What Does a Naturalist Photographer Do on Vacation?

Apparently, I spend my vacations camping in the rain, exploring remote roads, looking for fossils, and trying to keep my dog from swimming in waterfalls. This year’s trip to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument included all of that—and a few adventures I had not planned.

I believe I first visited the monument during an extended Maine vacation in 2020. That year, the dogs and I drove about 1,600 miles and hiked 40 miles, all within Maine. We traveled up the coast, followed the St. Croix River to Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, and then headed west to the Monument and Gulf Hagas before returning home. At that time, the park was still very young. I have enjoyed returning each year to see how it develops. My most recent visit before this trip was in May 2025, and since then the Katahdin overlook on the Auto Road had been renovated and several bridges had been replaced.

Since 2020, I have spent a week each year in the Katahdin area. A friend has a camp nearby, and I have stayed in her pond-side cottage for a couple of those visits. This year, however, I reserved a site at Lunksoos Campground. It tends to rain on my vacations, and this trip was no exception. Because the forecast was wet, I borrowed a tent from friends.

When I bought my 2014 Subaru Forester, I was happy to discover that folding down the back seat created more sleeping space than I had in my Jeep Liberty. My dog Mattie and I often slept in the car, and we kept that as an option on Monday night. When I arrived at Lunksoos, though, I discovered that the National Park Service (NPS), working with the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), from Portland, Maine, a team of five biologists, were conducting a bat survey. Mist nets and acoustic detectors had been set up right beside the parking area. I later found out that the Park does not permit car camping except in the Sand Bank Campsite. I complied by accident.

I had driven past Lunksoos before and had made my reservation online, but I did not really understand the campground layout. I had selected the “walk-in” site farthest from the parking area. It was peaceful and kept me away from the researchers’ activity, but if I choose that site again, I will bring some kind of wheels for moving my equipment.

The bat research team had five net stations: one small mist net (single high), three large mist nets roughly 30 feet wide by 24 feet high (triple high), and a harp net. Each net had to be adjusted carefully during the day so it would work properly. The mist nets were then furled and raised to the tops of their poles so they would not interfere with traffic or public use of the area. Reflectors at ground level helped the biologists find the poles after dark.

The harp net was especially interesting. It is a smaller device, an aluminum frame supporting three banks of vertical nylon strings. When a bat hits the strings, it slides down into a canvas bag at the bottom of the trap. When they climb up the sides of the bag the top has a thick plastic cover that prevents them from climbing out. They will roost under this cover until they are removed.

Sunset was around 8:10 p.m., so final preparations began at about 7:30. Three BRI employees worked with two National Park biological science technicians. They wore masks, bite-resistant gloves, and latex overgloves, which were changed between bats to prevent the spread of white nose syndrome between the animals.

Note: Because this is a private blog, I have been given permission to use this photo of Park Ranger Marshall out of uniform loving on my dog.

Sunset at the Lunksoos Boat Launch

BRI Researchers thought they needed bug nets at first but quickly determined they were not necessary

Beaver on the other side of the East Branch Penobscot River

Bat Identification Bands

The nets had to be checked every 10 minutes. If a bat or another animal was caught, the net sometimes had to be lowered to make removal easier. One such visitor was a flying squirrel. It is important to remove these quickly as they chew through the nets. When an animal is caught at the top of the net it can be lowered using a pulley-system that doesn’t require removal of the poles.

Raising the 3-high mist nets

After removal from a mist net or harp trap, each bat was placed in a cloth bag. The bag protected the animal from injury and allowed researchers to collect a guano sample while the bat waited to be processed. The bags were hung on a clothesline and labeled with each bat’s species, sex, and capture time. All bats were processed within 10–15 minutes. If several bats were captured simultaneously, the nets were furled until the “bat log” had been cleared. During processing, the team recorded additional information, including the bat’s age, weight, and forearm length. These measurements helped researchers evaluate the animal’s overall health. The team also carefully monitored the bats for signs of white-nose syndrome, a disease that does not harm humans but has killed millions of bats in North America. White-nose syndrome has contributed to the listing of the northern long-eared bat as endangered, while other species, including the tricolored bat, are also threatened. The information collected by the team will support efforts to protect and conserve these species.

To estimate age, the researchers stretched a wing across a small light board and examined the wing joints. Darker joints indicated greater calcification, which was associated with adult bats. Adults were tagged, and every bat was released after the information was documented. I watched the work on Monday and Tuesday nights and later noticed the reflector and net at the Upper East Branch Campsite on Thursday. On Friday evening, I saw the team again as I drove through the Contact Center parking area.

Removing a large moth from a mist net

Working on the paperwork

Collecting Data

 

weighing the bat

Placing the band

For the record

I believe the survey lasted six nights: two nights at Lunksoos, two at Upper East Branch, and two at the Contact Center. It was fascinating to see how much coordination was involved in what might otherwise look like a quiet evening in the woods.

Long exposure photo of fireflies. Different types of fire flies flash at different rates so here we may have a 4 flash one and a one flash.

Although I drove Seboeis Road through the park several times back and forth to the Campground, it is narrow in places and drops sharply toward the river about 20' below. I found Contact Station Road more comfortable, and it brought me into the campsites from the north.

Silver maple at Lunksoos Boat Launch

Brown Eyed Butterfly at South Gate marsh

South Gate

Hiking the Deasey Pond Trail – one of my favorites   

Dewberry flowers

Deasey Pond 

Pitcher plants and flowers

My Sidekick, Mattie

The trail to Deasey Pond runs over an esker for much of the way

I love pipsissewa but don’t remember ever seeing it blooming before

Auto Road, Lynx Pond 

Auto Road, Spruce Bog

Auto Road, Katahdin overlook

Much of my planning for every trip comes from Facebook. I follow several pages about different parts of the monument, including Friends of the National Parks and local history groups. I often read posts by Eric Hendrickson and especially enjoy his historical information. When I began planning this visit, I sent him an email asking whether I could explore with Eric and his wife, Elaine. I was delighted when he invited me to meet them at the North Gate at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. 

The drive to the North gate looked Ominous but it cleared up. Katahdin is out there somewhere.

Eric and Elaine live in northern Maine, and Elaine volunteers at the Francis Malcolm Science Center. Two other volunteers, Sue and Sharon, joined us to learn more about the park and its history. Eric had been part of the survey team that explored the area before the monument was established, and he knows more about its history than many people who work there. 

Columnar jointed rhyolite – I think there is quite a bit of this nearby on Traveler Mountain in Baxter State Park

Tree lungwort

Eric told us something cool about this layered rock but I don’t remember

Beaver deceiver preventing the water from flooding out the road

Traveler Mountain from the road

Eric hung this logging chain from a tree before this was a National Monument. Now the tree doesn’t want to let it go

We parked at Haskell Gate and walked toward Haskell Rock Pitch. Eric showed me where to look for fossils, arrowheads, and unusual glacial erratics. He also told me about “Mother Nature’s Garden”, an area where a woman once maintained a camp even after the paper company sold the land.

American toad along the trail

Elaine and Eric

Elaine and Eric with Sharon and Sue

Joe Pye weed

I don’t know that I’ve ever met wild swamp milkweed before

I love the way water beads up on bigtooth aspen leaves

I always try to take advantage of raindrop lenses

Eric checking out some new plant species on Haskell Rock

Sharon at Haskell Rock Pitch

Portage Trail around Pitch

Clubmoss lawn

Wonderfully huge glacial erratics

 

Tree Lungwort

Sharon scrambling over some fallen trees

Large glacial erratic is sedimentary rock – so cool!

Eric and Sue headed back – Traveler Mtn in distance

Haskell Hut. Eric and Elaine have reserved this hut in winter and cross-country-skied in

Haskell Hut welcome committee

Mergansers on the River

Canada Geese on the River

Mattie and I returned Thursday to see what we could discover using Eric’s advice. We walked to the possible fossil site, although I clearly need a hands-on lesson because I did not find anything I could confidently identify. We skipped the possible arrowhead area because it was high along the riverbank, and I did not want Mattie deciding to go swimming in the falls. When you find such treasures as fossils or arrowheads, please leave them in place. Federal law strictly prohibits damaging, collecting, or removing fossils (or historical artifacts) from any national park.

Overcast morning

Swamp Milkweed

Upper East Branch Campsite

Maybe the red flag marks the future location of a Bat net

Oxbow Marsh

I suspect the phrase “Ya can’t get theah from heah” could have been invented at Katahdin Woods and Waters. To travel from the South Gate to the North Gate, you have to leave the monument and use public roads. Since I was camping at the southern end, I drove north to explore with Eric and the others and then returned the next day to continue on my own,

This woodcock was sitting in the road but flew as I took the photo

River views near Oxbow Picnic area

I’ve never met this lichen before. How fun!

First I noticed the reflector…

…then I noticed the mist net at the top of the poles

I had passed the Penobscot River Trail south of Stacyville before and remembered that pets were prohibited. When I saw the Seboeis Riverside Trail that looked like the same organization, I assumed the same restriction applied. I was very pleased to turn into the parking lot to use the facilities and discover that dogs were allowed. It was a warm day, so Mattie and I only walked from the road to Grand Pitch along the beautifully maintained crushed-stone path. Just south of the waterfall is Shin Brook Bridge, an impressive structure that looks as if it had to be lifted into place by helicopter.

This trail follows the Seboeis River which meets the East Branch Penobscot in KaWW

Black Swallowtail I found in the meadow at the Rt 11 overlook I call the “top of the world”

My original plan was to visit Gulf Hagas on Friday, so I had reserved the campsite only through Thursday night. We took our time packing Friday morning. I still had not visited the Contact Center, but dogs were not allowed inside, and I could not find a shady place to leave Mattie in the car in the morning.

Last “swim”

Lunksoos Boat Launch and Picnic Area

Lunksoos Campground

Anne had told us about Orin Falls, which sounded wonderful. Unfortunately, I had not done enough research, and the trail was longer than expected. We turned around before reaching the falls and hurried back to the Contact Center, but driving times are always longer than I calculate for and I arrived five minutes before closing. Ranger Elizabeth did not throw me out, but I also did not make her stay late. Next time, I will plan better. 

X-rated Greater Fritillary butterflies

During the week, I drove to the Katahdin Overlook on the Auto Road several times for sunset. Views to the East are harder to find in the monument, and I hoped that the new Gathering Circle at the Contact Center would be a good spot for sunrise. Since I had no campsite for Friday night and wanted to sleep as late as possible, I considered parking in a back corner of the Contact Center parking lot overnight, (not realizing the no car camping…) but when I arrived, the bat team was sitting in lawn chairs between net checks, so I continued, past a bear, and out of the park to Sherman Lumber Road, where I found a good clearing, settled in, and said, “Goodnight, world.” Once again, I complied with the Park car camping rule by accident.

Saturday sunrise at the Gathering Circle

Saturday morning brought an acceptable sunrise, and after making breakfast at the Katahdin overlook, we headed south.

Last “make do” coffee

The wintergreen is beginning to flower.

I always think I should see a moose in Lynx Pond and always stop to look

Roberts Road on the way South

I remembered reading something, sometime in the past, about possibly formalizing Roberts Road as an official entrance to the monument from Millinocket. I had never driven that way, so I decided to investigate. The road was in much better condition than Stacyville Road, and I have since found several places on a map along that route that I would like to explore.

I started wandering home along back roads but eventually decided that if I was no longer going to be in the monument, I simply wanted to get there. I took the highway, paid the tolls, and started making plans for the next visit. Every trip to Katahdin Woods and Waters gives me another reason to return.

A couple more no-location-needed photos. Enjoy!

Plant now known as Cucumber Root

Many thanks to Rangers Marshall, Grant, Ann, and Elizabeth, Biodiversity Research Institute's Researchers Bri Frankia, and Ethan Gilardi, and especially Dr. Josh Guilbert (BRI)

So, until next time, Go capture some memories, leave the trail better than you found it, and don't forget to take off the lens cap! - Kate 

Addendum – Shortly after this wonderful trip, I lost my dog, Mattie, to an aggressive metastatic cancer that had already begun to reveal itself at the park, though I did not recognize the signs at the time. The hole in my heart will never fully heal, and he can never be replaced. Still, I am beginning to make plans to welcome a new partner to my HodgePodge Adventure Team.