| Every trip in Maine needs at least one moose photo |
| Every trip in Maine needs at least one moose photo |
Greatly refreshed, we made an early start, determined to beat the wind. We paced ourselves and had hourly snack breaks. It was a real pleasure to pole up without the wind. As my skills improved, I found myself gliding into and eddy, then powering out at just the right time to ferry to the next higher eddy. Like a couple of pinballs we bounced upstream for long stretches without ever feeling the full brunt of the current.
At ten o'clock, we stopped for lunch at Houlton Brook campsite, one maintained by Forest Rangers. Low on fuel, and heading into the wilderness, we built a fire and cooked soup to go with our hummus sandwiches. After lunch break, the wind began to rise and we were soon battling again. No more eddy-hopping: the wind would blow us out, turn the bow, do everything to mess up a good maneuver.
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| JS consults the map from behind a screen of brush |
After quite a few more rigorous miles, we found a nice sandy bank on the left, under some cedars. The roots made nice sitting spots and we made a small fire ring in the sand. With my folding saw, we cut short eight or ten inch logs and with Jumbo's hatchet we split them. Nothing beats 1" sticks of cedar for cooking!
