Oct 13, 2011
Oct 12, 2011
Trip Summary/Resources
It's fall now. My Teva sandal tan lines are fading and I've fallen back into some of my old habits of staying up until midnight reading, working or being online. The daily simplicity of observing the weather, evaluating maps and paddling has been replaced by the usual commitments, schedules and deadlines.
Although I took 53 days, the route can certainly be traversed much faster. Even so, the trip passed by too fast. A sense of urgency pushed me along in order to stick to the itinerary. Yet traveling at the speed of a canoe still allowed me to move much more slowly through the varied environments as the miles flowed by.
If I were to do it all over again, I'd perhaps linger longer in Quebec or take the time to hike up Mt. Kineo. I'd know where to locate that elusive Mississquoi Bike Trail and exactly where to look for the Mud Pond Carry rock cairn on Umbazookus Lake.
I still don't know exactly why the NFCT captured my imagination back in March 2010. Surely the idea of being able to utilize the canoe and camp for a trip lasting more than several days was appealing. And I loved the chance of being able to spend more time in a part of the country I've only passed through. Ultimately I was probably motivated by the idea of a physical challenge doing something I love and having the time and resources to be able to do it. I didn't feel compelled to set any records or eschew accepting rides. I spent time with friends and family in the outdoors and I experienced the kindness of strangers.
My trip was unusual in that I had to coordinate six people. And I had the occasional access to a vehicle that allowed me to regularly restock and avoid some portages that followed roads. I know there are purists (definition please?) out there, but I honestly don't know (or care) why following the trail that actually uses a road as the connecting segment makes any difference what means is used.
But to accurately reflect my experience, keeping in mind that the conditions were unique to the time I traveled, I present my trip synopsis.
Wherever the trail takes you, may you enjoy many miles of happy paddling!
Katina Daanen
October 12, 2011
Trip Summary
Skipped Sections/Total Mileage
Map 3: 9 Miles
Between Union Falls Dam and Claysburg, NY
Reason: Avoided Class III-IV Tefte Pond Falls with limited or no portaging options besides walking the same 9 mile stretch.
Maps 4: 11 Miles
Lake Champlain crossing from Plattsburg to N. Hero Island, Lake Champlain, VT
Reason: Car had been shuttled to Plattsburg where we were intending to head to Burlington, VT to pick up Beckie (leg 2); getting the hole in the canoe repaired put us behind a day and so we started from N. Hero Island rather that return to Plattsburg in order to continue on schedule. In hindsight, we had great conditions and, at the completion of Beckie's leg, we ended up being ahead of schedule, something we couldn't foresee on that first day.
Map 5: 7 Miles
Richford to East Richford, VT
Two reasons: 1) Water levels were very low with the promise of more gravel bars until the border. I felt like I had pushed Beckie enough going upstream and 2) We had connected with Russ, who was able to spend a particular morning paddling into Quebec with us and could pick us up in Richford.
Map 5: 7.5 Miles
Mansonville to Perkins Landing, Quebec
Reason: Took the Canoe & Co. Shuttle over the Grand Portage and was picked up at our campsite at Sectuer Nautique. Includes the 5.6 mile portage.
Map 6: 10.5 Miles
Newport to West Charleston, VT
Reason: Always intended to avoid the Clyde River Class II-III rapids near Derby Center, but missed more because Beckie and I utilized Clyde River Recreation for our shuttle when we took it to Island Pond and paddled DOWNSTREAM on the Clyde to West Charleston where the outfitter was located. We were able to leave the canoe and some of the gear overnight in West Charleston and got a ride back to our motel in Newport. Includes two portages (1+ miles total) around the dams.
Map 6: 18 Miles
Nulhegan River from Island Pond to North Stratford
Reason: Nulhegan was unnavigatible after Wenlock Crossing after consulting several sources including the Northwoods Stewardship Center. Had to utilize a single ride offer out of Island Pond that we begged for and thereby missed the opportunity to paddle the deeper section. Includes a 3.3 mile wheelable portage along highway 105.
Map 7: 7.3 Miles
West Milan to Great Northern Moose Lodge (lower section of Thirteen MileWoods)
Reason: Had taken a shuttle to Errol in order to paddle the Androscoggin downstream. Had reservations at the Great Northern Moose Lodge as a rendezvous point and Linda's sons picked us up at the closest take-out section to the lodge. Includes 3.8 miles of the wheelable portage along Hwy 110A between West Milan and the Pontook Reservoir.
Map 9: 23.5 Miles
South Branch of the Dead River: Rangeley to Stratton, ME
Reason: It was dead. Includes 4.5 wheelable Dallas Carry along Hwy 16.
Total portage miles missed: 18.5
Total paddling missed: 75.5
Total: 94 Miles
Regrets:
Missing the Lake Champlain crossing, the Nulhegan (especially the Silvio O. Conte NFWR), and paddling the full length of the Androsoggin.
No Regrets:
Avoiding the Tefte Pond Falls, taking a shuttle over the Grand Portage, not attempting to paddle a very bony, dry S. Br. of the Dead River and wheeling any portage along a highway.
- - - - - - - - -
Shuttles
St. Regis, Saranac Lake
1) Transported our car from Old Forge to Saranac Lake and on to Plattsburg, NY
2) Once in Saranac Lake, we determined they could shuttle us around Tefte Falls: We used our car to drive to Franklin Falls Pond, where we left it at the boat launch. They picked it up and then us at Union Falls Pond taking us past Tefte Falls and dropping us off at Clayburg to pick up the Saranac River which took us the rest of the way to Plattsburg.
Canoe & Co, Glen Sutton, Quebec
Grand Portage shuttle. Made a late decision to get the shuttle and was able to call from a phone booth in Mansonville (50 cent Canadian coins), arranging to be picked up the next morning from our campsite.
Clyde River Recreation, West Charleston, VT
1) Picked Beckie and I up in Newport and dropped us off in Island Pond to paddle the Clyde downstream.
2) Two days later, repeated--bringing Linda and I to Island Pond to continue heading east on the trail.
Island Pond (begging)
From Island Pond to North Stratford
A reliable shuttle resource/contact would be helpful out of Island Pond when the water levels of the Nulhegan are less reliable.
Gordy's General Store, West Milan, NH
We used them to pick us up from Stark to paddle the Upper Ammonoosuc back downstream. They also would have taken us up to Errol. (Instead we got a ride from a neighbor of the Stark Inn B & B to Errol. Another shuttle source for taking the Androscoggin downstream is Northwoods Rafting out of Milan, NH.)
Stratton Motel, Stratton, ME
1) Joyce and I drove my car to Stratton, where we left it at the Maine Roadhouse. Susan shuttled us back to Errol where we picked up the trail again heading toward Rangeley/Stratton.
2) Also utlized the services to have Kay picked up at the Bangor airport.
Ectopelagicon, Rangeley, ME
Instead of waiting for a ride from the Stratton shuttle back to our car sitting at the Maine Roadhouse, we got a ride to the car from Ectopicon, who also provides rides for paddlers and AT hikers.
Other resources for holding the car:
Quality Inn, Burlington, VT (Sleep, Fly, Park)
Sam stayed here when he flew back to Wisconsin and we left the car here for several weeks until Joyce flew in and picked it up.
Bangor Airport, ME
Longterm parking. Car was left here for 12 days.
Approximate cost for shuttles: $1100
- - - - - - - - - - -
Lodging
Total nights camping: 34
Total nights lodging: 20
(11 were breaks we took on the trail; 9* were part of the paddler rendezvous or swap overlaps or began/end of the trip.)
*The Forge Motel, Old Forge, NY
Fogarty's B & B, Saranac Lake NY (2 nights)
* Quality Inn, Burlington, VT (2 nights)
* Holiday Harbor Lodge, North Hero Island
Somerset Inn, Enosburg Falls, VT
Gray Gables Mansion B & B, Richford, VT
*Newport City Motel, Newport, VT
* The Lakefront Inn & Motel, Island Pond, VT
Stark Inn B & B, Stark, NH (2 nights)
*Great Northern Moose Lodge, Dummer, NH
Maine Roadhouse Hostel, Stratton, ME (3 nights)
Flagstaff Lake Hut
Grand Falls Hut
Rockwood Cabins, Rockwood, ME
* Sally Mountain Cabins, Jackman, ME
*Northern Door Inn, Fort Kent, ME
Although I took 53 days, the route can certainly be traversed much faster. Even so, the trip passed by too fast. A sense of urgency pushed me along in order to stick to the itinerary. Yet traveling at the speed of a canoe still allowed me to move much more slowly through the varied environments as the miles flowed by.
I still don't know exactly why the NFCT captured my imagination back in March 2010. Surely the idea of being able to utilize the canoe and camp for a trip lasting more than several days was appealing. And I loved the chance of being able to spend more time in a part of the country I've only passed through. Ultimately I was probably motivated by the idea of a physical challenge doing something I love and having the time and resources to be able to do it. I didn't feel compelled to set any records or eschew accepting rides. I spent time with friends and family in the outdoors and I experienced the kindness of strangers.
My trip was unusual in that I had to coordinate six people. And I had the occasional access to a vehicle that allowed me to regularly restock and avoid some portages that followed roads. I know there are purists (definition please?) out there, but I honestly don't know (or care) why following the trail that actually uses a road as the connecting segment makes any difference what means is used.
But to accurately reflect my experience, keeping in mind that the conditions were unique to the time I traveled, I present my trip synopsis.
Wherever the trail takes you, may you enjoy many miles of happy paddling!
Katina Daanen
October 12, 2011
- - - - - - - - -
Trip Summary
Skipped Sections/Total Mileage
Map 3: 9 Miles
Between Union Falls Dam and Claysburg, NY
Reason: Avoided Class III-IV Tefte Pond Falls with limited or no portaging options besides walking the same 9 mile stretch.
Maps 4: 11 Miles
Lake Champlain crossing from Plattsburg to N. Hero Island, Lake Champlain, VT
Reason: Car had been shuttled to Plattsburg where we were intending to head to Burlington, VT to pick up Beckie (leg 2); getting the hole in the canoe repaired put us behind a day and so we started from N. Hero Island rather that return to Plattsburg in order to continue on schedule. In hindsight, we had great conditions and, at the completion of Beckie's leg, we ended up being ahead of schedule, something we couldn't foresee on that first day.
Map 5: 7 Miles
Richford to East Richford, VT
Two reasons: 1) Water levels were very low with the promise of more gravel bars until the border. I felt like I had pushed Beckie enough going upstream and 2) We had connected with Russ, who was able to spend a particular morning paddling into Quebec with us and could pick us up in Richford.
Map 5: 7.5 Miles
Mansonville to Perkins Landing, Quebec
Reason: Took the Canoe & Co. Shuttle over the Grand Portage and was picked up at our campsite at Sectuer Nautique. Includes the 5.6 mile portage.
Map 6: 10.5 Miles
Newport to West Charleston, VT
Reason: Always intended to avoid the Clyde River Class II-III rapids near Derby Center, but missed more because Beckie and I utilized Clyde River Recreation for our shuttle when we took it to Island Pond and paddled DOWNSTREAM on the Clyde to West Charleston where the outfitter was located. We were able to leave the canoe and some of the gear overnight in West Charleston and got a ride back to our motel in Newport. Includes two portages (1+ miles total) around the dams.
Map 6: 18 Miles
Nulhegan River from Island Pond to North Stratford
Reason: Nulhegan was unnavigatible after Wenlock Crossing after consulting several sources including the Northwoods Stewardship Center. Had to utilize a single ride offer out of Island Pond that we begged for and thereby missed the opportunity to paddle the deeper section. Includes a 3.3 mile wheelable portage along highway 105.
Map 7: 7.3 Miles
West Milan to Great Northern Moose Lodge (lower section of Thirteen MileWoods)
Reason: Had taken a shuttle to Errol in order to paddle the Androscoggin downstream. Had reservations at the Great Northern Moose Lodge as a rendezvous point and Linda's sons picked us up at the closest take-out section to the lodge. Includes 3.8 miles of the wheelable portage along Hwy 110A between West Milan and the Pontook Reservoir.
Map 9: 23.5 Miles
South Branch of the Dead River: Rangeley to Stratton, ME
Reason: It was dead. Includes 4.5 wheelable Dallas Carry along Hwy 16.
Total portage miles missed: 18.5
Total paddling missed: 75.5
Total: 94 Miles
Regrets:
Missing the Lake Champlain crossing, the Nulhegan (especially the Silvio O. Conte NFWR), and paddling the full length of the Androsoggin.
No Regrets:
Avoiding the Tefte Pond Falls, taking a shuttle over the Grand Portage, not attempting to paddle a very bony, dry S. Br. of the Dead River and wheeling any portage along a highway.
Gear Performance
Took a beating on the rockier rivers and punched a hole in it in Plattsburg on a ledge. Once fixed, it still performed well. After the initial damage, I still was leery of boney rivers. The 54# weight was light enough for easy carrying.
I picked these up at a rummage sale for $5. I think we have the model 260 which has the smaller, fatter tires and a low clearance, but worked well over roots and rocks. It was very sturdy. When the trails were really rough in places, we'd sometimes pick up the canoe with the strapped on wheels, (and without the gear bags) and lift it over the bigger boulders. I used two old Thule straps to hold it on to the canoe (which also helped when I got rides and needed to strap the canoe down.) I had no issues with my wheels, but I also missed 18.5 miles of portaging and I carried the canoe on a few portages that were technically wheelable. We also had little rain or mucky trails. The only thing I did was top off the air once in Errol.
Mountain Hard Wear Lightwedge 3 Tent
I bought this tent new in 2010. It wasn't lightweight, but I like extra space. It worked out great (easy to set up and we stayed 100% dry even in downpours), until one of the aluminum poles snapped after 23 days on the trail. This model is no longer available.
Physical Preparation
Beginning at least 15 months before I left, I upped my yoga classes from twice a week to three to five times a week, continued participating in my usual two to three weekly YMCA circuit classes and added swimming 50 to 80 laps once or twice a week beginning in January. The first few days of the trip were still tough, which was the case for each of the paddlers who subsequently met up with me as well. When I weighed myself on the same YMCA scale two weeks after the trip was over, I had lost 11 pounds.
- - - - - - - - -
Resources
Shuttles
St. Regis, Saranac Lake
1) Transported our car from Old Forge to Saranac Lake and on to Plattsburg, NY
2) Once in Saranac Lake, we determined they could shuttle us around Tefte Falls: We used our car to drive to Franklin Falls Pond, where we left it at the boat launch. They picked it up and then us at Union Falls Pond taking us past Tefte Falls and dropping us off at Clayburg to pick up the Saranac River which took us the rest of the way to Plattsburg.
Canoe & Co, Glen Sutton, Quebec
Grand Portage shuttle. Made a late decision to get the shuttle and was able to call from a phone booth in Mansonville (50 cent Canadian coins), arranging to be picked up the next morning from our campsite.
Clyde River Recreation, West Charleston, VT
1) Picked Beckie and I up in Newport and dropped us off in Island Pond to paddle the Clyde downstream.
2) Two days later, repeated--bringing Linda and I to Island Pond to continue heading east on the trail.
Island Pond (begging)
From Island Pond to North Stratford
A reliable shuttle resource/contact would be helpful out of Island Pond when the water levels of the Nulhegan are less reliable.
Gordy's General Store, West Milan, NH
We used them to pick us up from Stark to paddle the Upper Ammonoosuc back downstream. They also would have taken us up to Errol. (Instead we got a ride from a neighbor of the Stark Inn B & B to Errol. Another shuttle source for taking the Androscoggin downstream is Northwoods Rafting out of Milan, NH.)
Stratton Motel, Stratton, ME
1) Joyce and I drove my car to Stratton, where we left it at the Maine Roadhouse. Susan shuttled us back to Errol where we picked up the trail again heading toward Rangeley/Stratton.
2) Also utlized the services to have Kay picked up at the Bangor airport.
Ectopelagicon, Rangeley, ME
Instead of waiting for a ride from the Stratton shuttle back to our car sitting at the Maine Roadhouse, we got a ride to the car from Ectopicon, who also provides rides for paddlers and AT hikers.
Other resources for holding the car:
Quality Inn, Burlington, VT (Sleep, Fly, Park)
Sam stayed here when he flew back to Wisconsin and we left the car here for several weeks until Joyce flew in and picked it up.
Bangor Airport, ME
Longterm parking. Car was left here for 12 days.
Approximate cost for shuttles: $1100
- - - - - - - - - - -
Lodging
Total nights camping: 34
Total nights lodging: 20
(11 were breaks we took on the trail; 9* were part of the paddler rendezvous or swap overlaps or began/end of the trip.)
Lodging costs ranged from $50 – $90 per night (for two). Grand Falls Hut charged us significantly less because we didn't eat there. Only a bed charge.)
*The Forge Motel, Old Forge, NY
Fogarty's B & B, Saranac Lake NY (2 nights)
* Quality Inn, Burlington, VT (2 nights)
* Holiday Harbor Lodge, North Hero Island
Somerset Inn, Enosburg Falls, VT
Gray Gables Mansion B & B, Richford, VT
*Newport City Motel, Newport, VT
* The Lakefront Inn & Motel, Island Pond, VT
Stark Inn B & B, Stark, NH (2 nights)
*Great Northern Moose Lodge, Dummer, NH
Maine Roadhouse Hostel, Stratton, ME (3 nights)
Flagstaff Lake Hut
Grand Falls Hut
Rockwood Cabins, Rockwood, ME
* Sally Mountain Cabins, Jackman, ME
*Northern Door Inn, Fort Kent, ME
Oct 11, 2011
NFCT Facebook Connections: Laurie and Team Moxie
One of the unexpected joys of my trip was crossing paths with other paddlers. In addition to leap-frogging with Pat and Jess for the first two weeks, the richness of my experience was deepened through meeting fellow paddlers Laurie Chandler and Team Moxie (Justine, T.K. and Moxie), folks with whom I initially connected with online via the NFCT Facebook's page. I was in touch with Justine very early on and we were elated to discover that we both were celebrating 50th birthdays in 2011. And that was just the start of some common bonds.
Laurie tracked me down, wondering who from Wisconsin had made a small contribution to her Paddle for Hope, something which I also learned about on the NFCT Facebook page. (Congratulations Laurie on surpassing your goal!)
Through the NFCT's Facebook page, I also found contacts and received great advice from Chris Gill and Kalmia Augustafolia. Thank you!
Before leaving Maine, I was able to meet both Laurie and Team Moxie in person. Even as I write this six weeks later, I still get goose-bumps thinking of these fortunate encounters. As Justine told me when we compared our individual excursions; "You were with us on our trip." And the same is so true for me too.
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| Messages from both Laurie and Team Moxie left (and found) for me at Hurricane Island on Flagstaff Lake. |
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| Laurie and I look over photos and compare notes |
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| Team Moxie (including Moxie) with Sam and I |
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| Sistas! |
Day 53, Aug. 25: End of the Trail
Mileage: 17
Weather: Overcast, threatening showers
Wildlife: A murder of crows, a gaggle of geese, a cast of eagles, a hedge of heron and a brace of ducks
Ate a leisurely breakfast under the sunshine as we watched the clouds move in. Walked back up to the Pelletier office where we had a nice chat with the owner, who told us about Hurricane Irene (who knew?!), and paid our camping fees. Headed back on the water for our last day with mixed emotions. Its just about over. I'm ready to get back to my "real" world. I can't wait to see Sam. I want to keep going.
Texted Sam, who is flying in to Bangor today, picking up the car and then us, as we paddle toward Ft. Kent.
Skies look threatening, so we don the rain gear. I ended up mostly portaging the rain gear these past 52 days, but if that kept the rain away, I'm fine with it. Stopped at Savage Island near Wheelock before taking a break to eat the last of the Power Bars and share a single bottle of Heiniken left over from yesterday's purchases at the general store. Food is once again on my mind as we longingly look over at the Canadian side of the St. John where surely there is a nice cafe or two just out of our reach.
Took our time paddling to Ft. Kent threading our way between Canada and the U.S. There were some nice ledges and rock formations along the St. John and the occasional small rips--it wasn't completely flat, but nothing like the rapids near the St. Francis Checkpoint area. Hwy 161 weaves in and out along the shore as we head northeast. We later found that the water was unseasonably high at 1900 cfs and we could coast over the gravel bars easily.
Arrived in Ft. Kent around 2 p.m. Talked to the grounds crew and took the requisite photos by the eastern terminus kiosk before pulling the canoe for one last, unofficial portage to the Northern Door Inn--a good mile (?) away from Riverside Park, back toward the International Bridge. We stopped to buy fresh tomatoes from a farmer's stand and ate them like apples. Sam texted back that he was on his way and would arrive around 4:30 p.m.
Kay and I checked into the motel where we both agreed, and were relieved, to get separate rooms. She claims she could hear me shriek all the way from the lobby when Sam arrived. (Not true. I was on the phone talking to my parents.)
With the car once again at our disposal, we took a drive along Hwy 161 seeing the river from above before heading to the Lakeview Restaurant near St. Agatha for dinner.
Thanks Kay for signing up first and paddling the longest. After a quick visit to Acadia National Park, it's back to Wisconsin.
I had a very good summer.
Weather: Overcast, threatening showers
Wildlife: A murder of crows, a gaggle of geese, a cast of eagles, a hedge of heron and a brace of ducks
Ate a leisurely breakfast under the sunshine as we watched the clouds move in. Walked back up to the Pelletier office where we had a nice chat with the owner, who told us about Hurricane Irene (who knew?!), and paid our camping fees. Headed back on the water for our last day with mixed emotions. Its just about over. I'm ready to get back to my "real" world. I can't wait to see Sam. I want to keep going.
Texted Sam, who is flying in to Bangor today, picking up the car and then us, as we paddle toward Ft. Kent.
Skies look threatening, so we don the rain gear. I ended up mostly portaging the rain gear these past 52 days, but if that kept the rain away, I'm fine with it. Stopped at Savage Island near Wheelock before taking a break to eat the last of the Power Bars and share a single bottle of Heiniken left over from yesterday's purchases at the general store. Food is once again on my mind as we longingly look over at the Canadian side of the St. John where surely there is a nice cafe or two just out of our reach.
Took our time paddling to Ft. Kent threading our way between Canada and the U.S. There were some nice ledges and rock formations along the St. John and the occasional small rips--it wasn't completely flat, but nothing like the rapids near the St. Francis Checkpoint area. Hwy 161 weaves in and out along the shore as we head northeast. We later found that the water was unseasonably high at 1900 cfs and we could coast over the gravel bars easily.
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| Last day on the trail. Paddling on the St. John in sight of Ft. Kent. |
Arrived in Ft. Kent around 2 p.m. Talked to the grounds crew and took the requisite photos by the eastern terminus kiosk before pulling the canoe for one last, unofficial portage to the Northern Door Inn--a good mile (?) away from Riverside Park, back toward the International Bridge. We stopped to buy fresh tomatoes from a farmer's stand and ate them like apples. Sam texted back that he was on his way and would arrive around 4:30 p.m.
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| Eastern Terminus |
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| Kay's paddling achievement: 180 miles. |
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| Leg 6 (Kay), Leg 1 (Sam) and I at the end of the trail. |
Kay and I checked into the motel where we both agreed, and were relieved, to get separate rooms. She claims she could hear me shriek all the way from the lobby when Sam arrived. (Not true. I was on the phone talking to my parents.)
With the car once again at our disposal, we took a drive along Hwy 161 seeing the river from above before heading to the Lakeview Restaurant near St. Agatha for dinner.
Thanks Kay for signing up first and paddling the longest. After a quick visit to Acadia National Park, it's back to Wisconsin.
I had a very good summer.
Oct 1, 2011
Day 52, Aug. 24: Bass Brook to Pelletier's Campground on the St. John River
Kay wins the longest distance in one day award.
Weather: Sunny, warm, 70s
Wildlife: Deer, eagle, mergansers
Portages: 1 - around Allagash Falls; carried -- non-wheelable for all, but a short portion on a boardwalk
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| The guidebook mislabels this sign/portage as the Northeast Carry, but this is the take-out around Allagash Falls-- last portage of the trail--and not easily wheelable. |
Got up early in order to get in as many miles as possible, but more importantly to hit the Two Rivers Diner in Allagash Village before its 3 p.m. closing time. Made it to the Michaud Ranger Station by 8 a.m. to check out and talked to Ranger Trevor. His uncle owns the diner. Trevor said we'd have no problem paddling the remaining 15 miles to Allagash Village before 3.
Back on the river, we continued to negotiate Class I and II rapids. The water levels were a bit lower today, but still enough to have some fun and not bang into too many hippos. Finished portaging around Allagash Falls by 9:30. The falls are huge. Lots of boiling whitewater. I can't even imagine what Hurricane Irene turned them into. The NFCT Trail Update is telling paddlers to take out at Michaud Farm, 3.5 miles upstream of the falls.
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| Allagash Falls - 5 days before Hurricane Irene hit |
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| Looking downstream |
Kay's back has continued to give her some issues, so we made a Tylenol/Ben Gay/stretch stop and I went for a quick swim at one of the west shore campsites. I started planning what I would order first when we get to the diner. Pie. With ice-cream.
Cruised past the Eliza Hole and Casey Rapids (still am worried whenever I see a rapids name and am still wondering about the Chase Rapids.) Pulled up to the gravelly beach that leads up to the road and across the street to the diner. We made it by 1:30 p.m. Unfortunately, there was neither pie nor ice-cream, but there was a pie-like dessert, which I did get first, with orange juice. Then a salad, followed by a deluxe cheeseburger, fries and finally a cup of chicken-vegie soup. Eaten in this order.
Considered camping at a NFCT site there in Allagash. We didn't notice the one by Casey Rapids, but the other just past the bridge was open, but seemingly not too scenic. It was near a road and there was an outhouse at the top of the hill in the wide open. It still was early enough, so we headed to Chamberlain next, which...we didn't find, although we had already started discussing going as far as we could before stopping. It was still early enough, the weather favorable, and we didn't look real hard, but nothing resembled any kind of campsite. We later heard that the campsite may not exist anymore.
We ran more rapids between Allagash Village and St. Francis, got stuck on one rock and banged into another accompanied by the sickening sound of fishing line being pulled out until it slows to a stop. But no new holes. Am starting to have fun and even look forward to seeing waves forming on the river. If only Linda could see me now. The Androscoggin? Piece of cake! This section of the Allagash is more open along the shores. We see evidence of an earlier flood--a battered canoed lodged halfway up a steep bank. Pieces of late model cars.
Two trucks honk at us while we're paddling along Hwy 161 and we think Ranger Trevor was one of them on his way home from work. Arrived at Pelletier's Campground around 5:30 p.m. It was private and I had thought it might have showers or a pool, like Baker's Acres. Kay and I have been camping for 8 nights straight now. Showers would be nice. But Pelletier's is very basic, and also inexpensive. It also was within walking distance of a general store, so we bought chips, salsa, ice-cream bars and beer for dinner. I also made us eat the last pudding. We have one "emergency" dinner of 5-grain soup left and a handful of power/granola bars besides some breakfast stuff. The food barrel is barren.
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| Last campsite of the trip at Pelletier's -- the tent pole stayed fixed! |
29 miles in 8 hours: 3.625 mph. And Kay was worried about being able to paddle more than 20 miles in one day...
Sep 30, 2011
Day 51, Aug. 23: Harvey Pond to Bass Brook on the Allagash
Mileage: 24 miles
Weather: Partly sunny, cooler--started off in shorts, but zipped the legs back on as the day wore on.
Wildlife: Great horned owls (heard last night), 1 moose, eagles, loons, including a possible first flight sighting for a juvenile
Portages: 1, short carry around Long Lake Dam
Had a leisurely breakfast watching what we think may have been a loon's first flight. Two loons were racing around and around the lake while a third one watched. After about 10 or 15 minutes of this, one of the racers finally takes off. The time of year is right for this year's chicks to be flying. It was either that or just a chase going on before one loon had enough and took off. Was nice morning entertainment regardless. Only a short distance later we came upon another family of loons, these with very small, month-old or younger chicks. Presumably a second try. We don't think these loons are going to make it in time to migrate.
Packed up and headed toward Long Lake Dam. We couldn't immediately see access on the right side where the portage is reported to be, but we could see the horizon line drop. The left seemed to have a obvious trail so we headed over there first to take a look. It didn't lead anywhere, but we now could see the right portage clearly. It's near the dam, but safe enough to paddle and goes through the campsites. After all these days, I still am skeptical about where the portages are where dams are concerned.
The family we saw yesterday continues to be a source of conversation for us. I reflected that these are probably the kind of people who would feed marshmallows to bears. Kay said that maybe some people NEED to be encouraged to feed marshmallows to bears. Touché.
Whipped along to Round Pond, appreciating the elm trees that are scattered from the Blanchet-Maibec bridge to the pond's inlet. I had been looking forward to paddling through "The Shire." Took a break for lunch at the very nice Inlet campsite and were joined by a six paddlers working their way through the Allagash, including the author of the NFCT's Map 13 descriptions. How cool was that?
We heard there was a spring just north of the ranger station on Round Pond. We had missed the one marked with blue ribbons on Umkaka (Umsaskis) Lake yesterday and looked forward to filling up our water bottles without pumping. However, the water coming out of the pipe looked pretty sediment-rich. The water was clearly brown. We moved on.
We are surprised to be noticing all the mowed lawns on the campsites and so many bridges within a "wilderness" area. I don't mind the convenience of the picnic tables, tarp poles and beautiful firepits, but the putting greens seem out of place. We later learned that the mowing is done to help keep the bugs down -- and because people have come to expect this. If nothing else, spotting the manicured campsites is relatively easy. Took another stop at the Croque Brook campsite to pump water and use the outhouse (not at the same time) and it was really buggy. (The site, not the facilities.) Guess the mowing didn't help that site very much.
The high water is making the rips easy, fun and less tense for the boat and I. Or else I'm continuing to be more comfortable in faster water. There were continuous rips all the way from Round Pond to the Musquacook Deadwater and then again by the Five Finger Brook campsites. Kay sits in front in the "princess" seat and paddles when I tell her. It's a good arrangement.
Stopped at Bass Brook and a small campsite that had room for only one tent. Tonight is the first time Kay and I made a campfire and only the fifth one or so of my trip. I think I've been working my paddling partners too hard?
Tonight is also the coldest one so far.
Dinner: Oat scones and spinach bisque with an added pouch of salmon ladled over black beans and rice. This was one of the best dinners we had. Perhaps we've been living outside for too long now.
Weather: Partly sunny, cooler--started off in shorts, but zipped the legs back on as the day wore on.
Wildlife: Great horned owls (heard last night), 1 moose, eagles, loons, including a possible first flight sighting for a juvenile
Portages: 1, short carry around Long Lake Dam
Had a leisurely breakfast watching what we think may have been a loon's first flight. Two loons were racing around and around the lake while a third one watched. After about 10 or 15 minutes of this, one of the racers finally takes off. The time of year is right for this year's chicks to be flying. It was either that or just a chase going on before one loon had enough and took off. Was nice morning entertainment regardless. Only a short distance later we came upon another family of loons, these with very small, month-old or younger chicks. Presumably a second try. We don't think these loons are going to make it in time to migrate.
Packed up and headed toward Long Lake Dam. We couldn't immediately see access on the right side where the portage is reported to be, but we could see the horizon line drop. The left seemed to have a obvious trail so we headed over there first to take a look. It didn't lead anywhere, but we now could see the right portage clearly. It's near the dam, but safe enough to paddle and goes through the campsites. After all these days, I still am skeptical about where the portages are where dams are concerned.
The family we saw yesterday continues to be a source of conversation for us. I reflected that these are probably the kind of people who would feed marshmallows to bears. Kay said that maybe some people NEED to be encouraged to feed marshmallows to bears. Touché.
Whipped along to Round Pond, appreciating the elm trees that are scattered from the Blanchet-Maibec bridge to the pond's inlet. I had been looking forward to paddling through "The Shire." Took a break for lunch at the very nice Inlet campsite and were joined by a six paddlers working their way through the Allagash, including the author of the NFCT's Map 13 descriptions. How cool was that?
We heard there was a spring just north of the ranger station on Round Pond. We had missed the one marked with blue ribbons on Umkaka (Umsaskis) Lake yesterday and looked forward to filling up our water bottles without pumping. However, the water coming out of the pipe looked pretty sediment-rich. The water was clearly brown. We moved on.
We are surprised to be noticing all the mowed lawns on the campsites and so many bridges within a "wilderness" area. I don't mind the convenience of the picnic tables, tarp poles and beautiful firepits, but the putting greens seem out of place. We later learned that the mowing is done to help keep the bugs down -- and because people have come to expect this. If nothing else, spotting the manicured campsites is relatively easy. Took another stop at the Croque Brook campsite to pump water and use the outhouse (not at the same time) and it was really buggy. (The site, not the facilities.) Guess the mowing didn't help that site very much.
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| The elms near Round Pond |
The high water is making the rips easy, fun and less tense for the boat and I. Or else I'm continuing to be more comfortable in faster water. There were continuous rips all the way from Round Pond to the Musquacook Deadwater and then again by the Five Finger Brook campsites. Kay sits in front in the "princess" seat and paddles when I tell her. It's a good arrangement.
Stopped at Bass Brook and a small campsite that had room for only one tent. Tonight is the first time Kay and I made a campfire and only the fifth one or so of my trip. I think I've been working my paddling partners too hard?
Tonight is also the coldest one so far.
Dinner: Oat scones and spinach bisque with an added pouch of salmon ladled over black beans and rice. This was one of the best dinners we had. Perhaps we've been living outside for too long now.
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| Heading toward Long Lake Dam from Harvey Pond |
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| Bass Brook Campsite |
Day 50, Aug. 22: Eagle Lake to Harvey Pond
Mileage: 24 miles (not including Chase Rapids)
Weather: Rain showers in the morning, then partly sunny in the afternoon with scattered downpours
Wildlife: Five moose, several eagles, hawk, loon, early-morning low flying geese
Portage: Took the $10 Chase Rapids Shuttle
On the water by 7:10 a.m. after a somewhat restless night's sleep. Kay heard something scurry by her head at one point. A few mosquitoes lazily buzzed me. I found that putting in the ear plugs not only keeps the animals away, but is also good for mosquitoes too. Rained on and off throughout the night. Stopped while we were loading up the canoe, but started again once we were on the water. Of course.
Tail winds picked up as we exited Eagle Lake and gave us an awesome ride all the way to Churchill Dam. We were 10 miles away from the dam and needed to be there before noon if we wanted to take advantage of the water release to ride through Chase Rapids. Based on yesterday's mileage, I assumed we wouldn't make it. But we did the first 9 miles in two hours. And that was without a sail. Kay was the perfect rudder.
We saw two moose within the first hour.
The front was pushing away, the clouds breaking up and chunks of blue sky appeared behind us as we made our way through Round Pond to John's Bridge. Two sets of three or five Canadian geese flew at us just skimming the surface and passing within feet of the bow, the light sandwiching them between the burnished gray water and the steel-wool clouds. We didn't think they saw us. They brushed past us seemingly at eye level. In that moment time slowed. It felt like we were watching an animation. Or a page from The Book of Merlin. It was very surreal. Both of us looked at each other, completely awestruck.
We passed Scofield Point and saw that at least one campsite was occupied. This was the point that I had hoped to reach the day before.
I think I now understand why it only costs $10 for the shuttle. It would cost a whole lot more to fish people like this and their gear OUT of the Allagash. We scurried to get on the water before they did, which took us no time at all to do, being professionals and what not...
I was told the water levels were running at spring levels (1700 cfs) the day we put in. (After Hurricane Irene hit a week later, the Allagash was running at 8000 cfs.) We saw another moose in the river a short time after we left the put-in. Stopped for lunch at the first campsite (Meadows) and were joined shortly thereafter by the solo canoeist from New York, Christer. Christer has paddled the Allagash eight or more times and was the camper we had seen at Scofield Point. Running the rips were becoming fun and now I was second-guessing skipping the Chase Rapids. Too late now.
Stopped again, this time at Sam's campsite, to make popcorn. Christer caught up to us and we told him he could have this site as we had already decided to head another three miles further to keep making up the miles. The tailwind turned into a headwind and we pulled into a dry Lost Popple campsite. (The scattered shower that nailed us apparently didn't get as far north to this campsite.) The site wasn't too great (dark with a lot of down trees), but the outhouse was brand new and we had a dazzling pink sky as the sun set behind us. Later when we were slathering on Ben Gay, we heard sloshing outside our tent and saw moose #5 of the day silhouetted by the shoreline.
Dinner: Corn chowder, cheesy sweet potatoes
Weather: Rain showers in the morning, then partly sunny in the afternoon with scattered downpours
Wildlife: Five moose, several eagles, hawk, loon, early-morning low flying geese
Portage: Took the $10 Chase Rapids Shuttle
On the water by 7:10 a.m. after a somewhat restless night's sleep. Kay heard something scurry by her head at one point. A few mosquitoes lazily buzzed me. I found that putting in the ear plugs not only keeps the animals away, but is also good for mosquitoes too. Rained on and off throughout the night. Stopped while we were loading up the canoe, but started again once we were on the water. Of course.
Tail winds picked up as we exited Eagle Lake and gave us an awesome ride all the way to Churchill Dam. We were 10 miles away from the dam and needed to be there before noon if we wanted to take advantage of the water release to ride through Chase Rapids. Based on yesterday's mileage, I assumed we wouldn't make it. But we did the first 9 miles in two hours. And that was without a sail. Kay was the perfect rudder.
We saw two moose within the first hour.
The front was pushing away, the clouds breaking up and chunks of blue sky appeared behind us as we made our way through Round Pond to John's Bridge. Two sets of three or five Canadian geese flew at us just skimming the surface and passing within feet of the bow, the light sandwiching them between the burnished gray water and the steel-wool clouds. We didn't think they saw us. They brushed past us seemingly at eye level. In that moment time slowed. It felt like we were watching an animation. Or a page from The Book of Merlin. It was very surreal. Both of us looked at each other, completely awestruck.
We passed Scofield Point and saw that at least one campsite was occupied. This was the point that I had hoped to reach the day before.
Saw moose #3 in the reedy bay on the northwest as we approached Churchill dam. Apparently this is very common. But typically there is a gang of them instead of only one. Sigh...Talked to two rangers upon our arrival about running Chase Rapids. A very cheap ($10 for all your gear and however many canoes and bodies per party need to be moved) shuttle is offered for avoiding the Class II stretch of water. I had been deliberating about this for some time. Both of the rangers said they wouldn't do it with my type of canoe. So, I took their advice and didn't risk it. I did consider asking a solo paddler if I could ride down with him, but neither of us knew the others skill set (and I was probably highly suspect not wanting to take my own canoe), so Kay and I got our stuff loaded in the truck. And now I'll turn the page over to Kay's observations of the next part of the day.
We pulled up onto the landing at the dam at the north end of Eagle Lake. We walked around the grounds and were met by a ranger (warden?). Katina asked him if he’d run the rapids (Chase Rapids); he said “yes”. She asked if he’d do it in a Kevlar boat? He immediately replied “no”. OK Dilemma settle. For $10, the rangers would shuttle us and our gear past the rapids. Katina registered us into the Allagash Water Way (4 nights; Shady, the porch (a slight mistruth was told here), and two nights upcoming) and paid for the camping and shuttle. While she was doing that, various members of a family came into the history museum where we were. A few of them would be joining us on the shuttle. Ed, the ranger, went down to the landing to get the families’ boats and gear. He returned shortly to retrieve a trailer.
Katina and I browsed through the history museum and walked down to the landing for our ride.
We arrived below Bissonette Bridge, the shuttle drop-off point. I looked at the trailer; it was stuffed full of coolers and even held a 20lb propane cylinder. The back of Ed’s truck contained fishing poles, life jackets, two bags of garbage (compared to our one zip-lock bag of garbage), an ax, foam pads…it almost looked like a garage sale gone wrong back there.
Katina carried her canoe down while I helped Ed locate and remove our gear. He asked me to hang around in case some of our stuff was buried.
We got our gear down to the river and watched the girls bring down pieces of the families stuff. Then…we saw it…one of their canoes loaded full and high with coolers and who knows what being dragged down the gravel to the river/put in. Yikes.
The trailer was FULL: I saw only blue and white coolers at first glance. The group “men” helped load the two canoes onto the trailer that Ed would pull to the waiting area below the falls. Four female family members got into the backseat of Ed’s truck; an older grandmother type, a “mom” type and two young girls. They were on a family vacation traveling down the Allagash (actually up, since it runs north). They’d made the trip before. It sounded like a beer fest; they had a “90 pack”. They were a group of eight; four adults and four youths. They talked about being dry in the rain the night before with their roaring fire and tarps. Katina asked Ed about a blowdown – “oh yeah it was a real blow down last night…” They talked about the “professional” canoeists who stayed at the site next to them; who left before 7:30 w/o proving they really were “professional” according to the “mom”.
Katina had to get a picture.
We left quickly, wanting to get far ahead of “the family”. They said they were planning to camp at a site called Jalbert. We made extra effort to be past that site tonight.
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| Missing from this picture - one 20# propane tank and the kitchen sink |
I think I now understand why it only costs $10 for the shuttle. It would cost a whole lot more to fish people like this and their gear OUT of the Allagash. We scurried to get on the water before they did, which took us no time at all to do, being professionals and what not...
I was told the water levels were running at spring levels (1700 cfs) the day we put in. (After Hurricane Irene hit a week later, the Allagash was running at 8000 cfs.) We saw another moose in the river a short time after we left the put-in. Stopped for lunch at the first campsite (Meadows) and were joined shortly thereafter by the solo canoeist from New York, Christer. Christer has paddled the Allagash eight or more times and was the camper we had seen at Scofield Point. Running the rips were becoming fun and now I was second-guessing skipping the Chase Rapids. Too late now.
Headed on to Umsaskis Lake or "Umkaka" as we termed it due to the major head and side winds. We had to spend time tacking before turning toward Long Lake. Stopped at the first site (Pine) to take a break. It was very pretty but too close to a road for my taste. Plus we hadn't put enough distance between us and that family--although, if the wind kept up, we were pretty sure they were going to have problems on "Umkaka" lake too. Once on Long Lake, the side wind turned into a tail wind and we made some more progress before getting hit by a quickly passing downpour.
Stopped again, this time at Sam's campsite, to make popcorn. Christer caught up to us and we told him he could have this site as we had already decided to head another three miles further to keep making up the miles. The tailwind turned into a headwind and we pulled into a dry Lost Popple campsite. (The scattered shower that nailed us apparently didn't get as far north to this campsite.) The site wasn't too great (dark with a lot of down trees), but the outhouse was brand new and we had a dazzling pink sky as the sun set behind us. Later when we were slathering on Ben Gay, we heard sloshing outside our tent and saw moose #5 of the day silhouetted by the shoreline.
Dinner: Corn chowder, cheesy sweet potatoes
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| Moose sighting along the Allagash |
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| Sunset on Harvey Pond |
Day 49, Aug. 21: Chamberlain Lake to Eagle Lake
Goal Distance: 15 - 20 miles
Actual Mileage: 11 miles
Wildlife: Loons, herons, eagle, barred owls, moose footprints
Portages: 1
.75 mile Tramway between Chamberlain and Eagle Lakes
Carried everything in two trips. Path had been improved by an NFCT work crew a week or two before, but was still muddy in places. Easier to carry than to wheel for us.
Shady campsite on Chamberlain Lake was relatively bug-free and dry, so we left the vestibule open all night. Woke up by the rising sun shining through the mosquito netting of our front door. The tent was condensation-free. Drank coffee sitting on the beach boulders watching the sun rise into the cloud cover. Wind created ripples on the water surface that changed from south to north and back again, but remained calm and at times, completely smooth.
Because of that, we decided to head across the lake to check out Lock Dam. Still no sign of any other people as we passed by more empty campsites. Lock Dam is an interesting piece of engineering--the lake is literally draining out. We saw two kayaks by the Ranger cabin, but all the campsites here were empty too.
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| Lock Dam "drain" |
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| Leftovers from the logging era |
We continued on toward the Tramway Carry and finally saw a group of five or six canoes coming from the direction of Allagash Lake/Little Allagash Falls. Near the east point at the end of Chamberlain, but before the last bay, we spotted a red board without any words that we at first thought meant something. This was located on the northeast point just BEFORE the northeast bay of Chamberlain Lake. This IS NOT a marker. The biggest problem for locating the take-out, I think, is the map and the current water levels? The mouth of the bay is illustrated to be wider than we found it to be. A western point (with some several-year old trees) juts out much farther and closer to the eastern one through which you pass. Maybe more of the points were exposed due to the water level. Like Fish Pond, this bay also was choked with lots of reeds/weeds. We did find a channel that heads slightly westward (left) and located the take-out easily from there. Bottom line is that the Tramway Carry is tucked into the northwestern corner of the most northeasterly bay of the lake.
The carry trail had recently been greatly improved and I just read a blog documenting some of the hard work that went into its maintenance, now that I'm writing a month after I returned. The moose seem to appreciate it too!
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| Tramway Mooseway |
Perhaps because it was overcast or due to the recent rain, this portage was much buggier than yesterday's Mud Pond Carry. Deer flies and mosquitoes. They seemed to not be bothering Kay as much. Didn't mess around with the softer stuff and instead liberally applied the DEET.
The Tramway is another interesting piece of logging history and we checked out the trains and other rusting flotsam and jetsam. Even more so when we saw that Eagle Lake. Unlike it's calmer cousin to the south, the water on Eagle Lake was just a-roaring into the put-in. Where did that wind come from in the time it took us to transport our gear? So, we explored some more, ate lunch, took a nap and waited it out. The kayak(ers) we'd seen parked at Lock Dam paddled over to see the trains while we were hanging out. A couple of hours later, it seemed like the wind had died down enough for us to venture out, but just as we left the cove, we heard thunder. Paddled like crazy to Farm Island where there were three very nice campsites. The clouds with the associated thunder seemed to be running parallel behind us. With an abundance of campsites along the way, we decided to keep hop-scotching while keeping an eye on the weather. Headed to Priestly Point, then Pump Handle still staying ahead of the storm. It was a little frustrating to be slowed down by the weather today. The plan was to make up some miles today and the day had started out pretty well on Chamberlain.
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| Tramway Engines |
With several more hours of daylight left and at least two, if not three more campsite options ahead of us, we decided to stop in at the nearby Eagle Lake Ranger station to see if we could learn about the current forecast in order to determine how much farther we might be able to go today. Were these just fast moving and passing storms like our day on Chesunkook? Bad/good decision. No one was there. And now the thunder and rain WAS fast approaching. There is a second Maine guide cabin adjacent to the Ranger Station, so we turned over the canoe on the beach and headed up to the cabin to wait out the rain under the protection of the porch. The storm was coming from the southwest, behind us, so we couldn't see if it was breaking up. Heated up some water to make some instant soup to warm us up. Then decided to make dinner intending to wait for a break in order to paddle across to the Little Eagle campsite. The break never came. Wave upon wave of thunderstorms continued to roll over us. So...we ended up blowing up the thermorests and sleeping out in the open on the porch that night. Stayed really dry afterall and fell asleep listening to barred owls. Yet another unofficial campsite for Kay.
Dinner: Beef stroganoff, cup-of-soup, triple berry cobbler
Sep 29, 2011
Day 48, Aug. 20: The Infamous Mud Pond Carry
Umbazookus Lake to Shady Campsite on Chamberlain Lake
Weather: Sunny, pleasant
Wildlife: Bald eagle, loons, beaver, fleeting glimpse of a furry carnivore along the carry (coyote, wolf, lynx, fox?)
Dinner: Tomato-corn soup, skillet bread, pistachio pudding
Up by 6 am. We took a quick walk to the road that connected to the dam site. (Snowmobile trail?) A beaver was out and about in the pool below the dam and slapped its tail when it heard or saw (or smelled?) me. The storms had lasted only for a few hours and we were happy to have been able to set up before the rains hit in force, even if this night is a strong contender for lousiest campsite. Took a compass reading to shoot for on the east shore and left while the fog was still burning off the lake. We were able to keep the southern shore in sight and then followed the east shore up a bit before locating a very nice cairn indicating the portage. My compass reading was off a few degrees. I later learned that T. K. from Team Moxie was responsible for the beautiful masonry.
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| Umbazookus Road that connected to our campsite |
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| Early morning on Umbazookus Lake |
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| The Mud Pond Carry cairn on Umbazookus Lake |
The portage IS nothing but a small 2' - 3' wide stream/brook/creek. I was under the impression that the stream was only part of the carry, but no, you follow the stream the ENTIRE way. Supposedly a blind man, Jules Thurlotte, made a career of hauling gear on this carry in the early 1800s. Kay works with the visual-impaired and speculated as to what condition he had to have had in order to do this kind of work. In places, there is still evidence of an old "cordoroy" road. True to the reports, it is wet and muddy, although I think it was less so for us for this time of year. Certainly we didn't have the same problems with bugs.
There are two potential camping spots on either end of the portage. The first out of Umbazookus Lake is located within a dark clearing. There is an old rusty oil barrel and evidence of campers. I can't remember if it was between the lake and the road or after the road, but it wasn't too far away from the lake. The second is located right by Mud Pond where the put-in is. There are some cleared out spaces where a tent could be pitched in a pinch.
We made three trips that took 5 hours. I had Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" looping in my head most of the time--or at least parts of it:
…my my my, my my my, my, my
I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind…
Our first trip started at 7:20 am and probably was only a 1/3 to 1/2 mile stretch. We crossed the logging road and had continued on to the first major downed tree obstacle before heading back to retrieve our second load. We used the "leap frog" portaging technique, passing up a load before going back to retrieve it, and then passing the next one.
We wore socks. Kay with her Keens and me with my Teva sandals. It helped to prevent chafing and blisters as the mud worked itself under our arches and toes, which we occasionally had to dig out.
The first half of the trail was muddiest heading upstream. At most, I sank up to my calves in mud, but only a few times. Some parts had some semblance of a trail, but often it was easiest to just stay within the stream. My socks filled up with mud. We saw pieces of discarded duct tape and a broken paddle or two. The second half of the portage was comparatively heavenly. It was now downstream on a firmer, gravel bed with clearer, cooler, only ankle-deep water. There remained, however, a few downed trees to maneuver over, under or around.We wore socks. Kay with her Keens and me with my Teva sandals. It helped to prevent chafing and blisters as the mud worked itself under our arches and toes, which we occasionally had to dig out.
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| At the beginning |
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| First half |
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| Mud |
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| Near the end |
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| Returning the mud from our shoes to Mud Pond |
Just before getting to the lake, a beaver dam pooled up water that was just about thigh-high and had to be negotiated. I was under the impression that Mud Lake was going to be the most difficult--sinking into thigh-high mud for several yards. However, for us, the lake was completely manageable. We were able to load the canoe and pole ourselves out from the shore into the deeper waters of Mud Pond using a long branch we picked up along the shore.
My ankles felt a little funny and as I stripped of my socks, a bunch of mud fell out. Apparently socks can fill up with mud too.
My ankles felt a little funny and as I stripped of my socks, a bunch of mud fell out. Apparently socks can fill up with mud too.
All in all, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined.* Parts are comparable to the BWCA portages. The length was excessive in comparison, but I wonder if there isn't a different mindset about portaging in that the expectation is portages should be wheelable. I'm not saying it was easy. It certainly was challenging. This was all I needed to get done today, so I was mentally prepared to tackle it. I found the woods to be beautiful and the fungi were incredible. I found the many pieces of discarded duct tape along the trail and the socks left at either end to be irresponsible.
* Remember I did this in mid-AUGUST, not May or June! And we had great weather. And only two deer flies before I sprayed down with insect repellent.
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| Sphagnum moss and ferns in the woods along the Mud Carry |
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| Fungi |
Mud Brook flowing out of Mud Pond turned out to be a surprise. I don't recall hearing or reading about its speed or rapids. It was narrow with exposed rocks. Would have been really fun to run in a small kayak, but we ended up lining the Kevlar canoe for most of it. Seemed like a happy brook and helped clean the mud off from the carry. We were a bit tired to have to walk again after walking all morning, but it didn't take too long to get to Chamberlain Lake.
Passed up the first few campsites in order to be further along on the big lake. They all were empty. We thought it was getting late, so we stopped at Shady. The lake was absolutely silent. We only saw one motorized boat's wake in the distance. This seems so strange for a Saturday night. Took a leisurely swim and changed into clean clothes before putting up the tent and tarp to dry out from last night's storm and this morning's dew. Made dinner. Took pictures. Looked at the phone--it's ONLY 6:10 p.m. Had some time to do some sketches of Katahdin in the south, the first time I took out any of the art supplies I brought besides beads. Even with today's Mud Carry, or maybe because of it, this has been one of the best days of the trip.
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| Our view from Shady campsite on Chamberlain Lake |
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Day 47, Aug. 19: Penobscot River to Umbazookus Lake
Mileage: 14 miles
Weather: Hot, humid, early afternoon showers followed by scattered t-storms
Wildlife: Loons, eagles, hawk, heron
Portages: 0
Left camp and continued floating down the beautiful Penobscot River as it flattened and widened approaching Chesuncook Lake, passing old logging-era pile-ons near Boom House. We rounded the point nearest the Boom House campsite and headed toward Graveyard Point so that we could stop in Chesnucook Village for rootbeer and fudge at "The Store." The two Carols we had met on Moosehead Lake told us that they attempted to find "The Store" a few years ago, but hadn't. We followed the path from the boat landing at Graveyard Point that eventually led right toward a cluster of cabins and houses. Jack called off the dog when we rang the big Liberty-like bell to let him know he had customers. Like the BWCA pre-1980's "Rootbeer Lady," he sells homemade rootbeer and fudge and it was a real treat to meet him. I bought four pieces of the fudge (English Toffee, Chocolate and two Maple-Walnut) and immediately devoured three of them.
Weather: Hot, humid, early afternoon showers followed by scattered t-storms
Wildlife: Loons, eagles, hawk, heron
Portages: 0
Left camp and continued floating down the beautiful Penobscot River as it flattened and widened approaching Chesuncook Lake, passing old logging-era pile-ons near Boom House. We rounded the point nearest the Boom House campsite and headed toward Graveyard Point so that we could stop in Chesnucook Village for rootbeer and fudge at "The Store." The two Carols we had met on Moosehead Lake told us that they attempted to find "The Store" a few years ago, but hadn't. We followed the path from the boat landing at Graveyard Point that eventually led right toward a cluster of cabins and houses. Jack called off the dog when we rang the big Liberty-like bell to let him know he had customers. Like the BWCA pre-1980's "Rootbeer Lady," he sells homemade rootbeer and fudge and it was a real treat to meet him. I bought four pieces of the fudge (English Toffee, Chocolate and two Maple-Walnut) and immediately devoured three of them.
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| Chatting with Jack in "The Store" |
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| Ice-cold rootbeer |
Jack and his son Johnny make the root beer and fudge. Jack told us that the year round residents number less than 10. He runs everything with a generator. He too has a satellite dish and internet. I’m guessing he was in is 80’s and told us about keeping up with his email.
As we talked, two men walked up to the house carrying large water containers. There were dressed in uniforms; state of Main Land Conservation or something like that. Wardens. We chatted…told them what we were doing and payed them for our stay at “The Pines” campsite the night before. $17.12 for the two of us; non-residents. (I thought I was going to be able to take care of all of our Maine State Campsites in Allagash, but the Penobscot is a different district. )
Kay and these state workers got to exchange shop talk about our respective state budgets. Got back on the water around noon and started heading toward Umbazookus Stream. Storm clouds were blowing in behind us, so we headed over to the Longley Stream campsite where we could quickly pitch the tarp over the tarp pole to wait out any rain. LOVE these Maine "amenities." Longley had two nice tent pad areas and a great firepit. We ate lunch and played cards while waiting out two storms.
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| Here comes the rain again |
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| After the rain - looking northeast from the Longley Stream campsite |
Headed out again in oppressive heat and humidity. Kay's back was giving her some problems today. Stopped at the campsite on Umbazookus Stream East for a break, but I wanted to press on in order to avoid another potential portage (paddling up the north end of Umbazookus Stream after the bridge) the same day as tomorrow's Mud Carry. It also was a Friday night and the camp site had road access and I thought it could be a potential weekend party site.
Side note: Maine continues to be virtually litter-free, even where there is road access.
The water was high enough to mostly paddle upstream that last mile connecting to Umbazookus Lake, but there were a few places where we had to get out and drag or track over low spots. The skies were open, but big thunderheads were approaching. We were making good time until we stopped to chat with five guys who were on their way out from Mud Lake and an Allagash Lake loop trip. Had a nice visit about the Mud Carry, but the gathering clouds started towering over us. We both were anxious to head on--they to the Longley Stream site and we on to the site shown on the south east shore of Umbazookus Lake ahead. The guys warned us we that they had cruised over there to check it out, but couldn't locate it. We had to carry over one downed tree and lift over a beaver dam before punching through the open, old Umbazookus dam.
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| Umbazookus Dam |
The thunder was really starting to roll and we hurried along the southern shore looking for the site. The only potential camping area was an older road just north of the dam, but not in the place where we thought the site should be. It was flat enough. Out of six nights so far, Kay has camped at only one official site that we are sure of since she started on her leg with me. Rigged up the tarp among some weak trees and set the tent up in a hurry. The pole is still holding, but I don't want to test it on a big storm. Made a quick dinner. Mosquitos joined us. Got the dishes done and then I wanted to wash off the humidity, sunscreen and DEET before the storm hit. (I know, seems like the storm was threatening us for quite some time.) The weather WAS weird. Storms were rolling around us the entire time, but held off long enough to get settled. I made a mad, naked dash to the sandy shallows enveloped by an orange/grey sky and flashes of lightning and took a quick, exhilarating dip in the clear water. Rain started falling and I jumped back into the tent as the storm finally broke.
Am sure we are the only people on this lake tonight.
Dinner: Tuna steaks with basmati rice
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| Making due with a spot for the night on Umbazookus Lake |
Day 46, Aug. 18: Penobscot River
Northeast Carry to the Pines Campsite
Mileage: 14 miles paddling
Weather: Sunny, warm, slightly buggy
Wildlife: Eagle, moose, mergansers, heron, snake in the river
Portages: 1
1.9 miles, wheelable along an established road, except for last .5 miles north of Lobster Trip Rd., which had a lot of beaver activity and was water-filled and boggy. We used the (somewhat-pricey-for-the-distance) shuttle instead from Raymonds Country Store, which we had arranged for the night before. In hindsight, we could have portaged without any assistance, being much fresher first thing in the morning, but that last section was pretty wet, so it was nice to be able to drive instead of walk through it. Ed, the owner of the store and our shuttle driver suggested that this put-in may not be maintained in the future and he will need to use the Lobster Trip boat launch instead of Penobscot Farm for shuttles.
This was also one of the more buggier sections of the NFCT to date. The no-see-ums/ankle biters seemed to stay with us even as we started paddling on the river.
Set the phone for 6 a.m. to make sure we were ready for the 7:30 a.m. shuttle. I have no idea where the time goes. I thought we had plenty of time for making skillet bread for breakfast, but just as I'm ready to put the dough in the pan, Ed showed up with his truck. Camp was more or less packed up, so I left the dough in the ziplock bag and Kay and I decided to finish "brunch" at Thoreau Island.
Winds were still blowing strong off of Moosehead--which was great. Kept the bugs away. My ankles were a mess and now showing signs of yesterday's no-see-um feasting.
Since our interrupted breakfast also meant the coffee wasn't ready, we made a stop at his store for real coffee and more hydrocortizone for those bug bites. Ed's wife Linda was there and chatted about the trip. They were interested in the map – they didn’t know the store was mentioned.
Kay also reports (from her journal):
Mileage: 14 miles paddling
Weather: Sunny, warm, slightly buggy
Wildlife: Eagle, moose, mergansers, heron, snake in the river
Portages: 1
1.9 miles, wheelable along an established road, except for last .5 miles north of Lobster Trip Rd., which had a lot of beaver activity and was water-filled and boggy. We used the (somewhat-pricey-for-the-distance) shuttle instead from Raymonds Country Store, which we had arranged for the night before. In hindsight, we could have portaged without any assistance, being much fresher first thing in the morning, but that last section was pretty wet, so it was nice to be able to drive instead of walk through it. Ed, the owner of the store and our shuttle driver suggested that this put-in may not be maintained in the future and he will need to use the Lobster Trip boat launch instead of Penobscot Farm for shuttles.
This was also one of the more buggier sections of the NFCT to date. The no-see-ums/ankle biters seemed to stay with us even as we started paddling on the river.
Set the phone for 6 a.m. to make sure we were ready for the 7:30 a.m. shuttle. I have no idea where the time goes. I thought we had plenty of time for making skillet bread for breakfast, but just as I'm ready to put the dough in the pan, Ed showed up with his truck. Camp was more or less packed up, so I left the dough in the ziplock bag and Kay and I decided to finish "brunch" at Thoreau Island.
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| Brunch break |
Winds were still blowing strong off of Moosehead--which was great. Kept the bugs away. My ankles were a mess and now showing signs of yesterday's no-see-um feasting.
Since our interrupted breakfast also meant the coffee wasn't ready, we made a stop at his store for real coffee and more hydrocortizone for those bug bites. Ed's wife Linda was there and chatted about the trip. They were interested in the map – they didn’t know the store was mentioned.
Kay also reports (from her journal):
Ed seems to have a great memory, great stories and runs a tight ship. (KD: Including wanting to sell us water vs. allowing us to fill our water bottles from his tap and his $25 shuttle fee for a 1.9 mile one way trip.)
There is no electricity at the store. The nearest source is more than 30 miles away. Ed runs a generator 24/7. They have satellite and internet. Ed uses and iPad and Linda uses a Nook. He said she gets up in the morning, downloads a book and his credit card bill goes up. He said she read 89 books in three months and wore out a switch on the side of her Nook.
After 8:00 we climbed into his big Chevy truck and headed up the Northeast Carry. He stopped the truck partway there and we filled our water bottles from a fresh water spring. The end of the portage is narrow, we are muddy. Beavers have built a dam which is causing the area to flood.
He dropped us off, we unloaded our gear, he turned the truck around and there we were at the West Branch Penobscot River.
The put-in was mud. Katina handed the gear down, I loaded the boat, got in the stern and she sat in the bow with dry feet.
The river is deep today, running at 1300cfs. Linda had checked for us on Ed’s iPad. It was an easy paddle. In no time at all we were at Thoreau’s Island. We stopped, Katina made breakfast (scrambled eggs and scones) and we enjoyed the site and the sun. We joked about having “shat where Thoreau shat.”
It was a beautiful day. At one point, we just drifted in silence for a while. I took a video, which I later accidentally erased. Stopped at the Big Ragmuff campsites to look at the small waterfall. Back on the river, we came upon our second moose. This time we cared and took some photos. Two previous thru paddlers (Morrigan and Masha) had reported that the Pines was a nice campsite. It was. Beautiful stone steps, a nice swimming hole. So we stopped there even though it was still early. Good thing too, because as we were setting up the tent, the repaired pole snapped again. Same place, just working it's way down. This time we removed the 1" of jagged, ripped aluminum (carefully keeping the shock cord from also getting cut), duct taped around the broken edge and reclamped it. It need only work for six more nights...
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| Big Ragmuff Falls |
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| Penobscot moose sighting |
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| The Pines campsite and the tent is still standing |
Haven't seen anyone except Ed and Linda this morning. They thought we might see people fishing--especially once we hit Big Ragmuff, but we had the river to ourselves. Went swimming. Made dinner. Hung out until the sunset and watched the bats come out. Mosquitos aren't as big of a bother as those little flies, that still swarmed around our heads during daylight. Kay is feeling better about the mileage goals I have set out for us.
Dinner: Tomato sauce and pasta, spice walnut cake
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