Kayaker Philosophy: Turn over and smell the fishes.

BRA friends Dave, Esther, and I drove over to the Oak Hill area yesterday (just north of Titusville) to go paddling with the FLOAT meetup group. The plan was to paddle out 3 miles or so to an island campsite, pitch the tents, and then wake up early to view the night shuttle launch of the STS-130 night launch at 4:39 AM. It was a bit blustery of a paddle out, but the 35 members of the group seem to have made it without a problem. We all found plenty of space to spread out, cooked dinner, and sat around the fire chatting and drinking a bit before heading to bed. Everyone was up early anticipating the launch, however less than 10 minutes before it was to go up the official determination was made to scrub due to too low of a cloud ceiling.

Paddling pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/mblitch/KayakingCanaveral2010

I found the needle in the haystack, but lost my thread.

Day 8: Portland

After waking up, Chris B. and I headed a bit east up the Columbia river to check out some of the falls, especially Multnomah Falls. We decided to do a loop trail that would take us to the top of the falls and along a few nice vistas and even a mountain spring. We hikeed for a while and then headed to check out the Bridge of the Gods. We took a little extra time to visit the Bonneville Dam, but only had enough time for me to quickly grab a NPS stamp for my book before we had to head back. When traveling a few days prior, Chris met up with Danny B. who was also traveling to Portland and invited him to join us. We needed to get back into town to pick him up from the airport before continuing on.

After we snagged Danny, we collectively decided to head west to the coast. I was kind of hoping to visit Aura, OR just to check out some of the filming sites for 'The Goonies' (as a pilgrimage of the 80's) however it would have just added way too much time and miles to make it worthwhile. We made it to Cannon Beach and a famous landmark called Haystack Rock, which did play a significant part in the Goonies movie, so my childhood soul was at least appeased. This was the first time Danny had ever seen the Pacific Ocean. We walked the beach for a while before I decided to just walk out for a while, and wait. I stood out in the knee deep, frigid water feeling the surge as the sand eroded from under my feet, staring into the horizon. About 24 hours before I was on a boat in the Atlantic a little after sunrise and here I was on the other coast as the sun left. I've had a lot to think about this year and standing here somehow felt good and was something I needed. I later joined the boys as we walked to the pinnacles to get some pictures of the sunset. Afterward we would a commercial campground in which we could stay so we could grab a shower and then walked into town for a bit of food before crashing for the night.

If you're falling off a cliff, you may as well flap your arms and try to fly. You might look silly, but then again it might just work.

AYCJ: Day 2 - Acadia National Park, Maine

Mike G and I woke up to a clear sky, fresh morning, and made our way to Acadia National Park. I was able to pick up my NPS passport stamp for the park, grab a map, and get some info. Knowing I'd be hitting various parks and monuments on the trip, I also purchased a National Park Annual Pass to support the park system and maybe save a little money if I got enough use out of it. We headed to Bar Harbor for some breakfast and planning before getting on the scenic loop road to start some hiking. There really isn't any back country camping available since this is a small park with most most trails being simple day trips. We decided to hit the Precipice Trail first (since it was first along the loop road). Though the length to the top is only .8 miles along the east face of Champlain Mountain, there is an elevation change of over 1000 feet with much of the trail along sheer rock cliffs with only iron rungs for support. The views are quite grand though once you get up a bit since it offers some wide sweeping views of Frenchman Bay. It had been closed for a few years due to earthquake damage but has since been repaired, though it can be closed at certain times of the year due to nesting falcons. It was a pretty arduous climb but well worth the effort. We had a lot of fun scrambling over the obstacles and meandering along the cliffs that reminded me of the Via Ferrata trails that I've wanted to climb in the Dolomites of nothern Italy. Along the way went past a couple of guys resting for a spell. When we got near the top one of them caught up to us and we chatted a bit as we matched paces towards the end. We learned that he was a ranger at the park enjoying a fun hike on his first day off in 13 days. The other guy was some other older hiker that was apparently somewhat overwhelmed by the physical exertion on the trail, so he has stopped to share water and talk for a bit. The ranger was retired Coast Guard and this was his retirement job. As we walked he shared some stories of the park and rescues (which are not uncommon on a couple of these trails) such as having to carry out people that might have gotten hurt or dealing with heat stroke and dehydration. Apparently federal law limits gifts to employees, even rescue personal, so the most one very grateful hiker could donate after being rescued was a $5 Starbucks gift card to each of those that had been involved. It was very nice to see someone that gave so much of their lives dedicated to public service, so we were glad to actually be able to thank them for that. It is said in the National Park Service that even though the monetary compensation may be low, the hours very long, and the physical endurance often extreme, those that serve are paid in sunsets. With inflation these days, I think they are also paid in sunrises.

After relaxing a bit at the top we went down another trail and caught the bus back to the trail head before heading to the overlook located just before the overlook near Schooner Head. It was fun to scramble along the rocks and poke around the sea cave a little bit and grab a few more shots of the bay. After going by the entrance station, we walked around Sand Beach for a little bit before tackling the Beehive Trail. This was quite similar to the Precipice Trail in regards to distance, trail type, and elevation changes (though only a 500 foot ascent). Though tough, it was an enjoyable non-technical climb and definitely got the heart pumping. We were able to make this into a loop trail as well and ended up right back at the car after we descended via The Bowl trail.

The next stop was Thunder Hole. Unfortunately, just a couple of weeks prior to our arrival, several people were swept out to sea by a large wave from the remains of a tropical storm battering the coast. One later died and two had to be rescued by the coast guard; (story). This site reminded me of Punakaiki Pancake Rocks on my trip to New Zealand in 2008 and even a few spots on the southeast rocky shores of Cozumel on the hash cruise last year since it had the same hydraulic effects. We got there after the ranger station had closed, so I wasn't able to get the park stamp for that location, but it was still a relaxing spot. We drove a bit more of the park loop road, stopping by a golden Otter Cove before heading to Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunset. Even though it was a bit chilly, the view at 1500 feet was great to watch the colors change for the setting sun. I set up the camera and was glad to be able to just quietly relax and enjoy the experience after a bit of exertion and distance covered during the day. Mike G and I grabbed a bit to eat in town for dinner and, after a bit of driving, finally found a nice field to put up the tent and camp out again for the night.