Umbagog Trip

[chinooktrail]

Just back from 3 days and 2 nights kayak camping on an island in Umbagog Lake.

I love that lake, and camping there.

I try to get up there at least once a year, and I am ready to pack up and head back again tomorrow, but that pesky working for a living thing gets in the way.

This trip was wonderful, as always. We had a totoal of 10 people and 2 dogs. The sites were nice, easily accomidating us all and room for a rousing game of Extreme Crickett. I not only got to teach Geneva how to swim, but I got her to sit in my kayak and let me paddle her around a few islands. She did amazingly well. (considering I have a Carolina, and the cockpit is pretty small!)

I've been camping on all sorts of different remote sites with these groups of friends and their kids over the years, and it is amazing to see how much the kids have grown and matured and changed in that time. Sadly (for me anyway) one of them graduated this year and is headed off to college in August. It was great to hang out and talk and play and be goofy with all the kids, but especially with him, since who knows what his future holds, and if he will be back camping with me anytime soon.

Just being able to get away, and relax and recharge and play and be a 'kid' again for a few days just makes my whole outlook on life so much better.

Umbagog is such a wonderful place, if you have not been there yet, you really should check it out. They have remote 'paddle to only' sites, loons, bald eagles, loads of little coves and islands to explore and check out and the water is so nice to swim in and so refreshing! (I grew up in Maine, and am used to swimming in reeds and seaweed and all sorts of not so pleasant water. This is a beautiful lake and you can swim a LOT and not be icked out by having 'stuff' in the water.)

I guess I will have to start planning the 'groups' trip for next year now...

 

[coldfeet]

sounds great, I need to check out where you went....just came back for a weekend gathering. My friend had his son, sadly mine weren't there and neither was one of his. We used to have 4 kids with us but now down to 1 ...I'm sure those kids you take will always remember the trips and when they have children the will keep the tradition going and invite you on their trips...

Enjoy the rest of the season!

 

[chinooktrail]

yup! Umbagog is very special and worth returning to every year.

Unfortunately I was never able to have my own kids, but I have a lot of nieces and nephews and OPK's. (Other People's Kids)

Getting these kids out there to look around them at the 'real' world and disconnect from the phones and the ipods and the TV and facebook etc... it just makes it so worth it to see their faces in response to critters and swimming and kayaking and learning new skills and catching a really nice bass!

We always manage to have a great time, no matter the weather, and I always get loads of hugs and 'thank you's' and 'when can we come backs?'

I have to say, I did try to get all the parents involved in these trips to shrinkwrap the kids before they got too big. No one took me up on the idea, and now they are all sad about it. Just sayin...

I hope they will still want to go camping with me, and when they decide to start their own families and take the kids camping they will remember their old 'fake' aunt and invite me along too!

 

[daxs]

Can't wait. I'll be doing some paddling there and Flagstaff in Sept.

 

[Brambor]

Put ins and spots near the mouth

Where is the closest kayak put in and parking if we wanted to paddle towards the mouth of the Rapid River?

Is camping allowed on any of the islands near the Rapid River or do we need to park in designated camping spots?

I think I need to buy the Northern Canoe Trail map to find decent camping spots but the best spot on our Flagstaff trip wasn't even marked on their map...

 

[chinooktrail]

I think you have to camp in designated camping sites on Umbagog. The campground is a state park, and there are 2 or 3 sites near the Rapid River, i've camped on one of them.

There is a lot of private property and camps on many of the islands.

The paddle over to the site felt way more like we were on the ocean than on a lake!

 

[Brambor]

wonderful lake

I can easily see this to become my "top 3" lake in Maine.

We just returned from Umbagog and all had a great time. Stayed on one of the islands and had the place to ourselves. I even enjoyed the practicality and simplicity of the toilets...