Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast With Kids: A Bird's Eye View

Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast With Kids
A Bird's Eye View...Mount Agamenticus
By Jennifer Ellen Parker

007-We made our way up the winding, narrow pavement to the top of the mountain.   People on bikes challenged themselves by pedaling up the steep, daunting curves on their bikes.  The girls commented on the beads of sweat that were dripping from the bikers' faces as they made the climb.  Our car moved slowly and kept close to the edge as it passed others coming down the mountain.  As we reached the top, the tree line gave way to crystal clear blue skies and a vista that wouldn't quit.  Meg barked excitedly from the back, as if she knew we had arrived at the top of Mount Agamenticus.  The girls jumped out of the Volvo and grabbed their water bottles and I opened the hatch to let Meg out.  The trees had been cleared from most of the flat area at the top of the mountain and I wanted to show the girls how close we were to Boon Island and the Isle of Shoals.  They shielded their eyes from the sun with the back of their hands and watched as I first pointed out the lighthouse that lay just right of the Nubble and then the group of islands that seemed unnaturally close to us,the Isle of Shoals.  They both muttered, "Oh cool," and then bolted towards the trail behind the horse barn.

Meg needed to be exercised and this was the perfect place for us to do that with her.  We chose Blueberry Trail. Lib shared that she liked the trails with flat rocks the most and hoped that the trail was covered with them.  Anna posed with her iPod and filled in as our chief photographer for the day and snapped away at the breathtaking scenery and vistas that screamed Maine and all it had to offer.   The sun was bright but quickly masked as we made our way down into the tree line and felt the cool mountain breeze on our bare shoulders.  The girls began to swat at mosquitoes but quickly became distracted as we happened upon our first story board that had been placed along the trail.  Anna stood with her finger underlining the words that had been printed and read aloud to me and Libby.  Meg pulled at her harness eager to move on and discover a little bit more of the mountain and its cacophony of sounds and smells.  We continued down along the trail, making our way across the side of the mountain, entertained by the story boards placed every twenty feet or so.  They shared the story of a little girl in bed at night awakened by the beautiful bright light of the stars in the sky. It was a magical little story for girls to hear in the Maine woods.

 Along the way we passed people of all ages, shapes, and sizes enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery.  Meg encountered dogs of all types and asked each to stop and play as she rested on her front paws with her tail end, high in the air and her tail wagging.  As the charm and tranquility of the day began to wear off and the girls chatter became more of a war of the words, we made our way back to the top of the mountain and took in one last bird's eye view of Maine's rocky coast.  We forget sometimes how close we live to the ocean and how incredibly lucky we are until we take some time out and go on one of our little adventures discovering the rocky coast of Maine.