We had a great trip last week on the Allagash. We did the section from Churchill Dam to Michaud Farm with a day to explore the lakes. The weather was great - sunny days and chilly nights making for misty mornings on the water. Water level was a little low, so we spent a lot of time dodging rocks and wading the boats through the shallows. Quite a few groups were out on the river, but there are so many nice campsites that wasn’t an issue. The stars at night were amazing. Group meals cooked on the fire – everything was delicious.
You can see the pictures here:
Read the full trip report here:
eckilson.blogspot.com
The main challenge on this trip was getting out. I had two blown tires on my Subaru Forester. One on the way in, which I changed with a full-size spare. The second on the way out, which I had to replace with the donut. We drove 40-miles down dirt logging roads at 10-miles per hour hoping the donut would last. It did, but by then it was too late to get the tire fixed. We ran the donut another 100-miles on the highway to get to a friend’s house in Wiscasset. The "little donut that could" pulled us through. I was able to get a new tire on Sunday morning, and headed home.
In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been driving my SUV on those dirt roads without better tires - probably not at all. Most of the trucks up there are using heavy 10 ply ATV tires, which you can’t even get for an SUV. We were lucky this time, but next time we will get a shuttle in and out.
You can see the pictures here:
Read the full trip report here:
Allagash - September 8-13, 2025
The crew ready to head out Every paddling trip is an adventure, and this one was no exception. Jonathan, Bill, Dan and I accepted the challe...
eckilson.blogspot.com
The main challenge on this trip was getting out. I had two blown tires on my Subaru Forester. One on the way in, which I changed with a full-size spare. The second on the way out, which I had to replace with the donut. We drove 40-miles down dirt logging roads at 10-miles per hour hoping the donut would last. It did, but by then it was too late to get the tire fixed. We ran the donut another 100-miles on the highway to get to a friend’s house in Wiscasset. The "little donut that could" pulled us through. I was able to get a new tire on Sunday morning, and headed home.
In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been driving my SUV on those dirt roads without better tires - probably not at all. Most of the trucks up there are using heavy 10 ply ATV tires, which you can’t even get for an SUV. We were lucky this time, but next time we will get a shuttle in and out.
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