It’s a treat, then, to explore new territory, with only a map as a guide.

But how to get the kayaks and gear (combined weight of more than 150 pounds) out to the road? And just how far was it to the drive-able road, anyway?Īs a trip leader, I spend a lot of time re-tracing familiar routes. We could walk out the narrow, mossy mosquito-infested trail that led away from the beach, sure. “Double-take” is probably an understatement in this case. Trouble is, the boat landing and vehicle access road promised on the Delorme Atlas map as being adjacent to the lake, simply were not there. Our plan was to walk or catch a ride to our vehicle and then drive back and pick up the kayaks.

It was 7:15 pm and we were hoping finally (that’s another story) to each lunch. The sunset, less than an hour away, would be remarkable. We were essentially right smack in the middle of the 11,000 acre Rocky Lake Public Reserve Lands.

We stood on a sawdust beach on the southern end of Second Lake in Downeast Maine. There we were, on a wild lake shore, 8 water miles from the put in and roughly 3 miles (as the crow flies) from our vehicle.

White bass rocky lake fishing planet