We are paddling under the gaze of Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton this month with a two-hour circumnavigation of Woods Pond. This narrow, 2-mile long pond features a lovely public park at its southern end, with a sandy beach offering views up the pond to the distant mountains of Evans Notch some 30 miles to the northwest.

Not by brilliant planning, but by sheer luck we hit a rare 70-degree October day with mirror calm waters offering fantastic reflections along the eastern shoreline. Falling leaves dotted the water, looking like miniature Viking longships in search of new lands. Mallards scooted out into the deeper waters as we approached. Blue jay and chickadee calls cut through the cool shadows created by groves of tall white pines. A couple of large bass broke the surface behind us to snatch a bug, increasing our heart rates as they did.

While not a pure wilderness experience with a number of homes dotting the shoreline, the fall is a peaceful and rejuvenating time to explore the pond. The distant sounds of hammers coming from cottages being readied for winter reminded us to enjoy this dazzling day because winter was on the horizon.

The water was extra calm during a paddle of Woods Pond in Bridgton, setting the scene for just about everything on the shoreline to provide a brilliant reflection. Christine Wolfe photo

The longest undeveloped stretches are found along the eastern shoreline. Halfway up the pond you will pass the campus of Camp Wildwood. This premier boys’ summer camp, founded in 1953, offers lodging right at water’s edge, each day awakening to silky sunrises and ending each day with dazzling sunsets.

The eastern shoreline also offers emerging views of Pleasant Mountain to the west as you work your way up the pond. By the time you near the northern end of the pond you will be able to see the entire 4-mile spine of the mountain, with the tops of the Pleasant Mountain ski lift towers and a few ski trails visible at the northern end of the ridge. Many of you elder Deering and Portland High graduates will remember after-school skiing at Pleasant Mountain with the merciless rope tow ripping your woolen mittens right off your hands. We love this quote from the original land owner, Harry Douglas, taken from the ski area website; “You can ski, but please put the fences back up for my cows in the spring.” Opened in 1938, Pleasant Mountain was Maine’s first major ski area.

If you get a calm day you will be rewarded with a variety of artistic reflections along the eastern shoreline. You can let your imagination run wild. It is the aquatic equivalent of creating animals out of puffy cloud formations. Some reflections looked like giant insects, others like fish skeletons, and a few heart shapes added a romantic touch to the outing.

Boulders reflect along the eastern shoreline of Woods Pond in Bridgton. Christine Wolfe photo

The water near the shoreline absorbed the full spectrum of brilliant autumn colors cast outward from the shoreside birch, maple, oak, and beech trees. We would slowly drift into a brilliant patch of colors, trying carefully not to create any wake from the paddle and boat in order to get the perfect photograph. No matter how careful we were there was always a slight bit of water movement a few seconds after we picked up the camera. We took our photos as quickly as we could.

While there are plenty of trees carpeting the shoreside slopes, Woods Pond is named in tribute to the area’s first surveyor, Solomon Woods. In 1766 Woods traveled north from Boxford, Massachusetts to measure and mark 250 lots of 100 acres for land speculator Moody Bridges to sell. Eventually, the new town would honor the speculator’s name; Bridgton.

The launch site for Woods Pond in Bridgton is on south end shore. Christine Wolfe photo

Consult the DeLorme Maine Atlas & Gazetteer (map No. 4) for help in getting to the boat launch at the southern end of the pond via Route 117. Launch from the sandy beach adjacent to the parking lot. We spent a half hour after our paddle sitting on the beach gazing out over the pond. Although the noontime sun is lower now, it still packed a delicious wallop of warmth. It was hard to leave. A great big thank you to the original benefactors who gave two parcels of land to the town to create this park for future generations: Cornella Furbish in 1931 and the family of Thatcher Merrill in 1935.

Michael Perry is the former director of the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools, and founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in inspiring outdoor slide programs for civic groups, businesses, and schools. Contact: michaelj_perry@comcast.net