West Branch of the Penobscot/Lobster Lake - May 19-24, 2026

Checking in at Telos Checkpoint

Back in March, Jonathan and I started planning our spring camping trip. We decided on a Maine classic – the West Branch of the Penobscot. Unfortunately, Jonathan had to bow out due to family obligations, but Bill, Aaron, Matt and I had a great time on the trip. I paddled tandem with Bill in my Spirit II.

The Penobscot River drains much of vast wilderness area in north central Maine known as the North Maine Woods. With is four branches (North, South, East and West), the Penobscot is the second largest river system in Maine (behind the St. John) and the longest entirely in the state. The North Branch and South Branch converge to form the West Branch at Seeboomic Lake. The West Branch and East Branch converge in Medway to form the main stem of the Penobscot

Paddling down Lobster Stream

The classic canoe camping trip on the West Branch is to put in below Roll Dam and paddle about 7-miles to Lobster Lake. After a night or two on Lobster Lake, paddle 15-miles to Chesuncook Lake, and then 19-miles down the lake enjoying the great views of Mount Katahdin to the east.

We didn't do anything that ambitious. We put in at Lobster Stream and took out at Umbazooksus West on the northeast corner of Chesuncook Lake - 5 days, 4 nights with a stop at Lobster Lake.

Sandy beach at Ogden Point Campsite

We met on Tuesday night at Matt’s house on Cousin’s Island in Yarmouth, ME. Matt treated us to a great chili dinner, and we enjoyed the great views of Casco Bay until it was time for bed.

We were up early on Wednesday for the drive to Northwoods Outfitters in Greenville, who would be providing our shuttle. We had our boats and gear loaded on the shuttle van by 9:00, and we were on our way. It was a 3-hour drive to Lobster Stream on dusty dirt logging roads. After unloading our gear and a quick break for lunch we were on our way down Lobster Stream to our first campsite - Ogden Cove on Lobster Lake.

Paddling down the Penobscot River

As its name suggests, Lobster Lake shaped like a giant lobster claw. It is known for its white sand beaches and mountain views. The wind was out of the northwest as we began our crossing from Lobster Stream toward Ogden Point, giving us a tricky tail wind. Everyone arrived fine, and we begin setting up camp and gathering fire wood.

The winds continued to pick up over the afternoon, with significant gusts in the late afternoon and early evening. We found whatever shelter we could, and had to rebuild the firepit with a larger wind screen in the back before lighting a fire. We cooked dinner, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and sat around the fire until around 10:00 when we called it a night. Total paddling for day 1 – about 3-miles.

Pine Steam Campsite

The winds were still blowing when we got up on Thursday. The original plan was to take a lay-over day to explore Lobster Lake, and perhaps hike up Lobster Mountain, but we were concerned about the afternoon wind. Instead, we decided to head back to the river where the wind would be more manageable. With the decision made, we packed up camp and were crossing back over Lobster Lake into a strong headwind by 9:00.

Once again, everyone crossed with no problem. We took a quick break at the Lobster Stream put-in before continuing down the Penobscot River. Our objective was to get to the campsite at Pine Stream, which is one of the most popular on the river. We passed numerous empty sites along the way, and we were surprised that there weren’t more people on the river on the lead-up to Memorial Day weekend.

Paddling Pine Stream

The river is mostly flatwater, with the exception of some easy rapids along Big Island. Unfortunately, Bill and I ran up on a rock and dumped into the river. I was able to grab the boat, get it turned over (good thing everything was strapped in), and wade it over to shore. Bill had a little rougher time on the slippery rocks, but he eventually got to shore and into some dry cloths.

We were back on our way, and made it to Pine Stream at around 3:00. We set up camp, gathered wood, prepared diner, and enjoyed another amazing sunset. After the long paddle, much of it against the wind, I was in bed early – around 9:00. Total paddling for day 2 – around 18-miles.

Gero Island 1 Campsite

Friday was a lay-over day, so we slept late and enjoyed a nice breakfast with sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches. We took it easy napping (Matt and Bill), reading (me) and painting (Aaron) until around 2:00 when we headed out to paddle Pine Stream, a slow moving tributary of the West Branch. It started off as woodlands, and eventually became a large marshland. After about 5-miles we decided to turn around and head back to the campsite.

Back in camp we cooked dinner and apple crisp for dessert in the reflector oven. We enjoyed another great sunset before heading off to bed. Total paddling for day 3 - around 10-miles.

View of Mount Katahdin

The wind was calm when we got up on Saturday. We prepared breakfast and headed off for the short trip to Chesuncook Lake. When we arrived at Chesuncook, the lake was calm and we crossed over to campsite 1 on Gero Island. We set up camp, had lunch and did a second afternoon paddle to a pretty cove on the northeast corner of Chesuncook with great views of Mount Katahdin. Back in camp we cooked dinner, and Matt baked orange-cranberry scones for dessert in the reflector oven. We enjoyed and other great sunset before heading off to bed. Total paddling for day 4 - around 10-miles.

We got up early on Sunday for the short trip to Umbazooksus West to meet the shuttle. We arrived around 10:00, and the shuttle arrived around 10:30. We were back in Greenville at around 2:00 and got on the road after a quick lunch. Total paddling for day 5 – about 5-miles. No rain on the trip, but it poured on the way home – that’s the way it should be. Here is Aaron's amazing video of the trip.

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My Pictures

Aaron's Video

River Description from Katahdin Outfitters

River Description from Canoe the Wild
Old Map of the Penobscot River Corridor

New Map of the Penobscot River Corridor

Northwoods Outfitters

Charles River - Bays Region with RICKA - May 15, 2026

Heading out

Today I led a flatwater trip for RICKA on the Bay’s Region of the Charles River. It was a small group - just five of us. We had three kayaks, and I paddled tandem with Jonathan in the Spirit II.

The Charles River arises at Echo Lake in Hopkinton, and flows generally east for 85-miles, zig-zagging through 22 cities and towns in eastern MA before emptying into Boston Harbor. There are a lots of great flatwater trips on the Charles including the Lakes District in Newton, the Dedham Loop, and my favorite section from Medfield to Natick. Today we would be paddling the Bay’s Region from Needham to Wellesley.

Jonathan in the bow

We met at 10:00 to launch our boats at the Charles River Peninsula (87 Fisher Street, Needham, MA). This section of the river is relatively undeveloped except for some large houses as the river flows through Dover/Sherborn. The river starts off as marshland, and then turns to woodlands as you get above the Dover Street Bridge.

There were lots of turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, and an eagle circled overhead and perched in a nearby tree. After a break for lunch at the Elm Bank Reservation (900 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA) we headed back downstream. Total trip was 11-miles.

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North Branch of the Pawtuxet with the BVPC – May 12, 2026

Heading out from the put-in

I paddled tandem with Cheryl at the traditional Blackstone Valley Paddle Club season opener with the Southern New England Paddlers on the North Branch of the Pawtuxet. Even with the recent rain, the river was shallow in spots. There is no gage on this section of the river, but the gage downstream at Fiskeville was at 0.5-feet, 63 cfs.

The North Branch of the Pawtuxet River, also known as the Upper Pawtuxet, originally arose at the confluence of the Ponaganset and Moswansicut Rivers in what is now the Scituate Reservoir. Today, the river emerges from the bottom of the massive Scituate Reservoir Dam and flows south for approximately 9-miles to West Warwick where it joins the South Branch of the Pawtuxet River to form the main stem of the Pawtuxet River.

Me and Cheryl in my Spirit II

The main stem then flows east for approximately 12-miles to empty into Narragansett Bay at the Pawtuxet Cove. Collectively, all three branches played an important role in the development of the textile industry in Rhode Island, and numerous dams still block their course.

We put-in at the Pawtuxet River Boat Launch above the Hope Furnace Dam (15 Hope Furnace Road in Scituate). We had 17 paddlers and 3 canoes for the 2-mile paddle upstream to the base of the massive earthen dam that creates Scituate Reservoir. The first part of the paddle took us through the winding marshland created by backwater from the Hope Dam. Eventually the river narrowed and we followed its tree-lined course with strainers and tricky currents up to the Scituate Reservoir Dam.

From the bottom of the dam

The Scituate Reservoir was formed by the construction of this large earthen dam in 1925. The Scituate Reservoir is now the largest artificial body of water in the state and provides water to more than 60-percent of the state’s population.

With last weekend’s rain, there was water flowing down the spillway from the top of the dam. There were trees down in the channel, but we still paddled up the short section from the spillway up to the dam. From there, it was a quick trip back down to the put-in.

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Fiskeville Gage
Hope Landing from Rhode Island Blueways

Charles River - Scouting the Bays Region – May 12, 2026

I did the first weekday paddle of my retirement yesterday at Redwing Bay on the Charles River. I’ll be leading a RICKA trip there on Saturday, so I went to scout it out. Great day for a paddle, but I needed to cut it short to get home for supper before the opening BVPC trip on the North Branch of the Pawtuxet.

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Coleman Camp Oven

Biscuits ready to go in the oven

I’ve been looking for a light-weight alternative to my Dutch oven. I have a reflector oven that works great when you have a big fire, but I also wanted to try a Coleman Camp Oven that sits on a stove.

Like the reflector oven, the Coleman Camp Oven is an aluminum box that folds flat for easy storage. Unlike a reflector oven that uses heat reflected from an open fire, the camp oven sits on a camp stove burner and uses convection (heat circulating in the box) and radiant heat (absorbed by the box and radiated back) to cook/bake food much like a conventional oven.

Cornbread coming out of the oven

Unfolding the oven is as easy as opening a box. It has built in latches that you use to attach the top, bottom and sides together. It comes with a steel baking rack that can be set at three different heights.

There is a thermometer on the door that you can use to track the oven temperature. Many people say the door thermometer is inaccurate and rely on an oven thermometer or heat probe instead. When I used mine, the door thermometer seemed fine.

Bakewell Cream Biscuits

Because the oven is single-skinned, it can lose a lot of heat to the surrounding air - especially in cold weather. To combat this you can seal any openings with fire resistant aluminum tape, cover the top with aluminum foil, or wrap the outside with a fire resistant cover to trap the heat.

Another issue with the thin metal skin is that heat radiates unevenly inside the stove. Some users place a heat sink (bricks, pizza stone, cast iron press) in the bottom of the stove to better radiate heat. Lugging around something to serve as a heat sink does eliminate one of the great benefits of the oven – its relatively light weight.

Jiffy cornbread

The oven is designed to sit on a two burner Coleman stove, but any stove that will support its 12” x 12” base will work fine. I used a single burner Coleman Powerpack and it worked great. It was able to maintain consistant temperature even with a low flame. Backpacking stoves are too small to support the oven.

When cooking outside you need to provide a wind screen to provide protection from the wind. Cold temperatures will also increase heat loss from the oven and reduce the efficiency of propane stoves. The manual recommends using 8” round or square pans to allow for good air circulation inside the stove.

Yeasted dinner rolls

I gave my oven a try with biscuits (Bakewell Cream of course), cornbread (Jiffy mix from the box) and yeasted dinner rolls. All three were baked in an 8” round pan with the rack in the middle. The thermometer seemed accurate. I started the biscuits at 450, and turned them down to 325-350 after 5-minutes. I baked the cornbread and dinner rolls at around 325-350. I didn’t really track time. When the sides started to brown I took them out to avoid burning the bottom. They all baked fine but didn’t brown on the top – even the dinner rolls that I topped with butter before baking.

Overall, it is a nice little oven. It will be a nice addition when I already have a large stove along, or when fires aren't allowed. It works great to keep things warm, to cook casseroles, to roast meats, or to bake biscuits, cookies, breads or cakes. Not sure it will replace my Dutch oven though.

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Coleman Camp Oven

Pemi - Woodstock to Thornton - May 2, 2026

Pemigewasset River Iron Bridge

It rained on the way up, and it rained on the way back, but in between we had a pretty good run on the Pemi from Woodstock to Thornton.

The Pemigewasset River, also known as the “Pemi”, arises at Profile Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. It flows south for 65-miles to Franklin where it joins the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River.

Mist is the hills

There are a couple of other sections of the Pemi that I have paddled including the quickwater section from Thornton to Campton and the whitewater section in Bristol. The class II section in Woodstock is one of my favorites. It is a 4.5-mile trip that alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. This time we extended it by another 5-miles and went down to Robin’s Nest Road in Thonton.

We met at 9:30 at the put-in behind the North Woodstock Fire Station at the Woodstock Family Park and ran the shuttle down to the take-out at Robin’s Next Road. We had 8 boats, all canoes – 4 tandem and 4 solo. The river was a little low – 3.5-feet, 450 cfs. but surprisingly fluid, although we skipped the bid drop at the put in.

Running the Ledges

This section of the river alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. There is the Woodstock Squeeze - the river narrows and takes a hard left turn at a large rock wall, the Powerline Rapid - a long s-turn, Tree Fall Alley – a fast moving shoot which is often full of strainers, and Gravel Pit Bypass – a fast moving shoot which terminates at another rock wall.

The largest rapid is the Ledges. Usually there are lots of lines through this series of drops, but at this level the line on the right was best. Everyone made it through fine, and we continued down to the take out at Robin’s Nest Road.

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Pemi Woodstock Gage

Big River - April 25, 2026

Zeke's Bridge

I was supposed to teach at the NHAMC Canoe School this weekend, but they had more teachers that students, so they didn’t need me. Instead, I ended up paddling the Big River in Coventry.

The Big River arises in West Greenwich at the confluence of the Congdon and Nooseneck Rivers. From there, it flows north through West Greenwich and Coventry to its confluence with the Flat River in the area now flooded by the Flat River Reservoir to form the South Branch Pawtuxet River. Much of the river flows through the Big River Management Area.

Reynolds Pond

Big River is a relatively new state management area. In the 1960’s, land was condemned by the state and the owners evicted so that a large reservoir could be constructed on the site. The reservoir was never built and the area is now a 8,300-acre conservation area that includes more than 1,200-acres of wetlands.

We put in at the Zeke's Bridge Fishing Access off Harkney Hill Road (Route 118) in Coventry, which is located on Johnson Pond near the bridge. We paddled under the bridge and headed south into Reynolds Pond.

Up the Big River

Reynolds is a beautiful winding pond with a mix of white pines and cedar lining the shore. At the far end of Reynolds Pond we continued under I-95 and Route 3, and up the Big River.

The Big River meanders through a through a mix of white pines and cedar swamps. The level was up and it was tricky to maneuver through the twists and turns. We stopped for lunch at the campsite, and headed upstream a little further before heading back to the put in.

The crew at the campsite

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