Look at what we found in the woods!

[Fitz]

We took the annual camping trip with the kids last week near Eagle Lake in Maine. Of course no one filled us in that Mainers are considering building an ARK due to the rising waters.

I am one to figure that a whole parcel of days in camp in the rain beat just one day in the cube, but we cried uncle after 72 hours of rain and packed up and left Dodge. There were rumors of flooded campsites and evacuated trippers on the Allagash proper. We noted that the Kennebec, Androscoggin, and Carrabasset Rivers were all near flood stage on the way home.

Between bands of rain, we did manage to see the trains at Eagle Lake via 20 foot Chestnut Ogilvy Pool square stern. I had the sail rig out for all of about an hour.

We had 9 Humans and one dog in the Pool on Eagle. The Ranger stopped us and suggested we were overloaded, but I don't really think so. The freeboard was about the same unloaded. That thing can carry a load.

The Ranger told us to, "feel free to play with the trains as long as you put them back when you are done".

I took Grandma on this trip and she is a forager. We were treated to a mess of wild chantrelle mushrooms and a batch of fresh Maine crawdad. You can't tell them from shrimp.

Oh well, at least we didn't have to deal with low water!!

Fitz.

 

[john hupfield]

Theres your Park Ranger used to dealing with a disperportionate number of wahoos.A 20 ft Ogilvy could carry parts for the train.
The country looks like around here (Georgian Bay)and north where I paddle,even the forest cover. Though Steam engines in the Bush are rather rare we do have an abandoned Roundhouse.
So ,I suggest that you load up one of those power wagons and bring it up to the Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway.Don't matter that they don't run,they ripped up the tracks in the 70s anyway.
John

 

[F Harvey Bowley]

AWW evacuated

yes 1st time they have had to evacuate campers in AWW in august

24hour rain on 8-3-08.

It looks like the highest amount recorded happend on this day at 7.72" in the depot lake area and in the west side of the St.John river watershed.

The total for the event (Since 7/31) in the Depot area is 8.2" and counting.

there were roads and bridges washed out campsites had to be evacuated and Churchil dam was wide open to release

Nice to see the trains again perhaps next year fitz will have some decent weather the last two Maine trips have been bad but he made the best of the conditions

 

[shelldrake]

Brings back memories of a trip there with our young kids in the early 90's Fitz. We ran into some old friends that we hadn't seen in many years while there..small world.

Did you put-in at Indian Stream?

Matt

 

[Fitz]

Stream

Yes, shelldrake, we did put in at Indian Stream. The water was waist deep and flowing. Unlike other years which were literally a drag.

We could have paddled it this year, but we lined the massive Pool canoe full of women folk down to the lake, and back up again.

 

[GOT]

shine em up!

couple cases of Brasso and they'll look like new! Keeps the kids busy too.

 

[stephenboyle@comcast.net]

Across the trussel (remains of wooden bridge) on the other side of Chamberlain lake from the trains. Just in the woods a bit along the railway tracks their was a small camp built there before there was a Allagash Wilderness Waterway. A lot of it was built from the building that housed the Handcar for the trains. It was small-- with no windows, a barrel stove, bunk beds and a dirt floor.I was just wondering if anyone ever found it, it was there a long time. In the mid 80's the game wardens did find it and then burnt it down. it wasn't supposed to be there. I remember when they did--- it was the end of sept. when fishing is good up the stream at the allagash pool I walked up the path and it was gone. My dog and i spent the week sleeping under our Otca canoe, they do make a good shelter. The guy that built it was always building camps, he called them hovels. But he knew where all the fish where and the world is less without him

 

[shelldrake]

The last time I was in that area was in the early 70s. We motored up Chamberlain from Telos, hid the motors in the woods by where you describe the hovel, and poled/pulled the canoes upstream to Allagash Lake. Wouldn't attempt that now, but we do plan a downstream approach to Allagash Lake in the near future. I remember it as being a lovely, secluded place and imagine that it hasn't changed much in the past 35 years.

Matt

 

[stephenboyle@comcast.net]

My brother's boy goes down stream to Allagash Lake too. I think he puts in around Johnson pond. I've never gone that way . My dad would take me when i was young and then i took my sons later by starting at Caucomoc landing--down the lake-- up ciss stream to Round pond to where Poland pond comes into it. Then in the middle of the week when we were rested we'd hike the 3 miles to allagash lake. Now you can drive there and there is a lodge there at round pond no K.F.C. i hope. It's really so nice around there.

 

[Fitz]

In from the North

Thanks, I love these stories from the North Maine Woods.

I have come in from the North to Allagash Lake. It is a nice option, sometimes involving some beaver dams.

Beware, the leeches wait for the tourists at the put-in!!

 

[shelldrake]

Yes, it's a wonderful place Fitz. My son and I are headed up there next month for a few days of bird hunting. I'm really looking forward to it.

Matt

 

[Kevin French]

New to group

Fitz there are more on the lower river.

These are call Lombard Log haulers this one is a gas powered

http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/sweeper54/Allagash 08/?action=view&current=P1010037.jpg

This one a Steam

http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/sweeper54/Allagash 08/?action=view&current=P1010041.jpg

They are just above Cunliffe Depot Site. Used to haul a train type loads of logs over the snow.

Here's the rest of the pics to last years trip. There's no wooden canoes, but it's a great trip and lots of pics.

http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/sweeper54/Allagash 08/

Here's the the trip log on another site.

http://www.canoeing.com/rendezvous/triplogs/triplog08_kfrench.htm