Allagash Lake Loop June 2020

[dcloots]

Allagash Lake Loop Solo Trip, Maine June 2020

https://youtu.be/nAscDNuEeOs

My most recent trip which took me on a loop trip through the Allagash region of Maine using my new hand built cedar strip canoe.

 

[alsg]

I've already commented over on YouTube about the video, but I just wanted to say thanks, again, for posting it! You sure picked a tough slog for your first outing in your Wabnaki, but I hope you found your first trip in a canoe you built yourself to be as rewarding as I did the first time I went out in mine!

 

[ppine]

thanks. You made a nice video and a wonderful documentary that you will enjoy years from now. For public consumption, I think your video would be more fun to watch with fewer head shots, but the same narration. Just an idea. Depends somewhat on your intended purpose. You are good at this. Just an idea.

 

[Roybrew]

That looks like a blast! Like your canoe.

 

[dcloots]

I've already commented over on YouTube about the video, but I just wanted to say thanks, again, for posting it! You sure picked a tough slog for your first outing in your Wabnaki, but I hope you found your first trip in a canoe you built yourself to be as rewarding as I did the first time I went out in mine!

I certainly did enjoy the performance of the Wabnaki. Stability and tracking were better than expected for sure. I definitely put this canoe through some tough times on this trip and probably wouldn’t use it again if I were to do this trip again but it was great to use my own craft for its maiden voyage! Glad you liked the video Alsg!

 

[dcloots]

thanks. You made a nice video and a wonderful documentary that you will enjoy years from now. For public consumption, I think your video would be more fun to watch with fewer head shots, but the same narration. Just an idea. Depends somewhat on your intended purpose. You are good at this. Just an idea.

Ppine, thanks for your feedback. I have canoe tripped many times but have not filmed as much until recently so the camera angles and when to do certain things with the camera are still part of the learning curve. I will accept your constructive criticism and apply that down the road with future videos. Always great to hear some helpful feedback.

 

[TrailBlaser]

Great trip and video. Brought back memories of my travels in the area. Thanks so much for sharing it.

 

[dcloots]

Happy to share my adventure. Glad that it brought back some great memories for you!

 

[goonstroke]

Great trip! I remember those tricky Caucomgomic rocks ... upstream makes it real. Your own boat must make it even more real.

Was there anything about your kit that you would change?

 

[dcloots]

Great trip! I remember those tricky Caucomgomic rocks ... upstream makes it real. Your own boat must make it even more real.

Was there anything about your kit that you would change?

I am still working towards packing lighter. Of course lighter means much more expensive, but I did manage to fit everything I needed into my 115L Seal Line pack. Still too heavy at 53lbs. I traveled with very little clothing, minimal food (enough food), so I would have to say that my sleeping pad, sleeping mat and tent need to be upgraded in order to be more comfortable from a weight perspective. Tent is about 6lbs, sleeping pad is 2lbs, and sleeping bag is 5lbs. I most likely would not bring my axe on the next trip (hardly used it) and that would save me 2.5lbs. My new boreal canyon saw 21 was really all I needed. I would also upgrade my paddles by going lighter weight. I intend to make my own down the road and get as light weight as possible with those. I am thankful for the cart and feel this is necessary on this particular trip but that too adds about 6lbs approx. Charging equipment for electronics can be upgraded I believe to save weight but all in all as you know all of these items add up quickly so any improvement of the aforementioned will be a huge improvement. Will be looking at shedding about 20-22lbs so that maybe the cart can be left behind on similar trips. The canoe has not yet been weighed but I can only assume it is in the 50-55lb range. Clearly a swift boat or lightweight composite would shed a lot but this trip was all about using my own craft which I enjoyed immensely.

 

[Odyssey]

Sure was nice to see the inaugural trip, thanks for taking us along.

 

[goonstroke]

I am still working towards packing lighter. Of course lighter means much more expensive, but I did manage to fit everything I needed into my 115L Seal Line pack. Still too heavy at 53lbs. I traveled with very little clothing, minimal food (enough food), so I would have to say that my sleeping pad, sleeping mat and tent need to be upgraded in order to be more comfortable from a weight perspective. Tent is about 6lbs, sleeping pad is 2lbs, and sleeping bag is 5lbs. I most likely would not bring my axe on the next trip (hardly used it) and that would save me 2.5lbs. My new boreal canyon saw 21 was really all I needed. I would also upgrade my paddles by going lighter weight. I intend to make my own down the road and get as light weight as possible with those. I am thankful for the cart and feel this is necessary on this particular trip but that too adds about 6lbs approx. Charging equipment for electronics can be upgraded I believe to save weight but all in all as you know all of these items add up quickly so any improvement of the aforementioned will be a huge improvement. Will be looking at shedding about 20-22lbs so that maybe the cart can be left behind on similar trips. The canoe has not yet been weighed but I can only assume it is in the 50-55lb range. Clearly a swift boat or lightweight composite would shed a lot but this trip was all about using my own craft which I enjoyed immensely.

Thanks. I find other people's gear post-mortems very useful.

How many days/nights of food did you bring?

That loop inspired me to get a portage pack, a GG Trad #4, and I've been pretty happy with it. Single carry is doable on a decent trail.

The backpacker dogma is ounces make pounds and pounds make pain, but boy that overpriced ultralight crap sure breaks easily. I did go to a light quilt for summer, vs a 3.5 season synthetic fill bag, and that saved a cool 3 lbs. Lightweight paddles are even nicer on the water than on the portage.

The one area I still don't feel like I have nailed down is footwear. On a paddle/portage/wade/track/line/pole/hike/camp trip I want 3-5 pairs of shoes/boots, and that's obviously not going to work packing light. I've mostly settled on trail runners, but wading in the basketball sized rocks I'd rather have something ankle high.

 

[dcloots]

Thanks. I find other people's gear post-mortems very useful.

How many days/nights of food did you bring?

That loop inspired me to get a portage pack, a GG Trad #4, and I've been pretty happy with it. Single carry is doable on a decent trail.

The backpacker dogma is ounces make pounds and pounds make pain, but boy that overpriced ultralight crap sure breaks easily. I did go to a light quilt for summer, vs a 3.5 season synthetic fill bag, and that saved a cool 3 lbs. Lightweight paddles are even nicer on the water than on the portage.

The one area I still don't feel like I have nailed down is footwear. On a paddle/portage/wade/track/line/pole/hike/camp trip I want 3-5 pairs of shoes/boots, and that's obviously not going to work packing light. I've mostly settled on trail runners, but wading in the basketball sized rocks I'd rather have something ankle high.

I always travel with my bean boots but they are the low cut style and wading with those would make for a long day with residual sloshing and eventually blisters perhaps. I actually wore very light water shoes (World Wide Sportsman) and they were new before the trip. They look about 5 years old now. If I were to have done the Mud Pond Carry I would have worn the bean boots and fasten them tight so as to not lose them in the mud. My shoe situation was in reverse actually...I changed into a new pair of wool socks and bean boots for camp shoes vice a light weight shoe for camp.

Is that granite gear pack waterproof? Do they need liners? I always thought they had. Did you use a cart when you did the same route? Whatever trail exists at the Caucomgomoc stream (I found some tape) seems to be all thick bush now. I would be curious to learn about others success with navigating that trail but it was dense and not easily identifiable the further I got in the woods. Hence, lining the stream.

I actually returned home with left over food. Some pancake mix, dehydrated ziti and chili, oatmeal and a few tuna packets. I found I wasn’t as hungry as I normally am during this trip.

Also, did you find the trip tiring? or am I just getting old!

 

[RickR]

Karen and I watched the video last night on the TV and enjoyed it immensely! Having watched your canoe build, it was really special to also witness the maiden voyage! Well done, all the way around!

 

[goonstroke]

I always travel with my bean boots but they are the low cut style and wading with those would make for a long day with residual sloshing and eventually blisters perhaps. I actually wore very light water shoes (World Wide Sportsman) and they were new before the trip. They look about 5 years old now. If I were to have done the Mud Pond Carry I would have worn the bean boots and fasten them tight so as to not lose them in the mud. My shoe situation was in reverse actually...I changed into a new pair of wool socks and bean boots for camp shoes vice a light weight shoe for camp.

When I did the Mud Pond Carry I was wearing Tevas and neoprene socks. That wasn't bad, but the trouble was the mud isn't smooth, it has some pebbles and twigs mixed in, and they would work their way under my toes. I hung the socks out to dry and then forgot them in Longley Stream campsite. Maybe water shoes with a good toe and neoprene socks would be better.

Is that granite gear pack waterproof? Do they need liners? I always thought they had. Did you use a cart when you did the same route? Whatever trail exists at the Caucomgomoc stream (I found some tape) seems to be all thick bush now. I would be curious to learn about others success with navigating that trail but it was dense and not easily identifiable the further I got in the woods. Hence, lining the stream.

I actually returned home with left over food. Some pancake mix, dehydrated ziti and chili, oatmeal and a few tuna packets. I found I wasn’t as hungry as I normally am during this trip.

The GG pack is not waterproof, it's like a nylon version of the truly traditional canvas packs. I use it with several lightweight drybags inside. If I'm in a tandem, I pack it so that it ends up wide and flat; in a solo, I scrunch it a bit so it fits.

I didn't use a cart.

I wonder if anyone maintains that trail. It's not in PRC, so I don't know who would. Maybe the NFCT, since it's kind of an alternate route to the Tramway.

Also, did you find the trip tiring? or am I just getting old!

Oy! It's definitely tiring, and I don't know about you but I'm definitely getting old. However, I have to do it again, next time counterclockwise.

 

[Fitz]

Thanks for the video, dcloots. I watched it last night. Unfortunately, it didn't make up for not getting out yet this year! Maybe in the fall.

Thanks again,

Fitz

 

[Robin]

I have been busy with our move to Maine and finally got to watch you video, nice trip and you canoe looks really nice out on the trail. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[dcloots]

Karen and I watched the video last night on the TV and enjoyed it immensely! Having watched your canoe build, it was really special to also witness the maiden voyage! Well done, all the way around!

Very pleased to learn that you and Karen enjoyed the trip video and followed along with my first canoe build video series. The trip was truly rewarding and the canoe handled like a dream. The Wabnaki design really makes for an extremely stable canoe and I was more than comfortable throughout my journey. I heeled the canoe on long stretches and the stability was validated while doing so. The speed and handling of the canoe in comparison to past canoes that I have paddled often resulted in solo smirks while I was paddling along. I hope to learn from this build and find another design that might be a wee bit lighter and faster so that I can go longer and faster. Not that I want to finish any of these trips quicker but I do want to cover more ground and explore further. Pleased to have shared such a special moment with all of you.

 

[dcloots]

I have been busy with our move to Maine and finally got to watch you video, nice trip and you canoe looks really nice out on the trail. Thanks for sharing it.

Robin, I hope that you are finally settling in with your move to Maine and begin to realize some of the great paddling opportunities that exist not to far from your new home. Thanks for watching the video and thank you for the kind words! All the best Robin!

 

[dcloots]

Thanks for the video, dcloots. I watched it last night. Unfortunately, it didn't make up for not getting out yet this year! Maybe in the fall.

Thanks again,

Fitz

Thanks for watching Fitz. I certainly hope you have an opportunity to realize a Fall trip!