The Oceanarium is a Maine lobster museum and Lobster Hatchery. There is a visit aboard a lobster boat, a licensed Maine lobsterman on site to answer questions. A discovery pool with local marine life. Plus there is a marsh walk.
The lobster hatchery. They start out almost microscopic and float around in the ocean to be eaten by predators and they eat each other. It is a miracle any survive. In the hatchery they bubble the tanks so they don’t come in as much contact and don’t eat each other. Here they here are about an inch long and a couple weeks old with brine shrimp. At this stage they release them into the wild. They drop to the bottom and hide in the rocks. They can’t tag them since they molt their shells each year. So they are not sure if they are helping the lobster population or not.
A lobster and a crab in a lobster trap. John sitting in a chair made from a lobster trap and materials.
Lobster boat and licensed lobsterman. He was really hilarious and informative. The discovery pool above. We learned all about the local sea creature and got to hold them all. Learned that sea stars have eyes on the end of their legs, and about 350 feet per leg and can drop a leg and it can run off to confuse predators, and they grow another. Horseshoe crabs have 11 eyes, mate in June at the high tide with the full moon, lay their eggs just above the highest surf line of the year and they hatch a month later at high tide so the babies can escape into the ocean and not get eaten. We got to hold sea cucumbers and sea urchins who have legs all over their bodies.
This is how a lobster would see me, they have compound eyes. The next stop was the Precipice trail. It is the steeped most dramatic trail on the island. It scales the glacier steepened eastern cliffs of Champlain mountain. Iron steps, granite stairs and handrails are placed in strategic places. It is 0.9 miles and climbs 930 feet. They recommend not climbing it if you are afraid of heights.-which I am, I barely passed remedial basic mountaineering school.
The steeps are placed for people with long legs. The boulders are huge. The blue stripes are the trail blazes.
A couple places the trail goes under boulders and much of it is on the side of sheer cliffs.
John on one of the ladders, there is still another ladder above his head.
Sue climbing below him. Looking back down the ladder.
John on a ledge, with a strategic handrail. More ladder.
Me on a ledge, I though this was a really daring, scary hang off the side, but it does not look that bad in the photo. The view of the coast and Great Head on the right.
The red arrow points to the car below us. John going up yet another cliff.
Fall color at near the top. John is in the center on the trail, and one more ladder at the end of the trail here.
Sign at the top of the ladders, Caution- people have received serious injuries and others have died on this mountain trail. The summit of Champlain mtn. elevation 1053 feet.
John near a historic cairn (don’t move them, some have been in place 150 years!) on the ridge, the trail down was more civilized. The view of the harbor was beautiful.
John descending, a trio of amanita mushrooms
There was really nice trail construction through here, steps, and a sidewalk.
John approaching an aspen grove near the bottom. The precipice trail from the bottom looking up.
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