I woke to crisp air and ate the last pack of Quaker cranberry walnut protein oatmeal, a delicious choice that I didn’t tire of all trip. I stayed late in camp again, photographing more mushrooms and drying all my gear thoroughly, as tonight would be a cabin night.
I had forgotten how beautiful the last miles of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway were, with tall conifers as a backdrop for green grassy banks. I felt the sadness of ten years ago, treasuring every mile, knowing that next summer’s plans may not bring me to the Allagash at all. The thought of the meal awaiting me at Two Rivers Lunch did cheer me up a little and kept me from just stopping altogether. This section includes some Class II rapids, both those at Twin Brooks (marked on the map) and another set midway between McGargle Rocks and Ghost Landing Bar. These names are haunting, as both stem from logging fatalities of a bygone era.
I was worried I would end with 13 moose for the trip, but just past the sign announcing the end of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, I spotted a young bull, tallied as Moose #14.Two Rivers Lunch in Allagash Village is always a most welcome sight after days on the river. Waiting for Mom and Dad, I had plenty of time for a salad, cheeseburger, fries, and ice cream.
Tonight we would be staying right here, behind the restaurant, in one of the cabins owned by Tylor Kelly’s Camps. In 2011, when I arrived in Allagash Village with Dad and Taylor during Paddle for Hope, Sue Kelly gave us the warmest welcome imaginable. She baked us brownies, brought us shampoo and half and half and let me use her computer for hours (not to mention donating to our fundraising for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program)! We had made a friend, and have since come to know the rest of her friendly family. So tonight felt like home, especially after Mom and Dad drove in with pork chops to cook for dinner. Tomorrow Dad will rejoin me to paddle the St. John River, perhaps in one marathon day to Fort Kent. We’ll see!
Today is Sunday, a day of rest, and a quiet morning in camp gave me time for thanksgiving and awe at the fact that I have safely journeyed so many miles. A “good morning” from the garter snake (or is it a milk snake?), the warmth of a campfire, three cedar waxwings in the cherry tree, journaling…and a visit from ranger Matthew Jackson, who came up to chat after learning that I was doing the NFCT. His family is from the village of Allagash and he has recently moved home to the family’s farm at the site of Dickey Plantation, the home of one of the area’s early settlers. (Kathy, it won’t be difficult to remember his name, will it?).
Matthew, headed over to Deadwater South, where he is working on creating more level tent sites for future campers.
PADDLER’S NOTE: The river flow was still very high for August, measuring 1,900 cfs as reported on the bulletin board at Michaud Farm, where all paddlers officially check out of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (although the AWW continues to Twin Brooks). I saw many groups between Eagle Lake and Churchill Dam, but then must have gotten ahead of the crowd.
My faithful boat awaits its last portage, fittingly a carry around Allagash Falls.Today I went into a flurry of mushroom photography…this is my favorite!The clouds broke while I ate a quick peanut butter and jelly wrap at Allagash Falls. Today, incredibly, my mileage total passed 700 and the ease of this portage confirmed my current level of fitness.My evening campsite came with a lovely pile of split kindling, a joy to behold.Yesterday I camped at an old favorite, today I discovered a new one, Big Brook South, an open, sunny space with a commanding view of the river (although access is up a steep and challenging bank).This is profound…tonight was my last evening of wilderness solitude. One by one, the stars emerged, as I wrote deeper and deeper thoughts by the light of the campfire, never wanting this time to end.
Last summer, Dad, our friend Mike, and I shared a magical campsite abounding in wildlife and blueberries, called Deadwater North. Today’s goal was a long day of paddling (23 miles was the projected distance in my notes) to return there, although I knew that this year there would be no bacon and blueberry pancakes or baking in Dad’s reflector oven. Anyway, it was disheartening to start out into a hefty wind right in my face, one that also seemed to keep all the wildlife from the water. The pull of the current was a welcome ally as I returned to the river after several miles of slow going. At Long Lake Dam, perhaps in memory of Chris, I decided to line the boat through on river left, as we did in 2005, rather than portaging on river right.
Lazily, I did not even attach a stern line, and was lucky that I didn’t end up swamping the boat. With the present high water levels, I could actually work it along most of the shore in very shallow water, where the metal spikes remaining from the original dam could easily be avoided. When I reached the last swift drop, though, the safe, shallow edge evaporated, the river snatched at the boat, and it was almost a disaster. For a moment, the canoe tipped and took on some water and it took all my strength to wrestle it back under control and maneuver it into the calm pool beyond. All’s well that ends well, but next time I would definitely attach a second line!
The site of former Long Lake Dam, where I lined my canoe through along this shore.The first of the landmark elms that greet paddlers as they approach Round Pond. These trees survived Dutch Elm Disease due to their isolation in the Allagash wilderness.I had one quick chance at this photo as I drifted by, at first thinking this was a merganser nest, but I don’t think it is.Today’s flower of the day, quite common in the delta approaching Round Pond.
As I entered Round Pond, a squall blew through. First, a dark gray cloud inevitably overtook the sky, before reaching a point where the cloud simply enveloped my whole world. Rain pounded the lake and I paddled furiously in an effort to stay warm, passing a family huddled under a tarp at the Inlet campsite. As usual, I was in my bathing suit and a thin t-shirt and shorts, and probably looked crazy. At the ranger station, I stopped to bail out the boat and Kale invited me in where it was somewhat warmer, especially after I put on a dry thermal top. I recognized him from last summer at Michaud Farm and we chatted about float planes and bears and the hit that the moose population has taken this year.
Kale explained that a species of tick which had never successfully overwintered this far north has now gained a permanent foothold. The ticks are drawing so much blood that moose are becoming anemic, and dying, or, if they survive that, then scratching themselves bare in large patches, and freezing to death during the harsh winter. After that conversation, I felt quite lucky to see three moose after the weather cleared, a bull and two cows.
This will get your adrenalin going and keep you paddling a few more miles!This mighty, magnificent monarch of the river seemed comfortable with my presence as long as I didn’t get too close.A rainbow sky across from Deadwater North as I finished my 27-mile paddling marathonMike and Dad, look who’s living among the fireplace rocks at our campsite.
For supper, I tried herbed mushroom risotto with basil pesto, a gourmet dehydrated meal from a new company called Good To-Go in Kittery, Maine. The company’s meals were recommended to me in the camping department at Maine Sport and this first taste of their food was delicious, with a fresh, colorful appearance and a list of ingredients that were all easy to pronounce (as the package points out). Not bad when there is no reflector oven in sight!
Still thinking about that cornbread. Heidi promised to send me the recipe, which came from a famous chef in New Orleans. She came down this morning to watch me go and spotted a moose.All poised to run Chase Rapids, with my gear, feeling butterflies. I decided not to use the gear shuttle service. Josh, the ranger, released 1,000 cfs from the dam this morning, to bring the river to 2,000 cfs.Looking back at the first rapids. I bailed five gallons of water from my boat after the first two, due to the size of the standing waves. From my journal: “My boat is forgiving and tough and brought me through quite confidently.”
PADDLER’S NOTE: The Saranac River in flood stage was much more powerful and the rapids on the Moose River trickier with less water than Chase Rapids. I was glad I decided to keep my gear, which gave my boat the same feel that it has had for hundreds of miles. The first mile of Chase Rapids has all of the Class II rapids, with a chance to catch your breath between each.
Bank after bank of Joe Pye Weed lined the shores.Look who I met! NFCT interns Jared and Paul on their last day of work, finishing a stone staircase at Meadows. Paul spotted a moose and, earlier, I had seen a mother and calf on Heron Lake. My count is now 9 and theirs 45!Umsaskis Lake in a time of afternoon stillness. God’s presence seemed to abide here, surrounding me with peace. Uncannily, ten years ago this day was my first on the Allagash, as Chris brought me here for our honeymoon.Almost forgot my end-of-map photo, but the American Realty Road bridge was still in sight behind me.Finally, a great blue heron poses, abandoning their usual shyness.Last moose of a moosey day…this cow didn’t even know I was there as I observed her feeding for a long time. I thought how content she must be – mostly underwater, away from the bugs, and indulging her enormous appetite for tasty aquatic plants. The tan sandy bank on the far shore is typical of the appearance of a campsite from afar.This is that moose, shaking herself just like a dog!
What an awesome day, what an awesome place, the icing on the cake of this incredible journey!
Laurie Apgar Chandler 