Beware the Tides of Marsh: Canoeing in Scarborough

There's no backyard like Maine's backyard.

Drive 20 minutes from Portland in nearly any direction and you'll land yourself in yet another place of weekend perfection. (Except east. Only hovercraft are encouraged to drive that direction. If you have a hovercraft, call me. We need to hang out.)

One such example: Scarborough Marsh.

I've taken the area in by bike on a number of occasions. And each time I'd spot some duo paddling their way along the winding trail of water - and I'd insist that, next time, that's how I'd do it.

I finally took myself up on the offer this weekend.

A friend and I headed over to the unassuming Maine Audubon building on Pine Point Road in Scarborough. Folks can rent canoes and kayaks here by the hour or take advantage of a guided tour (which includes an introduction to edible plants. Eat foliage, impress your friends!)

After a quick run-through on the guidelines and the marsh map, two friendly Audubon fellows put our canoe in the water and helped us board without a tragic capsizing.

The tide was low, the sun was high and we wore our PFDs with pride.

It was tough paddling at first, with the incoming tide working to our disadvantage. Our canoe seemed to turn like a frightened horse itching to get back to the barn. But we weren't all too bothered by our zig-zagging course - the marsh shouldn't be plowed through anyhow.

There are birds aplenty here, most of which seemed unbothered by our presence or our calls of, "Look! A bird!...Oh, over there! Another bird!"

At one point we pulled onto a small sand bar - and I made sure to bring the boat well onto the sand to prevent a marsh stranding. A few minutes of bad photography and snail finding and I caught a movement in my peripheral vision.

A snowy egret coming to inspect? A mummichog beaching itself to sun? No, it was the canoe, intending to ditch us. My flipflops were in cahoots, but played dumb upon questioning.

Back in the boat, we headed through the tunnel under Route 9. Man-made though it may be, it's still a nifty feature of the marsh. Eerie and echoey.

If your canoe goes sideways near the end - and sails headlong into the rounded side - snap a photo.

Of course, what's a marsh without some mud? And deep this stuff is. So I learned when I stepped out of the boat in an effort to snag a nearly buried glass bottle. My feet sank a good six inches into the warm muck. Gross? Hardly. People pay big money for mud treatments. And my feet have never been softer.

I can't say that any of the excursion was ugly.

Though the attempt to paddle back through the tunnel with a hearty tide working against us was...well...not a pretty site for the folks fishing there. We had to portage our canoe across Pine Point Road (so, so embarrassing. Even worse, my camera battery died so I couldn't photograph the ridiculousness).

Scarborough Marsh isn't a bad way to spend an afternoon. In fact, I'd say it's down right marvelous. Next time, though, I'll pay more attention to the tides.

Canoes and kayak rentals are available 9:30 am-4 pm daily. $13 an hour or $50 for half day. Or take a guided tour 10-11:30 am daily (additional Sunday tour 1-2:30 pm) for $11 per adult/$9 per child.

All the details on the Maine Audubon's Scarborough Marsh website