Last year was a hit. Everyone who went remembers it as one of the best hangs ever [!]
The weekends for the coming year are already filling up fast, so several of us talked it over at L&L and The Great Pumpkin, and have picked a weekend that seems to work.
Hope it does for many others as well.
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Everything except the date will be as last summer's event, so here is that first post info copied over... [I'll edit anything that I notice]:
- 3- 3 1/2 hours nawth from the ME/NH border up I-95 and State highways
- Shopping amenities 50 miles before / min amenities w/in 5 miles
- carry-in boat launch with parking
- 20 min paddle to site
- pit toilets, picnic tables, fire pits
- LOTs of tree pairs!!!
- 3 separate areas [one large group style/ 2 single family
- 12 mile long, clean, clear lake
- Sandy beach strand + hugemongous boulders and granite outcrops
There is a tentative "promise" from my buddy Ed/TheOtherGezzer to have acquired a small skiff [with an equally small outboard] by that time. This would mean that folks could get towed over in anything from a tube on up... More Will Be Revealed
There is usually plenty of wildlife to be seen... eagles, ospreys, herons, Mergansers and other water ducks are usually all over the water. Even the larger stuff like moose are not out of the question, but I have never been bothered by any of the usual nighttime critters coming around to check out the campsites.
Oh, yeah.... the directions will actually include the beloved phrase, "Now, after you turn off the hardtop..."
You understand it's about 3 1/2 hours from the state line ?.... OK, everything by then is pretty much just Maine... "The Way Life Is Supposed To Be"!
The location is Flagstaff Lake, near Eustis and Stratton, Maine.... details are in the other threads and will be added on here at some point.
The AT crosses a few miles away, and runs along the crest behind the site [you cannot get to it from our site!]
You can find a few more photos and the discussion over on the previous "interest ?" thread>>>
AND on last years trip report>>> https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...mystery+paddle
This is an absolutely incredible campsite maintained by one of the local community development corporations. The low bluff over the lake has been cleared of underbrush and the trees trimmed back to about 15 feet above the ground. Depending on how many people signed up, we may end up in there pretty higgledy-piggledy, but there should be plenty of room... Anybody who wants to move a little further back into the puckerbrush certainly can do so.
There are also a couple of other sites right around the lake shore. If anybody wants to paddle little little further a field, there is a small island maybe half a mile of the lake. [limited trees though]
Access is graded in to a maintained, but not patrolled, parking area. There is a second parking area for overflow after unloading.
We will have to carry our canoes or kayaks in about 100 yards on a paved path.
Perhaps 4 miles down the lake towards civilization there is an actual state maintained boat launch.
Since this hang falls someplace between humping up a mountain and being able to just reach into the back gate of your SUV for the gas grill and charcoal, we will have to agree on plans for any shared meals we might want to work up.
There is plenty of driftwood that can be gathered, and downed wood as well, but there is never any telling how damp it might be. I've never had a trouble starting a fire, but..... We may want to talk about bringing some dried log bundles as well.
Both of those are contingent some what on whether TheOtherGeezer comes through with a skiff, or if anyone else is able to bring along a johnboat with a small outboard motor that could tote that little bit extra across the lake.
I have both a 14' canoe and four kayaks. Two are small, but they are perfectly safe on the lake.
Partly, transportation will hinge on individual's willingness to shuttle back and forth across the lake if there are those who do not have their own vessel.
I plan to register the campsite and acquire our fire permit on that Thursday [I was told by one of the board that the permit is what gives us priority claim to the site]. I will be going over at least long enough to claim my own tree pair, even if it's just with yellow tape.
Please do remember that this will likely still be late blackfly season. Blackflies are a nuisance, but do not be overly concerned with them. Like mosquitoes, they have a preference for some blood types. You could find that they are of no concern to you, OR they could drive you bat **** crazy. For most people they are merely an annoyance... When I first moved to Maine I had to have them explain to me... I seriously thought they were just some kind of fruit fly with a bit of attitude.
Be sure to bring along your favorite bug repellent, and have treated your gear if you so desire. You can grab one of the bug nets that you can wear over your head & hat for about $3.99 at Walmart... Pick one up.
Grab one of the electronic, battery powered, Bug Zzzzapper rackets... I will certainly be bringing mine along. That blue ***bzzzt-FLASH*** is a whole evening's worth an of entertainment.
It will also be early tick season. Plan on checking yourself over a couple times a day, or make friends and let somebody else do it.
WATCH FOR MORE DEETZ ON THIS PAGE..... [tired of writing for tonight]
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Originally Posted by curlymaple42
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