Enjoying one last look at the Androscoggin
8 miles / 13 km Errol - Cedar Stumps, Umbagog Lake
Sunny and windy
Staying 2 nights in a motel makes you lazy. We only departed at 9am but the distance to Cedar Stumps is only 13km. On the other hand the guy at Saco Outdoors had advised us to at least portage the canoe up the Rapid River tonight. We said goodbye to Dicky, our friendly host at the Errol motel and wheeled the 1.2 miles to the put-in by the dam.
Traversing Umbagog Lake we entered Maine today.
|
Enjoying one last look at the Androscoggin |
|
 |
 |
 |
We pulled up at Cedar Stumps at 1pm and after a long lunch we decided around 14.30 to portage the canoe, poles, paddles, helmets, life jackets together with one heavy pack up to Middle Dam. The path up from the river to the old road was non-wheelable and Geoff carried the canoe.
 |
When we got to the road, we put the canoe on the trolley and put the paddles and poles in it so that I only had the other stuff in a pack on my back. Geoff wheeled the empty canoe and I walked alongside to help lift the canoe continually over boulders and roots which made wheeling semi impossible. It took us 3 hours to get up to the dam and then another 1 hour 50 minutes to walk back to the campsite. The blisters on my left foot which have been hurting for a few days now got even more excruciatingly painful after the long walk. Definitely not looking forward to tomorrow morning.
|
Middle Dam |
 |
|
Part 1 portage completed |
 |
 |
We stopped frequently during the portage and also during the walk back to enjoy scenes of the magnificent Rapid River. How nice it would be to be 21 again and paddle the river downstream in a kayak. We even considered that if we had our Esquif Pocket Canyon with us, we might have given it a try.
 |
|
Rapid River |
 |
This evening there was a nearly full moon to enjoy.
Having read Louise Dickinsons book, We took to the Woods, before departure I was fascinated to finally see the Rapid River, her old house and the woods.
Next |
Previous