Based on the advice from the folks at Aquaterra Adventures, I headed up to Hadley Point for a little paddling.  Hadley Point has a nice, large launch site with plenty of parking which, incidentally, I had entirely to myself.  The weather was cool, calm, and mostly overcast.

Hadley Point is at the northern-most edge of Mount Desert Island and about half way between the bridge to the island and Bar Harbor.  Thomas Bay separates the island from the mainland and is about a mile wide until it connects to Frenchman Bay to the west.  It’s well protected from the northerly wind and is usually a safe bet for calmer water. I headed west along the shoreline for a couple of miles and then paddled around two small islands called “The Twinnies” and then around a larger island called “Thomas Island”.  After taking a break on Thomas Island, I headed back toward the shoreline and returned to the launch site.

Overall it was a nice trip but would have been a bit better had the sky cleared up and brought out some sunshine.  Paddling around (and over) huge boulders is definitely something I haven’t experienced in Virginia and North Carolina and makes for some interesting and relaxing paddling.

In my haste to hit the road, I forgot to make sure my GPSs were loaded with data for the northern United States.  Unfortunately, the National Parks and Topo data stopped around New Jersey so all I had was the Garmin Base Map for Acadia.  Obviously the detail leaves much to be desired with the Base Map.  Oh well – so far that’s the only thing that I think I’ve forgotten.  Live and learn…

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