Saint John River trip, Maine...

[rushton]

Is the Saint John River in Maine the ideal trip for a wood and canvas canoe? It seems to be. There are enough rocks and rapids to keep one sharp, and long stretches of quickwater and moving flatwater in between, so that reflection and relaxation are possible. The campsites are superb. We had a trip down in May of 2004 (hard to believe it was that long ago!) with five people and three canoes; two plastic and my 1928 16' Old Town Yankee that I restored in 1996. I went solo most of the time, carrying a lot of the food and miscellaneous supplies to keep the front of the canoe where it belonged. Aside from a few overly exiting moments, all was serene. I re-discovered something that most already know... tumblehome, while picturesque, leads to a canoe full of water in rapids. We saw moose, bear, and bald eagles. Here are a few pictures.

 

[Howard Caplan]

Rushton,

Your pics confirm the St. John will remain on my list of places to paddle until I finally load up and travel half the country to get there.

Thanks for the reminder.
Howard

 

[rushton]

Worth the drive...

If I recall correctly, we took out at the bridge in Dickey, and we spent 4 nights on the river. That seemed like just about the right length for the trip. We slept well at night, but were never exhausted. We ate well, and brought along some libations for evening cheer. That's one of the nice things about canoeing, as opposed to backpacking; you can carry too much stuff and get away with it!

We went in May, before the bugs had really hatched out to any great extent. I'd hate to be there during black fly season.