The Naha is one of my very favorite places to go. My first trip there was in the summer of 1978, so it's fair to say I've been going there for a long time. Surprisingly, when I look back at my trip logs, I haven't been there since January of this year. It was time to restore my soul and make a trip to the Naha.
Here's a small map snippet from the track on my Garmin InReach. It's not far to the Naha from Bar Harbor, only about 21 miles.
I pulled out of my slip at Bar Harbor at about 7:15 AM in pretty good boating weather. My crew for this trip was my dog, Nova. She is now a veteran of many boat trips, and I think she feels right at home on board now.
The run out there was largely uneventful. I piloted from the flybridge helm. I have not been taking Nova up there because she is young and pretty restless. I'd have a hard time keeping her safe and under control up there. While underway I go down and check on her from time to time. I dropped my shrimp pots in Clover Pass as I passed through there.
I got to the Naha dock at about 10 AM. There was only a small skiff there, so there was plenty of room at the dock. I took my favored spot at the dock, on the side that faces out to Naha Bay.
As you can see the weather was pretty nice.
Here are a couple of scenic shots of the area.
There was a Porta-Potti sitting on the corner of the dock. Not sure what that was about. For those of you not familiar with these, here is how they work. There is a tank near the top that you fill with water. After doing your business you pump that plunger on the side, and it pumps fresh water into the bowl and washes all the waste down into the lower tank. Then eventually you have to detach that lower portion which is full of waste and dump it in some appropriate receptacle.
Not long after I got there a nice-looking North River metal boat came in with several people on board. They had an infant with them, and they got their gear together and headed up the ramp for a short hike.
A little later on I took a hike up the trail. I didn't go very far up because there are blow-downs and obstacles that block the trail. Here are some photos from the hike.
Here is the trail sign. It has fallen down. It used to be nailed to the top of the post. I'm pretty sure this is the same trail sign that was there when I first visited in the summer of 1978.
As you start up the trail there is an information center of sorts. They have a map of the area and some information about trash and bears and other things of note. There is a sign-in book there which people largely ignore. I guess they figure if someone goes up the trail and is never heard from again the sign-in book might provide some information about them.
Here are a few shots of the trail itself. It is gravel in most places, but there are sections of boardwalk as well, with a few bridges thrown in for good measure.
The trail goes up for several miles, but since I became officially old, I haven't gone beyond the Orton Ranch. The trail is in pretty bad shape with several places where storms have blown trees down destroying or blocking part of the trail. Two summers ago, when I walked the trail the USFS had a team there and they were " assessing" the trail for repairs. Last summer when I walked it, I noticed that there were surveyor stakes all along the trail, so I had high hopes that they were actually going to make repairs. This summer the stakes are still there, and no repairs have been made.
Salmon run up the Naha River to spawn and at this time of year the shoreline is littered with rotten salmon carcasses. I've had some dogs in the past that could not resist rolling in these, but Nova showed only a passing interest in them, for which I was very glad. It's just too bad the photos don't include the stench that goes along with them.
When you go up the trail from saltwater you first must pass by Roosevelt Lagoon before you get to the Naha River "proper." It's called a "lagoon" because as the tides shift in and out saltwater enters the lagoon making the water a mixture of fresh and salt. Here are a few shots of Roosevelt Lagoon on a nice day.
In our rain forests we have what we call "Bear Bread" which grows along the sides of trees and stumps. Some of them get quite large and some local artists have created a cottage industry of making sketches on the white underside of these fungi.
Our forests are so wet that they are a real breeding ground for many different types of fungi. I have no idea what these are called, but they looked photo worthy.
We have a pesky plant that thrives along the sides of creeks and rivers called "Devil's Club." The stalks are covered in spines. As you are busting through the brush heading for a fishing hole, or perhaps dragging a deer out of the woods, you tend to grab for whatever you can and many a fisherman or hunter has come home with numerous spines embedded in their hands.
The poor skunk cabbage is on its last legs before dying out for the winter. The bears dig them up and eat the roots while the deer nibble at the leaves.
I was sitting on the boat working on my laptop and Nova was looking out the window at the dock. She started growling which caught my attention and I thought we must have visitors coming in. No, it was a heron on the dock.
Do you think he noticed me snapping some photos?
He ruffled up his feathers. Wish I had had time to get a video of that because it was impressive.
Unfortunately, all good trips must come to an end. Big storm rolling in on Monday. Around noon I fired up the engines and we pulled out and headed for home. I pulled my shrimp pots in Clover Pass with very disappointing results, so no photos there.
We arrived safely into the slip around 3 PM in almost dead calm conditions.
About 41 nm logged for this trip.
Hmm, where shall we go next?
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