Zugenruhe
- Thread starter Todd F
- Start date
chris pearson
Michigan Canoe Nut
Absolutely poetic. We are so lucky to have him…….
MGC
Scrapmaker
What hit the spot for me was Jerry's article about paddling in Northern Maine and following the route of Thoreau.
Jerry is a great writer. His stories centering around this 1981 trip made me feel the bite of mosquitos at the Lobster outlet.
I could smell the stench of the muck that sits just below the layer of water on Mud Pond.
My first memory of that carry was from a trip with my father in 1968 (?). I remember sitting down on the side of the carry with my loaded backpack and being unable to pick myself up. I had to wait for my father to come along with the canoe to help me back to my feet.
In 1972 I shared the journey with some high school/scouting buddies. We did the trip as you should, from Greenville. By the time we got to Mud Pond Carry, we were feeling pretty cocky about ourselves. We had made it all the way to Maine and knocked off Maines biggest lake, crossed the NE Carry and made our way across Chesuncook. Umbazooksus to Mud Pond was just a bump in the road. So they thought.
As it almost always does, the carry came at us as it had done to many before us. Long, muddy, buggy, obstructed, wet, it was an epic day that I still hear them complaining about. We spent the night on the far shore of the pond on the barely wide enough for a sleeping bag edge. The meteor shower that night was a once in a lifetime experience. We were tired beyond sleeping.
Many years later I passed along what has become a family tradition and took my older son on the same trip. He's a tough kid. A star athlete. A human lung. An experienced paddler with many miles and carries under his belt. We were paddling his canoe that he had built in Rollin's shop. This was a trip to remember. On the day of the carry, we pushed off from Gero Island in a sprinkle. It had rained during the night. Mud Pond Carry was going to be at optimum juiciness. Sure enough. When we found the trail hidden in the alders, everything was dripping wet. The trail was flowing. We were soaked within the first 100 yards. We did our thing. We helped another through paddler with his gear. He went on to finish the Northern Forest Canoe trail in a record time. A published follow-up article he wrote described the carry as the worst day of the over 700 miles of the trip. My son, the most upbeat person I know, called it the worst day of his life.
A number of years later I did the same trip with my younger son. Pressed for time, we cheated and put in at the NE Carry. We arrived at Umbazooksus fresh and ready to roll. The weather had been pretty poor, but once you are committed to this route, there is no turning back. We slogged through. Wind had knocked some trees across the trail and beavers had flooded part of it to use as a canal for dragging logs. Again, Mud Pond Carry presented with optimum juiciness. Again, we helped someone with their gear as we made our way back and forth through the slop. We made good time and passed through to Eagle. Instead of suffering the bugs on the lip of the pond, we were treated to bugs on the edge of the lake. My younger son, also an experienced outdoorsman with many miles of paddling and carries proclaimed it the worst day of his life.
As I had done with my father, my buddies and my older son, we laughed about Thoreau and what bonehead he must have been to wander off in such a dreadful place.
You can see where this is going?
I have asked my sons to spread my ashes along the carry. I will get the final laugh and they will put one more trip across Mud Pond Carry under their belts.
Jerry brought back some of my best memories with his story.
A picture of us standing in the trail...1972.
Jerry is a great writer. His stories centering around this 1981 trip made me feel the bite of mosquitos at the Lobster outlet.
I could smell the stench of the muck that sits just below the layer of water on Mud Pond.
My first memory of that carry was from a trip with my father in 1968 (?). I remember sitting down on the side of the carry with my loaded backpack and being unable to pick myself up. I had to wait for my father to come along with the canoe to help me back to my feet.
In 1972 I shared the journey with some high school/scouting buddies. We did the trip as you should, from Greenville. By the time we got to Mud Pond Carry, we were feeling pretty cocky about ourselves. We had made it all the way to Maine and knocked off Maines biggest lake, crossed the NE Carry and made our way across Chesuncook. Umbazooksus to Mud Pond was just a bump in the road. So they thought.
As it almost always does, the carry came at us as it had done to many before us. Long, muddy, buggy, obstructed, wet, it was an epic day that I still hear them complaining about. We spent the night on the far shore of the pond on the barely wide enough for a sleeping bag edge. The meteor shower that night was a once in a lifetime experience. We were tired beyond sleeping.
Many years later I passed along what has become a family tradition and took my older son on the same trip. He's a tough kid. A star athlete. A human lung. An experienced paddler with many miles and carries under his belt. We were paddling his canoe that he had built in Rollin's shop. This was a trip to remember. On the day of the carry, we pushed off from Gero Island in a sprinkle. It had rained during the night. Mud Pond Carry was going to be at optimum juiciness. Sure enough. When we found the trail hidden in the alders, everything was dripping wet. The trail was flowing. We were soaked within the first 100 yards. We did our thing. We helped another through paddler with his gear. He went on to finish the Northern Forest Canoe trail in a record time. A published follow-up article he wrote described the carry as the worst day of the over 700 miles of the trip. My son, the most upbeat person I know, called it the worst day of his life.
A number of years later I did the same trip with my younger son. Pressed for time, we cheated and put in at the NE Carry. We arrived at Umbazooksus fresh and ready to roll. The weather had been pretty poor, but once you are committed to this route, there is no turning back. We slogged through. Wind had knocked some trees across the trail and beavers had flooded part of it to use as a canal for dragging logs. Again, Mud Pond Carry presented with optimum juiciness. Again, we helped someone with their gear as we made our way back and forth through the slop. We made good time and passed through to Eagle. Instead of suffering the bugs on the lip of the pond, we were treated to bugs on the edge of the lake. My younger son, also an experienced outdoorsman with many miles of paddling and carries proclaimed it the worst day of his life.
As I had done with my father, my buddies and my older son, we laughed about Thoreau and what bonehead he must have been to wander off in such a dreadful place.
You can see where this is going?
I have asked my sons to spread my ashes along the carry. I will get the final laugh and they will put one more trip across Mud Pond Carry under their belts.
Jerry brought back some of my best memories with his story.
A picture of us standing in the trail...1972.
Last edited:
Michael Grace
Lifetime Member
Hey Todd and Chris - thanks very much for your kind words. Much appreciated! I hope this issue is a fun and interesting read overall. Inadvertently the Spring 2024 issue came to include much from and about two of our favorite wooden canoe experts in Maine - Jerry and Rollin. Jerry's wonderful story is a treat and Rollin is part of it. Rollin also apprears in Maury Breslow's amazing restoration saga. And finally, Mike Elliott's new book is introduced in the journal through Jerry's forward piece, published with permission.
Rounding it out is a nice piece about the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum which RIGHT NOW (today) is holding its annual
Canoe Heritage Day and the Canoe & Wooden Boat Show. If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Spooner, WI, or in the vicinity of North America, you might wish to check it out. It promises to be a fun day. I just mapped the route from my location, but I don't think I can get there before midnight. Bummer!
Rounding it out is a nice piece about the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum which RIGHT NOW (today) is holding its annual
Canoe Heritage Day and the Canoe & Wooden Boat Show. If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Spooner, WI, or in the vicinity of North America, you might wish to check it out. It promises to be a fun day. I just mapped the route from my location, but I don't think I can get there before midnight. Bummer!
