Blogs from Maine, United States, North America - page 49

Sunday, September 30th, 2007. Allagash Falls, Maine. Darrin left his campsite at Allagash Falls, paddled over Allagash Rapids, and then out of the Allagash Wilderness. He stopped and had lunch in Allagash Village - a hamburger steak, mashed potato, green beans, coleslaw, and coffee - all for just $6.40. From Allagash Village, Darrin made his way onto the St. John River, the last distinct waterway he would paddle on the NFCT. He encountered some nice class two rapids on the St. John, and eventually settled at Pelletier campground for the night. After settling in camp, Darrin checked his maps. The high water levels had made for fast, strong current, and Darrin was farther along than he’d predicted he’d be by this time. We were scheduled to rendezvous in Fort Kent on the St. John on Tuesday ... read more

Friday, September 28th, 2007. Allagash River, Maine. Darrin awoke around dawn and was instantly relieved to acknowledge the fact that both his tent and body were still in one piece. He groggily unzipped the tent fly to find moose number 14, a cow moose, IN his campsite. After escaping the overnight trampling that could have been, now he figured he might as well try to get a good close-up picture. He emerged from the tent, camera in hand, and suddenly saw moose number 15, the cow’s calf. He instantly retracted - cow moose can be aggressive when protecting their calves - and considered how he could prevent the unthinkable THIS time. If things got ugly, he decided, he would make a break for the picnic table and hide beneath it. Fortunately, it didn’t come to this. ... read more

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007. Eagle Lake, Maine. Darrin rose before dawn to avoid paddling in heavy winds. With the exception of a 20-minute downpour, the paddle was uneventful. He made it the Jaws Campsite on Churchill Lake just before lunchtime. He had eaten his trail lunch as a quick pre-dawn breakfast, so now he prepared himself a hot breakfast before setting up camp. After this brunch, the sun came out and dried his wet tent and gear. It wasn’t long, however, before a thunderstorm rolled in. The cloudburst was brief. It was followed by a welcome drop in the humidity, and a picturesque double rainbow. Darrin enjoyed the company of a polite chipmunk during dinner. Unlike Ballsy, and other pestering rodents Darrin had met, this chipmunk watched patiently as Darrin ate. He quietly waited for whatever ... read more

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Monday, September 24th, 2007. Umbazooksus Stream, Maine. Darrin’s next section of Umbazooksus Stream was without water, so he began his day by portaging to Umbazooksus Lake. He reached the Lake, and then paddled across it to the two-mile-long Mud Pond Portage. Interestingly, Mud Pond was a particularly authentic portage, dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years, having served as a trail for Native Americans, and then decade’s worth of loggers, enduring the footsteps of both men and oxen. The trail was so trodden and worn that it sunk a good three feet below the forest substrate around it. Three-quarters of the portage was an inclined, gravelly surface, while the remaining sections were blanketed in knee-deep mud. Darrin even ended up floating his canoe over a trail section covered by water. The real challenge came when ... read more