The Best $26 We Spent All Summer

This summer Elisabeth and I picked up a new hobby- Camping.


Camping is something that we both did a little bit as children, but we didn’t grow up in families that avidly camped or spent great time in the woods. Fortunately for us, family still had all of the gear so we pulled it all out of the basement when Elisabeth got this idea.

​We spent out first trip camping in Georgetown, Maine at a campsite on Sagadahoc Bay. Being our fist time camping since we were children, this was a great first time back to camping. We easily drove up to the campsite with Mollie, our tent, and everything else in tow. We had lovely a spot that over looked the bay. Unfortunately it had rained the day before and we were in quite a shady spot which made for a colder experience on the ground. Mollie did not care for it. She has become spoiled. Regardless, we had a great time relearning how to camp, exploring Georgetown, and honestly just relaxing away from home.

Sadly, I didn't take any photos this trip.

​Our second trip this summer was to Green, Maine on the Adroscoggin River. Greene is a rural area outside of the cities of Lewiston and Auburn which are old mill towns. The river was formerly in terrible condition due to pollution from all of the industry in surrounding mill towns, but has been cleaned up thanks to some politicians in Maine and the Federal Clean Water Act. What was once full of sludge, is now bountiful with wildlife.

We stayed at a lovely private campsite owned by an older couple that has been buying up small parcels of adjacent lots since the early 70’s for the sake of conservation. They now have about 400 acres where they plant native species, maintain a wildlife pond, and allow for minimal camping, hiking, and exploration of the river. Their goal is conservation and they love sharing it with others while keeping the private feel. Driving into this place was a maze which made it feel even more far away and private.


While in Greene we canoed the river and saw a monstrous snapping turtle, river otter, and a bald eagle. We were there for the Fourth of July so we saw many fireworks too. This spot was very idyllic in a lot of ways. My only complaint is that we could have used more shade in the spot. It was hot in July. Would I take the heat of Greene or the chill of Georgetown, hmmm?

Our next camping spot this summer was very close to home. We stayed at Bradbury Mountain State Park. For those in Maine this sounds funny. Bradbury Mountain is a hill at best. A quick five-minute hike gets you to the top and gives you great views of Southern Maine. It’s an exceptionally accessible family friendly hike. Camping here is a bit funny because it is so close to home and such a “quick trip”. We sure did have a fun time though. It was nowhere near as picturesque as Sagadahoc Bay or flush with wildlife as Greene, but it was fun. We had an opportunity to explore an entirely new part of the park. We saw trails we didn’t even know existed, and we’ve been here dozens of times.




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In addition to camping, we also made some other explorations in the area such as the Maine Shaker community. This is the last Shaker community left in the world! If you’re unaware of the Shakers, they’re worth a reading about.

Next, Elisabeth and I headed to the Mid-Coast region to camp at Camden Hills State Park. You see a theme here? After camping at Bradbury we discovered how insanely inexpensive it is to stay at state parks. Many sites only cost $15. This opened up new doors for us.


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At Camden Hills we had a nice spot right at the foot of Mount Megunticook. We’ve been to Camden Hills several times before, but it was fun to camp there. We got a lot of hiking in this weekend. With courage, we tried to cook more complex meals over the fire (would not recommend). Really the best meals we've found are preprepared at home and heated over the fire. In addition, we also made it to a lake we’d never seen before. On our way out of town we had an opportunity to visit Oyster River Winegrowers for a glass of wine. Elisabeth and I had a nice time at Camden Hills, but Mollie still isn’t convinced that she likes camping.

After a couple of weeks off, we returned to Bradbury Mountain to camp again, but this time with Elisabeth’s younger brother, Gabe. This trip was really just for fun. We had s’mores and other campfire foods. We didn’t do a whole lot other than hang out and takes some small hikes. It was just for fun. On this trip I even tried my hand at sleeping in the hammock. It was comfortable enough, but temperature regulation is much harder in a hammock than on the ground. I went from way too hot as I went to bed to freezing cold by the early morning. There are some things to be learned here.


What was really neat this trip was waking up in the middle of the night. It was a very clear night. A very quiet night too. The moon was nearly full and it lit up the landscape like a floodlight. I cannot remember ever seeing the moon so bright at night. It was almost startling.

​​Now for the best $26 we spent. We took a trip up to Moosehead Lake. We’ve been meaning to get up here for years, but it has never worked out. As we planned our final weeks in Maine, we knew we wanted to see Moosehead before we left.

Elisabeth pulled up the state parks website and found an incredible spot right on the lake at Lily Bay State Park. This spot was incredible. Our tent was 15 feet from the water. The water was quite warm at the end of summer. In the evening we had wonderful sunset views with the mountains and lake. As we laid in bed we listened to the Loons more active than I have ever heard them. I don’t know if we’ll find a better site than this one without back packing to a remote area. It was about as perfect as it could be.

​A major reason we wanted to go to Moosehead lake is because we’ve never seen a moose in the wild! Elisabeth grew up in Maine, and I had been there for several years at that point. We knew we wanted to see a moose before we left the state. As the name of the lake implies, there are moose. We woke up before the sun to set off on our makeshift moose safari. I had researched some areas that are popular moose hangouts- sides of roads, DOT lots, logging roads, etc . . . As you drive in Maine there are signs to watch out for moose, but we take them with a grain of salt since we’ve never seen one. It’s no different at Moosehead, you see the signs, they’re there. Within the first 10 minutes of our makeshift safari Elisabeth spotted one outside of the car window in a swampy area next to the road!

​Stoked on seeing our first moose, we continued on to the other spots in hopes to see more. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anymore moose, but we saw incredible views of the area.

​Our camping trip to Moosehead Lake was really unbelievable. For $26 we got to spend a day on a beautiful lake, take in wonderful scenery, and finally see a moose! It was the best $26 we spent all summer.

Lastly, our final camping trip of the summer was to a place we hold near to our hearts- Acadia National Park. We try to make it up to Acadia twice a year. Typically we go in late April and early November. These times are dead quiet. We seldom see other on the trail and it feels like your own personal park.


Visiting in September was a different experience but we still had a nice time.

​At Acadia, we stayed at the Blackwoods Campground. The site was quite nice, but we were really her for the hiking. We love to hike in Acadia. We were able to do some trails we love, but also mix in a couple of new ones. It’s alway a good time at Acadia.

​We finished a great day with a delicious meal at our favorite restaurant Downeast- Sweetpeas. Well fed and tired we returned to our campsite where we slept well only to be interrupted by the occasional owl.


It was a very nice final camping trip in Maine.


The neatest part about camping for me this summer was how approachable it was. Like in exercise, I’m all about approachability. I like to knock down barriers to good things as much as possible. Exercising, camping, healthy eating, etc. . . I think it’s important that we take advantage of what we can if it makes us happier and healthier. Yes, camping can be quite expensive if you go to LL Bean or REI and deck yourself out with all the best equipment, but we pulled out the camping equipment that had been sitting in the basement for the last 20 years. It worked great! Don’t let equipment keep you from trying it. Dig out your old tent, borrow one, or find one second hand. It doesn’t need to be expensive. On our coldest trip of the summer I didn’t even have a sleeping bag, just a wool blanket and an extra layer. The reservations don’t need to be expensive either. Through the state and national park website, campsites can be found very inexpensively.


All in, we spent very little money on camping this summer, but we rediscovered a nice hobby. A healthy hobby too as it is often paired with hiking. Even without the camping, a state parks pass takes you a long way especially in a place as nature forward as Maine. Regardless of where you live, I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the state parks with or without camping.