A Northern Maine Gem Pt 2 # 91

I woke up early that morning just before the sun was rising and I swear that I heard talking. I remember listening intently and the sounds that I was hearing seemed to be coming from the water. I unzipped my sleeping bag, unzipped the tent door and stuck my head out for a look. I could hear the water flowing, but could not see it due to the darkness. But there was no question, I could hear men talking, laughing and singing. I remember thinking that I must have been in a dream and this was all not happening. I could hear banging and what sounded like pick poles hitting logs. I found my shoes, still a bit wet and put them on. I slowly walked down to the water and the sounds went away. The water was now easier to see as the light approached. I noticed a dense fog lifting off the water and yes, there was no sign of anyone. I thought back to the lore I had heard of where you could sometimes hear the loggers talking early in the morning as they went about their business of moving the logs downstream. Could that have been what I heard? Was it real? Where they still there in spirit? I walked back to the tent and noticed that the other three were stirring and in the process of getting up. I asked them if they had heard any voices and they all looked at me like I was crazy. That told me that they had not, and so I went no further with the conversation.

I remember getting breakfast going and starting the fire so we could dry our clothes out a bit more. The sun was now shining and it looked like it was going to be a good day on the river.

We finished eating and cleaned up our mess, and then packed the two canoes for the day’s travel. Today was going to be a nice ride down to our next destination of Round Pond, which was 10 miles downstream. On our way, we saw moose in the water, deer on the banks and ducks splashing and bathing to their delight. As we passed each moose, we watched them closely in case they decided to march over and join us. I had heard tales from old Wardens that they occasionally take exception to people and may in fact charge. One time in particular, I remember a Warden on Jones Pond in a boat being charged by a moose. The warden went one way and the boat the other and the moose was directly in the center. They can be unpredictable and you need to give them a wide range. Fortunately, we had no problems as they were all eating the soft wet grass under water, and so they did not have time to worry about us. We continued down the waterway until we came to the rapids before Round Pond. We worked our way through them without issue and headed for our next test, Round Pond Rips. For those of you who have never been through the rips, they are interesting and challenging. There is a whirlpool and you have to go through it to move on. But first, you travel through Round Pond. As we got to the pond, we were met by an Allagash Wilderness Waterway Ranger. Each group needs to report in with the Ranger, which we did. We exchanged pleasantries and then were again on our way. We worked our way through the pond with my mind still wandering back to my encounter with the voices at Long Lake Dam. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get them out of my mind. I also was very aware of the history on Round Pond. Jalbert Camps was located there and had been there for many many years. It was once a sought after location for sportsmen. I had gone to school with Willard “Billy” Jalbert Jr, whose father was a big part of the camps and I had heard a lot about them. Unfortunately, we lost Billy at an early age to a car accident. May he continue to rest in peace.

We made our way out of Round Pond with our sights set on the Rips. I recall Bill and I making our way down through them and having no problems with the whirlpool. We paddled down a bit and turned around only to see Randy and Bruce stuck in the whirlpool and going round and round, unable to get out. I remember Bill saying, we need to go back and help them out, and that is exactly what we did. We turned the canoe around, headed back and as we got there, Bill said ok we are going to hit the side of their boat with ours and spin them in the right direction. Yup, we did that with perfection and they came right out of it and into clear water. The rest of our trip down to our destination was very nice and calm. There was a long stretch of calm water, and Randy was quick to tie us up to him, fire up the motor and help us along. We enjoyed the ride down, and finally got to our campsite at Five Fingers Brook. We also had the chance to do a little fishing on the way down, but I was glad we had not depended on one meal being fish. That was a good call. We set up camp, had supper and discussed our final push down to our final destination which was Michaud Farm, where we would meet our driver who would take us home.

Evening came and darkness fell upon us. I sat there by the fire wondering what the morning would hold and whether or not I would hear the voices again.

Early the next morning, I awoke to voices and yelling and screaming coming from the water. It was still pitch black and I could not really see the water but could hear it. This time I just stuck my head out of the tent and listened. Clearly, I was hearing men talking and shouting directions about where the next log was going and how they would get it there. I ran my hands across my eyes and looked as closely as I could but there was nothing to see, just black. I was sure this time that what I had heard the morning before and again this morning was not a figment of my imagination. I was convinced more than ever now, that they truly were there in spirit doing their jobs as they had done for years.  I decided to lay back down in my warm bed roll, and the next thing I knew, I awoke to bacon frying and the smell of coffee. I jumped out of bed, got dressed and made my way out of the tent. This time, I was careful to not ask about the voices I had heard. Better to not, lest they think I might be hearing things…

We finished our breakfast, loaded up for the short trip down to Michaud Farm and headed out. The sun was as warm as the day before and the water was crystal clear. About late morning, we pulled into Michaud Farm and there was our driver waiting patiently for us. We loaded up the canoes, piled our stuff in the vehicle and off we went for home. The trip had been great fun and a real success. I had enjoyed my time with Bill, Randy and Bruce and had learned a lot about my boss and his abilities in the woods and with the canoe. I took a moment to remember those less fortunate that did not make it all the way down the Waterway. They were and will never be forgotten. And for a short time, I heard them hard at work moving the logs downstream. There was no question that they were the true woodsmen, and that we were just the beneficiary of what they had taught us over time.

Footnote: Some of this may be a bit fictional. I leave it to you to decide.

THE AXE JUST DOESN’T CUT IT #90

There are a lot of fishermen and women out there that consider themselves to be hard core. Now, I consider hard core to mean, nothing will stop you from doing what you want or where you want to go, no matter what the odds or impediments are.

So, this past weekend was my and TC’s first real foray into the woods for 2017. We had made plans to fish out of the Fort Kent area, but had not really made any decisions as to where exactly we would go. The night before, we had loaded up the truck and prepared everything for an early morning next day departure.  On the ride, we decided that we would try one of my old fishing holes. If you follow any of my blogs, this lake was where TC laid a fly in the water in memory of her Dad’s passing. We traveled up the Wallagrass Lake road until we came to the road that would lead us to this lake. As we did so, I noticed that there were a lot of trees down, some having been cut out of the road to allow access. When we turned onto the access road to this lake, it was evident that no one had been there yet. There were trees down in many areas of the road. As the hard core that I am, I told TC that I would cut our way in using my axe. Each time we came to a downed tree in the road, I would get out and cut it up, and push it into the woods out of the traveled portion of the road. Now, the access road to this lake is at least a mile long, and with each tree I cut, more laid ahead. At one point, I decided that I would walk the road and cut the trees instead of cutting and driving the truck to the next blowdown. I was like a well-oiled machine, cutting and dragging and clearing just enough for the truck to get through. I got way ahead of the truck where TC could not see me and was working my way forward, when I heard the truck coming around the corner with TC navigating it along. We got about ¾ of the way in and the road ahead seemed to be much worse than what I had already cut. So, throwing up my hands, I gave up. It was clear that the trusty axe just was not cutting it, and the need for a chainsaw which I did not have, was going to make this effort impossible. We turned the truck around and drove it back out to the main road. The pond was not going to see us that day. TC did enjoy it though, and I found out later that she had videotaped my efforts and had also videoed me when I finally got back into the truck to turn it around. She had a great time laughing at the tape as I breathed heavy from my efforts, which she also recorded.

Our energy shifted and with a bit of quick thinking, we decided that we would head over to 1^st Wallagrass Lake where one of my friends had a camp. From there, we could launch the boat and do a little fishing and still save this day, so off we went. Once there, I decided that I would paddle and TC could fish. In the time we were there, she pulled out two salmon. This was rewarding, because she had never experienced hooking a salmon which can not only be fun but challenging, because in most cases they fight harder than a trout. After putting them both back in the water, we decided to call it a day. I had lost my hard core status to a road that conquered me, but we had made it work overall. Yes, the axe just did not cut it that day. Maybe I better invest in a chainsaw. What do you think?