Patrik Orcutt   10.24.25
Welcome again to Half 6 of this multi-part piece I’m writing on my latest journey down the West Department Penobscot River. When you’ve got not already, I’d extremely suggest studying Components 1-5 earlier than diving into this one beneath.
This journey was not sponsored by anybody, however I wish to thank Old Town Canoe for getting me a Discovery 158 I used for this journey and Jetboil for hooking me up with Flash 1.0 Fast boil system to cook dinner a whole lot of my meals and make my espresso.
Canoe Protection on AllOutdoor
Waking up the Subsequent Morning
After sleeping soundly by the night time, I woke as much as the sound of rain hitting the highest of my tent. We did know that there was going to be rain on the second day of our journey on the river, however we have been unsure when it might happen. I sluggishly bought dressed inside my tent and placed on some boots to then go scout the campsite and see if we’d have a break within the climate. As I walked by Ridge in his DIY lean-to, he set free a growl that allow me know he was awake after which murmured that it had been raining since 2 am, be mindful the present time was 6 am. I walked all the way down to the river and brushed my tooth, and the rain appeared to cease for a time. I then took this chance to start bailing my canoe and prepping it for the day’s brief journey.
I had simply completed packing up most of my gear and tent when the rain got here again, however at this level, we have been dedicated to getting again on the water and attending to Graveyard Level. After a fast breakfast and a few sub-par espresso, we loaded all our gear up and set off, and the rain started to essentially decide up once more. Fortunately, it stopped after about 10 minutes of paddling. Even with the less-than-ideal climate, it was nonetheless arduous to not recognize the place I used to be and what I used to be doing and the pure great thing about this a part of the world.
Whereas the air was cool, the water was calm in comparison with the earlier night, and Ridge and I glided throughout the water with solely the sound of rain masking our paddle strokes. With solely a few miles to paddle to get to Graveyard Level, the river started to open up into Chesunkook Lake, we naturally started to paddle extra slowly. After solely 4o minutes or so on the water, we might see Graveyard Level and the top of the Canoeing a part of this journey. Whereas on the ultimate stretch of my paddle, I bought very near a Loon swimming in the wrong way and snapped just a few photos.
The Frequent Loon (Gavia immer), a beloved image of Maine’s wilderness, is a big, sturdy waterbird recognized for its putting black-and-white plumage, purple eyes, and haunting, yodel-like calls that echo throughout the state’s lakes and ponds throughout the summer time breeding season. Maine hosts the biggest inhabitants of Frequent Loons within the jap U.S., with an estimated 3,146 adults and 420 chicks within the southern half of the state as of the 2024 Maine Audubon Annual Loon Rely, a citizen-science effort carried out each third Saturday in July since 1983. These birds nest on shorelines, making them susceptible to disturbances like boat wakes, lead poisoning from fishing deal with, and habitat loss, however conservation efforts, such because the Maine Loon Restoration Undertaking, have bolstered their numbers by initiatives like synthetic nesting rafts, lead-free fishing applications, and public training to scale back human influence.
After we made Land at Graveyard Level, we unloaded all our gear into my SUV and loaded my Canoe on prime, and commenced driving again to select up Ridges’ Truck. Naturally, we bought sidetracked within the Village of Chesuncook and commenced trying out the native church within the former logging city.
The Chesuncook Village Church is a historic construction that has served a number of roles since its institution within the late nineteenth century. Initially constructed by the Nice Northern Paper Firm, probably within the late 1800s, the constructing functioned as a mixed church and schoolhouse, reflecting the village’s small, self-sufficient group, which grew from a logging settlement within the 1840s and peaked with about 247 residents by 1920 throughout the building of the Ripogenus Dam. By the early twentieth century, because the village’s inhabitants declined resulting from modifications within the logging trade, the constructing transitioned right into a seasonal assembly home utilized by all denominations throughout the summer time months, a task it continues to meet as we speak. It additionally serves as a group heart and homes a small library.
After our little sightseeing tour of the Village, we headed down the highway to select up Ridges Truck. Sadly, we needed to drive the Pine Stream Highway 3 extra occasions that day to get his truck and his Canoe. This took us shut to three hours because of the appalling situation of the highway. With all the things mentioned and achieved, we have been again on the Golden Highway, headed into Millinocket to gasoline up on fuel after which head our personal methods house that Sunday afternoon. After Months of ready for schedules to line up and planning, we lastly accomplished this brief however very fulfilling Canoe journey. I wish to thank Ridge for serving to make this journey occur, and I wish to thank anybody who has truly learn this far alongside on this 6-part collection I’ve written for AllOutdoor. Experience and I are already planning a visit for subsequent spring that can hopefully be greater than 3 days, and I can’t wait to place our subsequent journey to textual content and share it with you all.
Trending Merchandise
