Waypoint Adventures Downeast
This August, our Waypoint Leadership Cohort headed way Downeast for a sea kayaking adventure that launched from Jonesport-Beals — and it was exactly the kind of trip that reminds us why Waypoint matters so much.
This two-night training trip was designed to help prepare our Leadership Cohort with the skills, confidence, and experience they will need this school year as assistants on Waypoint expeditions for students in grades 7–10. But like most Waypoint adventures, it became about much more than the itinerary. It became about trust, courage, connection, and the quiet confidence that comes from doing hard things together.
This first-ever leadership cohort includes Morse seniors Rose Strelneck, Ryan Harrington, and Elizabeth Newcomb, along with Morse juniors Cameron Griffee, Gavin Eosco, and Bella Bachman — though Bella was not able to join this particular trip. We were lucky to be joined by volunteer Liz Stokem, a Registered Maine Guide and L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School guide, whose steady guidance helped make this experience possible. We were also grateful to welcome Tucker Daniels, whose participation was supported by the Maine Youth Action Network.
Together, this group represents something really special: young people who have grown through Waypoint and are now stepping forward to help guide the students coming up behind them.
Our sea kayaking route brought us to base camp at Molly Cove on Beals’ Great Wass Island. After an evening paddle lesson with Liz and a night in tents made possible by Maine Gear Share, the group woke up to a hearty breakfast and a Navigation & Compass class with Waypoint Program Director Ethan Stauffer. After lunch, they crossed open water from Great Wass to Head Harbor Island, where they set up camp and spent the evening paddling around the island. Along the way, they saw great blue herons, bald eagles, ospreys, harbor seals, and gray seals — one of those Maine moments that feels almost too beautiful to describe.
This remarkable and remote site was shared with us by the newly formed nonprofit Moossabec Islands, whose mission is to get youth and communities outside to learn about conservation and the history of rural coastal Maine. Our Waypoint Leadership Cohort was honored to be part of their inaugural youth visit.
On the final morning, the group departed Head Harbor Island in the fog and used the dead reckoning navigation skills they had learned from Ethan to make their way back to base camp. It was a powerful thing to witness: young people trusting themselves, trusting one another, and realizing that they are capable of more than they may have known.
When asked what they are most looking forward to in their mentorship journey, many shared that they want to help change the lives of the RSU 1 students who come after them. They want to leave Waypoint stronger than they found it.
And really, that is the heart of this work.
Waypoint adventures are not just about paddling, camping, or learning to read a compass. They are about helping young people see themselves as capable, connected, and needed. They are about healthy risk-taking, belonging, leadership, and the belief that each of us has a role to play in making the world a little better than we found it.