Three buses rumbled away from Rockport and Rockland just after 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, their destination, Washington, D.C. Filled mostly with Midcoast women, along with a sprinkling of men, and one service dog, they were to join 12 more like-minded buses from Portland, two from Mount Desert Island, one from Lewiston-Auburn, one from Pittsfield, one from Augusta, and one from Bangor, all heading south on I-95 to to the nation’s capitol.

The women were mostly quiet as the boarded the buses, pillows in hand, homemade signs tucked overhead, their water bottles and bags of snacks stashed by their seats. The buses were not plush, and the women were resigned to traveling overnight, anticipating arriving in D.C. by 6 a.m. to spend the day marching with hundreds of thousands of others from all over the country.

By 4 p.m., they were to return to their buses to travel home, arriving back in the Midcoast by early Sunday morning. A whirlwind trip that was organized by volunteers working within a loosely-knit framework that grew spontaneously on Facebook after the November presidential election.

But they were resolved to go. Some intended to protest ideologies of the new presidential administration, others to raise their voices and signs for a variety of causes — human rights, civil rights, the environment — and for values such as inclusivity, tolerance, unity and kindness.

Their reasons are as varied as who they are. An emergency room doctor from Rockport, small business owners from Belfast and Rockland, a nurse from Camden, a Lincolnville teacher, Rockland writer, a magazine editor, conference organizer, and a retired 69 year-old from Bristol, a veteran of the ‘60s who was once an active member of the Students for a Democratic Society and a strong antiwar demonstrator. She was wondering if she really had the strength to make another D.C. march.

“But it’s human rights this time,” said Daphne Stern, speaking with conviction over the phone, a day prior to leaving. Two television news stations (CNN and MSNBC) were rocking in the background, through her rural Maine home. She was a newshound, she admitted, and she was keeping a watch on the world.

“It’s not just women’s rights,” she said. “The Constitution is seemingly in jeopardy, and this is the first time in my life I have felt this way about the Constitution. I’m retired, on Medicare and Social Security. There’s no end to the issues.”

For Amy Grant, of Belfast, the march is the opportunity to object to the growing tenor of violence in the country. She worries that rhetoric raised during the presidential campaign has empowered people to be less civil toward each other, and more confrontational.

She was eating dinner in a Belfast bar one night last March when two drunk men provoked and grabbed a female waitress, then turned on her husband, questioning his politics.

“They came to door, grabbed my husband’s hand, started shaking it, and wouldn’t let go,” she said. “They demanded of him, ‘who are you voting for? Are you voting for Trump?’”

That uncivil behavior must be met head-on, she said.

“I don’t feel good about this whole thing,” she said. “There is anxiety and I feel a need to be with 100,000 other people feeling the same.”

Statewide organizers estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 Maine residents would be participating in the Women’s March on Washington.

And while on the highway south, more buses from New England states would be joining the Maine contingent. At least 3,000 Rhode Island residents, and 60,000 from Massachusetts, said Maine march organizers.

The Women’s March on Washington is anticipated to draw marchers anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 to even more from across the country.

“Washington police are estimating up to 500,000,” said Genevieve Morgan, one of the state’s principal organizers. 

While many are on the buses, others were driving their own cars to D.C., or flying. One traveler reported from D.C. Friday night that she flew on a plane out of Portland, “which was full of women in pink hats.” 

Those heading for D.C., or any of the sister marches in Boston, Portland or Augusta — or San Francisco, Reno, Corpus Christi, Antarctica, New Zealand or even Vinalhaven, may count in the millions, the website of the women’s march estimates.

There are 673 sister marches scheduled across the globe, according to the latest count. 

“Join Maine women and men as we March on Washington this January 21st, 2017,” said the Facebook page of the Maine March. “Unite with like-minded activists from across our country to send a strong message to our government that, together, we will stand for the rights of all citizens.”

The website of the Maine march says: “We march in solidarity with our partners and children FOR women’s rights and civil rights. We march FOR the health and safety of our families and our planet. We march in support of the vibrant and diverse communities that are the strength of our country.”

Morgan is a writer who lives in Portland, and she fell into the role of organizer by chance last November, volunteering with a fledgling group who wanted to stand up for their own values in a tumultuous political landscape.

“I raised my hand on Nov. 9, not knowing how huge this is going to be,” she said, Jan. 19.

Morgan said her family is of Maine, Democrats and Republicans, who uphold ideals of conservative government and a progressive social contract. Her grandmother, Marion Fuller Brown, was a Republican state legislator from York, a supporter of the scenic highway act, and a co-sponsor of the bottle bill.

“This is a decency issue to me, and I decided to stand up,” said Morgan. “People have taken their protections for granted. Now they feel threatened, and they are getting out there.”

Those traveling to the march found a loose confederation with the Maine march Facebook page. People independently chartered their own buses — Mount Desert led the state in securing two buses in early November, followed by other communities.

They contracted with the buslines Rally or Skedaddle, which operate like Uber.

“It has been crazy tracking all of it,” said Sarah Gaba, of Portland, who has been doing just that, helping to coordinate the buses, and the meeting spot of the Maine contingent in D.C. She has watched the momentum build across the state since the first glimmer of the Washington march appeared on Facebook.

For Tracy Jalbuena, of Camden, the trip to D.C. would involve her whole family, her husband and two teenagers. She flew to D.C. Thursday, along with her children, while her husband drove there.

They went independently of any group, and went first to protest at the inauguration, and then to march on Jan. 21.

“The president-elect suggests policies that are noninclusive and not helpful to the most vulnerable,” she said. “Building a wall and have Mexico pay for it is not a good-faith way to negotiate. A lot of immigrant families will suffer. And it is a waste of resources.”

She planned to protest on inauguration day against misogyny and racism.

“On Saturday, I’m looking forward to a positive march for kindness and equality,” she said.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657