CVOA Spends Weekend in Bar Harbor

From scenic hikes to silly hats ....The Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association's annual weekend outing to Bar Harbor had it all. This year even the weather cooperated, providing sunny (if chilly) days with none of the usual rain that has dampened the annual trip in past years.

Some 40 CVOA members took over the Cadillac Motor Inn for three days of hiking, biking, golfing and sightseeing. This was the 6th year CVOA has spent the third weekend of October on the Island.

The weekend got off to an early start this year with the Thursday night arrival of CVOAers eager to jump start the weekend. Pete and Judy Weston and Jan and Duff Doherty spent Friday biking Swans Island; Tom Spring and Helen Poulin climbed Sargent Mountain; and Nelson Camp, Lucille Eastman and Nancy Perry biked the Eagle Lake carriage road.

Friday night was the usual pub-crawl and dinner on the town.

Saturday morning was cool and clear with a beautiful moon still visible after the sun came up. The crowd headed out in different directions to enjoy all that Acadia National Park has to offer.
One contingent biked the scenic Amphitheater loop, one of the outstanding carriage roads that wind through Acadia National Park. The 8-mile trek offered uphill climbs, downhill cruisers through the woods and next to stream beds. Biking were: Bruce Hanke, Tom and Dee Brown, Nelson Camp, Lucille Eastman, Nancy Perry, Mike and Jeannette Parker and Rick Young. Don and Nancy Fowler also biked this portion of the carriage roads.

Another group ... Tom and Helen and Jane and Rusty Cyr ... hiked Cadillac while Jeanne and Cynthia Pernice and Diane Sturzenberger biked the Eagle Lake Carriage Road.

Jan and Duff Doherty joined Peter and Judy Weston on their east-west 'mother of all hikes' across the island. They started climbing the Precipice Trail up Champlain Mountain at 7:30 am. By 2 pm they had hiked up and down Champlain, Dorr, Cadillac, and Pemetic Mountains. At this point the group gave up their plans to also hike Sargent and Parkman Mountains, and instead walked to the north end of Eagle Lake to catch a ride back to the motel. Total distance hiked was 10.5 miles.

Saturday night was the traditional "Souper Supper" with a vast array of appetizers; homemade breads and crock-pots filled with beef stew, cream of mushroom soup, squash soup, moose meat chili, cheddar soup as well as sherried chicken and stuffed shells. And, of course, there was a full table of deserts. A cake with lots of candles was presented to Jack Sturzenberger who celebrated his birthday Saturday.

The evening's entertainment was enhanced by Jeannette Parker, who dug into her bag of gifts to produce hard hats and umbrella hats with drinking tubes, flashing rings and medallions and party glasses. In the end, everyone looked completely foolish, and nobody cared!

Sunday CVOA members were out front of the motel to cheer on the Bar Harbor Marathon participants as they started their long run around the island. A group of golfers hit the links, while others headed down the road to home. People must have had a good time as they are already talking about next year's CVOA gathering in Bar Harbor.

To join CVOA, go to their website, carrabassettvalleyoutdoorassociation.com and download the membership application. The cost is $10 a year for individuals, $15 a year for families.