The Birches

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Monday, September 17th through Friday, September 21st, The Birches Resort, Rockwood, Maine. Darrin had a great week at the Birches Resort. Owned by John Willard, a Maine guide, pilot, and member of the Board of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail organization; The Birches dates back to the 1920’s (at which time it was under different ownership), and provides all the ambience one can imagine in the remote Maine Woods. Situated on the shores of Moosehead Lake, The Birches offers a variety of rustic cabins, plus a classic log-sided main lodge with an old stone fireplace, a dining room with views of the lake, and a bar with unique touches like chairs carved from huge tree stumps.

Over the course of the week, Darrin explored some of the 11,000 acres that compose The Birches’ property. He rented a mountain bike and rode over rutted, bumpy ski trails. He discovered bogs littered with moose prints. He used The Birches fitness center, and got to know their warm and friendly staff.

Toward the end of his stay, Darrin met Jen, the Trail Director for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail organization, and Rocky, an NFCT volunteer from Raquette Lake in New York. Jen and Rocky had come to The Birches to lead a volunteer work crew that would perform maintenance on some NFCT campsites. Darrin helped Jen and Rocky shop for supplies, and enjoyed several meals with them.

Darrin left The Birches on Friday, September 21st. He started the day by helping the NFCT crew, who was now composed of a half-dozen volunteers who had joined Jen and Rocky. Darrin assisted by building a “wet willy,” a campsite toilet consisting of a wooden box with a toilet seat situated over a dirt trench, an open-air outhouse, essentially.

Darrin’s wet willy was complete by 10 a.m., leaving him with plenty of time to get on the water and complete some miles for the day. When he pushed off from the shores of Moosehead Lake, the whole NFCT crew gathered to bid him farewell. Jen later commented that is was a treat to see Darrin’s “beautiful solo style” as he paddled across Moosehead Lake.

After pushing away from The Birches, Darrin paddled between Farm Island and the majestic Mount Kineo, and then up Moosehead’s east shore to Big Duck Cove. He spent the night at an historic campsite marked with a plaque honoring a Maine Guide. The camp also bore decades-old evidence of past use. Old bottles and a mattress littered the perimeter of the campsite. Etched in a rock was the year “1965” along with some names, assumably those of campers from long ago. Darrin enjoyed a well-burning driftwood fire before drifting off to sleep.

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Photos

Persistent Plants
Emerging from rock