try this again, more than you ever wanted to know, feel free to skip over, more for my own amusement and recollections of how we used to “get errr done” but will share my rambling thoughts about canoes trips and Maine.
The easy way to tie in gear was to use a clovehitch on the center thwart and tie each trailing end to a pack (bowline). It was simple but you have to make sure the rope was under the pack and not a snagging hazard. The packs and rope themselves could become snagging hazards if you capsized so I always carried a knife when canoe tripping. It was far easier to empty the boat when you took on water with this “slack under the pack” arrangement. We bailed some with hats and bowls when the packs were hard to move. The piece of gear I always tried to tie in tight was the kettle pack. It didn’t float. Ultimately, If you can tie your gear in tight I think you are always better off. Most of the time it adds flotation to your boat. It just makes it harder to bail or portage and takes longer to do. This isn’t always practical when you are using stock canoes- trippers, discoveries, grummans etc. which don’t have many tie in points or lack intermediate thwarts. You go with what you got and convenience factors in.
If I was trip leading in Maine in may, june, or july, I would tell folks to bring some good bug repellent with deet, wear long sleeve shirt and pants, wear a hat. Plan on sitting close to a smokey fire. Prevailing winds mostly follow the lakes north so plan routes accordingly. If it is buggy, camp in exposed places and avoid grassy areas (bad for no-see-ums) Beware if you are headed south and the wind is behind you. Storm likely to follow. Expect gate fees, commercial shuttle fees, and depending on where you go, figure on daily camping fees as well- organizations like north maine woods, and allagash and the huber katahdin iron works road charge for access. Baxter S.P. isn’t at all flexible . If traveling in the park plan to follow their rules to the letter or go totally rogue and ditch the vehicle. There is no middle ground. They are there for their own amusement, not yours. They will not be understanding. Probably the most regulated backcountry place in the united states. If you want to link up the westbranch or allagash with the east branch then you will be in Baxter some of time ( telos cut, webster lake and brook, matagamon lake) . Plan on lots of driving time on those back roads that can be washboarded out. Fire permits are necessary some places.
Invest in some good water shoes, some of the rivers have sharp rocks and some places have been blasted out for logging and bring good dry shoes for camp. Maine isn’t really a sandal type of place. Old wood peaveys and other logging artifacts rusting in the woods. Don’t even think about doing abol slide on an ensolite pad unless you like driving to the medical clinic in millinocket and getting xrays, saw this on a regular basis with tourists. Yield to all logging trucks and machinery. Get way over. Be prepared to wait, even if actively logging they will eventually wave you through. Gas up when you have the opportunity.
Bring something warm- fleece, wool sweater for the occasional cold spell. Bring a rain jacket, cagoule, or paddling top. If the lakes get choppy and the wind is with you then consider “rafting up” and sailing with the dining fly although technically it is illegal in the Allagash. Chesuncook and Moosehead would be fair game for legal sailing. Rafting up is a good strategy anytime you are worried about getting spread out on big open water. Even if you swamp out, you remain stable when rafted up.
Think about extending the moose river bow trip down the moose river into brassua and moosehead and the east outlet. Don’t do the kennebec gorge unless you are a hardcore ww person. Don’t leave your boats near or on the railroad tracks! At one time the tracks on the moose river bow trip were active! Talk to the dam keepers, sometimes they will let extra water out for river runs so go to the residence next to dam and start a conversation.
Avoid drinking Moxie unless you like the taste of cough syrup but moxie falls is a pretty place to visit. Eat some bright red hot dogs, buy some brown bread in a can, and some baked beans or chowder, if you want to eat like a local. If you are fishing make sure you have the regs and know about the no fishing zones below dams. Also some streams are artificial or barbless only. The fishing regs are extensive and arranged by county so you have to know what county you are in to find the proper regs. Once you get frustrated trying to catch brook trout, togue, or landlocked salmon then head over to the eastbranch and sebois for some easier small mouth fishing. Perch can be wormy in the ponds. Even chubs are edible if you are hungry enough. Check your testicles for leaches after swimming in the ponds!
Look for brown topo lines crossing the river- waterfaills often labeled as “pitches”. Haskel rock pitch on the topo was labeled in the wrong spot so beware if doing the eastbranch.
Really hard to have good water for the rivers and miss bug season in Maine. In general avoid driving backroads at night- lots of big wildlife- moose, deer. If you need help go to a gatehouse, forest service or local hunting and sporting camp. Everybody has a radio and they will be talking “s@@t” about you on their repeater radio to the whole network but can get you help. It is safer to drink out of the lakes than the higher streams or ponds (beaver activity). Welcome to the North Maine Woods. More than you ever wanted to know and for that I apologize. It is okay to start out clueless. The trick is not staying that way.
The popular choices are the westbranch, lobster lake, moose river bow trip and the allagash. Tons of other cool stuff with less people, less permits, less money, more remote- sebois, aroostook, eastbranch, north and south branches, webster brook- hit that stuff earlier in the season due to flow. Buy a Gazeteer and let your imagination run wild!
When it comes to boundary waters, I just plan to wing it! Once I’ve done it, I’ll write a new dissertation.
