Built To Roam: The Best Place I've Ever Camped

I've come to realize that Camping, as an activity, is pretty hit or miss with a lot of people. You either love sleeping outside under the night sky, or you hate it. While there are some people who just don't particularly like the outdoors and can't see the point of dragging their stuff into the woods and sleeping on the ground, I believe the majority of us like to camp, or at least at one point of our lives did. Camping in it's simplest form, originates as far back as humans. It was how we lived, where we lived, and just like a campfire, it invokes a primitive feeling in all of us that, at least partially, brings us back and connects us with the people that we once were. So why have so many of us lost the urge to go camping? I believe it has a lot to do with past experiences. I don't know about you but when I was a kid I remember getting excited about setting up a tent with my brother in the backyard and "camping out" for the night. But somewhere along the way many of us lost our child-like wonder and no longer have the desire to go camping. It's a sad occurrence.
Perhaps you went camping once and it rained the whole time, or it was too cold and you didn't have the proper gear. Maybe you had a Deliverance like situation, or you ran into some unwanted wildlife. Or maybe you've just never gone before and don't know what you're missing. Whatever the reason is that made you and camping see different people, now is a good time to let it go and give it another shot. It's fall, the weather is beautiful, the leaves are perfect, and contrary to popular belief you can camp after Labor Day without freezing to death. So pack up your car and go, just make sure the weather is nice and remember to pick somewhere good and maybe this time you'll love it and never consider giving up on camping again.

A few weekends ago I got the chance to do just that. This time I was able to convince Patrick and Emily to come along for the ride. Knowing that this would be Emily's first backpacking trip and the first for Patrick in a long while I wanted to be sure that it was a great experience. I'd been researching a particular trail in Maine called The Bold Coast Trail that was featured last year in Backpacker Magazine as having one of the top twelve campsites in America. Top twelve campsites in America? And it's only a few hours away? Sold.
We headed up to our hotel in Bangor on Friday after work for the night in order to break up the 6 1/2 hour drive to Cutler, ME. After checking in we headed to Dysart's restaurant for some midnight comfort food, then headed to bed. The next morning we packed up and started the two and a half hour drive to the trail-head in Cutler, ME. It was still quite cloudy and grey at this point and as we set out on the trail conditions had not yet improved. The first mile or so cut through moss covered forest as it made it's way to the coastline, and upon arrival the trail skirted a sheer cliff, lined with crashing waves below. After a brief stop to soak in the view and watch the seals swimming below we headed back down the trail, which for the next 4 miles hugged the coastline. There was barely anyone else on the trail that morning save for a woman and a man named Kevin who apparently wouldn't give her one "fuggen break". After that awkward encounter we continued on, with clear skies, through fields of tall grass and along pebble lined beaches as we made our way to the campsites at Fairy Head. I have to stop at this point to try and explain to you the sheer awesomeness of this trail. It was a beautiful. Badass. Perfect. Lord of The Rings like awesome trail and we couldn't help but stop every couple of feet to snap photos and take in the views.
We arrived at the area known as Fairy Head sometime after four o'clock to find that all of the designated campsites had been claimed, so we began our search for a suitable alternative. I climbed up a short hill and arrived at an open crop of land sitting on the edge of a grassy cliff above the rocky coastline. I walked around making sure there was enough flat ground then returned to the trail to let Patrick and Emily know that I had found us a spot. I just kept thinking, "This can't be allowed" a free campsite, on the ocean, above crashing waves and seals, and no one has a house or private beach for miles? AND we can stay here? No way. Yes way. That night was perfect and included seaside rock climbing inches away from massive waves, an awesome sunset, and a bottle full of Rumple Minze. It was one of the best experiences I've had so far, the kind of experience you only get a handful of in your lifetime, if your lucky. I fell asleep half drunk in my tent to the sounds of crashing waves and Patrick-snores. The next morning we woke up for sunrise, then packed up and said goodbye to the Best Place I've Ever Camped. Not before going number two in the Worst Place I've Ever Pooped. The remainder of the trail followed the coast for a bit then dipped into a moss covered forest that literally looked like it was taken strait out of a fairy tale, which I'm assuming is where the name "Fairy Head" came from. We got back to the car around 11am and made a quick stop in Canada, just because we could, before returning home. It was one of the best trips I've ever done, and it was all in one weekend. Please, please go to this place. I can promise you that you won't regret it. Cheers!

Mileage: 10 Miles