Patrik Orcutt 10.23.25
Welcome again to Half 5 of this multi-part piece I’m writing on my latest canoe journey down the West Department Penobscot River. If in case you have not already, I’d extremely advocate studying Components 1-4 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 prepare dinner loads of my meals and make my espresso.
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Going Down the River
When paddling the West Department, you’re rapidly enveloped by a pristine, forested hall whereas being flanked by towering pines and hardwoods, with the river’s clear waters reflecting the rugged fantastic thing about the encompassing North Maine Woods. The absence of growth creates a profound sense of solitude, interrupted solely by the rhythmic dip of your paddle or the occasional roar of rapids. I discover that it’s really easy to loosen up out right here and unwind with these environment and unplug from day by day emails and conferences. The truth that the complete space West of Millinoket is a cellphone useless zone definitely helps to. Whereas some might have a look at this being a detrimental, I’ve at all times discovered that the shortage of exterior communication in rugged and distant locations typically enhances my expertise and connection to it.
Birds on the River
There was definitely no lack of wildlife on the river as we handed quite a few Nice Blue Herons within the early hours of our journey. In Northern Maine, Nice Blue Herons are a typical sight alongside the West Department Penobscot River, Lobster Lake, and Chesuncook Lake, the place shallow waters and plentiful fish like brook trout and salmon help their weight loss program. These massive wading birds can stand between 3–4.5 ft tall with a wingspan as much as 6.6 ft, and are recognized for his or her slate-blue plumage, lengthy, pointed invoice, and swish S-shaped neck.
One other widespread fowl to see alongside the river was the Kingfisher. This medium-sized fowl might be about 11–14 inches lengthy, with a shaggy crest, massive head, and stout, pointed invoice, recognized for its rattling name and vibrant blue-gray plumage with a white collar. They love rivers like this that present supreme looking grounds for species like small brook trout and minnows. Their Rattling calls echoed throughout distant waterways as we paddled down them. One other quite common fowl to see was the Bald Eagle; we in all probability noticed a dozen of those guys in the course of the day, however I by no means bought an excellent image of them. At one level, we had been fortunate sufficient to look at one dive bomb what I’m assuming was a small fish within the river, however the Eagle sadly got here up empty-handed.
Thoreau’s Island
The River is dotted with campsites, and the primary one we got here throughout was Thoreau’s Island. Are you able to guess why? Nonetheless, it’s cool to see him getting his title on a singular campsite alongside the river he famously wrote about. This campsite provided a shocking quantity of services for being out in the course of nowhere and solely being accessible by river. Sporting each an outhouse and a coverable picnic desk, the positioning was a lot nicer than I had anticipated. There was additionally a fireplace pit and some good locations to arrange a tent.
After our fast break at Thoreau’s Island, we had been again on the river, and Ridge determined to whip out his fly fishing pole after recognizing a number of fish bounce out of the water. With the West Department Penobscot being a chilly, well-oxygenated river, it’s supreme for supporting Salmon, Brook Trout, and Smallmouth Bass, amongst many different freshwater fish.
After half-hour of fishing whereas additionally slowly floating down the river, we determined it was time for some lunch as midday was swiftly approaching. We pulled our canoes to the aspect of the river and tied them off for a fast chunk to eat after which set off for what could be an extended afternoon of paddling. Because the miles added up, so did the outdated tales the Ridge and I recounted to one another about our previous shenanigans. We frequently talked of the School days and the way we by no means knew how good we had it again then.
After near 17 miles of Canoeing and with solely 3 extra miles to go to the top of our route, we had been each fairly exhausted. A lot of the day, the river had been good to make use of with quick currents and small rips to push us alongside our journey. Sadly, we hit a 1-mile stretch the place the river opened up and the winds had shifted towards us, making paddling very troublesome. At this level, I bear in mind Ridge calling over to me, saying it was “time for a steak and a few whiskey,” and I couldn’t agree extra. So there, after 17 miles, we determined to name it at Pine Stream campground.
Whereas consuming dinner, Ridge and I assumed we observed what regarded like a moose throughout the river from our campground. We stared at it for a couple of minutes and determined it was nothing. Afterward, we thought we observed one thing once more, and positive sufficient, there was a Cow within the river getting a drink of water. Be mindful the river had widened out considerably at this level, so we had been in all probability near 700 meters away from this moose. After dinner, I made a decision to seize my digicam and hop within the canoe and really quietly paddle close to this moose to get a couple of photographs.
After returning to our campsite, Ridge and I shared some beers and a few whiskey whereas fishing with a stunning sundown. It will conclude half 5 of the West Department Penobscot River journey sequence. In the event you loved this, please be looking out for half 6, the place we battle the weather on our last push down the river.
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