I had never done any remote camping or hiking before really, but here I was having dragged my brother to this weekend hike to check out this remote place in Maine. On this trip, we dove right into hiking at night, trying to choose a tent-site, navigate a lightly traveled hiking path, and in general just being far away from home and emergency services.
During the Saturday on that weekend, which was basically our one full day on this first trip to this magical place, we got that feeling of "remote" that we were looking for, no question about it. From our campsite on Deboullie Pond, all I remember is taking a walk down this trail and it opening up to another enormous body of water, Gardner Pond. Back then, we wondered what was on the other side. Then we hiked to Galilee Pond, where we saw this picturesque little pond, with driftwood sunken along its rugged and thick shores, and sheer cliffs above it on the other side. Later that evening, after we cooked dinner back at our campsite, we went back down the trail to Gardner Pond and the sunset we saw was one of the first memorable sunsets I can recall experiencing in the outdoors. It remains one the most memorable ones simply because of the magnitude of the place, the remoteness, and then my inexperience; yet maybe it could have been the moment I realized that I really enjoyed doing this stuff.
During the Saturday on that weekend, which was basically our one full day on this first trip to this magical place, we got that feeling of "remote" that we were looking for, no question about it. From our campsite on Deboullie Pond, all I remember is taking a walk down this trail and it opening up to another enormous body of water, Gardner Pond. Back then, we wondered what was on the other side. Then we hiked to Galilee Pond, where we saw this picturesque little pond, with driftwood sunken along its rugged and thick shores, and sheer cliffs above it on the other side. Later that evening, after we cooked dinner back at our campsite, we went back down the trail to Gardner Pond and the sunset we saw was one of the first memorable sunsets I can recall experiencing in the outdoors. It remains one the most memorable ones simply because of the magnitude of the place, the remoteness, and then my inexperience; yet maybe it could have been the moment I realized that I really enjoyed doing this stuff.
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| Gaililee Pond, Maine |
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| Sunset over Gardner Pond |
Look at us and our enormous packs! What the hell were we thinking ever carrying that much shit into the woods for an overnight?!
Deboullie gave me a sense of what it was like to adventure out into true wilderness, and looking back this first experience, it had a little bit of everything I continue to enjoy today: sunsets, wildlife, camping, hiking, night-hiking, and being in a remote location. In addition to that, it also proved that I could go out and craft my own adventures. Although we didn't get to stay more than one night, and about two days on this first trip, it was decided before we even left that we were coming back, and we have two more times since! Stayed tuned because there are definitely more moments to relive from Deboullie!
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Go back to this hike's album
Wow! Those pictures are really cool. It must be a really great place. Indeed, adventures like this have makes me want to go out more and enjoy the beauty of nature.
ReplyDeleteNoelle @ MyCamperTrailer
Thanks Noelle, I definitely recommend it. Look up a place you think might look cool, and plan a weekend. There's got to be some nice places in the Outback! That's basically what I did, and we found a place that we really love.
DeleteGreat photos and words. I agree with Noelle it makes you want to go there and see the place for myself. I guess the enormous packs helped you build up your fitness levels, if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing and reading more about your adventures in Deboullie
Paul - thanks for the comments and checking in. Nice info on camping on your site. Deboullie has some great camp sites to set up camp whether you want to bring little to nothing and be primitive or go camping with family and bring the typical car camping gear.
DeleteThat place is crazy far up north! Looks awesome though. Is that a handle of vodka in your pack???
ReplyDeleteIt sure is a haul up there, but worth every bit. Nice catch!! (I didn't even realize that when I posted this) I believe it might be Captain Rum. I can't remember exactly, but I know we brought some Glenlivet too. We still have the empty Glenlivet bottle, I know that. The bottle was unnecessary and added weight, of course. The good thing is that we packed it out. Thanks for the comment (and the laugh!)
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