AUGUST 2003
CANOE TRIP TO THE ALLAGASH RIVER IN MAINE

Participants:
Jim Bailey  
Mike Reilly  
Bill Yacovissi
Bob Alspaugh
Hans Krohn
Terry Bryant
Tom Artes
The Route:
Started at the Indian Stream put-in.   Take out at Allagash Village.

Distance:  
80 miles by water .3 miles of portaging

The trip started at the Bear's Den Cabin in Millenocket.  We were in a four hour traffic jam around Boston and points north so we arrived late Friday night.
I'll confess when we arrived at the outfitter I wasn't very impressed, just a trailer in the woods, but it was ok in the end.
The put in at Indian Stream was very strange.  It's just a stream coming out of a couple of sluices.  You have to walk the canoes through the trees to the lake about a half mile downstream.  Not bad but could be tough in low water.

Our first night's camp on Churchill Lake at the Priestly Point Camp

Mike and Jim cooking our traditional Black Diamond steaks the first night out.

Hans provided the firewood for the steaks.

Terry and Bill at one of the rest breaks along the way.  The weather was great for paddling, cloudy and cool, but not good for getting in the water in the afternoon.  The Allagash had great camps but not particularly good water front at the camps.
We saw more moose on this trip than on all our trips combined.  The upper part of the Allagash is certainly moose country.
Maybe it's the perspective of the picture but this looks like Godzilla the Moose. 

Hans and Jim getting a nice close up of a moose.

Another moose walking up the shore.
We actually saw these moose or is it mooses before we started the trip. 
Made it up to Churchill Dam in a day and a half. 
I think this was our second night's camp, Pine at the southern end of Long Pond.
Lining the canoes over the Long Lake Dam
Terry sure looks like he is having a good time.  Check out the grass stain on the shirt.  I guess we're all a bunch of little boys at heart.  Not the worst thing to grow up to be.
Taking a break somewhere along the river.
Our third and fourth night's camp, Rip on Round Pond.  It was raining the next morning so we decided to stay in camp and hike to the fire tower.  We were well ahead of schedule at this point.
Paddled back up Round Pond to hike to the fire tower.  Jim is giving the kayak a try.
An interesting shot of the group on the trail to the fire tower.
As we sat in camp on Round Pond a bald eagle would swoop down right in front of the camp and grab a fish.  He did this a few times before flying off.
I think this is the next morning as we were leaving the camp on Round Pond.
Allagash Falls.  A very impressive sight.
The only portage on the trip was the .3 miles around Allagash Falls. 
Our last night's camp, Big Brook North or South or East.  I'm not sure which one.  Tom told a great joke about an Irishman and a sheep but he told it with an Italian accent.  Doesn't matter it was a funny joke.
This snake actually lived in the camp fire place.  We thought he would head out when we built a fire but just the opposite.  He came out and basked in the heat. 
Our traditional group shot near the end of the trip.

THE END