Expedition to Muscongus Bay, ME

ITINERARY Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Day 1

Meet at Compass Rose headquarters at 8am; grab a cup of coffee and pack personal gear into dry bags. A quick introductory meeting to get acquainted and discuss the plan for the next couple of days before loading the last items into the van and heading 45 minutes to the put-in at Hatchet Cove.

At the put-in we’ll pack boats and get on the water as quickly as possible. We’ll wind our way west through the inner islands of Muscongus Bay to Crow Island, stopping to eat lunch and take photos on the way.

Dinner on the smooth granite beach over-looking the cove adjacent to the Audubon Society farmhouse, and a great sunset.

Day 2

Early morning wake up to beat the afternoon winds, as we’ll plan to paddle out into the middle of the bay today. After a breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola, we’ll break camp and head south and east out towards famous Harbor Island. The Davis family, who generously allow public day use on their island, maintain a fantastic trail system through this gem on the Maine coast. A wood that feels truly otherworldly, and is often dotted with “gnome homes” covers Harbor. The granite ledge shore that surrounds the island offers a few spots for cliff diving for the brave as well.

After lunch on Harbor and some time to walk around we’ll head north to either Thief Island or Black Island, depending on availability. Both Thief and Black have great camping and comfortable beaches for relaxing while preparing dinner.
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Day 3

Camp will remain set up today. We’ve all been in our boats for a couple days and should be feeling quite comfortable. We’ll take advantage of our base camp to explore out into the further reaches of the bay. Depending on wind
and tides we may head out to the east, to explore the islands near Port Clyde.

Day 4

Wake up to a hot breakfast, and perhaps an early morning swim for the hearty. We’ll paddle north and east through more of Muscongus Bay’s inner island passages, passing a few small island lobstering communities. At the mainland we’ll paddle through Friendship Harbor and have a great view of this quintessential Maine town, virtually untouched by the tourism that plagues the rest of the coast. It’s not far to the take-out (same place as the put-in) from Friendship. By planning to reach Hatchet Cove by noon, we can unload the boats and grab a quick bite before piling into the van for the ride back to Whitefield.
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Click on the links below for more information on the expedition:

Expedition Summary
Itinerary
Cost
Register
About Muscongus Bay, ME
Summer Expeditions List

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