Swiftwater Rescue on the Piscataquis River

Since we've moved back it's been go, go, GO! Months ago I thought it would be a good idea to schedule a Swiftwater Rescue course during our first week of being in Maine. I will say it may not have been my best idea ever.

The course is set up to run through scenarios that happen in whitewater. Sometimes people get tossed out of a boat, sometimes a kayak gets pinned against a boulder, and sometimes a person gets foot entrapped. Any of these things could really ruin a day.

A Swiftwater Rescue course teaches techniques for each of those situations. It's a course for people who want to work in water. I was looking more for the course to give me more confidence on the river.

Barrows Falls. 6.13

Now, I'm not a strong swimmer. Not. At. All. In fact, I'm terrible. When we rolled up to Barrow Falls on the Piscataquis River I was overwhelmed. Immediately thoughts were running through my mind that I was in over my head. Or I would be. I almost had myself convinced that I wouldn't actually need to get into the water for the class. Oh, I was so wrong.

The two days that followed were some of the most intense days of my life. I think it was a combination of exhaustion from moving over 2100 miles, maybe that I hadn't slept on a real bed in a week or that I was pushing myself to my emotional and physical limit, that somehow pushed me through the course. Early on there were moments when I hit panic mode but towards the end I realized that I just didn't have the energy to care. I just had to do it. It was kind of an awesome feeling.

By the end of the course I had not only gained my certification in Swiftwater Rescue but I'd also grown as an individual. I had physically and mentally challenged myself and I came out on top. Though I did have some bruising and a blister or two.

For more photographs or to learn more about Swiftwater Rescue please check out Northeast Guide Service.

The Great North Woods

KI Road, East of Greenville, 10.12.10

We set out today to find Gulf Hagas. It’s a series of waterfalls that fall along the Appalachian Trail. Waterfalls and the AT! It seemed like a great idea. 

We headed east from Greenville towards Brownsville Junction on the KI road. About 20 miles in we came to a gate house and realized that it’d been shut down for the season. Awesome. We didn’t have to pay to get through. The road until now had been alright with occasional potholes. There had even been someone grating out all the washboards and bumps. But what we came to face was intense. 

At one spot Josh had to swerve so far back and forth across road so many times we both became car sick. The dog must have felt like a tennis ball. We finally ended up at Gulf Hagas. Prepared and psyched we started out. After about a 1/2 mile we came to a creek crossing that was mostly dry. We had heard that there was a stream to cross and we were lucky to have passed when it was dry. Or so we thought. 

Gulf Hagas, 10.12.10

After walking a bit further we came across the true stream crossing. Maybe 40 yards across. So, after sizing up our footwear I decided to go barefoot and Josh decided to try it booted. His boots are 12 inches high and waterproof. Wu was in it and thought it was the best day ever since we were in the water too. Several times he tried to take me down. The water was so cold that within a few yards I could barely feel them. Wu held me up a few times not realizing that we were actually trying to cross and weren’t playing. I made it most of the way before loosing my balance and dipping my boots and socks in the water. 

Josh made it about half way out before the water rose above his boot line. The moment it did he wished it hadn’t. After he got to shore and took them off he dumbed water out of each one. I did too, but not like he did. We hid our boots and set off even more determined barefoot.

We lasted about a half-mile. The ground was cold but not compared to what we had just endured with the stream. But we came to a sign and realized that we really had a long way to go and since we were barefoot maybe we shouldn’t risk it today. It was a great idea. Both of us trudge backed across the stream in our boots. And changed our shoes and began to dry out.

Katahdin Iron Works, 10.12.10

With that idea squashed for the day we headed east, again, for Katahdin Iron Works. It’s about 6 miles down the KI road. We expected to find another gatehouse but again it was closed for the season and we were free to explore. 

Across from the gatehouse was a Historic Site. We came across the old site of the Katahdin Iron Works mill. There was still an ore melting building and another brick outbuilding. They were awesome. The rock walls were all still standing and the area was well maintained. It was an unexpected find out in the middle of the woods. We walked and checked out every display board. Wu had a few leash training moments and after we felt that we had thoroughly check out the place we headed on back to camp.