Archive for the ‘Journals’ Category

Summer Journal Day 7

Friday, August 7

8 AM

Today would have been my mother’s 83^rd birthday had the cancer not taken her back in 1973. Happy birthday mom and thank you.

It was cool again last night for August. We were in the tent early as it started to rain about 5 pm. The showers lasted only about an hour, but did make things wet. We had already packed most of our things.

Last night we had snacks for dinner and played several games of UNO. I worked on my Allagash walking stick before we climbed into the tent. We both read for a while. Chris seems to be enjoying his book. He has never been a big reader, but seems pretty interested in this book. I read some essays I had brought along by Sigurd Olsen.

It was nice to lie in bed last night and be entertained by the loons. There was much more activity on the pond last night compared to the night before. They were calling to one another and singing most of the night.

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Summer Journal Day 6

Thursday, August 6

9 AM

If it were not for writing in this journal I suppose I wouldn’t know what day it was. We had a nice fire last night. There is so much dead wood lying around we don’t have any trouble finding firewood. We have an ax and a saw, but have rarely had to use them. In some places there are piles of slash that have been left behind after logging. This stuff is usually well seasoned and we are able to help ourselves.

Dinner last night was just snacks. Neither of us felt much like cooking. Chris had a piece of apple pie and I had some peanuts and we shared some crackers and cheese. While we munched we played chess. I won.

Mike told us we might get some rain today, but so far nothing. There are a few clouds that look like the fair weather variety overhead, but it is mostly blue sky. It got cold again last night. It’s crazy for August, but I could see my breath in the cool air. The cold woke us up during the night. I was able to wrap-up a little tighter in my bag and get back to sleep. Chris was cold too, but pulled the bag over his head and that seemed to work. It’s a bit chilly this morning. We’re wearing our fleece pullovers. I made some coffee and that is helping to warm me up. Chris is still inside his sleeping bag. I’m planning to make eggs, corned beef hash and juice for breakfast once he gets up.

Last night we talked about where to go next. We really have the entire North Maine Woods at our disposal. I asked Chris to pick a spot on the map, to find some rivers and streams he’d like to fish and that’s where we’d head next. He doesn’t enjoy setting up and breaking camp. It’s work. Our tent is 11×15 feet and inside we have five rugs that we use to cushion the floor so that we can walk around without stepping on rocks. We sleep on cots in our sleeping bags and we each have a wool blanket if needed. Chris has two pillows and I have three. It’s a pretty plush set up and quite comfortable, but requires some work every time we move. Sometimes I think we’re a traveling circus.

Our tent without the fly. Letting things dry out.

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Summer Journal Day 5

Wednesday, August 5

4 PM

It has been a very busy day. We’ve been driving and running around and we’re getting on each others nerves.

We got up at 5:30 this morning and once again everything was soaked. It had rained steadily around 4:30 this morning for about 30 minutes. We decided to skip breakfast and just pack up and get on the road.

When we passed through the Six Mile Checkpoint about 6:45 the woman was very surprised to hear that we were headed to Fort Kent. She acted like it was the other side of the moon. I guess some people around here don’t travel much. She was also curious why we were leaving the North Maine Woods so quickly as we had just entered on the first. I told her we’d be back once we got some supplies and a new fly rod. She smiled and wished us a good trip.

We passed through a large mill with stacks of logs piled high on both sides of the road. Trucks were coming and going. This was probably the destination for those 14-foot wide trucks that can’t use the public road. We went for about another mile or so and got onto Route 11 north. This is an easy drive, especially after navigating the dirt logging roads. We drove this road two years ago on our first trip up to Allagash.

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Summer Journal Day 4

Tuesday, August 4

11 AM

We had a good night last night, but it got cold. We have good camp bags, Chris has a 10 degree bag and mine is a 20 degree bag, but we both were awake in the night with the cold. I put on a heavy fleece and some socks and was able to fall back to sleep. Chris is going to dig out our thermometer just in case we get another of these cold nights.

Last night before bed we hauled a big bucket of water up from the river and took sponge baths. We couldn’t jump in the river as it drops off quickly and has a bit of a current. There is a gravel bar that Chris though he’d try swim to, but if he missed, I suppose he end up somewhere down the river.

Later we sat by the fire and star-gazed for a while before bed, but there was a full moon and the sky was too bright to see a lot. We picked out the Big Dipper and just sat and marveled over the rest.

It is a beautiful morning, sunny and cool with just the hint of a breeze. So far there is no humidity or bugs to complain about. I made eggs, sausage and fried potatoes for breakfast along with coffee and juice. After eating we discussed our plan. Last night we burned our itinerary. It’s useless and made for good kindling. We decided to spend another night here and then continue east into Ashland for gas. Chris hauled a big bucket of water up from the river to wash the dishes and pans. He then went fishing, but was quickly back. His fly rod snapped. Now we have even more of a reason to go to Ashland tomorrow. He needs a new rod. Right now he is in the woods somewhere gathering wood for tonight’s fire. I’m finishing up another cup of coffee, and then I’ll do the breakfast dishes and reorganize our gear. It’s remarkable how quickly things get mixed up and become impossible to find.

Machias River Campsite

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Meal Plan

A couple of people have asked about food. We planned our meals for the first part of our trip only. What came after our stay at the Little Lyford Camps remained to be seen and we really had no plan.

I tried to find foods Chris would eat, which proved to be one of the most difficult parts of the trip. he is an extremely picky eater. We would use up our perishable foods in three days. After that everything we had to be shelf stable.

This is how we planned it. It didn’t work out this way, which wasn’t surprising. But in the event we needed it, the food was there.

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Summer Journal Day 3

Monday, August 3

4 PM

This is my first chance to write since last night. The weather turned bad with very heavy rain and a lot of wind during the night. There were times that it seemed the tent would give way, but it stood up and got us through the storm.

Before the really bad weather moved in last night I took the opportunity to take a bath in Horserace Rapids. The water just behind the dam leading down Caucomgomoc Stream to Black Pond is called the Horserace. The stream is filled with white water plumes that resemble the raised tails of horses, thus I’m guessing is where the names comes from. It was quite the power wash and a bit chilly, but felt good and because of the fast moving water, no leeches. We played Yahtzee again before bed and I won again, but not by much.

We got up at seven this morning to blue sky, the storm had passed. Everything was soaked and there was a big puddle six inches deep in front of the tent flap. Most of our equipment is in plastic containers, which keeps it dry. But the tent is very wet and the ground surrounding it is flooded. We took it down wearing either no shoes or in our water shoes.

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Summer Journal Day 2

Sunday, August 2

7 AM

It was nice to listen to the loons out on the big lake last night. We also had a barred owl in camp that sat right above the tent. He was loud.

I didn’t sleep well. I guess I got to sleep around midnight. It’s a sunny morning. At least it looks like it could be a nice day. Chris is still asleep. I’ve got the coffee pot on the stove and once I have some coffee I’ll get breakfast started. I think we’ll have scrambled eggs with sausage today. The coffee is percolating nicely. It’s time for a cup.

Sunday, August 2

7:30 AM

The coffee smelled too good. I couldn’t wait to let the grounds settle so now I’m spitting coffee grounds, but it is worth it.

Allagash Campground

We’re getting our first taste of mosquitoes in the morning. They were around last night too. Hopefully once the sun climbs above the tall pine trees surrounding our campsite it will warm up some and the mosquitoes will call it quits until tonight.

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Summer Journal Day 1

My son and I spent a couple of weeks in the North Maine Woods. It wasn’t what we had expected this year, but it was great.

Saturday, August 1

10 PM

We left my friend’s house in Portsmouth, NH at 10:20 am. Chris went for a ride on the wave runner before we left. The speed of the boat, hitting 40 mph impressed Chris.

Today is sunny and humid, with temperatures in the 80’s.

We drove through to Millinocket, got something to eat at McDonald’s and went across the street to the market and bought our groceries. We already had plenty of shelf-stable food; we needed our perishables and more ice for the trip into the woods.

We topped off the truck’s gas tank and filled both five gallon cans I had in the back. We stopped at the Trading Post across from Ambajejus Lake, but just looked. We then headed up the Golden Road stopping at Abol Bridge, from where we took pictures of Mt. Katahdin. This has to be one of the best angles for pictures of the mountain and the weather was perfect, with just some scattered clouds.

Katahdin in the Abenaki Indian language means “Great Mountain.” It is the greatest in Maine at 5,268 feet and is also the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

Mt. Katahdin

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