The day before in the afternoon we had ridden our bikes out to the tote road, and then at sunset we hiked the “Moose View Trail” all the while looking for the elusive moose. Even after all that Rebecca and I were both up before the sunrise and drank a quick cup of coffee. Next we jumped into our kayaks and took off to explore the shoreline where the moose view trail ran north of our cabin. Both our hopes were high on this our very last morning in Baxter State Park. Little did we know the magic that awaited us!
Rounding the point into the cove Katahdin came into view with the sun almost ready to burst forth on the southeast flank of the mighty peak. There was a mist about two feet thick rising across the water and moving ethereally towards the south as the mountain spirit was indicating our direction of travel ahead. Rebecca’s kayak seemed to divide the mist in an arching angle leaving behind her kayak an expanding pie slice of mirrored lake surface in stark contrast to the misty waters ahead.
Then the magic reached its crescendo as we turned towards the “Vinny” tree when all of a sudden two loons raced overhead and landed in the cove of the beaver hut to our left. As we paddled onward two more loons that appeared to be youngsters flew directly in front of us joining the adult pair after awkward landings. We watched from a distance as they all plunged their heads down into the water below looking for breakfast and then suddenly dive splashing in unison disappearing all at once into the depths below only to reappear after several minutes in a tight group quite a distance away.
But wait, there’s more! Our kayaks were only 15 feet or so apart when after a rather long dive they all surfaced halfway between our two vessels! They were so close you could see the iridescent black head, the extensive white checkering on their backs, and the red eyes that help them see so well underwater. They were looking at our black kayaks and white double paddled oars almost like they were wondering if we looked like some giant, awkward kin. Slowly they swam between us, not at all troubled or alarmed by our proximity. As we slowly parted along different flight paths I wondered that perhaps in another few months we would see the happy family again on a lake while we are kayaking in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee…. who knows? By then they will have reached their home for the winter. It was just like Granddaddy always said, “You have to wait and let nature come to you.”
Well, we didn’t ever see a moose on our journey to the North Woods but we did have many magical moments, the calling of the loons probably our most favorite. Now we have a 2 hour drive to Greenville, Maine where we have a reservation waiting at the Lodge at Moosehead Lake where we will soak ourselves in luxury!
