Warm weather leads to Steuben Petit Manan Refuge shoreline explored

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Guess what happens when your hydration bladder’s suction hose isn’t fully tightened?

I don’t need to tell you, do I?

Last Saturday proved to be another winner in the weather category. I was tending the ranch by myself and on a whim decided a walk by the water was in order. Just what part of the coast didn’t really matter initially, I just knew it was time to get out and take advantage of another bonus day in this unusually warm winter.

So I scurried about the bedroom (where much of my hiking gear resides) rounding up pack, snack, stove, clothes, binoculars, and field guide, an extra wind shirt, stuffed it all together, and hit the bricks. Oh, yes, and I filled the Platypus water bladder, capping it and pitching it in the back of the truck. The dog got a quick second walk of the morning and I was on the road.

It wasn’t until I was underway that I decided Petit Manan Refuge in Steuben would be the day’s destination. You can’t go wrong exploring the miles of shoreline it offers. Seabirds and ducks dot the chilly waters and there’s always a new assortment of buoys and flotsam adorning the upper reaches of the rocky beaches (don’t you just love those oil and hydraulic containers?).

Best of all, with the open winter we’ve had, the road into the parking area is nearly snow-free.

Much to my surprise, in the parking lot was a car belonging to friends Dave and Deb Morrill of Orrington.

I laced up my hiking boots, adjusted the walking poles, hooked up the Platypus to the drinking tube, and slid it into my pack’s hydration sleeve. I was off across the field and a couple hundred yards into the woods before I began to feel a cool, wet sensation on my backside.

Off came the pack and sure enough the hose I’d attached wasn’t fully tightened and about a pint of water had escaped into the pack and was dripping, dripping, dripping down the back of my pants. Rats! (Or something like that.) Since it wasn’t all that cold outside, I wasn’t worried about getting chilled, rather I was worried I’d not have enough water to prepare the dehydrated meal I brought.

On the brighter side, I had a pound less weight to carry. Rather than have the rest of the water leak out, I turned the bladder upright, with the drain up, regained my composure and resumed my walk.

The shore was free of snow and for the most part in the lee of a light westerly breeze. I walked about two miles down the shore before giving up on seeing my friends.

It was time to eat, so I settled down on a small log in the lee of some trees at Wood Pond Point and fixed a big mug of cocoa and some sweet and sour pork (love those dehydrated meals).

I’d finished lunch and was nearly repacked when I heard the Morrills approaching. We had a good laugh when we learned that we’d stopped within a couple hundred yards of each other for lunch. What was funnier was that I’d looked down the shoreline with binoculars and hadn’t seen them because they were under the line of vision from where I stopped to eat.

Warm temperatures and a calm sea on the near shore begged to be explored by kayak, but that will happen on a different day. This one was reserved for a shore-side visit.

As we made our way back up the neck, we stopped now and again to check out some long-tails, several loons, a few eiders, a surf scoter or two, and a goldeneye.

Partway back, the tide being low, we walked out to a vertical spire of rock called The Chair. The top of it sits out of water at high tide. The shadows were getting long and Bois Bubert Island had its sunset glow on as we got to the woods trail and headed back to the cars. Even though the days are only an hour longer than a month ago, it’s nice having those extra minutes to enjoy the outdoors a little longer, isn’t it?

Cold water heads up

One of my partners in crime planning the sixth annual Paddle Smart from the Start safety symposium on April 28 at the YMCA in Bangor is Al Johnson, who is a recreational boating specialist for the Coast Guard’s First District (northern New Jersey to Maine). He collects gruesome statistics on boating accidents and fatalities.

That’s not his only job, safety being job one. But no matter how hard you try some people just aren’t going to hear the message. We keep trying though, don’t we, Al?

While the weather this winter has been mild at times, the water on the coast is frigid, and a sudden plunge into cold water, intentional or a fall overboard, can be fatal. Within the past two weeks a kite surfer on Long Island Sound died as did a sailor off Port Clyde, Johnson reminded me.

Johnson quoted Maj. John Fetterman of the Maine Department of Marine Resources-Marine Patrol who emphasized that Maine ocean water temperatures are in the upper 30- degree range. “That’s extremely cold water,” Fetterman said, “and it’s imperative that boaters and paddlers venturing out at this time of year be prepared for sudden immersion by wearing a wet or dry suit in addition to their life jacket.”

Here’s what happens if you take an unexpected plunge, the two men advise: “… sudden immersion in cold water can immediately trigger uncontrollable gasping, hyperventilating, and the involuntary intake of water. Further exposure, 15 to 30 minutes, will greatly diminish one’s physical capabilities and will lead to the onset of hypothermia.”

“Your life jacket is the first step to survival,” Johnson said, “but that’s only if you’re removed or able to remove yourself from the water within minutes. Realistically, at this time of year, a wet or dry suit is essential.”

Additionally, Johnson recommends taking along other survival gear, such as neoprene gloves to protect the hands and prolong grip strength, a wool hat to reduce heat loss, and a kit for signaling rescuers that includes a mirror, flares, a whistle, and light. A small, reasonably priced, waterproof hand-held VHF radio is beneficial for sending a distress call and notifying rescuers of your position and predicament.

“It might sound excessive, but this equipment can save your life,” Johnson said.

In the event of a capsize or fall overboard, Johnson recommends staying with the boat, canoe, or kayak, as it’s easier to locate during a rescue attempt. If two or more people are involved, huddle close together to conserve heat and use any means available to tie together to prevent separating, he suggested.

“At this time of the year, the worst mistake anyone can make is to think, ‘It won’t happen to me,’ because it can,” said Johnson. “Stop, think, and before you go out, envision what can go wrong and be totally prepared for any crisis that may occur.”

Johnson can be reached at 617-223-8464 or 617- 816-9026, and Maj. Fetterman can be reached at 624-6555.

Paddle Smart is coming

And speaking of safety on the water, anyone who paddles a boat is invited to come to the sixth annual Paddle Smart from the Start safety symposium here in Bangor at the YMCA on Hammond Street from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on April 28.

The invitation is extended to their parents, children, grandparents, and neighbors.

Final details of the evening’s presentations and programs are still being honed, but there will be in-pool rescue demonstrations, static displays in the gymnasium, and a series of talks by area experts geared to all levels and skills of paddlers. This year more information will be available for canoeists than in years past.

The talks this year will be tailored to beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels and displays will be inter-active. While not designed as an end-all, this symposium aims to give everyone a taste of what they should know before heading out on the water.

Last weekend during the Cabin Fever Reliever at the YMCA in Old Town, organizers had a table set up to introduce folks to Paddle Smart and invite them to the event. This weekend you’ll see the display at the Bangor Camping and RV Show. Sponsors of the event are Castine Kayak Adventures, Epic Sports, the Bangor Y’s, Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Safe Boating Council.

Jeff Strout’s column on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.