- This topic has 0 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 2 days, 13 hours ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
Alyson and I took a spontaneous trip to the Allagash last week. Since we already have two kayaks and wanted to avoid the river, we decided to just drive in to Churchill Dam, paddle south and then circle back.
Day One
We came in through St. Justine in Canada and stopped to charge at the Ford Appalaches dealership, which is about 65 miles from Churchill Dam. We charged the Rivian up to about 320 miles of range—much more than we would need, but it made me feel safe. The manager of the Ford dealership was really interested in the Rivian, and we ended up chatting for quite a while about it.
From there we passed through the Canadian border at St Just-de-Bretenieres and took Poulin Road/McCluskey Brook Road to Churchill Dam. It was very rough, with some deep washouts. I put the Rivian into off-road mode with the suspension up high, and we waded through two to three feet of water. I don’t think a typical SUV would have made it through. Luckily, the Rivian is rated to be able to handle 43 inches of water. [Note: I LOVE the Rivian, I don’t think there is another vehicle that feels like a luxury automobile, drives like a sports car and can handle the toughest terrain,]
We got to Churchill Dam around 5:30. To our good fortune there was an empty site because the skies opened up almost as soon as we had the tent set up. We managed to get all our gear inside and waited out the rain.
And we love the new tent! Perhaps its a bit much — the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL5 — but it was honestly perfect. Light, watertight, roomy, a cinch to setup and lots of headroom. Alyson can actually stand up in it and we had room for all of our gear.
The storm wasn’t letting up, and we were getting ready to settle in for a cold dinner, when the group camping next door came over and asked if we’d like some of their food—they had made too much. We said yes, absolutely! They had made a delicious chili with rice, beans, cheese and hot sauce, and after the long drive and setting up camp in the rain, it really hit the spot.
They turned out to be a wonderful and kind family. Kevin and David were the sons, Grace the granddaughter, and Charlie Hamel the grandfather. Charlie is an old-time Maine Guide, and his sons are guides as well. Their service is Magnetic North Guide Service. Email: magneticnorth64@gmail.com. We had a great time sitting around talking about all things Allagash and swapping stories and adventures. It was a pretty perfect way to end a wet first day.
Day Two
We got up bright and early and paddled up Pleasant Stream. We saw a gorgeous full-grown moose, but s/he retreated into the forest before I could get a photo. We made it pretty far until the way got blocked with some downed branches. We could have portaged over, but decided to turn around.
It was a gorgeous partly sunny day—not too hot, with a nice breeze. By early afternoon, though, the breeze had turned into some real wind, and we had to cross Churchill Lake with some whitecaps. Luckily the wind was from the west, so we were able to head right into it and it wasn’t too bad. We used the little island just west of Pleasant Stream to block some of the wind.
We stopped for a swim at Scofield Point and then continued south. Surprisingly, there were not very many paddlers (many more motor boaters) and we had our choice of sites. We got to Little Eagle around 4:00, called it a day and setup camp. I thought there would be more bugs, but there were really hardly any. No need for any bug spray or nets. Just some very occasional mosquitos. Dinner was chimichurri chicken and grilled corn.
Day Three
We paddled to Pump Handle and set up camp. From there we emptied our kayaks and paddled light toward Smith Brook to explore some of the island archipelagos in the southeast corner of Eagle Lake.
It was another gorgeous, partly sunny afternoon for paddling, with a friendly north wind. Smith Brook is beautiful and immediately became one of my new favorite sites. Alyson rested on the beach while I paddled out to explore the islands.
It was getting late, so I only had time to explore a few of them. The islands and the surrounding marshy areas that I did get to see were really pretty, and there is clearly a lot more there to explore and I need to come back.
Unfortunately, that friendly north wind picked up considerably during the afternoon, which made for a long, hard paddle back to Pump Handle. We were both pretty beat by the time we got back. Doing it again, I would have taken at least some of the gear with us in case we got caught out.
We grilled up some burgers and went to sleep.
Day Four
We got up bright and early and watched the sunrise over the mist on the water. Blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The paddling was quiet and easy all the way to Churchill Dam. Mostly the lake was glass except for the wakes of the occasional motor boat. When we got to Churchill Dam we had a choice to spend the night and head out Monday the way we came (the border station that we crossed at closes on Sunday) or head South on a bigger drive. We decided to pack the car and exit South toward Greenville, which made for a lot of riding on the logging roads. But, they were generally in good shape and we made it to Greenville just in time for a nice dinner. Another successful Allagash adventure in the books.
Attachments:
PXL_20260813_212310054.jpg
PXL_20260814_112432694.jpg
PXL_20260814_105858203.jpg
PXL_20260814_132139508.jpg
PXL_20260814_213500531-1.jpg
PXL_20260815_185448518.jpg
PXL_20260816_130548236.jpg
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.