Torngat Mountains National Park Trip


"At the northern extremity of the Labrador coast, a range of high barren mountains with sharp precipices extending inland from the sea was known to the traditional Inuit as the abode of the master spirit in their mythology. Their name for the region, Torngat meaning a place of spirits, derived from the presence of Torngarsoak who was believed to control the life of sea animals and took the form of a huge polar bear." (Hawkes 1916: 124-5)

The Torngat Mountains National Park is Canada’s 42nd national park, and Canada’s newest national park.
This park was established with the consent of Inuit from Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador) and Inuit from Nunavik (northern Quebec) through their respective land claims agreements.



The North Arm of Saglek Bay, Labrador, July 26-August 2, 2009

It is unusually warm as we land on the gravel runway at the Saglek Bay radar station, t-shirt weather, unusual for the Labrador Coast. We are a group of six from Maine. Greg and Don from Chewonki, Steve and Benson from Pownal, Josh from North Yarmouth and David from Cumberland. We rendezvoused on Saturday and drove north spending the night outside Montreal. Sunday we started our day with a quick drive to the bustling Montreal Airport. At 10AM we board a First Air jet for the morning flight to Kuujjuaq, northern Quebec. We take off and watch the trees and roads thin out and disappear below us and after an hour or so we look down on the transition zone between the boreal forest and the open barrens of the Ungava Bay lowlands. Two hours later we touch down in Kuujjuaq. We load our gear into a chartered Air Inuit King Air and we are air born again for the 55-minute flight to Saglek.

The day is cloudless as we fly over the barrens just inland from Ungava Bay. We pass over Helen’s Falls and the George River and soon see snow capped peaks in the distance. The Torngats! We find our selves looking out the windows at jaw dropping scenery. Our pilot performs a fly by of the landing strip to make sure it is clear of caribou. We touch down and staff from Parks Canada meet us and help us shuttle our gear to their boat for the quick trip to their base camp two bays over.

The Parks Canada base camp has a frontier town feel with two rows of tents and several larger portable structures that serve as a mess tent, park office and visitors center. A helicopter lands nearby bringing a group of researchers back after a day in the field. Botanists, archeologists, outdoor recreation planners and Park Staff make up the temporary community. For the past two years, scientists and Park staff have set up this summer camp that is used as a base from which to gather baseline data about the land, flora, fauna and human history of the Park.

At base camp we meet with Parks Canada Staff, Gary Baike and Angus Simpson and meet John Merkuratsuk who will be our bear monitor. As non-residents we are not permitted to carry a firearm in the park and we are happy to have John join us. We receive an orientation to the park as is required of all visitors and we watch a video about safe travel in Polar Bear country. This section of the Labrador Coast has a high density of polar bears and we pay close attention to the video. Around 7 PM we load onto the Robert Bradford a 55-foot converted long liner that will take us 3 hours up the Bay to Saglek’s North Arm. We feed on Arctic Char as we head west up the fiord. We enjoy the calm waters and the changing light as the sun sinks below the steep walled slopes that define the fiord. At 11PM we reach North Arm and set two anchors in case the famed Torngat winds pick up in the night. We decide to spend the night on the boat and roll out sleeping bags on the back deck. During the night I wake up to see stars overhead and Venus reflected in the water.

We wake up Monday morning to a beautiful sunrise and get the first look at our home for the next week. It is a breathtaking, steep walled canyon. We shuttle our gear to shore and begin the process we now well of setting up camp and securing our tents with large rocks incase the weather changes and down slopping winds pick up.

We spend the next week exploring the valley at the head of North Arm. We see a polar bear but no sign of the black bears that we expect to encounter. Some days we hike the valley and others we climb up high to gain a raven’s eye view of the valley. We take quick swims in the turquoise colored waters of a pond, a short walk from our campsite. We follow the tracks of wolf and bear and watch a peregrine falcon, willow ptarmigan and a harlequin duck with chicks go about their daily routine. We marvel at the arctic plants that bloom during the brief sub-arctic summer. Mostly we soak up our surroundings.

We all travel North for different reasons. This trip has provided incredible wildlife sightings in a dramatic landscape that has a long and fascinating history of human habitation. Especially powerful for all of us has been the opportunity to travel the land in the company of our Bear Monitor, John who was born nearby at Nackvak Fiord and knows the land in ways we can never fully understand.

On Friday the Robert Bradford chugs back into the North Arm. We load up and head back to Base Camp. The weather has changed and the clouds lowered. Halfway back to Base Camp we catch sight of a polar bear on shore. We move closer and watch in awe as the 1500 lb bear moves along the rocky shoreline, its fat belly almost dragging on the ground. We pass icebergs and soon we are back in the calm waters of St John’s Harbor, the site of Base Camp. We spend a couple days immersing ourselves in the base camp community, waiting for the weather to lift so that our plane can land. Too soon our adventure ends and we fly south back to the land of trees, roads and people.

We plan to return to The Torngats next year so keep an eye on the website for trip dates.


Greg Shute
Wilderness Programs Director

Boat Builders thrive!

We are back from a 2 1/2 week journey on the water! After departing from the Chewonki waterfront we paddled our new beautiful wooden boats to Brooklin, ME- about 120 total miles up the coast of Maine. The weather held for most of our trip, which was a total delight! Many mornings we were socked in with fog and got to use our navigation skills to get from point a to point b. Besides putting in some great miles on the water we also explored caves on Harbor Island, hiked over 7 miles on Isle Au Haut which is a part of Acadia National Park and explored an old farming community on Lauds Island.

It was not unusual for us to see bald eagles, harbor seals and porpoises amongst all the fisherman and sail boats while we paddled. Towards the end of our trip there was a lot of talk about where everyone was going to paddle next and we look forward to hearing about new adventures in these amazing boats!

The culmination of a summer

The trips are now in the final days of their experiences. This is a very special time of the trips when participants take on leadership roles. I had the opportunity to meet up with the Mariners group yesterday in Muscoungus Bay. We spotted the two vessels traveling together from about a mile away, When we got closer I noticed that the leaders were sitting in the middle of the boats with all the participants running the boat around them. It was quite a sight with the two boats sailing around Pemiquid Point with great wind, and the iconic lighthouse in the background. Our Sea kayaking trip is only 10 miles away from Seal Harbor on Mount Desert Island. They have been right on itinerary all trip, and are in high spirits. The whitewater kayaking trips are now paddling the most challenging rapids of their experience and if you had a chance to look at the Umbagog video that is in the earlier post you will see that they are paddling with grace. Maine AT hike has just entered Baxter State Park at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Tomorrow they will attempt to summit Mt Katahdin our highest peak in Maine. West Branch Explorers are heading towards Round Pond just south of Allagash Lake, and are enjoying Ciss Stream, one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the state(in my opinion). North Woods Canoe is paddling the Allagash river to Allagash Village where they will be picked up Sunday Morning. They have portaged Allagash falls and are in the quiet waters flowing north. Northeast Rivers is now back in Maine from the high waters of Canada. They are paddling the Dead and Kennebec rivers this weekend, enjoying two of Maine's classic whitewater runs. Thoreau Wilderness Trip is also hiking in Baxter and are camping at chimney pond with their sites set on the summit of Mt. Katahdin. They are in their final week of their seven week experience.
The groups this summer have been traveling very well. These last days of the trips are the most rewarding. The participants have the opportunity to pull from all of the skills learned along the way and become leaders themselves. We look forward to welcoming the trips back in celebration Sunday night, and we look forward to sending them back out into the world with this experience as a part of them.

Northeast Rivers Back in Maine

We got a message yesterday from the Northeast Rivers trip and all is well. They had an amazing time up in Canada and took full advantage of the abundant water we have been blessed with this season(for kayakers at least). They are now in the forks region of Maine paddling the Kennebec and Dead rivers today and tomorrow. We look forward to their stories when they return. It sounds like they have had an amazing experience.

Mariners check in

We finally got our blog form back from the Mariners mail bag. It is slightly outdated but here is what they had to say from their resupply!
"The trippers are really coming together going into the 10th day of the trip. When asked what they wanted to world to know this is what they said....
*"Dude and Bro are cool words to use"
*"We almost lost Elahandro ( our trip animal) but Jake saved him. EPIC."
* "Mac and Cheese V.S Pizza for best meal"
* " Tinker was the best island for the first 24 hours"
* "Sam loved swimming at Green Island"'
* "Crazy Big Winds the day we picked up Leah"
* "We love playing guitar on the boat"
* "Sunset at Harbor Island with Mary in a red wig"
* "10 seals sunning on a rock"

All are well and many are playing games with the Boatbuilder group tonight. We are excited for fresh food in the morning, and for good winds the next day!"

Umbagog Update and Video!

The loons are out on Sunday Cove and there are two bald eagles nesting in the general vicinity. Ospreys and and Great Blue Herons are a daily sight on the river as well as Red Breasted Merganser that swim the rapids in search of fish.

The weather has been great, with only a few days of light rain in the beginning of the trip. Since then its been nothing but long days of paddling under a bright sun. The water has been unbelievably consistent at a perfect level. The combination of sun and great water has brought folk out to the river on the weekends, all of whom cheer for the kids when they surf smooth ledge. The river remains ours during the week though and we are progressing fantastically. We are hopefully creating life long paddlers out of these kids.

I got a chance to go out and paddle with the group Sunday. I was amazed with the groups paddling ability and how well bonded the group has become. They are taking every opportunity this last week to paddle as much as they can.

Check out a short video from the trip HERE

MCK checks in from their second resupply

"Week two brought us a few warmer days and some beautiful islands! We ate wild raspberries on Harbor Island and explored the caves and fairy houses. We saw so many seals on our way to Port Clyde, followed by some ice cream when we stopped for lunch. We spent the next two nights on Whitehead Island, sleeping right under a lighthouse built in 1852. Our group knocked out 12 miles and then made the 5 mile crossing to Vinalhaven. Now we get to enjoy another beautiful day on Butter Island, owned by the Cabot family. Soon we are off to Stonington and Mount Desert Island gets closer every day!"

North Woods Canoe

We just resupplied our North Woods Canoe group the other day and all is well. Unfortunately they arrived at their resupply point a little later than expected and didn't have time to fill out their blog report before heading down stream. The resupply day is a busy one for this group and it was very important for them to get downstream with enough time to get to their campsite. The report back from the driver who brought them all their fresh goodies is that overall they are doing quite well. As with all groups this summer, there has been some challenge brought on by the rainfall and high water levels, but they were dealing with it in stride and looking forward to a long downhill run on the Allagash. With some clearer weather headed our way hopefully they will enjoy some high pressure and blue skies for the remainder of their trip.

Maine Appalchian Trail Update

We started our trip with some long and challenging days. The rain and wet weather has been making otherwise mellow terrain a bit more difficult, but even so we're doing excellent as a group. Since then we have had a bit of a respite with the weather and we have found our groove and gained some momentum. The spirit of our group has remained high even in the challenging moments and people are adjusting well to our shift away from civilization.

The 100 mile wilderness is treating us right, and we're excited to continue on towards our Baxter and our destination of Mt. Katahdin.

Maine Coast Kayak update

We're a week into the trip and so much to talk about. Our group is full of charismatic and willing participants, and quick learners. Everyone has already become very proficient at maneuvering their boats and are all starting to paddle more confidently! The weather has kept us damp and sometimes soaked, but we have kept our great attitudes intact. We have paddled in blazing sun, rain, wind and thick fog - we're seeing all the coast has to offer in terms of weather. Well, maybe not all, but that's okay too.

Our meals are getting rave reviews, especialy the pizza and mexican casserole. Our group is also preparing to shift into the second phase of the trip, when participant will all start to make the decision about menus, route selection, navigation, and overall leadership. As leaders we are excited to already be moving in this direction after just one week. This part of our process really lets the participants take ownership for their experience.

So far our wildlife sighting have been a bint limited, except for lots of ospreys, gulls, and some deer tracks. Oh yeah, and we've seen a mosquito or two :) However in the coming days we'll be passing a known seal habitat, and some bald eagle hangouts.

We had a great success with navigation just this morning. The participants navigated through the fog to arrive at our resupply point. They led us safely and quickly each leg of the mornings journey and did so with surgical accuracy from point to point.

With fresh food and supplies we are excited about the next week and a half of our journey up the coast.

Thoreau Wilderness Trip checks in

"Well after 4 days rain, the clouds broke this afternoon just long enough for the sun and wind to dry out our moist damp clothing and gear. Hooray! Now we are tucked away in our tents as a thunderstorm passes. Tomorrow we celebrate our five week anniversary. As would be expected, we've developed quite a rhythm to our days, hemmed in comfort& solidarity in the face of challenges. This portion of our trip has been marked by travel on & between lakes. It is the travel between lakes where we pull out all our tricks. We paddle, pole, and sometimes portage to get where we need to go. In particular we have had three epic portages during the past two weeks: the tramway took us past an abandoned locomotives leftover from the 20th century logging operations, the three mile carry from Allagash Lake to Round Pond gave us ample opportunity to perfect our portaging strategy, and the 2 mile Mud Pond carry (very muddy). Here are a few highlight of the past two weeks:
We frogged and poled up Allagash Stream over the course of two days, stopping overnight at Little Allagash Falls for fantastic swimming and well deserved rest. This stream is beautiful.
Allagash Lake was our home for a magical three nights where the boys enjoyed a day long solo, we explored ice caves and tested our hiking muscles with a short hike up Allagash Mountain.
Chesuncook Village provided us with a double treat: The chance to stop in at the store for homemade rootbeer and fudge, and the opportunity to meet up with North Woods Canoe session 2. Gero Island was a wonderful place to spend a rest day, and was ideal for reading aloud Thoreau's "The Maine Woods" beginning with his 1853trip to the area.
Ciss Stream where Aaron promised all of the critter in the North Maine Woods live, and it delivered with two moose and so many bald eagles, and loons. Our moose count is up to 28!
Mud Brook, which flows out of mud pond, was perhaps my favorite place so far on this trip. The rushing water wide enough for only one boat, was lined with fragrant flowers and felt like a sleigh ride as it twisted and turned. No maneuvers were needed just a willingness to enjoy the ride.
I think that about covers it. We're excited to be heading downstream for a bit in the next few days on Webster Brook and the East Branch of the Penobscot... we will work with gravity for a bit! We will keep you posted!

Penobscot Whitewater checks in!

"when asked what is your favorite thing about whitewater kayaking. Trippers responded.....

Ana: "The ADRENALINE"
Lan: "Doing my roll and going in the rapids"
Malcom: "Surfing the on big waves, and flipping over."
Sam: "Going through the big waves"
Renat: " I like the thrill and the sense of achievement"
Sasha: "The feeling of acomplishment after conquering your fear of the rapids"
Desi: "The helicopter manuver- an epic and difficult move involving spinning one's paddle over his head."
Nico: "punching through holes on the horserace!"

I personally saw the group up there last week and they were paddling very well.
And the group was having a blast!

Explorers check in from re-supply

"West Branch Explorers has proudly finished 43 miles of hiking through the 100 mile wilderness in the North Maine Woods. The group made great time arriving in camp most days by 3:30pm, which allowed for lots of time to swim, play cards, and enjoy each others company. Wet weather and muddy trails couldn't stop us from summitting Little Boardman and Whitecap mountains. Whitecap pushed us to our limits, and at the top we knew our biggest obstacle was behind us. The group is excited to leave the backpacks and mud behind us for the serenity of the river. Until Next time......" We just got a call from the group that all is well, and the river is very high right now. They are doing great.

Resupplies are starting to happen

We've just started the round of resupplies that marks the middle of the session. We should be hearing back from all of our trips in the next few days. As a quick update in the meantime we've heard from a couple groups and everyone is doing really well. All the groups are strong and the participants are having great trips despite continued weather challenges. I am happy to say that the weather for the remainder of the week looks to be favorable, so our groups should get a few well deserved rays of sunshine.

Stay tuned for more specific updates from individual trips.

Session 2 off and running

We started session 2 on Sunday with one of the most beautiful days of the summer. As of today(tuesday) all of our trips have headed out into the field and started their trips. The weather couldn't have been better for their start and we are hoping that they will all have clear skies and fair winds for their trips.
The trips that started with this session are:
North Woods Canoe
West Branch Explorers
Me. Appalachian Trail Hike
Maine Coast Kayak
Umbagog Whitewater
Penobscot Whitewater
Mariners Sailing

Stay tuned as we will be updating the blog as we get reports from the field.

T.W.T check-in after Resupply #2

The sun has finally come out in Northern Maine in force and TWT is loving it! We had an accidental sleep-in morning our first fully sunny day of the trip becuase the rain(our standard alarm clock, the pitter-patter usually starts when it is really time to get up) never fell! The best part is that amidst all of this sunshine we've been polling, pulling and paddling our way up the Allagash. We thought at our last resupply that our most challenging poling days were behind us; we were wrong. With high water after all the rain from the previous weeks, we've become intimately familiar with the alders & fallen birches & cedars that tangle together to form the banks. We stick close to shore to avoid the strongest current and wage battles against and within these wild banks for hours each day. One particularly challenging day, we pulled into camp exhausted and hurriedly cooked dinner and set up tents and tarps. Fed, we reflected on the absurdity of fighting gravity, laughed at a few of the more memorable moments of the day then were stunned to silence when a moose and her calf ferried into the eddy in front of our campsite and ambled into the woods just downstream. We are almost three weeks into the trip and this was our first moose sighting. Aaron and I were starting to believe that the mega-fauna of the north woods were conspiring against us and banding together to avoid being seen by us. Fortunately our mega-fauna drought is over and we've since seen 13 moose in the last four days. Some have been very cooperative and given us an extended viewing, some we've even had to politely ask them to move on so that we could continue our upsteam progress. As the moose sighting have increased so to have the human sightings. We are regularly crossing paths with groups coming downstream. We've received lots of questions and comments about our mode of travel and our reasoning for going "the wrong way", but mostly we've received high praise and approval for our commitment to a traditional method of river travel. It feels great to be recognized by the "river elders" for doing it the hard way.

So now, nearing the headwaters our days are punctuated by moose, loon, and eagle sightings, and we are not punctured by bugs, which have mostly disappeared. As for the group, we continue to be in high spirits, to laugh well and often at ourselves, and to immerse ourselves in this experience. We were delighted to pass both the Girls Allagash trip, as well as the North Woods Canoe group - both heading downstream as we poled up. As their trips near an end, we come to almost the middle of our experience. Despite, or perhaps because of the very different personalities in this group, we work, travel, and live together in fine fashion. Oohh,, and we play too :) today we had a group swim in front of our campsite - what fun!!. TWT 09 is taking this epic journey one day at a time, looking forward to more wildlife sightings, and lake paddling in the next little bit.

We'll be sure to keep you posted......

Ultra Light Hike Update

Here is a note from the five week Ultra-Light hike.
"The drive in the mini-bus with our driver Patrick passed quickly on our way to the North Adams, MA area to begin our hike. After dividing up our food and really packing our new packs to capacity with 9 days of food, our hike began. It was soon apparent that our group was incredibly well-matched in terms of hiking abilities, and that has allowed us to cover some considerable terrain (about 85-90 miles as of this Saturday) with nothing but the short list of standard hikers’ issues like blisters and the occasional bump and scrape. We’ve seen quite a few other people, both day hikers and Appalachian Trail or Long Trail thru-hikers, but never had to worry about crowded campsites. The terrain has included lots of hardwood forest with open understory, some meadows, ponds, and short segments on logging roads. Our first night gave everyone the opportunity to see one of Vermont’s true wildlife beauties as a small black bear made an appearance at our campsite – everyone was very excited to see it! We’ve also seen a ruffed grouse with babies, another small baby bird (probably a white-throated sparrow) sitting in the middle of the trail, garter snakes, and red efts. Some mountaintops have fire towers and even those with a little fear of heights have been braving at least a couple flights of stairs to get above the treetops and enjoy the 360-degree views. Weather has varied from bursts of sunshine to heavy rain. We’ve only had to perform one lightning drill while on the trail since we’ve been getting early starts to get over summits before the afternoon thunderstorms roll by. We roasted marshmallows over a stove on July 4th and everyone got a pair of red, white, and blue glowstick glasses as part of the celebration. Seth had a birthday on the 6th and received a Rubic’s cube after an inspirational birthday reading, so we’ll see if our combined efforts can solve it before we complete the trail. Spirits are high all around and days are spent engaged in silly conversations, playing “The Celebrity Game”, busting out into random songs, and even enjoying some occasional silence. Mornings start with a guitar wake-up and days often end with some group singing after evening chores are done. The group was empowered to self-organize a system for getting all group chores (campsite setup, water, cooking, cleaning) done and have done a great job. Food bags get lighter as every day passes and we’re gradually getting into some more rugged terrain as our bodies are toughening up. Todd had the A-Team theme song blaring as he pulled up for our resupply and the transition was very smooth. 10 days down and 20 to go…Canada or bust!!!"

Mariners Check In!!!

Mariners 1 Blog 1

The laughter subsides on the Guillemot as a late sunset fades into the night. Her crew of five participants, two leaders and one plush toy duck named ‘Kumar’ are safely tucked in under tarp and boom, while the rocking of light waves helps them rest for another days sail/row. With a crew of all teenaged females, the laughing, notes and hair braiding (even of Jeremy the male member of co-leader pair on board) is almost endless. The girls hail from as far as Cali, as classy as New York and Boston, and as classic as Old Town. They made a contract at the start of their trip to always do everything together and stay positive, and they do. From the first day off Chewonki neck, the girls took to their daily roles and daily schedule with ease. This is a run down of the daily duties of the crew:


Times flex Events: In no order
6:00 Wake up
Weather Check
6:30 Tents + Gear = packed + ready/loaded (based on weather
Breakfast
Morning Stretch
8:00 Boat Packed
Final Checks
Sails up
TRAVEL TIME
4:00 Arrive
Scout Island
Sails Away
Gear Transfer to Island
Dingy moved above high tide
Break- debrief sail
5:00 Camp setup
Tents up
Cooking area w/ tarp
Groover Place
Skill Seminar
Rest Hour
6:00 Crews
Cook meal
Write in journal & log for day
Clean
7:30 Debrief
Next day over view
Storm Proofing
9:30 Lights Out


And the ladies rotate through these positions each day allowing for a change and growth is leadership and learning on the boat:

Skipper
- Direct responsibility and operation of vessel and crew from sun
up to sun up.
- Meet with instructors and navigator to organize the day.
- Always know location and direction of vessel (delegate –keep
big picture)
Navigator
- Record in log book (Date, location, weather-from meteorologist)
- Meet with skipper and instructors to organize the day
- Use compass and navigation tools
- Know location of vessel at all times
- Keep “Tiller-Person” informed on where to be heading and dangers ahead
Scribe
- Daily entry in group journal
Meteorologist
- Listen to Weather Radio with instructors and report to skipper
- and Navigator
- Know wind, weather, tides for the day
Bosun
- Keep Ship it tip top shape
- Teaching knots/learning knot



The girls where in high spirits when last seen on the 8th of July, through the rain their songs could be heard as the cleaned up breakfast and stored gear below the deck. They had clocked 25 nautical miles the day before, a distance that has become the norm on their sailing days. The list of amazing things these girls have accomplished as a group and as individuals is hard to express in the blog post, but know that these ladies are not land lovers no more. They crave the winds from the South West, and love the rain because it rinses off their gear. They love the natural wallpaper of their ‘groover sites’ and have no problem picking up jellyfish. They row the boats while singing Disney Songs and teach each other their native languages and words ( “Wicked” “Hella” “ensconced”). They know the parts of the boat, and how to read wind and chart. Las chicas del barco se divierten y están a salvo, eso es toda esa semana puede pedi

Fair wind to you all!

Photos from Umbagog

Here are some pictures from the rapid river. Seems to me that they have plenty of water to have fun on!!!

Update From Thoreau Wilderness Trip PART 1

Here is a post from the group. Right now they are poling, paddling, portaging and frogging their way up the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Here is what they have to say:
" After Putting in at Moody Bridge on the St. John River due to low water, we experienced weather the next few days that brought the water up two to three feet. From night one, our four trippers were remarkably efficient and seamless at working together to set up camp and cook meals. Our week on the St. John was marked by a peculiar weather pattern: Spitting rain off and on all day from wake up trough our paddling day, and the sun would appear (albeit briefly) as soon as tents and tarps were set up at out evening campsite. The St. John was lovey and remote with a plethora of wildflowers, and everything from flatwater to class three rapids. Our days were relatively short and gave us plenty of opportunities to hone our paddling skills, and practice poling skills. Once in Allagash Village we indulged in vanilla ice cream cones (yum) at the local diner and heard stories of the way things used to be from a local woman who came out on her porch as we walked by. We then began our epic poling days, heading upriver on the Allagash. Happy for our practice sessions on the St.John poling proved to be challenging and initially frustrating for some, though we have moved past all that to find our rhythm in these upstream days. On the whole we are appreciating the quiet and subtlety of our new skill."

Umbagog update

The Whitewater kayakers on Umbagog lake just had their resupply over the weekend. The group is doing well amidst the heavy doses of rain. Their skills are progressing wonderfully and they are right where they should be.

Here are some highlights from out trip so far:

*We've seen Loons all over the lake.
*We've had Bald Eagle sightings everyday
*There is a Great Blue Heron fishing in the cove regularly
*We've had regular sightings of a family of 4 Otters.

*Most everyone in the group has accomplished their kayak roll, and many have even done it in moving water.
*With all the water we've experienced tons of water on the river, with lots of big waves.
*We just did the Umbagog Olympics(an annual tradition). Events included log rolling, frisbee games, and and iron chef competition for lunch. The kids made such a great meal that we opted to skip dinner that night.
*We've also put all the energy to good use by cutting up downed trees from the winter storms. We figured we've chopped and sawed at least a cord of firewood all by hand.

Overall the trip has been fantastic and we are looking forward to having the river come down a little. Once that happens the group will be moving up the river and will hopefully culminate our experience by running the river from the top.

Update from the Boatbuilders

It's day 7 of straight building and we are putting these boats together at lightning speed. A week ago our boats were stacked neatly in piles of lumber in the back of Bill's truck. Bill is the designer of our boat and is helping us get started with the process of building. As of today we have eight boats that technically we could paddle, would be mostly waterproof, and would get us to our destination in Brooklyn Maine. Although they would float, we've opted for a more reasonable approach and are going to spend the next 7 day coaxing our boats to a higher level of perfection. We've got lots of sanding, epoxying, sanding, epoxying, varnishing, sanding and painting in our future. The group is doing wonderfully and is truly enjoying the experience of watching their boats take shape.

Although the rain has been steady since we started the group morale is high because everyone really loves building boats.

Zach says " It's the only thing I've ever made!"
Ian says "it like a fancy sports care that you really want"
Tyler says "it's by far the nicest thing I've ever made"
John says "it's Christmas all over again"
James says " I'm either workin' on my boat or helping someone else with theirs. I love working with my hands"

North Woods Canoe is Thriving!

Whew!! North Woods Canoe has busted a move. We started down the West Branch of the Penobscot and worked on our paddle strokes. We saw a lot of moose and stopped in at Chesuncook Village to gorge upon home made root beer and fudge. It was a good thing we bought some extra goodies as a motivation for a long day of frogging up a stream. After we left Chesuncook we spent a day headed up "the Horserace" towards Round Pond and Caucomgomic Lake. ( Yes, you read correctly we pushed our boats against the current and battled slippery rocks all for the view from Caucomgomic Dam. And because its the only way to get to where we needed to). It was a great and rewarding first challenge for the group.

We have just completed a 3 mile portage and everyone did a fantastic job and really pushed personal limitation. It is amazing to think that we move 6, eighty pound boats over such a distance and still managed to keep laughing and singing along the way. We were so proud of the group!!

Tomorrow is July 4th and our resupply. We all look forward to hearing from friends and family!

Best wishes to all of our friends and family.

Penobscot Whitewater Girls Trip

Despite the rain, the girls' spirits are high. Yesterday(July 1) they paddled their first set of class III rapids and they all did so with smiles on their faces. The sun made an appearance that afternoon so we took advantage of the warmth and went for a group swim at our beach in front of the camp site. We have probably the best campsite on the whole river!! Overall the the trip has been fantastic. We are quickly turning this group of amazing young women into enthusiastic kayakers. We've already heard talk of, " I'm definitely going to do Umbagog next year", or " I'm gonna do Northeast rivers!!". A good sign that these girls are gung-ho about paddling.
The might Penobscot is our backyard and we are eagerly anticipating our trip to the Seboomook River in a couple of days.

A very quick word from North Woods Canoe

We just heard from North Woods Canoe and all is well. The Northern sections of the state have had a little bit better weather than the coastal regions and the group is thriving. The have just finished frogging (the term for walking a canoe upstream)up Caucomgomic stream and are headed to Round Pond. From Round Pond they will start the largest portage of their trip, once completed they will entered the famed Allagash region, and begin their journey toward Allagash village. We will be resupplying this group on July 4th, so stay tuned for a further update next week.

A word from Maine Coast Kayak

" Our trip may have the highest concentration of excited, dedicated students I have ever facilitated. Rest assured that all of the them are enjoying themselves and each other tremendously. The weather so far has been an interesting story. Our first day on the water was full of sunshine. We stayed at Castle Island, had lessons in the sun and fell asleep on wooden tent platforms above the ground. Our next day was a paddle to Spectacle island, 6 miles from Castle. We had an exciting time crossing the Sheepscot River as we navigated the currents and the thick fog. It was very rewarding and reassuring for the kids to land on the opposite shore knowing that the navigation techniques we are teaching them really work.
The next day we paddled 11 miles to Fort Island and got to experience the first real waves of the trip. What a blast! It was a great paddle, the longest so far and the group did amazingly well. We even got some sun in the afternoon.
We've changed our itinerary since landing on Fort to accommodate for the challenges the weather has provided. We took advantage of a quick van shuttle around Pemaquid point and have found ourselves a day ahead of schedule and enjoying a night on one of the jewels of Muscongus Bay: Chewonki owned Black Island!
The over-riding sentiment is that a little rain and wet weather can't dampen the spirits of this amazing group! More news to come on our next resupply - We are doing GREAT! " - Paul and Claire

Sunday June 28

It shouldn't come as any surprise for those of you who live in the North East to hear that we have started off the summer with a bit of a wet start. We have received positive reports from the wilderness trip groups that have checked in and no surprise, the weather has caused some changes to itineraries.

Today I am reminded to be careful what you wish for! A week ago we were watching the water levels closely on the St John River with the leaders of our Thoreau Wilderness Trip. The TWT trip was planning to start their 7-week experience on the St John at Baker Lake. As departure day got closer the river was flowing at about 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and dropping. 2,500 (cfs) is the lowest level recommended for beginning a canoe trip on the St John, so we hoped for a little rain.

With the lower water level we decided to err on the side of caution just in case the hoped for rain didn't materialize. Old time Maine Guides refer to the St John at low water as being a mile wide and an inch deep. Last Wednesday the group put in a bit lower down the river at Moody Bridge. That was several days and a couple heavy rain storms ago. The St John has now risen to a wonderful paddling level and the rain can stop any time! Actually we have had several sunny days interspersed with the rain so if you have been watching the Weather Channel it has not been quite as bad in Northern Maine as they sometimes make the situation appear.

We will begin resupplying our extended trips at the end of this coming week and we will post updates and photos soon after.

Rain Rain Go Away

Greg Shute
Wilderness Programs Director

All 3 week trips are now "in the field"

Yesterday afternoon we said "bon voyage" to our Mariners program as they rowed away from the waterfront.  As they made way from the docks it was apparent that they will quickly learn to not only sail the boats when the wind cooperates, but also row them during calmer times.  By now they are enjoying a well deserved day of sunshine and some light Northeasterly winds.

The Maine Coast Kayak group shoved off mid-morning today under bright blue skies and gentle breezes.  They all successfully completed their rescue techniques practice and basic paddling skills and are now ready for a 3 great weeks of paddling.  Here are a few pictures taken by one of our staff member of their launch.

WE ARE OFF AND RUNNING!!!!

It's official, summer has started!!!  We welcomed our participants and campers yesterday, and even though our weather pattern has been a bit wet of late it didn't show on kids faces.  All day we saw smiles and lots of excitement.   This morning we sent out 7 expeditions to the far reaches of the state.   Our Thoreau Trip is headed to the St John River to begin a 7 week expedition that will paddle some of the most historic and scenic stretches of water the state has to offer.  Our sailors and sea kayakers will be heading out after some skills training and will be paddling or sailing their way toward Acadia and Penobscot Bay.  The whitewater kayakers headed to both the Rapid River, and the Penobscot River.  For the first time ever we are ecstatic that we have an all girls whitewater kayaking group up at our Big Eddy campus.  We've also got a group headed to the Appalachian Trail, and another that will start their canoe trip on the West Branch of the Penobscot River.  

Over all it's been a wonderful start to our summer.  Our staff is made up of some great people, with a huge variety of backgrounds and experiences.   Please stay tuned to the blog as the summer rolls on, we will be updating you with pictures and stories as often as they come in from the field.