Big Eddy Campground
Need that perfect something for that perfect someone?
For one week only (now until Friday, Dec. 15), we’re having a sale on all Chewonki store merchandise: 10% off all items!
We have all kinds of new and classic Chewonki gear:
Hats (four colors):
Ski Caps:
Frisbees:
Sweatshirts:
Chewonki-raised yarn:
And much more!
On Wednesday I had the opportunity to drop our Girls Allagash Canoe Trip off at Lobster Stream, the beginning of their three-week canoe trip. We had the van and canoe trailer loaded by 8:00AM and departed Chewonki Neck.
It was a beautiful day to be driving north; bright blue sky was dotted with puffy cumulus clouds and the girls were in great spirits. As we drove north I was reminded of the hundreds of drives that I have done over the years on the first day of a wilderness trip.
No matter how many times I head into the wilds I still feel the same combination of excitement for the adventure ahead tempered with just the right amount of nervousness. After three hours in the van we turned off Interstate 95 in Medway and had our first glimpse of Mount Katahdin shrouded in clouds. A while later we crossed the West Branch of the Penobscot at Abol Bridge and soon stopped for lunch at Chewonki’s Big Eddy Campground. At Big Eddy we met Site Manager Don Lamson and ate our sandwiches on the shore of the famous Big Eddy, known throughout the world for it’s exceptional landlocked salmon fishing. Our Maine Woods Explorers soon joined us, as they would be spending the first few days of their trip at Big Eddy using the campground as a base from which to explore nearby Baxter State Park and the Debsconeag Lake Wilderness Area.
Soon we were back on the road for the final hours drive to Lobster Stream further upstream on the West Branch of the Penobscot. We pulled into the Lobster Stream put in around 2:30. As the girls readied their canoes to float downstream a couple miles to their first nights campsite, I was excited for the adventures that await them during their trip.
It is rare in today’s world to spend three weeks on a wilderness trip, moving under your own power and totally unplugged. The Allagash route will take the group through a vast region of rivers, lakes and unbroken forest.
The West Branch that the girls will travel for the next week is protected under a conservation easement. A week from now the group will portage into Allagash Lake and enter the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. They will see moose, hear the song of loons and hermit thrush, and if lucky, perhaps get a fleeting glimpse of a black bear. Most importantly they will experience what author Sigurd Olsen called the “Magic of the Paddle”.
For the parents reading this I can tell you from experience that they will return to you as changed individuals, perhaps with a few scrapes and a bug bite or two, but more importantly with a confidence that comes from time spent outdoors learning new skills, forming strong friendships and being appropriately challenged.
Today our Thoreau Wilderness Trip is finishing their paddle to the north end of Moosehead Lake and will portage across Northeast Carry to the West Branch of the Penobscot River. North Woods Canoe is also on the West Branch of the Penobscot a few days travel ahead of the Thoreau Trip and tonight they plan to camp at Pine Stream Campsite before heading to Chesuncook Lake tomorrow. Our two Maine Appalachian Trips are in the 100-mile wilderness and Maine AT #1 is headed today to Sidney Tappan Campsite and then up and over Whitecap Mountain tomorrow. Maine AT #2 is headed to Chairback Gap Lean To. Our Umbagog Whitewater has settled into their basecamp campsite in Sunday Cove on Lake Umbagog and today they will spend their first day on moving water on the Rapid River. Maine Coast Kayak is now paddling to Harbor Island in Muscongus Bay. The time goes so quickly and we begin our first resupplies in two days!
On Tuesday, we happily welcomed participants to our first session Opening Day for 2017! It was fun so greet former campers and families, and old friends as well as folks new to the Chewonki family. The rain held off long enough for leaders to engage their participants in group games and trip logistics before heading off to dinner.
Afterwards, Emma Balaaz, our Traveling Natural History Program coordinator paid us a visit to offer suggestions on how to develop a curiosity for the natural landscapes we will be traveling through and to highlight some parts of the natural habitat we might encounter. During her activity, we received a visit from Varia – one of our resident Barred Owls – who taught us how to call various types of owls in the wilderness and identify birds by the sound of their wings.
Two weeks before the first students set foot on Chewonki Neck for the summer, 46 energetic, eager young men and women arrive to kick off the season with staff training. Twenty-seven of them will lead backpacking, canoeing, whitewater kayaking, and sea kayaking expeditions for Chewonki Wilderness Trips this summer. Nine are Boys Camp counselors who will take the oldest campers, Ospreys, on extended cabin trips. And the balance, 10, are veteran trip leaders who are training this summer’s crew.
Chewonki is suddenly buzzing. On the Quad and the lower field, in the Wallace Center, Pack-out, and the Adirondack chairs, groups in Tevas and hiking boots form and reform all day long as staff work through safety protocols, team-building, trip-planning, and a host of other details that prescribe the Chewonki way of leading an outdoor adventure. After a couple of days, the leaders break into five expeditions based on their discipline. It’s time to head into the field for a four-day adventure of their own.
This year, one group of canoers heads for the St. Croix River while another went to the Easts Branch of the Penobscot River. Whitewater kayakers set forth for Big Eddy and the West Branch of the Penobscot. Backpackers went west to the Appalachian Trail on Saddleback Mountain. And the sea kayakers launched at the Chewonki waterfront, heading for Muscungus Bay.
Chewonki Wilderness Program Coordinator Aaron Laflamme describes these trip-leader training trips as a way to “get the systems down for leading,” polish skills, and enjoy a bit of bonding.
“How Chewonki does a wilderness trip is unique,” says Laflamme. Not only are there particular field protocols, but also, “our fundamental focus is on the three tenets of the Chewonki mission: inspiring personal growth; understanding and appreciating nature; and building a strong sense of community. When we’re out there having an amazing time paddling or hiking, we’re also conveying the meaning of that mission to our participants.”
Jen Adams, who co-led canoe training on the St. Croix, explains that incoming leaders can be excellent in their discipline but new to “the Chewonki way of doing things.” That includes a range of specific practices such as how to chop wood, do dishes, and share meals together. Her group had a great time running the St. Croix’s Little Falls. “They were all really excited about it,” says Jen. “They did it twice, stopped for dinner, and then everyone wanted to run it again.” (They’re trip leaders, after all, because they love having fun with other people outside.)
Although they come from a wide variety of backgrounds and points on the globe, trip leaders seem to form bonds quickly. Nate Smith, who co-led a canoeing group on the East Branch of the Penobscot, says, “The group formed very quickly. People have varied experiences but feel connected through their passion for canoeing. They were really happy to do all aspects of the training. Definitely truly engaged,” even on a day involving four portages.
When enthusiasm runs high, however, trip leaders must tend to their least able participant as well as their most accomplished. Training includes some clear reminders of what it means to be a learner as well as a leader. Mateus Da Costa, who co-led the sea kayakers’ training, says, “I think we really want to challenge our leaders. They’re growing, too, and we’re supporting them as they grow.” His group made a strenuous 17-mile paddle from Spectacle Island to Bremen. “At the end of that day, we asked what the leaders took from it, what they will use with their students in the field,” says Da Costa. “They said they felt challenged and humbled.”
Great trip leaders must have technical skills and experience. They must be knowledgeable about their itinerary, equipment, and supplies. They need to have good strategies for dealing with challenges, from blisters to interpersonal conflicts to homesickness. They must possess competence, compassion, and joy–even in the pouring rain, breathtaking heat, or a cloud of mosquitos. This summer’s Chewonki trip leaders are getting ready. Their training will come to the fore next week, when participants arrive, looking for adventure. Welcome, summer!
