Camden, Maine

     On September 22nd we drove through the harbor town of Camden on our way to Camden Hills State Park. Camden is a picturesque little town on the water with some charming shops and scenic views of the boats in the harbor.  I craned my neck to take it all in as we passed through!

     When we arrived at the State Park we checked in, and then drove up Mount Battie which overlooks Penobscot Bay. From 800 feet above the water, the view was breathtaking, but refused to be captured in a photo.  My pictures just don't do it justice!  A tour bus and several cars brought many people up the access road to share the view with us.

Parked at the Lookout on Mount Battie    

Looking down on Camden and the Harbor

Zoomed in on the harbor

 

World War I Memorial Tower on Mount Battie

 

      In the afternoon we hiked Maiden Cliff Trail to another overlook with outstanding views in the park.  We knew it would be a mile long, uphill climb, but the path that looked fairly tame at the trailhead, quickly became an obstacle course.  A trail of tangled tree roots, rocks and boulders makes for a challenging hike when you're no spring chicken! The path was deserted and I began to wonder how Mark would get me out of there if I twisted an ankle.  

Maiden Cliff Trailhead . . . One mile uphill on this shouldn't be too difficult . . .

Starting to get a little rocky. . .

The light blue paint spots on the trees (above and below) mark the trail.

Those big rocks aren't beside the trail, they are ON the trail.

Yep, those rocks are ON the trail, too . . .

       About halfway up we met two men on their way back down. They encouraged us to keep going because the view was worth it at the top.  One fella indicated the hike would continue to be challenging, but failed to mention that the worst was yet to come!  At about the three quarter mark I was huffing, puffing, and stumbling along (with Mark alternately pulling me or pushing me from behind:) when a lithe and sure-footed young woman glided gracefully and effortlessly past without breaking a sweat!  Even when I was young I don't think I was THAT agile or energetic!   It WAS worth it though.  Again, we were 800 feet above the water and the view was spectacular.  

 

 

 

 

Mark said to let you know that's me in the blue shirt.

Cross erected on the cliffside in memory of a child who fell to her death over the edge in 1864.

       We found the hike back down the trail to be less strenuous, but more treacherous.  At one point I lost my footing and took a spill.  Good thing I was wearing my wrist brace because it took the brunt of the fall. 😅  You won't catch me doing that trail again.  Once was enough for me!  

       We stayed in the campground over night and woke to a cold rainy day.  Since the weather wasn't great for site seeing, we decided to delay our plans to continue up the coast and wander around downtown Camden instead (Yay me!). I really enjoyed checking out some of the shops and getting some pictures of the boats in the harbor.  

 

 

     I was pleased that we were able to find parking in Camden!  Although the truck camper is a lot more convenient and portable for us than pulling a trailer, we are 22 feet long and need a clearance of 11 feet for our height.  It can still be an iffy proposition to navigate some of these narrow streets and find a large enough parking place.  We have sometimes gotten ourselves into spots where its difficult to manuever or almost impossible to turn around, so we are not always able to make a quick impulsive stop everywhere that looks interesting.  

Busy street!  No where to park!