My girls helped some of their older 4-H friends with a GPS/mapping project on Peaks Island on Sunday. The girls would have preferred to ride their bikes but umbrellas were a necessity to protect the camera and GPS unit so we were left to hike the mileage instead. Luckily we found plenty of interesting things to admire that made walking nearly 6 miles in the steady rain more enjoyable (we had to backtrack a bit to get the waypoints the kids needed).
Like the giant maple leaf L. thought made a good umbrella.
The random 'parking' of a vacuum cleaner on the side of the road.
The detailed natural art we found on a trail through the center of the island (our crew admired the workmanship and mystery of it in the middle of the woods).
And the flowers .... oh they were glorious and in full bloom.
We also learned some interesting tidbits about the island as well. Like the fact that there are quite a few horses living on the island. (But I don't envy the owners who have to pay to have the horse's hay and grain shipped over on the ferry.)
And the 8th Maine Regiment building is a real gem. One of the 4-H families we were with are descendants of the 8th and invited us to eat our lunches (we packed our own) there and tour the building. My girls wanted to stay overnight at the 8th because they wanted to be part of its living history. (It's a lodge with facilities to accommodate overnight guests that is actually reasonably priced - I couldn't find an operational website but you can call 766-5086 for more info.)
We hope to return to the island so the kids can finish up the mapping project and then explore more our bikes. The girls have other 4-H projects they're working on but this one has a special appeal, even in the rain.
I saved the track we walked Sunday with my GPS unit as a reference for the kids when they get to actually plotting the waypoints on their map. I'll post the final result when the kids are done with everything later this summer.
Peaks Island at EveryTrail
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