White Water Rafting
What’s White Water Rafting have to do with walking?
Our rafting trip was booked two weeks earlier with the Windfall Outdoor Center. And as it turned out, Windfall was an excellent choice! They were well organized and made the trip fun. The trip started Sunday Morning at the Windfall headquarters which about a two minute ride from our lodge. We were greeted by one of the guides who instructed us to go in a sign a legal document that says that if anything goes wrong - it’s not Windfall’s fault. This is typical. We signed the same type of document last Winter before snowmobiling. Then they had us try on our life jackets and select a paddle. The guide laughed as I picked a “right handed” one. Then we were given a twenty minute talk about about what to expect, what to do, and what not to do. Not only was the talk instructional - it was entertaining.
On the bus ride to the river the offered us a glass of water and promptly spilled it on us. The apologized, then splashed some more water on someone else. About half way down the aisle a full blown water fight broke out. All part of the adventure. The bus parked at a lot with another twenty of so buses in it. We the went with a guide to select a raft and carry it to the river. A few minutes later we were in the water. About ten minutes later we were in rapids.
The first rapids offered two surprises:
- The height of the water and
- No one fell off the raft!
The guide had told us to keep paddling upon her command and that the force of our paddles pushing the water would push us towards the raft. I forget to mention earlier that you don’t sit in the raft - you sit on the edge of it with your feet tucked under cushion.
In a couple of minutes we were into more rapids. This time the waves pounded our raft. We were pushed up then down. No one was dry at this point. On of the rafters was was thrown to the floor, but again no one fell out. We left those rapids with the next rapids ahead of us. At this point I could only think of one thing: This is great!
The next two or three rapids were increasingly more difficult to navigate, and increasingly more fun. This had all of the excitement of a roller coaster ride but the natural setting made this special. Our guide pointed to photographers along the river banks. We were on camera!
Up ahead we could see another couple of rafts disappearing into the waves. At that point our guide told us to get ready. We were about to go over a falls. Along the river banks we could see that there was an oversupply of photographers - a clear sign that we were about to have one hell of a ride. In a minute the front part of the raft went down and the back went up. The waves came over us and we were instructed to keep paddling. The rapids the pushed us hard to the right and there was another set of waves. We paddled hard again and then that part was over.
We stopped for a lunch supplied by the rafting company. As we put back in we were able to jump in and let the water carry us. One of my sons took an inflatable kayak for a ride along side our raft. Then we got into a couple of water fights with another raft. At this point the only rapids were the small ones. The end of the ride wasn’t far away. It had been a great day. The sun was shining and the scenery was great. The river and the rafting company had provided us with a great experience!
Filed under: Maine on August 28th, 2007 | No Comments »
Last Saturday my two sons, Brian and Mark, hiked up Mount Sally in Jackman. From there we drove to The Forks where we would walk to Moxie Falls and swim in the pools at the bottom. As mentioned in the previous post, walking up Sally Mountain was great. So was Moxie Falls - here’s why…
There we swimmers above and below the falls. Swimming above the falls didn’t appeal to us for obvious reasons, but we definitely wanted to go for a swim. To enter the water below the falls we needed to climb down a steep hill. We walked down a narrow trail then we used a tree roots for stairs to a boulder. We had to carefully maneuver down the rock to avoid going into a slide. Next we used rocks as stairs to the bottom. After removing our shirts, shoes, and socks it was time for a swim.
For the most part the pool was shallow and there was a strong current particularly in the center. A swim to the middle took you quickly downstream about 30 feet. And, it was fun! The closer we went to bottom of the falls, the stronger the currents were. This was quite a swim! It was both refreshing, interesting, and fun. The pool was loaded with rocks of all shapes and sizes. This took a little getting used to - it was pretty easy to bump into a rock. After a while we we completely comfortable with the pool and we took turns letting the stream carry us. Hey - you don’t get to do this every day!
The walk back to the parking lot completed Saturday’s walking. Saturday night we sat around a campfire. The next day we would board a raft and travel down the Kennebec River. My son’s and I were having a great time.
Captain Samuel Holden was the first to call this remote region home in 1820. He looked out over the quiet waters of Wood Pond at an unnamed mountain until the day he took his young daughter’s hand, looked into her eyes, and said, “That’s your mountain now. Sally Mountain is located in Jackman, Maine. A walk to the top and back is 4.8 miles and the climb is listed as a moderate challenge.
We drove to another entry road where we parked outside a gate. The “parking area” would hold three cars at best. Our car was the second to park there, but we didn’t see another person until we returned from the hike. We walked through the gate down a grown over dirt road and a field taking us to railroad tracks. We followed the tracks for about two miles. We crossed a bridge and then started looking for the trail on the right. My son Brian spotted the trail - a directional sign in the weeds confirmed it. We had arrived at the trail head.
We continued to climb and take breaks. The climb grew steeper and a bit later we were standing at the summit looking out at the great views. We spent some time walking around the mountain top taking pictures. The map showed that the trail continued down the other side and eventually up another mountain. Not knowing exactly where we would end up, we went down the same way we came up.
The Descent was easy and no rest stops were taken. Before long we were leaving the railroad tracks and heading towards the car. Except for a couple of exhaustion attacks, we thoroughly enjoyed the hike - the views, the exercise, the good company.
This could be one of the best walks ever! But, you ask, “Where is Jackman?” It’s near Canada. We went through it once before on the way back from Quebec City. Other than knowing we passed through there once, I know very little about it. However, this weekend tow of my son’s and I will be going there Friday night. With any luck, we ‘ll be on the road at noon and get there before dark. The plan is to walk, hike, and swim all day Saturday. Then, on Sunday we’re booked on a white water rafting trip. Why am I writing about this in advance? I’m excited about it!
On two occasions we’ve spent a weekend in Ogunquit, Maine. I was joined by my wife Karen and our friends Kathy and Stan. Our visits were in the Spring and were spend at Anchorage by the Sea hotel. Anchorage by the Sea is on the Marginal Way walking trail which is clearly The Best Walk in Ogunquit.
From the hotel, a walk on Marginal Way takes you to the harbor of Perkins Cove and to Ogunquit Village. The walk is very easy and very scenic. Virtually anyone can walk this trail and everyone enjoys it. The walk keeps you in view of the rocky coast line and Ogunquit’s white sand beaches. As you leave the trail and enter Perkins Cove, the scenery continues. If you’ve been to the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, Perkins Cove is very similar. I recommend the Cliff Walk and Marginal Way - They’re different enough to appreciate walking on each.
Since our visit was in the Spring, there were only a few others on the trail. We were told that that situation changes dramatically in the Summer and the trail gets crowded. During both stays we walked in a loop taking Marginal Way to Perkins Cove then taking Shore Road back to the Hotel. Although the scenery you view is in a natural setting, the walk itself is man made. As a matter of fact, except for a wooden bridge, all of the walk is on pavement. The emphasis is on the scenery ans it’s worth taking the walk for that reason. By the way, if you’re bring your wife or girlfriend on this walk, there will be no complaint’s. There are plenty of shops in the Perkins Cove and Ogunquit Village. (Consider that when you’re deciding how much money to bring.)
