Multisport Adventure

While researching my latest book, New England Seacoast Adventures, I became an expert on the beaches along the Atlantic coast.  Sure, I like to lounge and read a good thick book now and then on the sand.  But I also like to be active (thus my website, ActiveTravels.com). So I put together a list of my favorite activities along the New England coast.  Enjoy!

Best Walk: Napatree Point, Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Take off your shoes and listen to the sound of the waves as you saunter along the water on this crescent-shaped beach all the way to the point.  The spit of land curves back towards Rhode Island, similar to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod.  Sailboats cruise in the Long Island Sound, ospreys and their young fly above the shores.  As you reach the point and the last square foot of terra firma, the winds begin to howl, the surf seems a bit more ominous, and the sand is replaced by large battered rocks.  On the return trip, you’re treated to the view of the Victorian houses that cling to the bluffs of Watch Hill. 

Best Mountain Biking: Bluff Point Beach, Connecticut
Mountain biking at the beach might sound like an oxymoron, but at Bluff Point State Park in Groton, a dirt road lines Poquonock River leading straight to the ocean.  If you want to ride by your lonesome, numerous singletracks spread out in every direction from the main trail like spokes on a wheel.  Choose one and ramble along the shores, or head inland to the John Winthrop house, dating from the early 1700s.  Take a breather on the bluffs where you can see directly across the Long Island Sound to New York’s Fishers Island and west to Rhode Island’s Watch Hill.

Best Road Biking: Provincelands, Race Point Beach, Massachusetts
Most bike trails, like the popular Cape Cod Rail Trail, are former railroad lines with very little grade.  If you have a hankering for hills, head to the 8-mile-long Provincelands Bike Trail at the tip of the Cape.  The undulating route dips in and out of sand dunes, weaving through scrub-pine forests and along beaches in one of the most unique bike paths you’ll ever venture on.  The loop starts at Herring Cove Beach and heads inland through Beech Forest.  Before sweeping downhill to the Province Lands Visitors Center, stop and look at the mounds of sand and the deep blue waters of the Atlantic. 

Best Sea Kayaking:  Mile Beach, Georgetown, Maine
Paddlers head to Georgetown’s Reid State Park to kayak along the shores of Sheepscot Bay.  At Mile Beach, the sand soon gives way to a boulder strewn coastline where the Northern Atlantic pounds the rocks, spewing foam high into the air.  You’ll most likely be joined by seals who pop their heads out of the water like periscopes to look around, and the ubiquitous lobsterman, zipping from buoy to buoy to pull up his catch.

Best Surfing: Narragansett Beach, Rhode Island
When tropical depressions make their move north from July to September, surfers make their way to Narragansett Town Beach. The U-shaped beach and shifting sandbars often produce waves in excess of ten feet.  Even without inclement weather, the surf is decent year round.  In the winter months, there are swells in the three to four foot range.  In summer months, when the water often resembles a duck pond, you have to be patient.  The Watershed Surf Shop (401-789-3399; surf phone, 401-789-1954), 396 Main St., Wakefield, rents boards and offers lessons every Wednesday at 12 noon.

For an autographed copy of New England Seacoast Adventures (Countryman Press), please email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

It’s only at the end of a three-hour cruise on the open water of Lake Superior, when you finally reach the shores of Isle Royale National Park, that you begin to understand why Midwesterners calls this chunk of land the most pristine piece of wilderness in the region. Yes, wilderness, one of the most overused words in the English language. Any green space the size of a suburban backyard seems to fit the bill these days.  But here at Isle Royale, 56 miles from the mainland of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, there are no roads, no power lines, no airplanes flying overhead, and rarely another boat, except for the infrequent freighter making its way to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Disembark into a web of thick northern boreal forest and you’ll feel like Thoreau plopped down in the Maine woods, circa 1857. 

Alas, you must earn the good things in life. To reach Isle Royale, you fly through Detroit or Chicago to Marquette, Michigan, drive 90 minutes to Copper Harbor, and then take the quicker of two ferry options (the National Park runs their own 6-hour boat ride to the island from Houghton) on Superior. No wonder Isle Royale is the least visited National Park in the contiguous United States, with annual attendance rivaling Yellowstone’s weekly visitation numbers.

            (Photo by Jim Scurlock)

Blame it on the lightning fast speed of the web, but our attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter.  Even on vacation, we can’t relax and be content visiting one locale or trying one activity. This is certainly true in the world of adventure travel where the current hot trend is the multisport trip, trying as many activities as possible in one week. This week, I’m writing from the Maine coast, where I’ll be sea kayaking around Rockland, taking a schooner sail from Camden, biking around the island of Isleboro, and mountain biking on the carriage path trails and hiking the short summits of Acadia National Park. It’s for an upcoming story in The Boston Globe. Other favorite multisport jaunts include:

Hike, Bike, Kayak, and Wine Taste Northern California
For the outdoors lover who likes to end her day with a splash of red or white wine, it’s hard to top Bicycle Adventures California Redwoods itinerary. Meet in Santa Rosa, north of San Francisco, for a day of biking alongside the vineyards of Sonoma County. Then it’s off to Eureka for a walk in old growth forest, shaded by 350-foot high towering Redwoods.  On this 6 day, 5 night adventure, you’ll also have the chance to sea kayak in Humboldt Bay and bike the “Lost Coast,” the only section of California that doesn’t have a major highway near it. At night, dine at restaurants that have been reviewed favorably in Wine Spectator magazine. Their next trip is September 6th.

Go Crazy on St. John
Only a few miles east of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John has virtually nothing in common with its overdeveloped neighbor.  More than sixty percent of the island and its surrounding waters are comprised of the Virgin Islands National Park, the ideal stomping ground for Arawak Expeditions’ Adventure Week.  During the days, you’ll hike, snorkel, sea kayak, mountain bike, and dive St. John.  In the evening, you’ll be seconds away from the beach at Maho Bay Camps, an eco-sensitive resort where the tent-cottages are woven into the tapestry of the landscape. 
 

Only a few miles east of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John has virtually nothing in common with its overdeveloped neighbor. More than sixty percent of the island and its surrounding waters are comprised of Virgin Islands National Park, a mecca in the Caribbean for the active traveler. Hiking trails weave through the arid and semi-tropical terrain past some 800 species of plants like the desert loving turks head cactus.  On the shore, white sand beaches lead to coral-covered bays (Trunk and Leinster are two of the best) where snorkelers spend hours mesmerized by the neon-colored fish.  Arawak Expeditions takes full advantage of this locale by featuring the St. John Inn-to-Inn Adventure Week. During the days, you’ll hike, snorkel, sea kayak, mountain bike, and dive St. John. In the evening, you’ll be staying at small inns without the crowds, like Sandcastle in White Bay, featuring six cottages on the beach, a beach bar, and a restaurant serving just-caught seafood. Cost of the trip is $1449 per person, including lodging, food, equipment, and guided service.
 

One of the biggest trends in travel right now is the increasingly popular multisport trip. Head off to a country and then try as many activities as possible, from hiking, to biking, to whitewater rafting. This has proven to be a huge success in places like Costa Rica which has a great mix of mountains, rivers, and ocean. Now Uma Paro in Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is entering into the mix. From July 6-13 and August 31-September 6, they are offering a weeklong adventure featuring rafting, biking, archery, and fly-fishing. The bike ride sounds like an incredible thrill. Guests are dropped off at the top of Chele La at 12,500 feet, Bhutan’s highest road pass. After taking in the magnificent views towards Mt. Jhomolhari standing at a mere 24,000 feet, you enjoy a 22-mile downhill run all the way back to Paro. You’ll also get to do a morning Puja (pilgrimage) to a local monastery.
 

For thirty years, Active New Zealand has offered their signature Rimu trip. They’ve obviously doing something right because National Geographic Adventure called it one of the top 10 trips in the world. The location certainly doesn’t hurt. The two-week jaunt goes around the South Island of New Zealand. Start with a snorkel with the local seal colony at the seaside town of Kaikoura, then choose between three multi-day offerings: backpacking in Nelson Lakes National Park, sea kayaking in the Marlborough Sounds, or a mountain biking journey on the Queen Charlotte Track. The group reunites for a stroll in the Punakaiki Rainforest, before hiking at Franz Josef Glacier, and sea kayaking amidst the fjords of Milford Sound. I’ve been to the last three sites and even though it was close to 20 years ago, I still remember it vividly as some of the most stunning scenery I’ve seen on my travels. There are three upcoming trips in April, early fall in the Southern Hemisphere, so it’s a great time of year to go. Cost is $3399 US per person including guides, all lodging, and food.
 

For the hardcore jock, we’ve created your own personal triathlon. Start at the western end of East Beach, one of the wildest stretches of sand in Little Rhody. You’ll be swimming for 3.5 miles to the Charlestown Breachway. Don’t worry. This is not Cape Cod or Maine ocean water. Touched by the Gulf Stream, temps here can reach a downright balmy 70 degrees. At the Breachway, your canoe will be waiting to take you across the state’s largest coastal pond, Ninigret, to the shores of Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. Keep on paddling and don’t even think of reaching for those binocs to view the more than 250 recorded species of birds. The Refuge has more than three miles of trails to walk on, but we expect you to sprint.
 

If you ever wanted to snorkel or scuba with the kids on Fiji’s legendary rainbow colored reef, or feel like venturing on a sea kayaking jaunt through the islands, now would be a good time. Air Pacific has just announced a “Kids Fly Free” program for travel from September 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011, with blackout dates over Christmas. One child flies free for each adult. I’ve been working as a travel writer for more than two decades and I have to say that Fiji is definitely in my Top 5 list of countries. The terrain is spectacular, but it’s the incredibly friendly and genuine people who really make the place. I’ve written about the islands extensively. Try these for starters.
 

I’m in the midst of writing a story for The Boston Globe on how cruise lines are adding more and more active shore excursions for their clientele. For years, cruise lines were the antithesis of an active lifestyle, catering to a sedentary clientele who were far more fixated on the buffet tables. That’s changed dramatically in the past 3 to 5 years. Cruise brokers like Todd Smith, owner of AdventureSmithExplorations, feature small cruise lines whose specialty is getting people off the ship for a dose of adventure. Next spring, they’re unveiling two ships in Alaska, the M/V Wilderness Adventurer and M/V Wilderness Discoverer, that will feature overnight hiking and sea kayaking jaunts, white water rafting, and fishing charters that pick you up right from the boat. Each ship only carries 49 passengers, which helps them cater to your every whim.

 

The last week in September is prime foliage colors in northern Vermont. Then the color change makes its way south through the state, peaking around Columbus Day. Having written more than 100 stories and close to a dozen book chapters on the state, these are a handful of my favorite outings: mountain biking the Kingdom Trails in East Burke, roaming (or biking) the Trapp Family Lodge grounds in Stowe, hiking Camel’s Hump, stopping at the Warren Country Store for a sandwich, paddling Lowell Lake near Stratton, road biking along the shores of Lake Champlain on Button Bay Road, going for a hawk walk at the Equinox, walking around the historic town of Grafton, biking along the Ottauquechee River in Taftsville, and as I mentioned last week, dining at the Simon Pearce restaurant in Quechee.
 

Most people know REI as a place to purchase all their outdoor garb and equipment. Few active travelers realize the Seattle-based company also has been offering human-powered outdoor adventures since 1987. Rated on a scale of one (relaxed) to five (strenuous), these guided trips are far more reasonably priced compared to their competition. They just came out with their list of 2011 trips, which include a 10-day jaunt biking around Portugal and Spain to hiking in Utah’s Arches & Canyonlands National Parks to four days of mountain biking in the Sonoran Desert (only $675 including camping equipment, bike rentals, and most meals).
 

In August, I had an assignment to write about an inn-to-inn bike trip in Vermont. After biking up and down short steep hills for a good 40 miles, I arrived at the first inn exhausted but proud of my accomplishment. That was until the owner of the B&B told me that she had another biker who just came through last week, one who was biking the entire country from Seattle to Boston! That’s what I thought about when I first read about Catherine and Ryan Thompson, from Old Forge, New York. On April 15th, they began paddling the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail and arrived at the northern terminus of Fort Kent on May 10th. An incredible feat for most humans, but that was just the beginning for the Thompsons. After completing their paddle, they walked 100 miles to Baxter State Park and started the Appalachian Trail. They completed the 2,179-mile trail last Thursday! As they said in their final blog entry, “We made quite a scene at the summit. Poles were flying in the air, as well as Toofpick's pack. It came down with a thud - a satisfying thud that signaled our end. It was a burst of celebration, and then suddenly we were standing there in silence. We were there...” Congratulations! You deserve a Couples Massage!
 

A World Heritage Site, Halong Bay is known for its limestone karsts that jut up from sea making this one of the most striking cruise destinations in the world. But if you read my recent article in The Boston Globe, you’d know that any place that has cruises now offers adventure. Emeraude Classic Cruises has teamed with Slo Pony Adventures, owned by an American duo, to offer a three-day, two-night cruise in Halong Bay. Sure, you’ll get to sit back and marvel at the spectacle with gin and tonic in hand. That’s a reward for the daily dose of adventure that includes sea kayaking, rock climbing, and trekking through Butterfly Valley in the National Park to find waterfalls hidden in the lush terrain.