We recently returned from the third annual trip to Maine and this year was great! We arrived at Indian Pond in the afternoon after meeting friends in Freeport. This year we had lakeside camping and our 3 tents were joined by the princess wagon.
On Saturday we left camp at about 9am to set shuttle for the Kennebec (map). We put on just before 11am for the first run. We had a flotilla of 4 kayaks, the red raft pirate ship with captain and 6 crew, plus 2 paddle-cats with oar rigs. The first run was at 5000 cfs and was super fun as always. One crew member took a swim at Magic falls, but apart from that it was uneventful. Erin and I hiked out at carry-brook for a second run at 2400 cfs while the rest of the group continued downstream.
On Saturday night after dark we tried something new an took the red-raft out on the lake for a starlight cruise. We paddled all the way out and around an island in the darkness. It was amazing to stare up at the star-filled night sky while floating out in the middle of the lake in the dark. What a great experience!
On Sunday we met at River Drivers and then took two cars along the 15 miles dirt road to the Dead river put-in (map). After a quick hike to see Great Falls we put-on and headed downstream. The river level was lower than last year, but the sun was shining all day. One of the oarsmen took a swim in Humpty-Dumpty rapid, and was promptly rescued mid-river. We stopped for lunch on river-right. It was then read-and-run trip down to the final Poplar rapid where we had two more swimmers that were rescued by the team.
Back at camp at the end of the day Erin and I took a swim in the lake before eating dinner and then smores around the campfire. The perfect end to a great weekend.
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