The following was sent to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail as a handwritten letter. In honor of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway’s 50th anniversary, we received permission from the author to share with our readers.
Thank you for awakening an old memory!!
I did a canoe camp back in the 70’s, called Camp Wanderlust, run by Wes and Stu Foss out of Millinocket, Maine, and our trail guide was Stu Campbell (Maine State Guide).
It was an excursion for five weeks by canoe.
Start: Millinocket Lake to Pemadumcook Lake. Travel by canoe haulers, with kids, gear and all equipment to Greenville, Maine. Canoed Moosehead Lake onto [W.] Branch to an unnamed reach to Mud Pond which connected to Chamberlain Lake ** beginning of Allagash Waterway and state park. Eagle Lake, Churchill Lake, [Um]saskis Lake to Allagash Wilderness Waterway. All the way up to St. John River, continued on to Fort Kent where our journey ended.
Many great campsites, good fishing and a lot of happy kids.
Travelled back by bus to Millinocket to prep for various ways to get home.
Total 295+ miles.
We even had kids from England, Sweden, Japan and India. I did it for 5 straight years 1970 to 1975.
Can not do it now, bad knees, but the memories are there.
So thanks for bringing back the wonderful times in my youth!!!
Mr. John S. Allyn
Gen. Marine Corp Retired
If you have a favorite memory from a trip you took on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail that you would like to share, please email your story to membership and communications director Sandy Tarburton at [email protected].
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