North Shore Paddlers Network

Kyle Martin and Gary York organized a truly lovely trip to the spectacular Gay Island Lodge this past weekend, which I was fortunate enough to be part of along with 10 others.

We took off from Maine Sport Outfitters' dedicated parking spot near Bradford Point in Friendship, ME. (The lodge is owned by the same folks who run Maine Sport Outfitters, for whom Kyle guides.) There were a couple of pods leaving at 9 am and 2 pm for the short, 1.5 mile trip to the lodge. Both pods benefited from the lodge host Rosie's generous offer to ferry heavy and perishable goods (food + beverages galore) by motor launch. Arriving on the beach at Gay Island after a short, peaceful paddle, we were surprised by the opulent surroundings that awaited us: Not your average wilderness lodge, this! Besides a singularly blessed location, it has solar electrical and propane-powered hot water and refrigeration. (MSO typically rents it out as a more--than-comfortable vacation or function retreat.)

Gay Island lies in between the central and eastern island chains of Muscongus, and it's only a short distance from the tip of the Friendship peninsula between the Meduncook and Medomak Rivers, sandwiched in between Morse and Caldwell Islands. The location is reasonably protected, but it is only a short paddle away from more exposed and open reaches of water. The tide cycle was such that we would generally have LT in the morning and afternoon, HT around midday.

Written by NSPN member Joseph Berkovitz
Read full post here: Muscongus Bay Trip Report