To Boldly Go Where No Goldens Have Gone Before!  Ok, so other Golden Retrievers have probably been there before us, but this was our first trip to the Bold Coast of Maine!  The Bold Coast is the area north of Acadia, more commonly known as Down East Maine.  But because “flatlanders” from “away” frequently refer to anything north of Portland as Down East, to differentiate themselves the “Bold Coast Scenic Byway” was born.  And it is a dog friendly paradise full of adventures!

I didn’t know what to expect though when we set out on our adventure.  All I knew when we left was that we were going to be staying at a cottage in the woods and that the owners said there is a good chance we’d see a Bear.  What?!  It didn’t help that Dad made us watch the movie Revenant the night before we left.  Was I going to be attacked by a Bear and have to use my survival skills to lead us back to civilization?  Guess it was good Mom packed that first aid kit after all!  As our travel took us from major highways to narrow country roads to dirt, I soon forgot about my fears of a Bear attack, and began wondering if we were headed straight into the plot of a Stephen King novel!  Would happy-go-lucky Asa turn into Cujo?  Or worst yet, would we find the infamous Pet Sematary?  As much as I miss Cousin Misty, I’d hate to meet an even grumpier version of her!  Luckily the kind man at the general store where we picked up the key didn’t say anything ominous, and our drive to the cottage was uneventful.  It was well past sunset when we arrived, and Asa and I spent our first night in that strange house pacing and waiting in anticipation.

The next morning we awoke to see we were surrounded by a cove on one side and forest on the other!  Beach, water, woods – Everything we love!  After watching Dad scrape pancake batter off the ceiling, we quickly got ready and headed out for our first hike at Cutler Preserve.  I still couldn’t shake that feeling though of being in a Stephen King novel.  It didn’t help that at the trail kiosk there was a sign warning us: “Each year, search and rescue crews are forced to assist visitors here.  For your sake and that of the resource, please don’t put yourself in danger!”  Nor did it help that while on that first hike we passed a hiking stick propped up against a tree on the remote trail.  It was at a rather difficult part of the trail, so Dad called out to see if anyone needed help.  But no one answered and my keen sense of smell didn’t indicate anyone in the area.  So we hiked on.  Then it happened!

The dark forest opened up revealing the most breathtaking views of the rocky coast of Maine with its pine tree topped headlands steeply dropping into the ocean below!  Ok, so it was breathtaking not only for the view but for the large rocks we had to climb to get to that scenic overlook.  But it was awe inspiring gazing out at the pristine wilderness overlooking the Bay of Fundy, with no signs of civilization except a lonely lobster boat chugging along!  I quickly decided that we were not the main characters in a Stephen King novel.  Rather that honor probably went to the owner of the abandoned hiking stick.  If anything, we’d be listed in the movie credits as “hikers with dogs.”  What a relief!  We spent the rest of the week exploring the many hiking trails and beaches in the vicinity of Machias, Maine.  Our trek even took us to the eastern most point in the United States at West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec!  In the coming days and weeks I’ll share with you our reviews of many of the dog friendly Bold Coast hiking trails, and our other adventures so that you too can plan your own Down East Maine adventure!