An Island Called Hurricane

One of my favorites places is an island in west Penobscot Bay off the coast of Maine called Hurricane. The island has a very unique history. In the 1800's the island was home to a very productive granite quarry operation and small village of people that lived and worked out there. Many buildings and monuments on the east coast have Hurricane Island granite in them. At sometime in the early 19th century the quarry industry and village died off and the island began to return to it's natural state. Enter the 1960's and the Outward Bound movement. Outward Bound schools were ramping up in locations across the country; namely Colorado and Minnesota. The idea for a sea school was hatched and Hurricane Island was a perfect location. This is how I came to know the island. From the 60's to the present day Outward Bound has been conducting programs on the island. My first experience out there was in the spring of 1998 and I been working there on and off since that time. As anyone that has ever spent time on the coast of Maine knows, the place is painfully beautiful. Most of the programs that I worked there involved sailing for five days or so and then arriving on the island for the rock climbing, ropes course and the solo experience. Most folks associate OB with mountain programs, however Hurricane is all about the sea, which made it very unique even within the OB system. One of the most powerful elements of an OB course is the solo experience. This is where students live by themselves in the wild for two to three days with minimal equipment. Solo's at Hurricane were very special, the island is surrounded by a chain of islands,rocks jutting out of the water mostly. Because of the availability of this natural resource, the students are typically given their own island for the solo which made for a very powerful transformational experience. I know of no other program that offers this to the students quite the same way that the hurricane program does! Sailing to and around the island is excellent as well. The last time I made the approach to the island we came in to Hurricane sound from Penobscot Bay and tacked our way up to the anchorage. It was a perfect late summer day, the breeze was 10-12 out of the south and the water was shining like diamonds in the afternoon sun. Very beautiful. Another lovely aspect of the island is a place called morning meeting rock. Morning meeting rock is a large slap of granite that slopes down towards the main pier area and looks out over Hurricane Sound towards Heron's Neck. Every morning at 0800 all the "watches" on the island (a watch is one boat-load of students, typically 10-12 people) would meet there for news of the day, readings, songs and poems. It was always a special time of the day that evoked inspiration, reflection and positive thoughts. If there was ever a sacred place on this Earth; then morning meeting rock would be it! This I know and have relayed to my students many times. Most veteran OB instructors sooner or later have what we consider to be a "masterpiece" course. This is typically a course when the students and the instructors come into an alignment with the goals and outcomes of the program and the true OB magic happens. Students are challenged and truly optimize the growth and experiences of the course. In August of 2001 I lead a two week sailing program that I have always considered to be one of by masterpiece courses. My students were a group of bright young people who really took advantage of the opportunity laid out before them. It was very powerful and I have vivid and fond memories of that time. I remember many of my students and fellow instructors that I sailed and adventured with out there and think of them often. Although I do not get out to the island much anymore nor work for OB much these days the island is often in my thoughts. That place is etched in my conscience and brings my piece of mind to know that it is out there and that people still get to have the Hurricane Island experience. If any of the readers of this blog have ever been to Hurricane, especially if you were a fellow instructor or one of my former students, please drop me a line as I would love to hear from you.