We started our Allagash trip this year by meeting at Dysart's in Herman, ME, where introductions are made between my six guests, vehicles are loaded, and last minute provisions are purchased. From there it is about a 4.5 hour ride into Churchill Dam, the headwater of the Allagash River. The ride takes you up I95 north and across route 11, a dangerous road with many moose sightings, to the small town of Ashland, ME. Route 11 boasts a stunning lookout at the famous Mt. Katahdin and a glimpse of the North Maine Woods, it is also the border between zones five and six. Not far from Ashland we hit dirt roads, check in and the six mile checkpoint, and enter the North Maine Woods.
Road conditions were fantastic this year as there has been some new logging taking place along the Pell and Pell road and Churchill Dam road. When new logging is taking place, the logging companies typically widen the roads, insert new culverts for drainage, and grate them for smoother travel of the giant logging trucks. We were fortunate enough to witness two moose along the Pell and Pell road, one an absolute specimen of a bull moose! Another hour or so and we had arrived at our Allagash adventure starting point, Churchill Dam!
First order of business once arriving is to unload and establish camp, which is not the most enjoyable part of any trip. On this particular day it was 90 degrees and very humid, making it less enjoyable. 90 degree days on the Allagash are by no means a regular occurrence, in fact they are extremely rare. Thankfully we had a wonderful breeze coming across the lake right into out campsite. After camp was established a few of us took a refreshing dip into the Allagash River, a couple guys went and did some fishing for native brook trout below the dam, and I went with one to tour the Churchill Depot museum. The museum holds a plethora of artifacts from the logging days of the 1800's and early 1900's along with several indigenous people's artifacts such as arrowheads and various rock tools.
After a bit of adventuring and fishing we all settled down for a delicious meal and a chat about what to expect when running the Allagash River's Chase Rapids the following morning. I had the pleasure of cooking sirloin tips and potatoes over a nice maple wood fire topped off with a homemade apple pie for dessert. After dinner, we all determined our paddling partners for the trip and went out on to Heron Lake, the north basin of Churchill Lake, for some paddling practice and paddle stroke training. Once back at camp we enjoyed getting to know each other with a few cigars and cold glasses of bourbon before calling it a night. A much needed night of rest to tackle Chase Rapids the following morning!
