It's become an annual event for me: leading a trip for the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club on the most popular section of the Saco River. By going in mid-June, we avoid the beer-sodden mobs who mar the experience on mid-summer weekends.

Members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club raft up and raise their paddles yesterday on Pleasant Pond, a brief side trip off the Saco River.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Seventeen MOAC paddlers -- 15 solo kayakers plus a couple in my Bear Creek Cubby canoe -- launched late morning yesterday at Route 302 in Fryeburg and wrapped up five hours later at Route 160 in Brownfield. Along the way we poked our bows into Pleasant Pond and visited the lovely little island on Lovewell Pond.

Al Racine, a stalwart MOAC paddler, shows off his new water moccasins yesterday at Pleasant Pond.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

By my informal reckoning, our party of 17 outnumbered all others that we saw during our five hours on the river.

Canoes were also outnumbered, trend that I've noted for several years on MOAC trips. Greg and Tracy Ross were the only canoeists yesterday -- versus 15 solo kayaks. The prior weekend, Tracy had attended the Maine Canoe Symposium at Camp Winona in nearby Bridgton. She told me that she'd learned a lot at the symposium, and added that the Saco River trip gave her plenty of time to practice her new skills.

Greg and Tracy Ross were the only canoeists yesterday. A week earlier, Tracy attended the Maine Canoe Symposium in nearby Bridgton.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

We stopped for lunch on one of the Saco River's famous sandbars. A few people braved the still-chilly water temp for a swim.

The water wasn't warm enough for comfortable swimming; nevertheless Cherie Perkins and a few others took a dip at lunchtime.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

After take-out, most of us regrouped at the Gazebo, an ice cream stand in Bridgton. Post-paddling ice cream is a tradition for MOAC.

Following take-out, most of the MOAC group regrouped at the Gazebo, an ice cream stand in Bridgton. Above: Stacie Grove
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

E-mail this entry to a friend