As you will read, many of my camping nights have not found me exactly where planned. The Rangeley Logging Museum made for an easy start to Section 9, packing up nice and dry under the pavilion before an early-morning rolling portage to the Dead River. My wheels have performed superbly. The frame still looks new. It has solid tires, and the thin traffic often allows me to roll on the road for good stretches.
The Dead River… what a challenge, made more uncomfortable by much rain. As you start, the river is calm. Saw a spotted fawn and spared some time for fishing – trout after trout on a grey Rooster Tail. There the easy ended. From a mile past Dallas Bridge, to about 3 or 4 miles before Kennebago Road Bridge, there were lots of shallow spots, some areas of strong current, and a number of rapids, which my boat handled fairly well. (On the Fansanger Falls portage, the beginning of Quill Brook Rd. was 0.4 to 0.5 miles along on Rt. 16, but there was no road sign.)
Back on the river and about 5 miles before the Kennebago Bridge, after the rapids were behind me, I had begun to relax after so many times in and out of the boat. Rounding a curve to the left, a wide sand bar, the current carried me into a large dead tree. Although I was safe, my boat flipped and was pinned under water and upside down against the tree. The afternoon was growing late and I had been trying to reach the bridge. Now I knew I would be grateful just to free the boat without having to use 911 on my Spot. I tried sawing on one of the branches, I pulled, I strained, and I certainly prayed one of the more desperate prayers of my life. Trying another angle, I heaved straight up into the force of the current and it began to give…. inch by inch until it was free.
Taking stock, I was cold and numb and had lost my GPS (tied to the boat), Tevas, a water bottle, a sock and the foam in the bow of the boat had been torn loose. I camped right there on the sand, finally getting warm in my sleeping bag. The next morning, sore and battered, I finished that section, and began portaging to Stratton to avoid the rapids below.
Mom and Dad were headed home that morning and I sent them a “help” message. They caught up with me halfway to Stratton. Leaving my boat for a couple of hours, we rode to the White Wolf Inn for lunch and to reserve me a room. Their helpfulness and hospitality abounded, especially after we found that the boat was GONE when my parents brought me back to where we had left it! After a 911 call, deputy report, and facing the fact that my trip was most likely through, the news came that two “helpful” fishermen had picked it up and called a game warden. After all that excitement, my shower, dinner, bed, and sleeping-in in the morning were life savers. I will be eternally grateful to my parents for all of their help… Dad even loaned me his GPS.
Well, this was supposed to be the short version of events, so here are the highlights of the rest of Section 9 to Grand Falls. Flagstaff Lake could be reached by a small stream behind the inn. My day and a half on the lake saw a return of the sun, a surprise message for me in the Hurricane Island journal (where I camped), watery foundations, and friendly couple, Carly and Charlene, who were staying at the Flagstaff hut.
The takeout for the Long Falls portage (short carry, then good road) is very close to the dam, not the path you see first on the left. Put back in at Big Eddy campsite. Dead River is wide and calm after the tumult of Long Falls – heron, mergansers and a family of river otter squawking and popping up and down to look at me. Muscle spasms in my back were very painful by the time I camped at Philbrick Landing. The mosquitoes and black flies for the next several days were terrible!
The beginning of the Grand Falls high water portage is before the island. The first 0.3 to 0.4 miles is a carry, which my tired body took slowly. After that, there are yellow signs on every road! The correct route is: trail, then left on a dirt road which is marked with a portage sign, right at first intersection in spite of signs, and continue to the river. Grand Falls was impressive; then came lunch, a swim and a relaxed wait at Spencer Stream parking lot for my loyal support team.
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