Lobster Lake,West Branch Penobscot, Chesuncook etc

[spider solo]

Oct 7-13, 2009
Well I've been looking at this trip for a couple of years now part of the Northern Forest Canoe trail plus a little extra,
Last year I did a few days solo on Lake Chesuncook (near Baxter State park) up in Maine.
This year I was lucky enough to have a paddling partner named Philippe, from the "Eastern Townships" of Que. Sherbrooke in particular, who we met on a ferry Boat to the Isles de Madeline, Que and did some "lively" paddling with him up there on some day trips.

I love this time of year so we made the rendevouz Oct 6th at Allagash Gateway Camps where I had made arrangements for a shuttle ride over to the put in on Lobster Stream for the next day.
Up in that neck of the woods it is the Golden Road that takes you most anywhere you need to go... unless of course, it's a case of "you can't get there from here". It's a private logging road, mostly dirt, and if you want to live to see another day you give way to the logging trucks in no uncertain way.

Somewhere around the Caribou Checkpoint North Maine Woods where you pay your fees (in our case $100+ as were not from Maine)
We knew things were looking promising for wildlife viewing when we saw black bear ahead crossing the road. A mother and her two cubs. Black as could be they vanished into the shadows in a heart beat and could not be seen again.

Lobster Launch finds us off loading and packing up our kayaks in our rain gear. We wore a type of waterproof shirt/skirt (Cag) that can fit over yourself, your life jacket and around the cockpit of your boat. Somewhat reminencent of the old days when indigenous people would literly sew their garments to the cockpit. Ours were much looser and not the type worn by the Greenland style paddlers today, though that type seems plenty interesting also.

Rain was our friend most every day and we paddle off to the right down to Lobster Lake and set up an early camp around 11 am as we know heavy rain was expected and sure enough rain it did indeed.
Older and wiser ?... this year I brought a large tarp so we could have a roof over our heads plus as an extra bonus each campsite had a picnick table with two supports and a "ridgepole" going across so you can throw your tarp over it... mighty nice...of course, not real wilderness, but pretty darn close for here in the east.
We "blah blah blah" the time away with a few short walks in between the breaks in the weather. His English is much better than my French so he spends the week in English like a good sport that he is.
Loons yodel the night away...

Day 2 finds us exploring the rest of Lobster Lake and picking another site for the evening on the lake before making the push down the Penobscot toward Chesuncook. Lots of nice sites on the Lake but we notice that the south end of the lake seems the quitest. It's a bit of a realitiy check when you search to be "miles from nowhere" ...yet hear the Golden Road in the distance and we plan our future campsites to be as far away from back roads as possible. Sound is deceptive and it reminds me of hiking in some of the WMNF as you listen to traffic from afar ...nice but...

Moose...
We have been listening for the "love call" of the moose as it is their "season" We know there are beacoup Original all around us and as I paddle with no purpose near rivers edge... kerploop, ploop, splash...a mother and her calf come half tumbling sliding down the embankment beside me...a few feet away...
...Few things make you feel as small as when you are siting low in your boat with the largest woodland animal above you... we all look at each other mighty surprised...Mother Moose decides perhaps her timiming is a bit off and makes a slow turn and lumbers back up the embankment.

 

[spider solo]

con't

Baby Moose yearling...
Most likely from last years mothers "love call" encounter... stares at us completly curious/ baffled. Let's see.. rainy day... two orange who knows what (us) floating on the river. The young one does finally turn and follows mom up the banking and you can hear them have a bit of a "moosey talk" once they rejoin. Mostly Mom doing the talkng I would say.
Another mile or so down the river we see yet another Moose a young male splashing his way up the river in no particular hurry and we drift and stealth paddle along best we can . This fellow has a small rack of antler and we figure him to be a 1st year fellow.
We stop for a quick break at Thoreau Island. He came this way many a year ago in Sept of 1853 and apparently planted some grass and built an out house to which we were eternaly gratefull ..for the "need" was upon us.

Actually he was a pretty amazing fellow and made some very fine jouneys in his short life and we can't help but think with the bridge of the Golden Road just within sight that it was the last thing in the world he ever would of thought of.
Surely it was the time of loggers and logs jams in those years so I would be curious how it all fits together with his journey.

As for us we make our way to campsite Big Ragmuff with the sound a cascade to filter our thoughts. It is the 3rd night and we make a nice fire to take the dampness away and have an ongoing stand off with the "Suisse" which is apparently what a chipmunk is called in Quebec...though he does not know why.
.... during the night I think I hear the the call of the young Mr Moose but I think he has it wrong because I think he calls.... PHIL...LIPPP..eee....

On our 4th day of no sun two canoes paddle by with good news of clearing skies in the forcast and wind, wind, wind. It had rained all night and I was wondering what lay ahead of us for rapids around Big Island hoping I had not gotten my friend in over his head with difficuties. No problem, the rapids were mostly quick water and easy navigation...without the rain it would have been a situation where the river would be to shallow to paddle this time of year, so lady luck was on our side. Several new first for my friend... 1st time doing any rapids and 1st time seeing moose avec the kayak. Also we were treated with our 2nd Bald Eagle of the trip circling low over head.

The West Branch of the Penobscot widens out into more of a delta as you approach Lake Chesuncook and the wind from the NW picks up acordingly we passed the 2 canoes for the last time just as they were struggling with the wind, particulary the fellow who was paddling solo had his work cut out for himself.
Still no sun as we enter the lake dead opposite Gero Island. Our plan is to check out Black Pond on the NW end of the Lake After some map and GPS navigation we find Caucomgomoc Stream which will take us there. The name stream is very misleading here as it presents itself much more like a large bay.
Energy and inspiration is running low as we make a landing at Canvas Dam campsite after some snacks we decided to make our camp here for the day. It was 2:30pm and the next site would be another 2 hrs of paddling pushing our envolope of daylight to much for our way of thinking. Glad we did for soon the sun came out and we enjoyed the spectacular views even more.

Nice fire that evening with the temps dropping down into the 30's. Morning brought a couple of surprises.
The temps had indeed fallen through the night and morning found our boats frost covered indeed. The other surprise was that Phillipe had burn a small hole in his tent during the night. Some folks try to get a little more heat by lighting one of those candle lanterns in their tents. I have never given it a try but it had worked for him in the past. This time though the drippless candle had dripped away and melted a hole through the floor of his tent. Not the end of the world but probablythe last time he ever gives it a try.

 

[spider solo]

big water of Chesuncook

Day 5
We realize we can't possibly paddle every last drop of water and every bay on the map so we opt to paddle further up into Black Pond for two hrs and call that our turn around point. Once again we were glad we did for in the course of that time we see another 4 moose. The most dramatic was the 1st of the day who we watched up ahead as it came to waters edge then waded deeper and deeper into the water finally swiming across the chanel and over to the other side. Reemerging rather nonchantly it seemed in no particular hurry when suddenly it galloped off into the woods.
Though we were quite some distance away it was down wind and who knows... perhaps it got a whiff of us...probably enough to make anything bolt by that time.

Time to head back and into the big water of the main part of the lake. Wind was blowing plenty heavy as we make the decision to cross over to check out Chesuncook Village. The crossing was a bit wild and we take a break at Graveyard Point to get our bearings then hop back in the boat and swing around into the small cove of the village.
Could have sworn I saw a person or two but when we arrive there is not a one to be seen. However we see two Buffalo at the "Village House" and one barking but friendly dog.
For me, that makes the 2nd year in a row that I have stopped there and have seen no one. As we push off and head to Gerro Island to find a campsite for the night we hear an ATV start up and drive around. We half joke to each other that people do actually run and hide when you approach and come back out when you leave...guess we'll never know.

We pick a spot not as full of white caps (moutons in Que) to make the crossing. I am paddling a different boat this year, a Boreal Design Ellesmere, with hard chine edges, and the crossing is a challenge as we take the waves broadside. At one point I am sure I am going over, but I brace and all is well.

My friend, also in a Boreal Design, paddles a different style (Alvik) and has a much better time of it.
I think he sums it up nicely when we reach the other side..."You're boat.. I think it is more nervous than mine".
I agree.

Day 6 the last full day of paddling.
The wind has howled all through the night and is in full force when we push off for Mouser Island our last camp of the journey.
There are no "wind days" for us (with some exceptions of course) as we are both used to paddling in the wind.

With waves and wind behind us I think we will make our 12 miles in good time. However I am wrong, my boat constantly tries to broach side ways to the wind and waves. It is stable and takes the big water but goes not where it should.

...I count the strokes 1,2,3 brace to correct coure 1,2,3 brace to correct....

It is incredibly tedious. Like taking "two steps forward one step back"
I see there are times my friend is not paddling at all, then barely paddling so as not to pull ahead of me. I realize if it were not for the wind literally blowing me down the lake I would still be there.
I tried every trick in the book I could think of... sometimes paddling exclusively on one side only to try and keep a straight course. I even at one point land and strap a piece of drift wood to the back of the boat to act like an extended keel which helps a little bit.

After 4 + hrs of this I am pretty much at the end of the line and land one more time at a nice section of shore line and decide I will line the boat and walk the shoreline pulling the boat behind me. This is an absolute 1st for me something you might do for a short rapid but never for lake paddling. It works surprisingly well till I get to a rocky section and the boat takes a terrible beating against the jagged rocks and I am in danger of injuring myself on the rocks.
Philippe who is not having any trouble with his boat comes over to stablize the Ellesmere while I hop back in and start the 1,2,3 brace to correct course...1,2,3, brace to corr...etc etc.
It takes about 6 1/2 hrs to make the 12 miles (a trip I figured would take 3 hrs)
but as it were it was a sunny day we make the campsite and have a great last night with a nice big fire and though fog and drizzle (ok rain) moved in overnight the wind has changed..now the Ellesmere handles like a dream
into the wind... but I have learned that is the only way she likes to travel.

A great trip all and all.
...Nice and remote in the course of 7 days... we have seen...3 bears... 9 Moose...2 Bald Eagles, a Great Blue Heron or two.
Daily the calls of the Loons accompained us
and the calls of the moose to each other in the wee hrs of the darkness.

a bonne bonne voyage !!

 

[Stan]

Great trip and report spider. Thanks for the preview.

 

[psmart]

Nice report. Thanks for posting. We canoed and camped on Lobster Lake years ago, during a trip down the West Branch. As I recall, the gate fees weren't so high at the time. But we did have to sign a liability waiver because of the spraying for spruce budworm