10/13/2026
Allagash Trip No. 9 for Ellie (10 for us) is complete.
We paddled onto the beach at the Pump Handle campsite at 8pm on Saturday. The water was at rest, and our only light was from the stars. We had spent the last 30 minutes paddling slowly, admiring the milkyway as we’ve never seen it, and listening to an owl hooting in the nearby woods hidden in darkness on shore.
Hours earlier we were unsure our trip would continue. Our final destination, Michaud Farm on the lower Allagash River, still over 60 miles away, felt unobtainable. We discussed a bailout plan.
We had spent the last day and a half fighting a relentless headwind on Chamberlin. At one point, waves had came dangerously close to swamping our canoe and forced a retreat to shore. On Eagle Lake we faced more of the same. Late afternoon we took shelter on Pillsbury Island to discuss our plans. We had to make progress if we were to reach Churchill Dam and the Chase Rapids the next day, a necessity if we were going to stay on schedule. We wanted to avoid too much paddling on Tuesday, which was forecasted to be miserable in the North. Something had to change, and it finally did.
At 6pm, as the sunset, the trees on the island grew quiet. Whitecaped waves disappeared. We’d always wanted to paddle under the stars and decided this was the time to do it.
As we cleared the shelter of the island, the lake stirred, we felt a headwind breeze, and waves lapped the bow, but it was nothing like earlier. We could feel the lake exhale, and we exhaled with it. Before long, the lake was still.
The Pump Handle site gave us enough progress to keep the trip on schedule. The following day we ran the Chase Rapids and rode an epic tailwind down Umsaskis and Long Lakes.
The favorable weather was short lived. Yesterday was yet another of our most challenging on the Allagash. 40 degree temps, lots of rain and a headwind. Late in the day, with temps forecast in the 20’s overnight and the potential for snow in the morning, we decided to push on and reach our takeout a day early. It was brutal 25 mile day, but worth it.
Every trip is different. We will cherish the high points from this one and look forward to the next.
