Viewpoints and Points of View

This past weekend marked the Second Annual Men’s Retreat to the mountains. What started as a chance for some friends to get away and share a weekend together—see the very first Swensons’ Adventures blog—has grown to encompass more friends and experiences.

The Retreat this year expanded our travels to over 320 driving miles between Woodstock, CT and Greenville, ME…but some were fortunate enough to make the trip flying with Leslie Sweetnam in his private plane. Jamie Harrison, Bob Donahue and I headed out driving at close to 10:30 am while Leslie, Christopher Harrison and Bob Kirk took off from Woodstock Airport around 2:30 pm.

After flying up either the interstate or through the air we all gathered at Little Lyford Ponds Camp (LLPC) which is run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). The Camp is an old logging camp built in the 1830’s, later privatized for recreational use and recently purchased by the AMC as a part of their lodges and cabins trail system.
This geographic area is near the southern end of the 100 Mile Wilderness trail of Maine making it remote…removed…relaxing. No cell phone service, limited electricity from solar panels in the main lodge, gas lighting, and wood stoves—not that we needed one—in each of the buildings.

Having this gathering area allowed us to set up a provisioning table and spread out through the building.

Through early planning we were able to get the 10 bed bunkhouse for just our group. The extremely fortunate part of this arrangement was the layout of the bunkhouse which included a separate library area with a large rustic table, several rustic chairs and rockers, and (significantly) its own screened-in porch.   We were all at the LLPC in time for dinner on Friday night…and they fed us well—salmon steaks on the grill, mixed vegetables, rice pilaf, a fresh salad, all topped off with homemade rhubarb pie. Following dinner it we had time to explore one of the ponds before the sun would set.

Bob D., Leslie and Bob K. took advantage of this quiet time to simply sit on the dock and enjoy the surroundings.

Jamie and Leslie took out one of the other canoes, and I took out one of the kayaks for some quick exploring.   It wasn’t too long before my good friend Dan Manz showed up on the dock—James Morris had originally planned to join us, but was unable to make it…this year—so I paddled in and joined him.

The ponds include lifejackets, paddles, canoes and kayaks for LLPC use…so we began putting them to use. Christopher put out in one of the canoes to do a little fly fishing,

Earlier I had asked the lodge staff to hold a plate of dinner for Dan, so we unloaded his gear and ate as the sun went down and darkness (and mosquitoes) settled in. As we got back to the bunkhouse it was discovered that a bottle of wine had made its way to this part of Maine so we christened the cottage and the fellowship. Taking advantage of the screened-in porch some stories started to be told…along the lines of “Loose Lips Sink Ships”…but we did not manage to touch upon “No Child Left Behind”…that’s a viewpoint we will have to explore at a future outing…although I did hear the phrase “It could have happened to anyone” mentioned a few times.

The gaslight made the bunkhouse feel comfortable and we all enjoyed each others’ company…along with a few additional libations that miraculously appeared.   Within the library we also managed to find some cards and a cribbage board, so Bob Donahue and I sat down for a couple of hands…you can see by Bob’s expression that he was not overjoyed with the lesson he received…

Fresh air and a day of traveling must have worn us out, because we were all off to our bunks by a little after 10 pm. Similar to the experience sailing, when the sun goes down it isn’t too long before you get tired and ready to sleep…but then I was up with the sun around 5 am—before others were moving too much—and headed out for some more exploring and photos.


The reflective images on the pond made taking pictures addictive, but as I started to frame this shot I thought the bent over branch on the left reminded me of Kokopelli—mythical Hopi symbol of fertility, replenishment, music, dance, and mischief —and then the remaining branches looked like some form of dancers…must have been the mischief part.



A few hours later everyone was up and we went to the lodge for a pancake, maple syrup (real), and sausage breakfast to get us ready for the day. The staff also laid out a buffet of lunch meats, wraps, tomatoes, lettuce, chips, cookies and fruit for us to make our own trail lunches for the day. We each put together bag lunches and then prepared to head out on some adventures.


Bob D. had signed up for a half day fly-fishing lesson so he got equipped and headed out with three other people and Shannon their guide for a day on the Pleasant River. Dan was also fly-fishing but has years of experience so he headed out for some separate pools and planned to catch up with the lesson group later in the day.

The rest of us took our lead from those most experienced with these Men’s Retreats…

We did take a group shot—compliments of the gorilla tripod—and then headed out for viewpoints along the Gulf Hagas—the Grand Canyon of Maine.

The hike is described by the AMC as having,”…strenuous aerobic difficulty…moderate-to-difficult technical difficulty…an elevation gain of 700 feet…although there is relatively little elevation gain along the length of the trail, the rim is largely uneven, rocky, and rugged…” The loop is a little over 8 miles round trip from LLPC, and early on we decided to take the Rim Trail first along the Pleasant River Gorge and then make our return on the Pleasant River Tote Road Trail.

We hiked for almost an hour before reaching the Head of the Gulf—shown from the top of the first fall in the photo to the right—and then traveled for the next three hours up and down the face of the canyon following the river.

From the Head of the Gulf, it seemed we would travel about ¼ mile and then come upon a side trail marked with a sign that said “Viewpoint” and we’d be treated to sheer drops and beautiful waterfalls…then back on the trail and to the next viewpoint.

It was also during this time that more points of view came out ”…the beauty of the surroundings…how long/far until lunch…the eons of water carving the stones…how many people fall off these drops…God help us…where’s that turn-around point…” Nothing too deep or esoterically profound, but simple conversations kept while enjoying the great outdoors.

Below are some of photos of the various falls…
 



…and our travelers
.

We finally found a lunch spot after about four hours of hiking and besides having lunch, several of us stripped down to bare (or next to bare) essentials for a quick dip in the Pleasant River. Surprisingly the water was not very cold—certainly not Maine ocean cold—and fortunately we didn’t surprise (nor were surprised by the arrival of) any fellow travelers.

From lunch to the loop back point was only another ¼ mile and the return trip along the Tote Road Trail—more of a good foot trail through the woods with rolling elevation changes—took us only three hours. Overall the trip is estimated by the AMC as a six hour round trip and although we cut it a little short we did stop for lunch and it only took us seven hours…not bad considering our collective ages and habits.

We returned to the LLPC and met up with Dan and Bob D. who had both had a great day of fishing. Bob had to learn to give only a little tug when feeling a nibble on the line. He was setting the hook like he would when surf-casting and as he put it, “there were fish lips left all over the river.”

Several of us—Chris, Dan, Leslie, myself—put on our bathing suits and went over to the swimming hole in the river. It was a good way to wash the sweat off while enjoying a beer cooled in the river.

Then it was off to a dinner of pulled-pork, homemade baked beans, fresh cornbread and some right bank Bordeaux…how did they know what a bunch of guys would want after spending the day hiking and fishing?


Since it was still light after dinner Dan and I headed down to the First Pond and took the kayak out for some more fishing. This was actually a good way for me to fish…I got to enjoy being on the water and along the solitude of the pond and Dan did the tying of lines and fishing. I did try casting a few times, but I was just as content providing the transportation.



We did attempt to raise some interest in having an outdoor camp fire, but it was sprinkling a little and people were moving a little slowly. By the time some started to ask “what about having a fire” it was already past 10 pm and we were all starting to fade.

The next morning Chris and I were up around 5 am with the sunrise and headed out to find the Second Pond. Trail signs were a bit lacking, but we did manage to find our way and headed out in a canoe seeking beavers and moose…we saw neither. But we did have some more photo opportunities.

 

We were back on shore and heading for the lodge by 7 am to be back in time for breakfast. It turned out that Dan had gotten up shortly after us and headed back to the river in an effort to catch some fresh fish to have with breakfast.

Dan was successful and pulled out of his fishing vest pocket a couple of brook trout that he asked the kitchen staff to prepare to go alongside his scrambled eggs. This may all sound exciting and satisfying,

but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that what you see on the plate are not fillets of meat from a single fish…no, that would be two whole fish (including the tails). Bob Donahue pointed out that when surf casting he uses bait bigger than these catches. It never dawned on me that the object of all this activity could fit into a cigar tube…no wonder it is catch and release…it would be a little inhumane otherwise.

Following breakfast a small group of us—Bob K., Leslie, myself—headed out for a hike up and around Indian Mountain. It was about a five mile out and back hike that gave us some views back over the Little Lyford Ponds.



We got back to LLPC in time to do some final packing, take a quick shower and head on our way.  The trip back south had some of driving through thunderstorms while others flew around them…all arriving safely back home by 7 pm.

The End of another great adventure…

Now for another Point of View…here is the blog’s first guest writer…

Another Point of View

What better way to spend Father’s Day week-end than with a group of friends….GIRLfriends that is.   A group of my  friends decided to plan our own retreat week-end while the men in our lives were off doing manly “stuff”.

Of course preparation for us meant planning meals, grocery shopping, running errands, staying up  late Friday night cleaning our houses and getting the normal week-end work done so we could spend 24 hours relaxing.  It was certainly worth it but I didn’t notice anybody worrying about manly chores getting done around our house before Dana’s trip.

Saturday morning Martha, Ellie and I  were up early and met at Bill’s, a local eatery for breakfast.  It gave us a chance to enjoy a meal we didn’t have to cook or clean up after.  This week-end was all about simplicity. 

Crossing the border into  NH also gave us the opportunity to support NH at the State Liquor Store and  to buy a lottery ticket.  We  won $3 dollars so when we stopped at Shaw’s in Concord to turn that ticket in and buy another one.  This time we won $6.  I could see a pattern here.  Unfortunately that’s as far as the pattern went!  Guess we won’t retire quite yet. 

We arrived at the cottage to find pretty wildflowers in vases put there by my mother and a plate of delicious penuche fudge.  The sun was out and there was a delightful breeze.  We quickly grabbed our books and headed down to the beach.  We spent the afternoon napping, reading books and visiting with the occasional dip in the lake to cool off. It never felt like the 90 degrees it was.

By late afternoon it was time to break out the adult beverages.  Luckily we had brought some along.  I introduced them to Sweet tea Vodka which I had first tasted in Charleston and it is my new favorite summer  drink.  Martha agreed to make Cosmos.  The cottage is pretty well equipped but it is missing a juicer we discovered.  Ever resourceful, Martha tried a method of squeezing the limes.suggested by Michael Chiarello from the Food Network. Those limes were squeezed dry!

I won’t tell you how much we made up because we didn’t finish it off anyway. .  Luckily Deb Kirk joined us at 6pm. just in time for the Cosmos. With the four of us our party was complete.  In the spirit of simplicity we put together a variety of appetizers to eat instead of creating a meal.  We happily grazed our way through the evening with a minimum of dishes to wash.  We enjoyed having time to share what was happening in our lives, tell a few stories, discuss the wonderful men in our lives, our children and events in Woodstock. There was quite a bit of laughing.  Of course with Martha along we spent a good portion of the evening playing card games. 
     
We retired for the evening just before midnight to read for awhile.  Some of us got through more pages than others.  We awoke to the sounds of rain on the roof so we snuggled down for a longer sleep.  The day did clear.  We put together a healthy breakfast of omelets, fruit and English muffins.  It balanced the champagne that accompanied the coffee.  We enjoyed a quiet morning on the beach.  Deb got a swim in.

It was all too soon to pack up and head back south to Woodstock.  We had a wonderful time and will definitely plan another trip. It is great to have friends like these women to do this with.

I headed back home alone as I  needed to stop in Worcester at the Train station to pick up Andrew’s sister Kate and her friend Ela (they are in the picture below...Kate on the left, Ela on the right).  They are on a 4 month tour of the world.  Oh to be young! 

We had a great time getting to know them. They enjoyed the quiet of Woodstock after busy, loud NYC.  Home cooked meals and a place to do laundry made it a nice break for them.  I dropped off in Boston on Monday morning and picked them up at the T station in Riverside later in the afternoon.  Later that night we exchanged card games.  I think we have discovered a new favorite game we will have to share with people.  It’s for a smaller crowd but fun.  Kate wrote the rules down for us.  We will be playing “Shithead” on a regular basis this summer!
 
Sarah sent a package along with Kate to us of Australian treats.  It included a jar of Vegemite.  Kate especially was excited to see it.  She has been missing her daily dose!  She made me an authentic slice of toast with Vegemite.  It smells foul but I didn’t think it tasted too bad, rather salty. I made them pancakes with real maple syrup which they don’t normally have.  The girls left on Tuesday to fly to Rome. 

A wonderful collection of Adventures for the weekend…