Isle au Haut, ME

Jonny had fallen asleep before the Obamas’ speeches at the Democratic Convention the night before so he watched both of them on YouTube early in the morning of Wednesday, August 21. Stephanie called to kvell over their speeches and to tell us that they will come to stay with us for my birthday at the end of September!  We’ll be in Baltimore then because we’ll be volunteering at the Trawler Fest as we do each year. They’ll only be able to stay for one night and they wanted to know if they could bring their Corgi, Eloise. Of course we said yes!

The fog was finally lifting as we left our Orono mooring at 10:30 for a short cruise to Isle au Haut which we’ve tried unsuccessfully to visit a couple of times over the years.

It was a smooth crossing and we arrived by 12:40 and headed through the Thoroughfare which is the waterway between Isle au Haut and Kimball Island.

There were a couple of mooring balls just across from the town dock so we chose one and tied up, so easy! It had a can attached so we could place our $35 mooring fee in it.

After lunch we dinghied in to shore and checked out the only market on the island. It was fairly well stocked for an island with only 92 year-round residents.  Residents take the ferry to Stonington on nearby Deer Island do their major shopping.

From there we proceeded to hike on one of the well maintained trails that run throughout the island. Much of the island is part of Acadia National Park. We hiked for 4 - 5 miles through woods the whole way. Once again, Archie was in heaven running off the path into the dense forest.  It wasn’t until we returned to Zendo and read the pamphlet that we brought back from the small Visitor’s Center that we learned that dogs needed to be leashed. Oh, well!

Upon completing our hike we stopped again at the market to get a few provisions. Next door was a tiny gift shop where Jonny bought a baseball cap with the Maine emblem of a fir tree that he had been wanting. We chatted with the owner who lives on the island year round. She was selling lots of interesting local items including many sweaters and other handmade items by local women. 

From both shops there were great views of the harbor.

After a dinner of leftovers we settled in to watch the third night of the Democratic Convention and enjoy the maple walnut ice cream we bought from the little market for dessert. 

Next stop, Winter Harbor.