Sea Kayaking at Mt. Desert Island Maine Day 3

Somes Sound

Somes Sound

Leaving Manset

Today was predicted to be our weather day; mostly cloudy with  possibility of rain and thunderstorms.   So we figure this is a good day to paddle the Somes Sound, a narrow inlet running north - south in the center of Mt. Desert Island and very protected from weather.   The put-in is again Manset town pier, and weather is looking much as was predicted, foggy and very humid almost precipitation but not quite.  As we head northwards towards the entrance of the sound the fog appears to be slowly dissipating.   It is low tide again and I notice some startling differences from the last time I paddled here two years ago.   There is a water fall called Man O' War Brook at the base of Acadia Mountain  which has been reduced to a mere trickle from a very picturesque cascade in the fall of two years ago.

Saint Sauveur Mountain

2 years ago

Falls now

By the time we are half way up the sound the weather has cleared up and once again it is a brilliant day, albeit rather muggy.   Having made good time we check out the picnic area on the east shore but decide to wait till we reach the top before stopping for lunch.  Also being low tide the picnic area is not the most accessible due to all the exposed rocks.  As we turn in to the northwest channel (really) I get my first sighting of a seal, almost missed it lying stretched out on an exposed rock, it dove as soon as I spotted it but I caught all but it's head on the image.  The pier at Babson, the northern most point of the Sound is private, as are a great many all around Mt. Desert Island.

Diving seal

Babson town pier

We land on the gravel beach behind the dock, and below the high water mark but take advantage of a bench supplied for residents use, as well as their port-a-potty!     Lunch over it is back to the water for a couple of hours paddling back to Manset under sunny skies.

Somes Sound

U.S. Coast Guard

Along the way we have a Coast Guard vessel give us a look over as it slowly passed, then gave us a wave and was gone.    Off Greening island we paddle through a flotilla of sailing dinghies practicing maneuvers, and then we are back at Manset pondering the big question, will it be fish or scallops tonight?

Sail boats

Below is a scene of the kind that you encounter almost anywhere along the coast roads of Mt. Desert Island, one of the prettiest spots in Maine.

Scenic view from highway

Continue with Day 4