“M
ost people said we were crazy.” In the 1980s, magazine editor and inveterate
coastal explorer Dave Getchell, Sr. was one of the founding fathers of the recreational water trails concept. Working with a handful of other Maine paddlers, powerboaters and sailors, Getchell pioneered a network of island campsites, creating the Maine Island Trail in 1987. “We worked on handshake agreements with
landowners and said, ‘any time you want to cancel, give us two weeks’ notice and we’ll shut it down.’ Soon we had other island owners asking if their islands could be included,” Getchell, now 85, recalls. Personal touch remains the secret to the trail’s success.
“Twenty-five years later, we still have conversations with landowners,” says Doug Welch, executive director of the Maine Island Trail Association. “Every year we ask if they want to stay on the trail. It keeps us on our toes. We have to earn the trust of each landowner.” The approach is critical since 95 percent of Maine’s coast is privately owned. “It reflects Maine’s tradition of permissive use and good
stewardship,” says Welch. “We put logbooks on each island, and we send them to the island owners at season’s end. Those logbooks tell stories about honeymoons, taking a child camping for the first time, or scattering the ashes of a loved one. The trail is much more than a map of sites.” Back in the 1980s, the idea that the users could manage
the trail was also radical. “It’s not a national park with rangers wearing badges telling you what you can and can’t do,” Welch says. A few staff manage volunteers, who do the lion’s share of maintenance. “We have no authority other than our good example,” Getchell adds. Handshake by handshake, the trail grows. Since its
inception, the trail has expanded from 40 sites to 207, tracing Maine’s intricate coastline from Kittery to Machias. Maine State Parks wants to extend the management plan another 15 years. New sites are coming in Cobscook Bay near the Bay of Fundy. That “good example” has made the Maine Island Trail both an inspiration and a model for recreational water trails all across the continent. “I’m thrilled it worked out so well,” muses Getchell. “It was all an experiment.”
PLAN YOUR TRIP The Trail is officially 375 miles, but don’t take that too seriously, says Welch. “The Maine coast should be explored slowly and not in a straight line.”
BEST SEASON: Summer.
SKILLS: Maine is known for cold water, fickle weather, currents and fog. Most routes are not suitable for novices. MORE INFO:
www.mita.org
DAVE GETCHELL, SR. APPLETON, MAINE
BY NEIL SCHULMAN
www.adventurekayakmag.com | 55
PHOTO: COURTESY DAVE PERKINS
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