Moose River Bow Trip

-- Last Updated: Jun-01-16 6:16 AM EST --

I got out for my first overnight trip in my Wildfire over the Memorial Day Weekend. We did the Bow Trip on the Moose River in Jackman, ME with 3 solo canoes and one tandem. We skipped some of the lake paddling and the long portage between Attean and Holeb Ponds by putting in Holeb Landing and taking out at Attean Landing. We camped three nights, but you can definitely do it faster. I loaded down the Wildfire pretty well, but it still paddled fine. What a great trip - you can read the trip report here:
http://eckilson.blogspot.com/2016/05/moose-river-bow-trip-may-27-to-30-2016.html

Few pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/sets/72157669018401856/with/27289485541/

A map of the Bow Trip
http://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/docs/maps/holeb.pdf

Nice TR
During the times I used to visit N. Maine, the Holeb loop was often discussed as a candidate for tripping, but I never got there.



I took a look at your pictures to see what kind of tarp set up you had to be able to sit around a campfire during the deluge. How’d that work?



~~Chip

Thanks Chip
The tarp was just a 12 x 12 dining tarp. We set it up so it drained just outside the fire pit, and stayed in the middle during the worst of the rain.

nice trip report, and links
my old stompin’ grounds in the early 80s- did the bow trip a few times- remember chucking the canoe off the shoulders and tossing it over the hill when we heard a train coming on the rr tracks once. Another time encountered woodcocks while canoeing the river.



One trip was pretty memorable- did the circuit then proceeded down the moose river to Long Pond, did the rapids into Brassua (lots of fun, swamped out) paddled into Moosehead and paddled the east outlet (more rapids) and took out at Indian Pond.



Great times, will be back again at some point.

Can’t say I miss the blackflies and rain though.

What are the fees like on the circuit? I think it used to be free, not part of North Maine Woods but I don’t really remember very well since I was part of the scout canoe base.

no fees no permits
still free

the price is right for the circuit,
are the aroostook and sebois and east branch still free as well (I realize you gotta have fire permits)?

Sometimes you got to pay to play, but free is usually how I roll.

Never paddled the St John or explored the St. Croix region- permits or fees for either of those?

Most of the Bow on state land
Certainly no fees. You do need to call for a fire permit.



I’ve heard a lot about the train. I stumbled onto the tracks when I was foraging for firewood Sunday night - they were right behind our campsite. If it came through Sunday night, I didn’t hear it.


St John permits needed
St Croix and Sebois and Aroostook no. you might have to pay road toll if you access E Branch via Webster Stream…otherwise no.



Except for fire permits… I need a fire permit to burn in my back yard so that is just normal to me.

St John Fees
Did the St John from 5th St John Bridge down to St Francis the week before Memorial day.

They charged us $12/ day and $12/ night for out of staters. Over 70’s didn’t have to pay the day fee.

But hey we got all the ice we could carry.



http://www.northmainewoods.org/information/fees.html

Nice TR & pics Wildfire_guy…

– Last Updated: Jun-11-16 4:27 PM EST –

Yeah, a new_used Wildfire!?(or have I given too much type O to the natives..y/n?) Nothing can hide the nicely shouldered tumblehome.

Thanks bigspencer

– Last Updated: Jun-14-16 5:21 AM EST –

It’s a “new-to-me” 1997 whitegold Wildfire. I bought it from TommyC1, who bought it from an old-time p-netter named Tony Figuerido. I had it loaded down pretty well, but it was still a pleasure to paddle.

Video
No paddling for me this weekend, so I was looking at pictures, and put together this video. Jerry Vandiver’s “Bad Day on the Water” seemed like a perfect choice. We did have a “little bit of wind, a little bit of rain, little bit of blue and a little bit of gray”. And a bad day on the water is definitely better than any good day at work!



http://vimeo.com/171287016



Happy Fathers Day everyone.

enjoyed the video and music
good combination!

Jerry’s stuff is great
I have True and Deep and Every Scratch Tells a Story - I need the new one.



http://www.jerryvandiver.com/Store.html

Hard to get to now
8 inches rain in 8 hours washed out a bridge on 201 necessitating a small detour

100 miles

Or enter through Quebec

Wow - lot of rain
I heard it washed out an access road on the way to the put-in in for the Dead as well. Down here we need rain, but not all at once like that.