Join Us!

Happy Spring! We trust that 2016 is treating you well so far. Ned and I are certainly enjoying our first year of marriage. As you know, we decided to elope on August 29, 2015 at our favorite place on Earth, Baxter State Park. That was totally "for us" and we wouldn't have had it any other way. Now we want to do something for you, our beloved family and friends! Starting today, this website will be the central location where we will share information about our plans and keep you up to date. We look forward to ringing in our first anniversary with a relaxing long weekend together, enjoying all that our favorite Park has to offer.


  When you finish reading this, please get in touch to let us know if this weekend is something you may want to be a part of.  We are looking for soft RSVPs by April 25.  We don't necessarily need a firm commitment right now, but we do want to get a general idea of the maximum size of our group as we prepare to book our reservation.  To RSVP, send a text to Meghan at (480)330-4946 or email meghan.c.brown@asu.edu, saying "keep me on the list!" and providing your best email address so I can email you the link whenever I post an update here. If we don't hear from you, we will assume that you decline the invitation.


     There are some things that you should understand before you decide whether this trip is for you.  Baxter State Park is a very peaceful and beautiful place, but in order to keep it that way, they have certain ways of operating that may be different from what you are accustomed to.  Most importantly, the Park Authority expects all visitors to abide by the principles of Leave No Trace.  For example, there is a strict "carry-in/carry-out" policy which includes all forms of waste short of toilet paper (including diapers and feminine hygiene products). There are rules for how you must clean your dishes, etc. There is no electricity nor phone/internet service. There are also rules about how the Park handles larger groups.  Since we will be considered a large group, we are restricted to staying in a Group Area.  We have chosen a location called Bear Brook for two reasons: because it has the largest capacity for groups, and because it is closest to the Togue Pond Gate (meaning it has the most convenient access to the town of Millinocket).  We know that some of our guests will have special needs (babies, anyone?) and may need to go into town at one point or another during the long weekend.

     Our plan is to have everyone arrive in Millinocket on Friday, August 26.  We will negotiate a group rate at the Baxter Park Inn for that night.  We can all stock up on groceries and supplies for the weekend while in town that night.  The next day, we will move into the group sites at Bear Brook campground within the Park.  We will book the group sites for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights (August 27, 28, and 29). Alternatively, you could extend your stay at the Inn and come into the park for day use only, instead of camping.  We understand that not everyone may be able to stay all four nights, but please consider joining us even if it's only for part of the weekend. Although our anniversary falls on that Monday, we don't forsee having that night be "THE NIGHT." This is simply a casual long weekend that is whatever you want to make of it!

     What kind of experience would you make of it, you wonder? Check out some highlights from our Honeymoon in the post below for some ideas.  There is something for every age and fitness level. We will likely organize at least a few group activities, such as hiking Mount Katahdin (the highest peak in Maine), canoeing Kidney Pond, or a nature walk around Daicey Pond. As we said before, our wedding was for us.  This weekend is the gift we want to give you, to share our special place with our favorite people. You are welcome to bring your family or guest(s) of your choice.  If you are uncomfortable staying in the group sites, you are welcome to book your own separate reservation for a private cabin or lean-to at nearby Roaring Brook campground (let me know if this is your plan so I can give you more information).

We truly hope you will consider joining us for this gathering. If there is anything we can do to help make this possible (rides from the airport, a place to stay before or after, etc), please don't hesitate to ask. We look forward to seeing you in August!

Love,

Ned & Meghan


   

Our Honeymoon

Starting with our wedding night, we spent five nights in the Park for a short but beautiful Honeymoon.  Here are some highlights!

(Hint: here is the part where we entice you to join us for a similar experience this August!)

Our first night was spent at Camp OJI (aka the Bridal Suite),
on the opposite side of the pond from the rest of Kidney Pond campground.

The "parking space" for the Bridal Suite!

So much fun paddling around Kidney Pond - a perfect start to our first full day as Mr. & Mrs!

For the next few nights, we moved to this cozy lean-to at Nesowadnehunk campground.
Nesowadnehunk Field is also where we took the photo in the background of this blog!

View from the first summit to the second summit of Doubletop Mountain

Another view of Nesowadnehunk Field at dusk, where we were hoping for a moose sighting!

For the final two nights, we moved up to the quiet North end of the Park, to South Branch Pond campground.

Another stunning view from one of our hikes, this time out of the South Branch Pond site.

Post-hike paddling around and swimming in South Branch Pond on a hot afternoon.

Nothing more relaxing than watching the loons and ducks swim around South Branch Pond at dusk
with an Octoberfest in hand!

Our Quiet Wedding

After we became engaged on Christmas Eve 2014, we decided it would make perfect sense to tie the knot on the fifth anniversary of our first date, and to go back to where it all began.  Here are a few of our favorite photos from our wedding day: August 29, 2015!

The bride waits...

Something Old: my grandmother's brooch
Something New: my handknit linen wedding dress
Something Borrowed: Kara's great-grandmother's handkerchief (her "something old" from her 2012 wedding)
Something Blue: toenail polish!

...the first look...

The knitted dress was a surprise for Ned!

Our marriage ceremony at Abol Pond, a short walk from our one-time home at Abol Cabin

Diana Campbell (Millinocket town clerk) performed the ceremony; Paul Sannicandro (our trail crew leader) provided pre-ceremony support for the groom, and read a Robert Frost poem during the ceremony; Chelsea Cyr (Cyr Photography) provided pre-ceremony support for the bride and took all the photos!

Just married!

After the ceremony, Chelsea followed us to Kidney Pond, where we were to spend our first night, for a few more photos!

After all the fuss of the marriage ceremony (yes, even planning an elopement is stressful!), then came the fun part: the Honeymoon!

Briefly

Ned and Meghan met at Baxter State Park headquarters on August 8, 2010.  They served together on the Fall 2010 Trail Crew.  Ned had just finished studying Forestry at the University of New Hampshire, and heard about the internship from a friend who had done it the previous year. In an uncharacteristically brave moment, Meghan had just up and moved from her home in Arizona using the opportunity of three East Coast weddings to attend that July, with generous friends and family to host her for that month. She stumbled on the call for trail crew applicants while on the Baxter Park website looking for information on hiking Mount Katahdin (during the lapse between weddings #2 & #3).  This trail crew internship provided work and housing in the Park for three months.  Ned and Meghan were assigned to the same cabin, along with three other crew members.  They quickly hit it off starting on their trail crew orientation camping trip, when they were assigned as canoeing partners one day.  On Sunday, August 29, three weeks after the day they met, Ned and Meghan spent their day off together for what is now considered their first date.  They hiked the Chimney Pond Trail up to Pamola Caves, took a dip in one of the Basin Ponds just off the trail, and then moseyed back to their home at Abol Cabin. The rest is history!