Our goal for the fifth day was Allagash Falls, where we would camp after we carried our canoes around the Falls. It was a relatively short day, but we had a few interesting stops along the way that ate up some time.

The map does not show any rapids along this part of the route, but it seemed as if the entire route was made up of riffles. We had to be observant, lest we get “fetched up”, a northern Maine term meaning getting hung up on the rocks. This kept things interesting.

Our first stop was at Cunliffe Depot where we climbed up a steep bank, walked back in the woods and found two Lombard Log Haulers, some of the earliest log skidders used during Maine’s industrial emergence. One was powered by steam originally; the other with gas. Scattered throughout the adjacent woods were parts of these and other old logging machines.

A couple of miles further on, we stopped at Michaud Farm where there is the last ranger’s station on our route. Even though it was only our fifth day, we had to stop there to check out of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

About a mile further downstream we stopped near Taylor Landing where we visited a restored cabin that was part of Moir Farm , settled in 1837, which was before lumbering had begun in this region of Maine. One source said that the Moir family founded the settlement of Allagash Village. Information about the farm was displayed inside the cabin, but even more interesting were the artifacts we found in the woods outside the cabin.

There was a 1950’s vintage car in the woods, looking as if the trees had grown up around it’s carcass. Its hood was up, showing off it’s non-computerized engine, evoking simpler times. There was a lot of speculation as to the genealogy of this car, but we could not reach a consensus. We also found an old aircraft engine in the weeds (see the photos below).

A mile or so further downstream we had to unload our gear and portage the canoes around a waterfall. It was a short carry (250 yards) with a treacherous descent on the other side of the falls. We turned the canoes over for the night, then went back to the start of the portage to carry our gear up to the campsite where we spent the night.

Lani showed us a safe place to jump into the water just beyond the falls. After a 10-foot plunge off of a rock, there was a refreshing swimming hole that many of us enjoyed. We had a relaxing afternoon.

Dinner on the fifth day was spaghetti with meat sauce, yeast rolls. We had brownies for dessert. The stillness of the night was embellished by the distant rumble of the rushing water; a great night to sleep.

Fifth Day in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway – A Gallery

(Hover over photos to see captions. Click on individual photo to enlarge)