By Samantha Silverman
There’s no better way to spend a Sunday in Maine than on the water — and no worse feeling than paddling a heavy kayak. Luckily, there are ways to do both.
Let the local adventure begin. We set out early from East End Beach with a full-day rental from Portland Paddle (Good To-Go is a proud sponsor of their summer East End Race Series). Our goal: to visit as many islands and Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) sites as possible in one day and stay fueled from breakfast to dinner.
Casco Bay, with its 200 islands and countless MITA stops, offers the perfect balance of history, community, and adventure. With a high of 80℉ and light winds, our crew loaded gear into our boats and paddled out onto the calm water.
Fueling a Day on the Water
Packing for a long day paddle is deceptively tricky. Multi-day paddles and thru-hikes come with a set routine — gear lists perfected and hot camp food ready to boil (a double-serving Thai Curry being my go-to). But day-long expeditions are often overlooked, resigned to power bars and PB&Js. As the saying goes, food is fuel, and a tired paddle or hike home is a dangerous one.
Sometimes you want the comfort of a hot meal, but other times — especially on the trail or mid-road trip — it’s nice to skip the stove. That’s where Good To-Go’s Stove-Free™ meals come in for me. Designed for summer heat and long days, these stoveless meals rehydrate with cool water: no stove, less weight. Packed with real ingredients, they sacrifice neither nutrition nor convenience.
On this trip, the Peanut Chicken Salad carried me through. At just over 3 ounces, it delivers 29 grams of protein, 420 calories, and big flavor: white-meat chicken, roasted peanuts, crisp cabbage, carrots, and a tangy peanut sauce. This cold soak meal is a far cry from dry bars and trail mix. More on this later.
Island Hopping, History, and Hearty Snacks
One of life’s simple pleasures is being a tourist in your own city. When your home is Maine, it couldn’t be easier.
We kicked off our morning by paddling out toward Halfway Rock, a small rock island only 20–30 minutes from Portland that’s home to a lively group of harbor seals if you paddle out early enough. You can clearly spot them lounging on the rocks — which truly never gets old.
Next, we paddled across the channel, heading around Great Diamond Island to reach Diamond Cove, our first beach stop, not before scoping out Cow Island, a 26-acre island owned by the Casco Bay nonprofit Rippleffect, which leads experiential and wilderness adventure programs for teens and their families.
Great Diamond Island has such a rich history: originally farmland, then a literary retreat for luminaries like Longfellow and Stowe, it became home to Fort McKinley — a coastal defense fort built between 1891 and 1907 for the Spanish-American War. The fort remained active through WWII and was later transformed into the gated, historic summer residential community of Diamond Cove.
After our first stop at Diamond Cove, we enjoyed a Good To-Go Granola, packed with 17g of protein. Opting for the stove-free route (this meal can also be enjoyed hot!) by adding less than a half cup of water, this snack is just as easy as your standard grocery-store granola — with more calories, more iron, and more protein to fuel a day like this.
Part of the Stove-Free Weekender Pack, the Granola is a perfect reminder that filler foods of simple carbs just don’t cut it when it comes to long days on the water or trail.
Refreshed, we crossed the intense currents of Hussey Sound to College Island, a treeless islet with more WWII history and beautiful views of Long Island. From there, we paddled the perimeter of the year-round residential Peaks Island, where we broke for lunch on a public beach.
At this point, I was exhausted. After a quick dip in the ocean, I hastily opened my Good To-Go Peanut Chicken Salad (it was a tough decision not to opt for the Cucumber Chaat Salad, but I decided to mix it up). With how little water these Stove-Free backpacking meals require, we still had plenty of drinking water to spare late into the afternoon.
After waiting only 12 minutes, I enjoyed a crunchy, refreshing mix of real chicken, peanuts, cabbage, and veggies in a bright Thai peanut sauce — with an ocean view. With 29 grams of protein and over 400 calories, it feels less like trail food and more like a proper meal.
The Paddle Home
By late afternoon, it was time for our final crossing, paddling around Little Diamond Island’s beaches and past Fort Gorges. The crossing was difficult due to boat traffic and Casco Bay ferries, but I notably did not feel that end-of-day crash that comes with your typical grocery-store bars.
But as the sun began sinking lower and we paddled home, we soaked it all in: the seals, the history, the (abundance of) fuel, and the accessible beauty of Casco Bay.
Why I Go Stove-Free
Stove-Free™ meals aren’t just for paddling; they’re for road trips, thru-hikes, busy workdays, and anywhere you need real nutrition without the hassle. Portable and lightweight with bold flavors, no-cook backpacking meals make it easier to do more without sacrificing good food.
Learn more about Maine Island Trail Association here.
Pick up your Stove-Free Weekender here.
Good To-Go creates real food for real adventure. Based in Kittery, Maine, we handcraft dehydrated meals using clean ingredients and bold flavors, designed to fuel everything from backcountry expeditions to busy days at home. Whether hot or Stove-Free™, Good To-Go makes it easier to eat well — wherever the trail takes you.
