What Is This Giant Orange Blob Next To A Pristine Maine Lake?
If you've ever taken a trip to the small town of Milo in northern Maine, chances are you've visited one of the scenic lakes in the area. One of those gorgeous lakes is Schoodic Lake, a popular destination for visitors. But if you're a first-time visitor, there's always one thing that blatantly sticks out when visiting Schoodic Lake...what is that giant orange-ish thing lakeside?
This aerial shot was shared on Reddit by Chadman. First off, it's not a beach even though in person, it certainly resembles one. It's actually one incredibly large pile of sawdust. Believe it or not. As the story goes, there was a portable saw mill that popped up alongside Schoodic Lake during the 20's and 30's that was cutting and processing white birch. When the portable mills shut down, the sawmill residue was left behind. Those piles are still there, and for a couple generations of people, have become commonplace for Schoodic Lake.
Can you walk on it? Sure. For people who have no idea what it is, the sawdust pile has been used as a pseudo-beach. You can clearly tell there's a difference when walking on it. There's a spongy texture to it. There won't be any songs written about the sawdust between our toes anytime soon.
Finally, why hasn't this just sawdust pile decomposed? The consensus answer seems to be that this pile is similar to when logs survive for centuries at the bottom of ponds and lakes. A lack of proper elements combining are forcing this sawdust pile to live on and on.
For the record, we believe this particular sawdust pile on Schoodic Lake is on private property, so be aware. There's also many other lakes in Maine in which these type of sawdust piles exist. Big business back in the 20's and 30's and today? Makeshift beaches.