robin
LOVES Wooden Canoes
I spent 3 days traveling from the headwaters at Pleasant River Lake to take out at Saco Falls on the Pleasant River last week, here's a few pictures and a brief story.
The river runs from the lake at rt 9 in eastern coastal Maine and dumps into the ocean 35 miles later. My trip length was 27 miles as the crow flies, but I would guess with all the switchbacks I paddled 40 plus miles in 3 days.
I wore hip boots and waded, lined and paddled my way to deeper water. I had recently read the Cornovers book "Beyond the Paddle" and wanted to try my hand at lining. I have a lot to learn, but it was fun and opens up a whole new way of tripping with a wood canvas canoe for me.
I also brought a 12 ft pole and managed to snub my way down sections of quick water, the bottom was mostly sandy so this worked well for me. The upper sections of the river where mixed mature hardwoods and pine/cedar, it's a very clean and pretty river. In the whole trip I remember seeing 4-5 cabins and 2 where paddle in only. Never a piece of trash and they enforce a strict buffer zone on logging. (I have no issues with logging at all, but the state has done a good job protecting the rivers beauty.
Two other things the river has are trees across the river (strainers) and beaver dams. On more than one occasion I rounded a corner in quick water, only to see a fallen tree across the river and no route thru. The water was always shallow, so I easily pulled to the side and figured my way around, over or thru. There was no sign of anyone going thru these strainers before me and some where very old. I assume this river is seldom paddled.
The beaver dams where easier, some I would get a running start and float over, some I would get stuck on and have to get out. Then out came the fishing rod, and it was easy to catch 4-5 brook trout...
My first small brook trout
I found a nice campsite the first night and cooked my dinner over my new "twig stove", it burns twigs and is great at boiling water fast, but it's tough to regulate and a constant effort to keep a fire going. Not sure if I will continue to use it, but the weight savings over a stove and fuel is alot.
Here's the river just upstream of my first campsite.
The second morning I entered a section of the river where I had to line and portage. The section behind this picture was only the beginning,
after this I had to carry the better part of a 1/2 mile through forest. No portages marked and no trail to follow. foot placement was always on my mind as I humped that 16 ft Chestnut Pal over fallen logs and rocks.
The second night I found a nice campsite and set my tent up shortly before an all night heavy downpour.
Out front of campsite #2
As luck would have it, the rain stopped at daybreak and I was off for another day on the river.
From here to the take out the river still had a nice current, but it meandered back and forth through alder covered banks. The wildlife and fishing where both first class, beavers, otters, ducks, moose tracks but no sightings, bear tracks in the mud around the beaver lodges, an eagle, ospreys and some good sized Maine deer.
All in all a great little river in a wood canvas canoe, the best of both worlds....
The river runs from the lake at rt 9 in eastern coastal Maine and dumps into the ocean 35 miles later. My trip length was 27 miles as the crow flies, but I would guess with all the switchbacks I paddled 40 plus miles in 3 days.
I wore hip boots and waded, lined and paddled my way to deeper water. I had recently read the Cornovers book "Beyond the Paddle" and wanted to try my hand at lining. I have a lot to learn, but it was fun and opens up a whole new way of tripping with a wood canvas canoe for me.
I also brought a 12 ft pole and managed to snub my way down sections of quick water, the bottom was mostly sandy so this worked well for me. The upper sections of the river where mixed mature hardwoods and pine/cedar, it's a very clean and pretty river. In the whole trip I remember seeing 4-5 cabins and 2 where paddle in only. Never a piece of trash and they enforce a strict buffer zone on logging. (I have no issues with logging at all, but the state has done a good job protecting the rivers beauty.
Two other things the river has are trees across the river (strainers) and beaver dams. On more than one occasion I rounded a corner in quick water, only to see a fallen tree across the river and no route thru. The water was always shallow, so I easily pulled to the side and figured my way around, over or thru. There was no sign of anyone going thru these strainers before me and some where very old. I assume this river is seldom paddled.
The beaver dams where easier, some I would get a running start and float over, some I would get stuck on and have to get out. Then out came the fishing rod, and it was easy to catch 4-5 brook trout...
My first small brook trout
I found a nice campsite the first night and cooked my dinner over my new "twig stove", it burns twigs and is great at boiling water fast, but it's tough to regulate and a constant effort to keep a fire going. Not sure if I will continue to use it, but the weight savings over a stove and fuel is alot.
Here's the river just upstream of my first campsite.
The second morning I entered a section of the river where I had to line and portage. The section behind this picture was only the beginning,
after this I had to carry the better part of a 1/2 mile through forest. No portages marked and no trail to follow. foot placement was always on my mind as I humped that 16 ft Chestnut Pal over fallen logs and rocks.
The second night I found a nice campsite and set my tent up shortly before an all night heavy downpour.
Out front of campsite #2
As luck would have it, the rain stopped at daybreak and I was off for another day on the river.
From here to the take out the river still had a nice current, but it meandered back and forth through alder covered banks. The wildlife and fishing where both first class, beavers, otters, ducks, moose tracks but no sightings, bear tracks in the mud around the beaver lodges, an eagle, ospreys and some good sized Maine deer.
All in all a great little river in a wood canvas canoe, the best of both worlds....
Last edited:
