Thursday, May 17, 2007

Half-Way

We hit Mile 355 today, our half-way point. We were portaging at the time, in the middle of a rather large trek, as will be described below. It was a good scene: an overcast sky, no rain, a chill wind, and a long and straight stretch of NH Rt. 110 in front of us. We had the weather radio juiced up and rigged in to the boat and, albeit in a rather fuzzy manner, to the Red Sox game. They won their afternoon game today, and just a few moments after the announcers signed off we realized we had crossed some imaginary boundry that marked us as being half-done.

From Groveton yesterday we began our ascent of the Upper Ammonoosuc River with a portage around the three dams in town to the flat water above the last dam. We put in and spent about an hour fighting the current to gain less than a mile. We have a sliding scale of propulsion: paddling, poling, lining, and portaging. As the conditions change, we are pushed down the scale, and the Upper Ammonoosuc, with its bushy banks, pushed us all the way to portaging. The heavy rains from the day before had caused the river to jump its banks, and it was clear each time we saw it through the trees that paddling it would just end in frustration. In the end, we portaged most of the river during the day today, ending our portage in West Dummer and the house of two Bates alumni who were kind enough to open their doors to us. Thats about a 12 mile portage, if you do the math. We expect the Androscoggin to be much of the same.

It is this variety of kindness that has touched us time and again during our trip. People seem so willing to open their doors and offer their time to help us on our way. The Brown's in New York, the O'Donnell's in Vermont, and the Wyman's in New Hampshire are just a few of the many particularly generous people that have made the trip such a pleasure so far. A hot shower, a big meal, and a soft bed are just the ticket sometimes, especially when the temperature is getting into the low 30s as it has been the last few days. We are currently less than a mile from the river, staying in a beautiful house owned by the Wyman's. Both were active in the Bates Outing Club in the 1960's, and had some facinating stories to tell about the BOC and Bates way back when. In addition to being active paddlers, Mr. Wyman was in the forestry industry in the Northern Forest for many years and has explained a great many aspects of this working forest to us. It is a pleasure to talk with people like these, whose kindness and generosity are matched only by the depth of their connections to both the outdoor life, Bates, and northern New England; things Ben and I also feel connected to.

Tomorrow brings the portage over the Whites, and then the ascent of the Androscoggin River to Errol, NH. I feel like a coiled spring, just waiting for the lakes of Maine. So much upstream and portaging has taken its toll, and Umbagog and the Maine border will bring sweet relief. We have 327 miles to cover in Maine before we reach Fort Kent, and considering the fact that we have done the hardest 355 miles in 18 days, we expect to cover the next 355 in at least as much time. We expect to cover a tremendous amount of ground quite quickly, as Maine seems designed for expeditious canoe travel. We will finally and unequivically be in the bush, and our eagerness is palatable. The great state awaits, as does a tremendous meal prepared by Mr. Wyman. Thats my ticket.

cheers,
Zand

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