Sierra Club Outings | Family Rafting and Adventure Basecamp, Maine

Family Rafting and Adventure Basecamp, Maine
August 10-16, 2008

Highlights:

Explore Maine 's wild waters with your family
Raft the Kennebec and glide across crystal-clear mountain lakes
Feast on lobster on an island overnight

Includes:

All meals
All rafting and boating equipment
Expert instruction from naturalists and paddling guides

Pristine rivers and lakes define the Kennebec and Moose River Valley region of central Maine's spectacular wilderness, providing abundant opportunities for whitewater rafting, tubing, flat-water canoeing, canoe camping, and hiking. Nature lovers will appreciate the region's quiet beauty and wide variety of plants and wildlife including moose, white-tailed deer, coyote, bear, fox, beaver, eagle, and osprey.

Beginning and experienced paddlers alike will enjoy the variety of this fun-filled family trip. Our waterfront campground on Indian Pond will give us access to beautiful flat-water canoeing, tubing, and exciting whitewater rafting. We'll also have an island overnight with a traditional Maine lobster bake and we'll round out the week with some hiking and a visit to Maine's largest waterfall.

Day 1: We will meet at Indian Pond Campground, on the headwaters of the Kennebec River, where we'll unpack, unwind, and enjoy our first camp dinner together. The campground is about 13 miles from The Forks, Maine, roughly 250 road miles (4.5 hours) from Boston. The nearest large cities are Bangor (100 miles) and Portland, Maine, about 140 miles. New York City is about eight hours away. Participants must provide their own transportation to and from the campground. The trip leaders will provide detailed directions to confirmed participants.

Day 2: In the morning we will take a short hike to Moxie Falls, the highest and arguably most beautiful waterfall in Maine, enjoying lunch and possibly some swimming by the falls. In the afternoon we will take a tubing/float trip lower down on the Kennebec River. Then, after an early dinner, our River Guides will take us on a "moose safari� on the back roads before dusk hoping to spot some of Maine's signature animals feeding.

Days 3-4: We will canoe to an island on Indian Pond for our overnight stay and lobster bake. The following morning we will canoe back after a hearty breakfast and then have the afternoon off to relax, �play� in the lake by our campsite, or go to town.

Day 5: Today we will hike a section of the Appalachian Trail, the nation's longest marked footpath. The trail runs approximately 2,175 miles from Georgia, with its northernmost 276 miles in Maine. Our hike (weather permitting) is just three miles, but steep and very beautiful, well worth the climb. We will picnic atop the mountain enjoying the views. Our guides will offer commentary on the history of the Appalachian Trail along the way. Later in the day we hope to have Ernie Deluca, FPL Hydro Dam Director and a man in great demand, talk to us about the history of Harris Dam and its importance to the town of The Forks .

Day 6: On an all day trip, we'll raft the spectacular Upper Gorge of the Kennebec River, a 12-mile whitewater run considered one of the best in the country, and featuring class III and IV rapids. This is a perfect river for newcomers to rafting. The Upper Gorge is exhilarating and breath-taking while the Lower Gorge offers time to swim and enjoy the ride at a slower pace. All trips are accompanied by a licensed Maine Guide/naturalist, who provides commentary on the history, geology, and wildlife of the area.

The Kennebec River is a family river with a minimum age of 10 years for the Upper Gorge. Children younger than 10, their parents, and others who choose to, can enjoy some wave train rapids and the lower half of the river, with its swimming and scenery.

On five of our six nights we will stay at Indian Pond Campground on the southern end of Indian Pond, which has 35 miles of virtually undeveloped shoreline. The campground is relatively rustic, but does have potable water in the form of a drilled well with a hand pump near the sites, central bathrooms (without electricity), a coin operated shower house and laundry facility (with electricity), and a pay phone at the gatehouse. There is no beach, but swimming and diving are permitted off the boat landing, and canoes are available for exploring the lake. There is also a camp store that sells necessities such as ice, firewood, bug spray, snack food, and other sundries. Fires are permitted in permanent fire rings at each site.

Tuesday night we will have our island campout. Tents will be provided on the island so that we do not have to break camp at Indian Pond. Our river guides will provide the lobster bake dinner and breakfast Wednesday morning.

All meals are included from dinner on day one through breakfast on day seven. Our river guides will prepare our meals on the island including the lobster bake and breakfast, our picnic lunch on top of the mountain Thursday, and our final chicken BBQ Friday after rafting. We will prepare all other meals with participants sharing commissary duties on a rotating basis with help from the trip leaders. We can accommodate special diets within reason -- please let us know well in advance. It should be understood that the week involves group meals, and the commissary equipment and variety of meals are necessarily limited.

No canoeing, kayaking, or rafting experience is necessary, but participants should know how to swim. Our guides will teach us the paddling techniques we need to know. River rafting involves alternating between bursts of energetic activity and periods of calm relaxation.

Rafting involves inherent dangers, and rescue or more advanced medical care may be several hours away due to the remoteness of the area. Participants will be required to sign a standard waiver. Please note any outstanding medical conditions on your medical form.

Participants will be expected to have standard equipment for a week of camping. Boating equipment will be provided. Participants may bring their personal paddle for comfort, and your own personal flotation device will be permitted if it meets standards.

For comfort and safety, you should not plan to wear any cotton garments on the rivers, as wet cotton becomes cold, does not wick moisture, and can cause hypothermia. Polypropylene or other synthetic fabrics are a better choice. While daytime temperatures may reach the 90s, at night they can dip into the 30s. Participants are advised to have at least one warm change of clothes available, or several layers of clothing for cold evenings and mornings.

All community gear, such as stoves, cookware, and shelter tarps, is provided. You will need your own personal dishes and flatware.

The Kennebec River can offer world-class whitewater rafting opportunities in the middle of the summer because of the presence of Harris Dam. Water released from the dam on a regular schedule passes through giant electricity-generating turbines before heading downstream to provide the river flows and the rapids that rafters and kayakers crave. Clean power and recreational opportunities � what a great combination!

But dams have other impacts as well. Dam construction result in the flooding of land and the loss of wildlife habitat, alterations in downstream ecosystems, changes in water quality and hydrology, and many dams create barriers to fish movements and migrations.

So, how do we balance the benefits and drawbacks of dams? How do we decide if the positive impacts outweigh the negative ones? And who gets to make those decisions?

Our location for this outing � on the shores of the beautiful pond formed by the Harris Dam, and on the river that it feeds � will provide the perfect backdrop for a lively discussion about the role that dams play in our society today, and why there are increasing calls around the country for the removal of dams.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Madeleine Zember was an assistant leader on a Cape Cod Multigenerational trip last summer and assistant leader on the Family River trip in the Adirondacks the previous summer. The summer of 2005 Madeleine was a leader-trainee on the Florida Everglades to Coral Reef Sierra trip. Madeleine has also led hikes while working as a nature specialist at sleep-away camps. Madeleine completed her Masters in Library Science and is a librarian She has also worked as a special ed and foreign language teacher. During her summers, Madeleine escorts multi-day camp trips, and volunteers as a counselor in Camp Sunshine in Maine, a camp for children with life threatening diseases. Madeleine lives on Long Island, New York, where she hikes with the Sierra Club and with the local Audubon chapters.

E-mail: drjesons@optonline.net

Jeanne Blauner has led more than 20 Sierra Club trips since 1982, > including hiking, cross-country skiing, backpacking, sailing, and > family trips.�Jeanne and her 14-year-old daughter, Allie, look forward > to sharing their love of the outdoors with you. �In her �other� life, > Jeanne works in business and new product development, and recently > renovated an old mansion.�Jeanne now lives in Massachusetts, but spent > many happy summers in Maine as a child.

E-mail: jablauner@comcast.net