beside the causeway

  On the North Bay side of Kineo the mount is revealed in full splendor.  The top is about 760 feet (45 sea kayak lengths) from lake level.  The sheer cliff must be at least 700 feet straight up and portions are concave.

It's hard to capture how grand it was:
The cliff alone against the sky:

A concave section with Mark for scale.

Can you even see my tiny yellow boat in this photo?

We did not know it at the time, but that small bay below the cliff is nearly 250 feet deep.

  Mt. Kineo is composed of rhyolite, a form of flint.  Flint from the mountain is found throughout New England and beyond, showing its value as a trade item to Native Americans.   A few pictures of the rock face close up:

A cedar clings to the cliff

Rocks at the base

  We stopped for lunch at Hardscrabble Point, a backcountry camp site with picnic tables, fire ring, pit toilet and space for several tents.  These sites are first-come, first-served and shortly after we left, we passed a dozen canoes headed there for the night.

At the campsite

   The rest of the paddle was upwind in choppy water, enlivened by views of hikers on the shoreline trail or heading up the hill. 

   Now you might think finally getting to Kineo,  sans two children would be a "Cats in the Cradle"  event. 
  But it wasn't, because that misadventure was not the end of paddling with our kids.  First one child then the other grew into individual kayaks.  Our trips shifted from short paddles on lakes and streams to short paddles on the sea, to visiting Ironbound and Isle au Haut.  Along the way we explored lighthouses and forts, sea caves and islands.  We've paddled with whales, dolphins, seals, alligators, manatees, and much more.  There were also non-kayak adventures: biking, hiking, museums, attractions, family, friends, school, scouts etc.  The years have gone by in a flash, but they were traded for some wonderful memories and two incredible adults with their own lives and interests.  
   Instead of being melancholy, we were thankful we'd had the opportunity to see another Maine marvel and looking ahead to our next adventure.

More information:  Hiking Mount Kineo
                             Backcountry Camping: Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry
                             Mount Kineo Golf Course, Shuttle and Restaurant

Summary:  Launch:  Paved, about thirty spaces, half trailer length.  Pit Toilets.  Distance, 7.8 miles, about 3 hours with 3 stops.  Moosehead Lake is a part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. 

Greenville (another community on Moosehead Lake) Police on ATV patrol

Mathew Cove, Moosehead Lake

Driving into the area, over Indian Hill

Seeking a change of scenery we headed inland to Maine's largest lake, Moosehead.  It's forty miles long by ten miles wide, with a maximum depth of 246 feet.  We could spend weeks paddling its shores.  But we were just looking for a day's adventure.

Lazy Tom Bog from the road

We began our morning with a Moose-sighting hunt.  We started at the Department of Transportation building in Shirley, then drove through Lily Bay and Kokadjo without success.  At Lazy Tom Bog, we hoped into our kayaks and headed upstream.  In less than half a mile we saw a nice male moose, his still growing antlers covered in soft velvet.  Unfortunately, we missed the picture, but we had the experience.

Probably the moose is just to the left here, but when we turn and see him, off he'll run.

  We continued up Lazy Tom to a beaver dam, and took that as time to head back to explore Greenville.

Some other paddlers exploring just off the Greenville Jct Launch

  There are launch in Greenville and Greenville Junction which we were considering.  Greenville Jct. seemed to have a better set up; more parking, changing rooms and bathrooms. (Always a plus)   But both meant exploring a shore line of vacation homes and avoiding boats, seaplanes and everything else.

   We spotted the lovely Katahdin at its dock in Greenville.  It's 100 years old this year, and had a birthday celebration recently.  I include the link because it tells the tale of its distinguished work career. 
Since neither of south end launches had much paddling appeal to us on this particular day, we went to Lily Bay State Park and launched from Rowell Cove popping in to explore Mathews Cove, especially the shallow island filled area.

On Moosehead Lake by Sugar Island.  I can just see a distant Mt Kineo.

In the shallows of Mathews Bay

Mark liked the tiny islands, with just a few trees.

I admired the way a single tree stump could become a home for an entire community.

Nature does some impressive design work.

A second angle on the same roots, giving them a more "circle of life" appearance.

 It was just a couple short paddles, but a nice accent to a fun day of exploring!

Summary:  Lazy Tom Bog (Stream), north of Kokadjo:  Launch is a turn off the road just after the bridge.  I'm not sure teh road has a name, but it's in the DeLorme.  No facilities.   Maybe a mile to the Beaver Dam, Google Earth shows the stream narrows considerably from there.
Greenville Jct Launch.  lots of parking, seperate long term lot nearby.  Bathroom open 7AM-9PM.  Paved. beach and playground.
Lily Bay State Park, Beaver Cove, fee to enter, two launches each with docks and ramps.  Pit toilets by launch, it looks like flush toilets by the beach.  Beach, camping if you make reservations far enough ahead.