THE TRAIL What would formally become the Maine Island Trail started several thousand years ago when miles-deep mega-glaciers depressed areas of land along what is now the state’s coast. As these frozen behe- moths melted, portions of land popped back up while others laid low and filled with water. Along the way, craggy rock cliffs, pebbly coastlines and sandy beaches formed. Today, more than 3,000 islands are located along Maine’s 3,500-mile coastline. While nowadays many are uninhabited, through history they’ve served as grazing grounds for sheep, granite quarries, homesteads for fishermen and shipbuilders, perches for lighthouses, and some even have leftover military
“You can visit one, or visit them all,” says St. John, who spent summers as a kid cruising with his parents on the family’s Hood 38 sailboat and today does the same in a 22-foot Grady White with his wife and eight- and 10-year-old children. “You can go out for just an afternoon, or a day, or several days and camp on your boat or one of the islands. You can visit on a megayacht, or cruise on a 40- to 50-foot sailer, powerboat, or explore in a small powerboat, or by paddle in a kayak or paddleboard.There is no right way or wrong way, only what you enjoy,” he says. The whim of the weather is another reason for no hard and fast routes. Ten-foot tides, tidal currents, wind and dense fog can make some parts of the trail less accessible at times. So, planning is imperative.
structures from World War II. The launch of a land survey in the 1970s revealed the State of Maine held title to over a thousand of these islands. A decade later, the state collaborated with the nonprofit Island Institute with an eye toward these properties’ recreational potential.This springboard, along with a grassroots effort by residents to visit and protect these islands, led to the MITA’s founding in 1988. At first, the trail included 30 to 40 islands owned by either state or federal entities. Over the years, the trail grew through a series of unique handshake agreements with private landholders that allow public visitation.This handshake comes with the MITA’s stewardship, which includes monitoring and trash removal to maintain a pristine, leave-no-
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SPRING 2022
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