This is the account written up by Mike Bussell of the trip on the Aroostook River, Maine 2014. The players were Mike Bussell, Marshall Moore, and Ken Corbett.
Aroostook River, Maine 2014
Written by Mike Bussell
After doing 150 miles on the Allagash
to Ft. Kent last Sept. and pretty much wrapping up almost all of the
740 mile NFCT in segment's over the past 7-8 years, I thought I had
retired from down river canoe camping. I really was, and still am,
tired of setting up and tearing down camp every day while covering
miles. My canoe camping was going to consist of 'base camping' from
now on.
Well, on that drive up to the Allagash back in Sept. We
crossed over the Aroostook river way up in Ashland and I took a
mental note to 'read up' on it. Now come January this year I'm bored
and start throwing around the idea of getting out on a multi-day trip
with DougD and maybe two others to have a nice small group of four. I
throw the idea out to Doug early in January because it seem's it's
alway's too late by time we get around to planning time off
together.
So I start researching the trip and
looking for shuttle driver possibilities up that way and sending out
email invites to my other canoe camping buddy's. One by one my
regular crew of guy's couldn't make it for one reason or another.
More talk with Doug and we send out invites to a couple of guy's he's
traveled with before but I hadn't, but knew they were top notch
experienced traveler's, Marshall Moore and Nanook of the Nashwack,
aka (Ken), from New Brunswick. Now come March and disaster strikes
Doug as we all now know with his house burning down and effectively
prying Doug from the trip along with his life's possessions. At
this point I had lost some of the excitement of planning and let it
slip by for a few week's. Marshall and Ken were still on board and I
felt I owed them the time to keep plugging and get the detail's
worked out.
Up to this point I hadn't had much luck
getting a shuttle for this river. There were plenty of Sporting
camp's, and Maine Guides and Outfitters, but none did shuttles and
each were pryed for information of the phone number of someone they
might know that could do it. Finally I got in touch with a Leo
Freeman of Presque Isle, the finishing point on our trip. Leo owns
'Perception of Aroostook a small canoe and kayak shop right across
the street from the boat launch ! He told me straight off that that
wasn't his usual shuttle service, but yeah, he'd drive us in. He
likes long drives on Maine's back logging road's just like everyone
else up there. Leo Freeman is a Jack of all trades, he's a Registered
Maine Guide, extremely avid road bicyclist, and back country skier,
and many more I'm sure I'm not aware of.
O.K., so the day arrives
where I get up to Presque Isle on saturday and meet Marshall at the
Motel where we split a room for the night and hook up with Ken in the
morning. We meet up with Leo Sunday a.m., load up and we're on our
way into the headwater's of the Aroostook.
We take the logging roads in to the
put-in by the Ashland check point. Aptly call the '6 mile' check
point, it's 6 miles in. Here you have to sign in and pay a fee to
'North Maine Wood's'. After successfully confusing the woman gate
attendant as to the number of day's and camping night's we would be
in NMW we succeeded in keeping an extra $24 in our pocket ! NMW
manages the campsites and collect's the fee's for the logging
companies that own the forest. It's a co-operation that allows public
use of the vast forest for camping, canoeing, hunting and fishing,
and shared use with the logging company truck's. There are Sporting
camp's that have been out there since the 1880's when the only method
to get there was a Maine Guide poling up the Aroostook with the
'sport's' into the headwaters and the camp's.
After leaving the check point we were
about a mile or two down the road when there was a loud bang and
something dragging in the gravel. We stopped in the middle of the
road and jumped out, Leo was rushing to check the boat's on the
trailer and I bent over and looked under the truck. Well,.. the full
gas tank had dropped to the road ! The band's holding the tank had
rusted and the obvious jolting of the gravel road did them in. To
keep it short, another elderly couple were on their way into their
camp and had some 4x4 block's of wood to help leverage the tank up
where Leo used some cam-buckle straps and got it seated pretty good
and we were back on our way. We still had about 50 miles of gravel
road to travel and kept an ear on any noises from underneath, it
stayed quiet.
Finally getting into the Chase lake drive-in
campsite around 2:30 we unloaded boat's and gear, opened a beer and
said our goodbyes to Leo.
The back side of the Chase lake
drive-in campsite is a 3 cell area with outhouse a picnic table
pavillion at one site and two regular sites with fire ring and table.
We had company already set up at the other two sites and we tucked
into the smaller site that was still available.
Come morning we broke camp and were
paddling out into Chase lake by 8:30 a.m. All the other fisherman
camper's at the site were still snoring away as we paddled off down
the lake. Chase Lake is about 1 1/2 miles long and there is a open
outlet at the end that run's about a quarter mile into Munsungan
lake. I took lead at the outlet and ran a sweet quarter mile of CL-I
into the next lake.
Munsungan lake is 5 miles long and a Maine gem
for fishermen. Considered one of the top 5 in the state for catching
native Brook trout and land locked Salmon it's a destination for the
truly serious fly fisherman. And also the location of Bradford
Camp's. Built around 1880 they are one of the top notch remote
fishing camp's. They built a strong reputation over all those years
and the current owners are just as friendly and good as any place you
could stay.
After crossing Munsungan lake you go
through the thoroughfare into Little Munsungan. There is a nice
campsite at the thoroughfare that is only canoe accessable and look's
like it doesn't see much use (still nice). There is another site on
Little Munsungan that we didn't stop at but is also car
accessable.
At the outlet to little Munsungan is the beginning of
Munsungan stream and another single cabin that is still called the
'Old Timers camp' even though all the old timers have passed away and
somebody else has the title now. It too was built around 1880 and is
the real deal, still looking great.
Munsungan stream quickly goes on it's
way at the outlet and at about 1 1/2 miles the current pick's up as
it rushes to Munsungan fall's, a portage. I had been told the
beginning of the portage was hard to find in swift current on the
left bank. I was in lead and was close to the left bank and there
was a serious looking ledge rapid just ahead that had caught my
attention. I was just going into my lining up for the rapid when out
of the corner of my left eye I saw a faint notch in the river bank
woods, the trail ! But I was already at that point and a quick few
strokes and I was hugging branches about 15 yards downstream from the
path. I made motions to Marshall and Ken where the trail was as they
were still above it and would be able to get to it easy enough. Soon
enough I was pulled up onto the trail and started humping my gear
down the portage trail. A fairly short portage of less than a
quarter mile,maybe 2/10th. The put-in being right at the base of the
'fall's'. In my WW boat, or my empty 17' Explorer I would see no
problem running this drop as there is a runnable center line over the
3-4 ft. ledge drop. Not sure I'd run it in my loaded Kevlar
Prospector though.
Theodore Roosevelt fished for Salmon at
the base of Munsungan Fall's when he was a young man on his trip to
Maine. It's the farthest he'd gone up river and some say this area is
where he got the idea of preserving our nation's resources in later
years for our National park's.
Once back in the boat's you cross under
the only logging road bridge the entire trip. As you head down river
the current pull's you along with nary an blowdown to block your way.
The wooded riverbank's also start to steepen into a fir and Cedar
lined wilderness and the gradient start's to pick up. Soon we were
really flying along a swift, fairly straight river course that I'll
alway's remember. CL-I, full river, no bumping bottom, Pines and
Eastern Hemlock's and a beautiful forest all around. After several
non-stop continuos miles of this we came apon the remain's of the Old
Oxbow road crossing, now campsite. (drive-in)
There were a couple
of truck's parked and 2 guy's were fishing near the old rock crib
remain's of the bridge. After some intro's and small talk they were
only there to fish and we would have the sites to ourselves that
night. It was a nice evening with the group tarp easily pulled over
the decrepid pavillion over the picnic table which kept us dry in the
sporatic showers that evening. And another well kept outhouse is
located here too.
That morning we were out and loaded up
on the river by 9:30 a.m. an easy slow morning. We were headed to the
LaPomakeag stream campsite just 8-10 miles downriver. As we headed
down river that day (tuesday) we were going to be connecting with
several large feeder stream's that are also considered headwater
trip's, Millinocket stream, Mooseleuk stream, LaPomekeag, and many
smaller stream's. Marshall was interested in the Munsungan Branch NMW
campsite at the confluence with Millinocket stream. We found it. It
was trashed by lack of use and upkeep and the ravenges of ice-out. It
would be hard to describe how wet and overgrown it had become. Just a
fire-ring with a wet grassy overgrown area in aldlers that couldn't
take more than one small (wet) tent. This was the beginning of many
campsite dissapointments as we headed downriver. Next was the
Mooseleuk Branch campsite. Not used, overgrown, terrible location. We
found the fire-ring and a box toilet. But there were obvious issues
with over grown brush, tree's down (a long time) and lack of a
landing beach (steep drop off in swift current). The next site was
our intended destination for that night, LaPomekeag stream. We found
it just down stream from the stream's confluence and it was destroyed
by ice-out that year. Although, I tend to believe it was already
decrepid and overgrown from lack of use. The ripped up tree's from
ice-out laying across the open area's where you would be setting up
your tents needed a chainsaw, and the 'rut' that was blocked by
tree's to get up into the site needed some serious stair building if
you didn't want to break your leg trying to climb up into the site.
We made the decision to move on
downriver several more miles to the boat launch at the Oxbow check
point. Once at the boat launch we were greeted by a open area with no
outhouse or fire-ring and a small brush line to set up tents along
the river bank field. (not an official camping area) A muddy, dusty
pick-up truck slowly ambled along the gravel road and eventually he
drove over to the boat launch to chat with us. We explained about the
wasted campsites upriver and he assured us we would be just fine
camped there for the night and nobody was going to bother us. He left
us and we continued to set up tents. About a half hour later he
drives up, jumps in the back of his truck and throws out a fire-ring
and more split dry wood than we could use in one night. As he climb's
back into his cab he say's "Ain't no fun camping without a good
fire. I'll be back in the morning for the fire-ring". And away
he went. Thank you, thank you !
Now the next morning (wens), we pack up
and are looking at our next night's camping option's because our
travel segment's are now out of whack. It was decided to just head
down river and keep an eye out for acceptable bootleg camping.There
was one more NMW site we could check on but it was only a few short
miles down river and it was our intended destination (short day)
after the LaPomekeag stream campsite. Once we got to the Houlton
brook campsite we were extremely disappointed with how the NMW has
done nothing to upkeep the sites along this river. Having talked to
quite a few local's on this trip about thing's like the tourism trade
and lack of yearly visitors to this area of Maine, there are thing's
they need to do to get folk's to visit this area more. I'll stand
on my soapbox later.
As we left the Houlton brook campsite
(multiple downed tree's, over grown) which was probably the prettiest
location the whole trip we were just a few miles outside the first
town settlement, Masardis, we stopped at the boat launch for lunch.
Our discussion was that we would continue to look for an acceptable
bootleg site if nesissary but we also had the option of paddling all
the way to Ashland where a couple of old timers I had talked to on
the phone week's earlier had said we could stay at the Ashland
Hunting and Fishing Club right next to the river. As we continued
after lunch the miles flew by and before long we passed the
confluence with the Machias (the northern one, not the coastal
Machias) river and were in Ashland and pulling up to the Hunting and
Fishing club riverbank. After scouting the immediate area we
determined we would set up camp behind the club's building and kind
of 'tuck-in' and keep a low profile while there. Ken started walking
up to town about a mile up the hill to get more beer and Marshall had
gone for a walk. I was still messing about setting up and had to walk
down to the boat for something. As I crossed the club's gravel road
to the back lot, another big pick-up truck had pulled in and up to me
and stopped. First thing I did was ask him if he was a member here
and he say's "Yup, I'm the Chairman of the board, and I've got
no problem with you staying there. There some firewood you can use
and the outhouse's are right there too. If anyone ask just tell them
Charlie Tucker said it was o.k.". Next he say's to me "You
ever hear about that show Mountain Men ?" I tell him yes, I've
watched it. He say's" Well I'm the Maine representitive on
that show". Of course once I get home I look it up and yup, he's
the guy ! So we were good to go for another night with the good Karma
getting cashed in some more.
Later that night I was the last to zip
into my tent about 9:30 p.m. Not 5 minutes later I hear the crunch of
gravel on the driveway and hear voices getting out of the vehicule.
So I start unzipping my tent door and here comes the big bright
flashlight of two Ashland Police officers."Sooo what's going on
here?" is the first thing he say's. I tell him Charlie Tucker
said it was o.k. He say's "Oh , you met Charlie ? No problem
then" and they immediately turn and start walking away. The one
I talked to hesitated and turned and said " If you see Charlie
again, tell him Jeffrey said Hi". I said o.k. and thank you for
checking in on us, goodnight. Did I also mention that it was a 30
mile day ?
Next morning we are up and out the door
and on the river by 9:30 a.m. again headed for the Beaver brook
campsite about15 miles downriver and the last MFS site on the map
before Presque Isle. The Aroostook at this point is a pretty big
river, high scoured river bank's, fast moving current and still wild
outside of Ashland. There is a channel that break's off to the left
above where Beaver brook enters the river. I had been told this was a
small site by one of the outfitters I had called earlier, who had
actually stayed there and wasn't sure what to expect. Well, we found
it and you could maybe fit one solo tent and the gear for one guy,
and barely have enough room left to get the fire ring of stones
rebuilt to be able to sit around. Another big '0' zero for a
campsite. We had our lunch there and discussed our option's. Again,
we could keep an eye out for an acceptable bootleg site. But it would
have to happen soon because in a few miles we would be hitting our
first town of Washburn and there were house's along the river from
that point on, and our odd's of stealth camping would have been gone.
As we pulled out into the main flow of the Aroostook again out of the
corner of my eye I see a break on the opposite shore in the thick
brush. we ferried over and were getting out to check it out but there
was huge amounts of Moose fur all over the river bank floating and
just all over. We get up there and it's a very accomdating location.
Just one thing, I didn't feel like sharing it with a Moose carcass
just off in the woods from the clearing (skeletal). Otherwise we
would have just started pulling gear up at that point and staying
there. The other guy's were so-so and we decided that we would
probably just finnish in Presque Isle that day. (another 30 mile day,
back to back) The rest of the miles flew by, we saw many, many folk's
wandering the remote shoreline picking Fiddleheads, the river stayed
swift to our take-out and we were at the boat launch next to our cars
parked up at Leo's by 6 p.m. Problem, Leo had gone home for the night
and our cell phones were in our cars. We had given him our car key's
for safe keeping and they were locked in the office.
Keeping it short, I was able to borrow
a cell phone from a Fiddlehead picker as they got to the boat launch
and finally got ahold of Leo who came down and got us our car key's.
We loaded up and went back to the Motel we stayed in the first night
we got there. Marshall and Ken were gone the next morning before I
woke up (single room, they doubled). Overall a great trip. I actually
liked it more than the Allagash trip I did back in Sept. I feel it's
more remote and prettier than the Allagash. There are no Ranger
cabin's every 15-20 miles (none) like on the Allagash. There is a
serious issue with the upkeep of the NMW primitive campsites. If they
want more tourism dollars they need to make a gem of a river like the
Aroostook more people friendly. It cost a daily fee of $12 a day as a
user fee, and $12 a night on top of that as a camping fee, $24 a day!
Those are the out of state fee's. Maine resident's pay considerably
less for both. I do understand the economic's and labor involved. I
also believe the NMW attitude is that those are 'primitive' sites and
the wilderness traveller is responsible to keep it user worthy.
However, when even a seasoned traveller like myself see's a
destructed, neglected site, I won't consider it, and will move on.
Thus allowing the site to continue to get overgrown. This was a 90
mile trip over 4 day's, originally planned for 5 day's on the water.
NMW was due to have a meeting shortly after we left up north. Leo
is going to bring this issue to the board about getting better
service (campsite reconstuction) for the money that out of stater's
bring in. I may also be getting contacted by a reporter from the
Aroostook county news. She will want my view point in story for the
paper on what we encountered on our trip. Charlie Tucker (Mountain
men) also is interested in what they can do to start getting
'Sport's' to start coming back to the region. We'll see.
Ken and
Marshall were great to travel with. I was excited because I'd been
traveling in my comfort zone with my NFCT boy's for many years and we
all know each others routines. Going with Marshall and Ken was like
being out with new classmates.
Leo Freeman is the guy to call for the
shuttle if this TR gives anyone the urge to go. His rate is fair.
He's the only show in town for this, in the entire area.
I would love to post my pictures but my
camera is not responding to the connection to my computer for some
reason. Marshall has his pictures posted to his Facebook site and
maybe he'll link them up to here. I've yet to see Kens photo's
(alot). (Google search- Nanook of the Nashwack) he may have them
posted at his personal site.)
AMC Maine guide book is the
best reference for this trip.
