AUGUST 2011
CANOE TRIP ON THE ALLAGASH RIVER IN MAINE

Click the Map for an Expended View

The Route:

Started at Indian Stream. Take out Allagash Village.

Distance:  
90 miles by water .3 miles of portaging

Participants:
Jim Bailey 
Jeff Bailey 
Mike Reilly  
Tom Kaminski
Bob Alspaugh
Hans Krohn
Bill Yacovissi
Bill Baldwin

 

Pictures Expand When Clicked On
Drove from Wellsboro to Millinocket Maine to start the trip. 

Spent the night at the
Kathadein Forest Cabins.  Primitive but inexpensive.

Met up with
Katahdin Outfitter the next morning for the drive into the park.
The Indian Stream Put-in requires that you navigate down this narrow connecting channel for a quarter mile or so.  There was enough water in it to run this time.  Last trip we pulled the canoes much of the way.

Jim and Jeff exiting the Indian Stream Put-in

A view of Mt. Katahdin in the distance

Just around the corner we had the first moose sighting

Then we found some gigantic train locomotives sitting in the woods. 

This is not the least bit unusual in the north woods of Maine I guess
Naturally we had to climb all over them

They were huge.  Check out Hans standing by the wheel for perspective
You would think grown men would have more common sense
Our first camp in Farm Island on Eagle Lake

It started raining about 10 pm and continued steady through the night and the next morning.
After lunch the rain let up a bit so we broke camp and managed to cover some distance
Our second night's camp Schofield Point on Churchill Lake
The next day broke sunny and warm. 

A nice picture of Mike enjoying the emerging morning sun with a rainbow in the background
There is nothing quite so lovely as a sunny day after a raining day
Some traditional canoe on the lakes pictures follow

Hans and Tom
Jim and Jeff
Mike and Bob
Bill and Bill
We got to the Churchill Dam early in the day but were still behind a large scout group and some other groups as well

The rangers portage your equipment and you if you like around the Chase Rapids.  Otherwise you run them in empty canoes

The good news was that we were packed so well the rangers took our bags to fill left over space in the truck so we got in front of the crowd
The Chase Rapids were described as easy class II.  I thought they were hard class II. 

Anyway all of us got through ok
Another view of some of the Chase Rapids
We did short days so we could get to the Chase Rapids before they closed the flow from the dam

Unfortunately this left us with a long day on the third day
After a while we just started walking
Our third night camp at Long Lake Dam

Click for a video of the campsite
Another sunny day for paddling
We had the same 20 miles or so to paddle but had flowing water most of the day in contrast to the lakes yesterday
Another moose sighting
Our fourth night's camp at Ramsey Ledge
The group enjoying our evening wine social before dinner
Another sunny and beautiful day for paddling
More of the same as we progress downriver
The only portage on this trip is around Allagash Falls

The portage is about a quarter of a mile on a good trail

We felt that the falls were not adequately marked as you would definitely die if you canoed past the portage point
A nice picture of Allagash Falls
Our fifth's night camp at East Twin Brook
Sometimes I wonder how this group ever manages to get anywhere
Our cars were waiting just like the outfitter promised

We left the canoes in the parking area and began the 16 hour trip to Wellsboro

The End