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Bits and Pieces on the Allagash

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I've been planing a trip to the Allagash for a while and had a window opened that I could go. I packed in a hurry and headed out. (I didn't forget too many things).
I drove up on the 10th of Sep and camped at the Umbazooksus Stream West. The Golden Rd was in Terrible shape, but Telos Rd was in great shape.

I had four things I wanted to get done on this trip 1. walk Mud Pond Carry 2. Camp at Sandy Point 3. camp at Ferry Landing and 4. visit the museums out on rt 11.
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The next morning driving out, I saw a sign for Umbazooksus Lake. This lake is the Terminus for the logging RR that starts on Eagle Lake and hauled Pulpwood. I couldn't believe all the logs that were washed up on the shore from that operation almost a hundred years ago.
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I ran into a lot of old Chubb Mounds
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I drove over to the point where the Mud Pond Carry crossed the road. The 'Carry' is supposed to be the Wettest in the NE with lots of blowdowns and is about 1.5 miles long from where I started. It started out with about a 1/4 mile of wet walking. Other than that it was a wonderful walk.

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I'm glad I didn't have to load a canoe in that mud.
From here I drove to Churchill dam. The roads on the West side of the lakes were in great shape and being graded in a couple of places. Churchill Dam Rd hasn't been graded in a while and was a tough drive all the way to the American Reality Rd.
I parked at the Ranger Station on Umsaskis and spent the night at Sandy Point. What a beautiful site, too bad it's so close to the start.
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The third morning I paddled across Umsaskis Lake to the Ferry Landing site. This is a new one on the river.
When we paddle the river we try to stay at sites we haven't camped before. This trip took out two of the nine remaining sites I haven't stayed at.
Ferry Landing is a nice site with a long stoney beach to walk and a bit of history to check out.20230924_053442_00.JPG
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Paddling back to the Reality Bridge.
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At the 'Takeout' I had to pay the fee to four Gray Jays.

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From the bridge I drove East on the American Reality RD to Ashland, the Road was in great shape the whole way.

When I got to the gate I had driven 192 miles on logging roads AND from the time I signed into the 'Woods' until I signed out, I saw no one except passing trucks. No Rangers, No one on the water and for the first time Umsaskis was claim.
 
had never heard of a swing dingle before, and when looking at the pictures thought "that just looks like a near-impossible to use peavey." zoomed in on the explanation card and whaddyaknow, that's exactly what it is. thanks for the history lesson.

Swing Dingle
Often referred to as "switching b*tch" because of it's unwieldy traits. It was of French origin and known as a renard or fox. This is the tool Joseph Peavey saw loggers using with such futility when he invented and built the "peavey" with dog and clasp.
 
Quite a drought up in Maine and clearly very low lake levels in those photos. I wonder if that made Mud Carry easier or harder than in more normal conditions? (I've never done the Mud Carry).
 
For a brief spell I worked in the Quebec bush manually loading (and unloading) 40" logs; the hand hook (my boss called a dog) was always within reach. It was invaluable to manipulate and throw the monsters up onto the the chest-high flatbed trailer. (Load the heavier/larger hardwood first, smaller/lighter softwood after.) Interestingly enough, the trailer was a makeshift affair run off a big brute Allis-Chalmers tractor, the pto ran a small transmission mounted on the trailer hitch (which I stood on, one hand on the tractor fender, other hand shifting gears in time to my boss's directions, mindful of the crooked 4" nail spinning protruding from the pto), essentially making the whole thing a "4 wheel drive" Forwarder. He had no name for the peavey I used, he merely pointed at it, " ça". ha ha.
The big skidding tongs at the end of a very long steel cable worked beautifully to winch the full logs out of the tangle and up onto the trailer pile. Manual and mechanical pick up sticks game. Times sure have changed.
Thanks sweeper. Nice paddling trip, and your museum visit triggered my own memory trip, hope you don't mind. sorry
 
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