Swan Island

There's a lot to do and see on Swan Island!

When the ferry arrived at the island, there was a tour truck waiting to take people ~ a mile up the road to the campground, which is also where the hiking trails begin.

The campground was extremely clean, with modern bathroom amenities on the grounds.

Some people left their mark, carving memories into the structures.

You can't be disappointed with a view like this.

There's even firewood and a place to lock your bike.

There are what I like to call "heads up" signs along the entrance of the trail to let you know to keep a lookout.

There's only one road on the island... one way in, one way out.

Most adirondack shelters were facing the field shown in the previous photos, but some faced away, offering extra privacy.

Through the trees, on the way to the trailhead, you could see some of the historic homes.

Plenty of feathers and scat to be seen... i didn't notice many tracks (but I wasn't really looking).

There's a man-made pond on the island.

Google tells me this is Amanita Jacksonii, which is supposed to be pretty tasty, although something took a bite and seemed to disagree. There are many types of Amanita, some deadly poisonous, like the Amanita Bisporigera (Destroying Angel) and the Amanita Phalloides (Death Cap) which can cause death within 24 hrs.

Just one of over a dozen damselflies hanging out by the pond. This is a 100% crop because it was so tiny and I had a wider lens on... the blade of grass adds some perspective.

A dilapidating bridge helps get over a wet area of the trail.

Looking back at the pond to see if any beavers or other wildlife would jump out.

These were huge - each larger than the span of my hand. I have no idea what type of mushroom they are.

One area had ferns covering the entire forest floor.

Stumbled upon this egg by the trail. It was larger and harder than a chicken egg and very dense. I wonder what's inside? 🐣🐲🐉

The trail was well maintained and easy to follow.

Ferns as far as the eye can see.

Scat... this was a very large pile of deer scat, and sure enough, not far ahead, another hiker came across two deer resting near the trail. We reached the area just in time to see the deer run away.

The moss will show you the way.

Peek-a-boo - A little further up the trail was this 3rd deer, who couldn't hide her big backlit ears, which is what gave her away.

This tree looked like it about to start flailing its roots to grab its next victim.

A feather in a patch of blueberries.

This feather changed colors as you moved it in the light. (#notmyhand)

There are over 100 different bird species on the island.

This one might just be a turkey feather, but it had the best pattern, in my opinion.

The trail opens up to a large field where there's a tower for viewing wildlife.

One of the views from the top.

It has a very narrow opening.

Another view from the top.

Looking out at the field from the tower.

I was not alone up there.

An uninvited guest.

The road continues to the other end of the island, along with trails that run along the outer edge, but time was running short, so I will have to explore that section another time.

Reconnecting with the road to find the West Trail, there's a nice sign for the tower.

Blueberries! There were also rasberries and blackberries on the island... and poisonous berries.

I don't recall seeing bear on the list of wildlife, but this sure looks like bear scat. There were at least 4 piles of it on different parts of the West trail.

There are over 40 butterfly species on the island and this is the only one that stopped long enough for me to get a photo.

Curtis Cemetery: Traditionally, Maine families on the island had separate burial areas until Ben Curtis suggested putting all the graves in one spot. Headstones date from 1802 to 1968.

Dated 1902....

Dated 1802 (left side), only a few feet across from the previous grave stone. Two people, a century apart, just a few feet from one another.