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.
 |
| Umbazookus Road that connected to our campsite |
 |
| Early morning on Umbazookus Lake |
 |
| 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.
 |
| At the beginning |
 |
| First half |
 |
| Mud |
 |
| Near the end |
 |
| 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.
 |
| Sphagnum moss and ferns in the woods along the Mud Carry |
 |
| 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.
 |
| Our view from Shady campsite on Chamberlain Lake |
 |
