Canoe the Wild

Canoe Trips

Allagash Trip with the AWWF Youth Program, July 5-9, 2024

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Another Canoe the Wild 5 day canoe trip, this one for the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation YOTA, Youth On The Allagash program. The outing involved paddling over 40 miles, setting up and taking down camp, hearing from a park ranger about his seasonal job, exploring the logging museum at Churchill Dam, reading from the AWWF Explorer booklet, learning to be good stewards of the environment, taking on leadership roles, meal preparation, cooking over an open fire, canoe poling, whitewater canoeing, Students also learned about career opportunities as a Maine guide and had fun with a moose calling contest! and more.  See our schedule here 

Bonaventure River, June 2023

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Another Canoe the Wild Bonaventure River whitewater canoe trip on the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. Beginning in the Chic Choc Mountains ending 7 days later near the ocean. We had great water levels and began the trip with a fire ban which was shortly lifted early in the trip. A campfire was permitted with a screen during the fire ban. A stove with plenty of propane was used as a backup and came in handy. We’ll do this trip again in 2024, Watch for our 2024 schedule which will be out shortly.

 

Eating Like Royalty on the Allagash

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Eating Like Royalty on the Allagash

JULY 14 Wed, 2021, By Dana Morrison of Mainevacations.com

If you are looking for some pictures of the Allagash, they will come.  This is not a post to show off amazing scenery, but about nutritional and psychological necessity.  When you paddle for a few per day, your body is begging you for something good to eat.  It is easy to reach into a backpack and grab a granola bar or a handful of trailmix to get through a rough spot when you’ve bonked, but there is something psychological about watching a homemade meal being prepared over the fire and getting to put warm, delicious, food into your system.

Dave Conley and Wayne Daggett are not only experts on the river and understand the needs for safety, they also understand that when you get done with a few hours of paddling, you are ready for a real meal.  River novices will resort to the easiest things to cook and eat, but with Canoe the Wild, you should be prepared to eat like royalty.

Allgash Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Think about the last 5 days and try to reconstruct what you ate, in your head, day by day.  It gets a little fuzzy doesn’t it?  It is kind of funny.  My son, Aaron, and I were able to remember every meal in detail.  The meals were firmly pressed into our memories.

Allagash Pancakes

Here is the rundown…  (Lunches were mainly sandwiches, wraps, and pockets, so I will not go into detail there even though they hit the spot for a hungry paddler).

Monday – Allagash Campsite “Jaws”:

Supper: Grilled sockeye salmon and some sides.  Strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Tuesday – Allagash Campsite “The Ledges”:

Breakfast: French toast.

Supper: Spaghetti with homemade sauce… it’s all about the sauce… amazing!  Spice cake for dessert.

Wednesday – Allagash Campsite “Back Channel” (on Round Pond… my favorite spot!):

Breakfast: A very fruitful/nutty oatmeal (very filling).

Supper: Ribeye steak with potatoes and corn.  Brownies for dessert.

Thursday – Allagash Campsite “Ramsey”

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sausage, home-fries (with onions optional)

Supper: Chicken and dumplings.  Apple crisp for dessert.

Friday

Breakfast: Blueberry pancakes and bacon.

Friday was our day to leave, so we had simple sandwiches and snacks on the road.

In summary, you will not likely eat this good while you are at home, but Wayne and Dave put on a pretty good feed.  From what I understand, all the trips led by Canoe the Wild will include meals comparable to the menu above.  Dave and his crew take care of their guests and will also accommodate gluten free and vegetarian (though a trip guest might need to bring some of their own substitutes).

We give a big “thank you” to Dave and Wayne for amazing meals!  I know Aaron and I will be talking about this trip for years to come.

Note: View our 2022 Canoe the Wild Schedule here.