Last camping of the season

Last weekend was a great way to end the camping season, by having an 80 degree day filled with hiking, kayaking, and camping. It felt like it was still summer and this time we actually didn't mind. We drove up to Bigelow preserve and stopped on a hiking trail on the way, which happened to be part of the Appalachian trail. It was a beautiful 3 hour drive and the foliage was amazing!

We left at 8am and stopped to get bagels from the Camden bagel cafe where our friends Mark and Becky took over recently. It's rare to find a good bagel in Maine, but these guys know what they're doing. It was really nice to see familiar old faces like Eli and Mark working in the kitchen. That way I know my food is being made with care and love.

With bagels and coffee in hand, we headed up to our destination when I spotted a cool looking bridge covered in yellow and green leaves. I stepped out the take a photo and started walking onto the bridge when I got "the feeling" and noticed huge gaps in between the wood that I was sure to fall into with one wrong step. I decided not to fall through like baby Jessica in the well and just got a shot and moved on.

 I can't believe a train used to go over that rickety thing.

We followed directions to a trail called Little Bigelow, a trail that is moderate/advanced and 6.2 miles round trip.

Trail Activity
Town	Dead River Twp
Difficulty	Moderate, Advanced
Length	6.2 miles, Round Trip
Surface	Dirt/Forest Floor, Rock/Ledge
Pets
Fees

The signs are not that good, so it calls for a little exploring. No complaints here. The driving road to the trail was absolutely atrocious! It started off as a normal road and soon turned to a dirt road with some rocks, which was a bit unpleasant, then turned into a complete disaster.

It felt like I was back on Staten Island with all the potholes and broken roads. But seriously, there was sand trying to fill in the holes and rocks bouncing up into the car. We're in the middle of nowhere and I thought the car was going to break. We ended up making it and it was totally worth it, absolutely beautiful.


                                       
                      

We checked out this one trail that lead to Flagstaff lake and the views were majestic.

 3 miles to the top of Little Bigelow mountain. It's really spectacular that you can hike through the woods and get to Georgia... I can't even imagine the beauty you would see on the trail if you hiked all the way. Here are some of the colors we experienced...fall foliage is my favorite.

It's hard to look up and down at the same time. Beauty is all around you, but remember to watch out and not bust your ass.

 

 
We're half way there...in the middle of nowhere and the weather is absolutely perfect. What a complete gift from mother nature.

Nature is so impressive. A huge tree can grow over a boulder in order to survive and still live in complete symbiosis. There is no fighting, no winning, just coexisting with each other. Wouldn't that be nice if we can do that as people?

We got to the top of little bigelow and the view was awesome with lakes and mountains as far as the eye can see.

There are so many different types of trees, all turning different colors while some stay green all year long. Times like these, I really miss my botany classes and learning about how plants grow. Now I get hands on experience, a first class ticket to some of the best scenery I have ever seen.

  

The mountain has diverse trails of rocks and roots creating a crazy vein-like labyrinth for you to explore. The landscape is constantly changing and you can see new things everywhere you look.   

 

 

There was this white plant all over the summit, growing on the rock. I couldn't tell if it was dead or alive, but it looked like cauliflower that just had the first snow fall on it. There were red plants along side them giving the scene a lot of beautiful contrast. 

 

The carpet of the forest was covered in every color of the rainbow. 

 

I couldn't decide which was more beautiful, the ground or the trees, up or down. Why choose? Love them all!

I love when falling leaves land onto pine trees. It looks like the pine tree is borrowing the leaf for a while, trying it on to see how it fits. It's a temporary situation, a simple little occurrence in nature that I was happy to witness and appreciate.

 

I'm not sure if it's just because it's been a year since the last foliage and I had forgotten how breathtaking it was or if this is really the best I had ever seen. I felt peaceful, calm, and happy surrounded by the trees going through their yearly transformation. We are lucky to have such a beautiful planet to call home until we trash it.

The 6 mile hike took us about 2 hours and we felt completely invigorated and excited to get to the campground and see what is in store for us there. Not to mention, it was almost 80 degrees and we were fuckin HOT!!! It barely got that hot all summer in Rockland.

We weren't expecting anything too magnificent from the campsite because we didn't want to be disappointed. Lower your expectations and you may not be as disappointed, though you expect much better. We have learned our lessons in the past and it's just better to not expect that much. However, we were anything BUT disappointed. The spot we arrived at was a remote piece of absolute heaven next to a lake in a pine tree forest. If it sounds like a fairy tale, it's because it was.

This is where I gotta give thanks to digital cameras because I can keep shooting unlimited photos for free! Even though it's pretty much in vain because there is no possible way you can capture the magnitude of the beauty surrounding you. Every natural element I love was there; pine tree forest, lake, mountains and a beautiful sky. We were lucky enough to witness the sunset and the sunrise. A 24 hour rotation around the sun and of nature bliss.

  

The site was precisely and carefully carved out of the pines, right next to the lake, actually on the lake with a view of the mountains.

                              

We wasted no time setting up our chairs to soak up the view. 

 

  

Our view looking up. These trees are amazing, they make a delicate rustling sound when the wind blows. I can listen to a soundtrack of that natural melody.

After setting up camp, which we are getting quite proficient at, even though it's only the second time we have done it, we get started preparing the most important thing...lunch! Since Matteo works at a sushi restaurant, sometimes we get leftovers, which is an awesome perk. This time, we were fortunate enough to get our hands on some fresh tuna, which of course means tartar. Fresh raw tuna mixed with avocado, onion, garlic, olive oil, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and pea shoots.

 

 

This was our delicious lunch, accompanied by some corn tortilla chips. We love looking at maps of where we have been, especially is they are topographical. I know, we are total dorks, but at least we eat like kings and experience nature first hand, which costs nothing!

After our lunch, we go kayaking in the lake that is 5 feet away from us. We have inflatable kayaks that have gotten quite some attention. Every time we have them out, we get looks and questions. How much is it? Where did you get it? We got them out of convenience and price since they are cheaper than a traditional kayak and you don't have to get a rack for you car. Plus, we're nomads who travel and move a lot, so we have to keep our baggage light.

I cannot possibly describe the kayaking that day. The weather was beyond perfect, the lake as placid as a glass of water, and the sun was starting to set. I can take all the photos in the world and use every adjective in the dictionary and it still won't convey the feeling of pure happiness. People search for a god their whole lives, relying on hope and faith when they can just go into nature and experience something real and tangible. 

 

 

 

     

Building a fire is one of my favorite things to do. It takes a nice structure of the perfect splintering of wood along with some newspaper for kindling. Now for the dinner prep:

We have already conceptualized our dish and now need to bring all of the components together. We work in harmony in unison, seamlessly to create an amazing dish. Almost no words are needed after the conception of the idea. Like a 5 star restaurant, we get started on the prepping of the dish. First up is cutting and chopping. 

We cut cherry tomatoes to roast on the skillet. 

Add some onion...

 

Next, we chop garlic and carrots.  

There are so many steps and just one skillet, so we patiently cook everything separately so it can illuminate it's own flavor. Good food is sow worth waiting for.

Toasting the pumpkin seeds is always fun, they make a popping sound and smell really great when  they toast.

  

This skillet is the best purchase we ever made...

 The maestro creating the delicious flavors we will be savoring this evening. There are definite benefits being with a chef on days like this.

 

We got this fish before we left at Jess's fish market.  They have the freshest fish around and also have a cool food cart on the harbor. The owner Jamie is a local guy that knows what fresh means. This time we got flounder and haddock, both local and the cheapest, but not lacking in taste. A bit of salt, pepper and olive oil and you're ready to sear.

 

For the base, we make couscous with local squash, tomatoes, kale, poblano peppers, and pumpkin seeds. We cooked everything separately and combined everything at the end to preserve the flavors of each individual ingredient.

 

  We put it all together, fire side. Remember, this is all done with a campfire fire and one pan.

  

The final dish. Couscous with roasted squash, tomatoes, poblanos, garlic, onion, kale with sauteed flounder topped with fresh local pea shoots. Who else is eating like this in the woods??? We are, and it's the way life should be; Maine's motto. 

A portrait of me, rare and raw. By Matteo.

 There was no moon that night so it was extremely dark. After dinner, we went to the sandy part by the lake and looked up at the stars. The night was crystal clear and we saw shooting stars and imagining galaxies far away. Looking at the sky always invokes conversation about science and philosophy, a topic we can engage in for hours. It's so inspiring to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by such an amazing environment that is available to all of us, for free, courtesy of mother nature, the entity everyone pushes aside for their god. Mother nature is something that you can see, smell, feel, touch, and taste. She provides everything we need. It's a shame how we thank her by drilling from the surface, blowing shit up from the sky and polluting her to the point of FUBAR (fucked up beyond all recognition).

Most of the time, we eat very healthy and mostly organic, but we're camping and what's camping without smores? There was a little food mart right outside the campgrounds and we rounded up some smore ingredients, just this once :)

What is the key to making the perfect marshmallow? Don't burn it, but get it hot enough to melt the chocolate. Sometimes you just want to see the marshmallow burn to a crisp with no actual intention of eating it. It's just fun  to watch something burn, especially artificial crap that you're about to put in your body. 

 

Sometimes roasted marshmallows could look like  an alien space craft.

 

At the end of night, there is still fun to be had in the tent with shadow creatures.

We woke up early to watch the sunrise over the lake. It felt so natural to rise with the sun and watch the earth awaken. Everything seems to come alive with the light. It's rare that we get to see this time and we appreciated every minute of it.

 

It's like a reverse sunset, the day starting all over again. A clean slate for you to start fresh. Everything awakens and rises with bright colors and hope for the day ahead. 

The sun kept threatening to peak out, but the clouds just kept it hidden, creating beautiful colors. I watched until daybreak and then we made breakfast and tea. Leftovers, of course.

 

Couscous with veggies, a hard boilded egg and pea shoots. Perfect protein packed breakfast to get the day started.

  The entire way home was filled with colors on every side. Living in the northeast has the rewards of the changing of the seasons. A perfect time to color your life with something new.