A first backpacking trip

Two years ago I bought an Osprey Aether 70 backpack.  It sat idle since then until this weekend.  Earlier in the week Dean mailed some of us to propose an overnight backpack trip on the East Coast Trail (ECT) from LaManche to the campsite at Roaring Cove.  I felt it was now or never to break in the new pack.

Dean got 5 positive replies from Brian, Cathy, Clyde, Gary and myself.  The plan was to meet at 12:00 to drive down to the trailhead.  I opted to leave earlier to make the most of the day.  I started walking at 9:30 and 20 minutes later I was at the site of the resettle community of LaManche.  Today it is dominated by the beautiful suspension bridge on the ECT.

Dean has been actively hiking for two years and fine tuning his set-up by replacing his heavier gear with (more expensive) lighter gear.  I used my kayak camping gear which put my backpack at 40 lbs.  That was a substantial load at 30% of my body weight but I had to get this first experience to base a decision on whether to invest in lighter gear later.

The pack felt good but it was early going.  At Herring Cove Point I caught sight of Cape Neddick my first target.

The start of a lung busting climb!

At Bluff Head a selfie with Cape Neddick.

At Cape Neddick I dropped my pack to make the climb to the top of the headland at 500 feet high.  Looking north along a coast we frequently kayak with Great Island on the right.  Climbing down I got out of the wind to eat my lunch.

A rock cut at Gentlemans Head.

At Gentlemans Head I was looking south over Freshwater Bay towards Flamber Head with the campsite location just behind it.  But first I had to make my way along the trail around the deeply indented bay.

Climbing through narrow forested openings.

Just over 4 hours after leaving the car I arrived at the Roaring Cove campsite.  There are tent platforms there but I decided I preferred to put my tent on the soft mossy ground.

After setting up the tent I walked over to Flamber Head which I had bypassed to see if I could see the others coming along the trail to no avail.  They had passed by me while I was at the top of Flamber Head and were ...

... busy setting up tents when I returned.

They left 3 hours after myself and arrived in camp two hours after me.  They obviously meant business and made much faster progress than I did.  I was happy I set off ahead alone enabling myself to set my own pace not knowing what to expect with the heavily laden backpack.  I stopped frequently to take pictures and take in the views.  It great though to see them in camp.

The evenings close in early this time of year.  We hit the hay at 9:00 after an evening chatting and a few laughs.  I worried about the pace hiking out the next day as I drifted off to sleep.  I slept like a log.