Film Festivals will soon select their summer film category winners. Given our Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) and Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) accomplishments, I have decided to submit a film documenting our memories of the AWW and NFCT. The AWW serves as the eastern-most section of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT). Sections 12 and 13 of the NFCT overlap the Allagash for nearly 90-miles from Chamberlain Lake to St John River at Allagash Village.
I suggest you sit your friends and family down, make some popcorn, gather your favorite drink, and together watch this half hour draft of The Ballad of the Allagash. Keep notes!
Here is a 60-second trailer to promote the "The Ballad of the Allagash."
Without a doubt, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (Allagash, AWW) in northern Maine rates as the brightest among the jewels of Maine’s wilderness state parks and historic sites. Some 104 miles end-to-end, the Waterway offers the canoer both lake and river paddling environments, including primitive camping, portages, class 2 whitewater paddling on 5-mile Chase Rapids, remnants of the century-old Eagle Lake tramway built to aid transporting logs to the papermills, and the 40’Allagash Falls.
The pictures and videos in this film are a composite of three Allagash trips guided by Loon Parsons.
This presentation has four parts.
- First, meet the film paddlers – The Loon and the Chickadee. And the fifteen paddlers they guided on week-long adventures of Allagash insights, history lessons, teaching paddling skills, and the peace of the remote north country, called the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
- Second, watch the briefs from the trips to get insight into the verses sung in the Allagash Ballad. See, our paddlers do a canoe rescue for two of our group in the middle of Eagle lake. See father-son combinations run the hazards and remnants of Long Lake Dam. Hear why Folger’s Black Silk coffee is forever cherished.
- Next, hear Tim’s interview on his seven trips in Maine with “The Loon “and “The Chickadee,” and memories to be heard in The Ballad of the Allagash.
- Finally, is The Ballad of the Allagash, sung to Janis Joplin’s melody, “Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.“ All the verses are composed by individuals who experienced paddling the Allagash Wilderness Waterway with Master Maine Guide Loon and his wife, The Chickadee.” Each stanza of the ballad reflects a special Allagash moment.
The map here shows in red the three put-ins, one at
Johnson Pond, and two at Indian Steam. Our take-outs are at St John River in
Allagash Village, Maine, near the New Brunswick, Canadian border. Johnson Pond was
a 104-mile eight-day paddle, and Indian Steam, a 94-mile six-day paddle. The
blue arrows are the northern paddling downstream route.
Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT)
The Allagash also serves as the eastern-most section of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT). Sections 12 and 13 of the NFCT overlap the Allagash for nearly 90-miles from Chamberlain Lake to St John’ River at Allagash Village.
Section 12 is a
41-mile paddle from Umbazooksus Stream to the Umsaskis Lake outlet to where
Section 13 begins. As seen in the map, from our Johnson Pond put-in, we joined
the designated NFCT Section 12 in Chamberlain Lake before the Lock Dam.
Our Indian Stream put-in meets NFCT Section 12 in
Eagle Lake.
Our Daily Paddle and Campsites
Each day begins from your tent, a campfire breakfast,
packing of tents, gear, and canoes, and then paddle northeast downstream to
experience an assortment of streams, lakes, rivers, and white water. Remember,
the Allagash flows northeast. Each day ends after eight to twenty miles of
sometimes challenging paddling and all the while seeing an abundance of
wildlife from the majestic moose to our national bird, the bald eagle.
We locate a campsite, prepare a campfire, set up tents, maybe a swim, enjoy a well-earned dinner, see a beautiful sunset, followed by campfire stories and tales of the day. Then comes a deep sleep in the Allagash Wilderness waterway. The next morning we continue our daily routine and look forward to the day’s paddle and confronts.
The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is rich in historical points of interest from
those by-gone eras.
We explored the “Tramway” that connects Eagle Lake with Chamberlain Lake and
see the locomotives that ran between Eagle and Umbazooksus lakes in the early
1900’s lumbering era.
At Churchill Dam, preparing for paddling the 5-mile Chase Rapids in empty canoes, we left our gear with a park ranger, who brought our bags to the end of Chase Rapids.
Twelve miles from Allagash Village, we portage the most incredible spectacle on
the river; the 40-foot high Allagash Falls, a thundering, boiling cauldron of
power and beauty.
A week or so later, after paddling 100 miles, we
are at Allagash Village, where the Allagash River and the St John River meet on
the Canadian border.
Indeed, paddling the Allagash is a bucket list of treasured memories. These remembrances
are shared and made lasting in The Ballad of the Allagash.
References
Map-Paddling the Allagash Wilderness
Waterway https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parksearch/Pro
----------------------------------------------------
The Ballad of the Allagash Wilderness
Waterway
(To
the tune of “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz” (Janis Joplin)
Introduction to Ballad by Steve
This
Allagash Wilderness Waterway Ballad video was prepared from participants’
memorable moments of expeditions guided by Registered Master Maine Guide
Linwood Parsons and his wife Betty.
Without
a doubt, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway rates as the gem of Maine’s
wilderness areas.
The
verses of this Ballard are to the tune of Janis Joplin, “Oh Lord, won’t you buy
me a Mercedes-Benz.”
The Ballad of the Allagash Wilderness
Waterway
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a big can of Ben’s.
I’m
out in the woods now,
The
flies never end.
Got
bitten all over,
No
help from my friends.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a big can of Ben’s.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a bed of my own.
A
mattress and box spring
That’s
not on the ground.
Last
night I got bruises,
I
slept on a stone.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a bed of my own.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a roll of TP.
Those
baked beans of Betty’s
Are
getting to me.
Been
wiping with leaves
Til
I got poison ivy.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a roll of TP.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a deputy’s badge.
We
helped save two druggies
At
Little Allagash.
Ole
Andy was naked,
And
Tara was scared.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a deputy’s badge.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me new waterproof gear.
“Dry
bags” became “wet bags”
When
we sank to our ear.
We
swam down the rapids
A
chasin’ the beer.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me new waterproof gear.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a few more good years.
To
paddle with Linwood
And
Harry mit beers.
Chase
Rapids with Karen
Without
many fears.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a few more good years.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me an instant campfire.
No
sawing of firewood,
No
stripping of bark.
No
pleading with Linwood
Or
Harry to lite it.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me an instant campfire.
(Harry)
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a brand new spruce paddle.
Chase
Rapids are coming,
Excitement
is high.
Cross
draw, sweep, and a pry,
Til
we all finished dry.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a brand new spruce paddle.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a Maine Master Guide.
To
show us the Allagash,
In
swagger and stride.
And
teach us canoe rescue,
And
a loon landing wildlife bona fide.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a Maine Master Guide.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a Chickadee and a Loon.
The
bread in the Dead,
Cornish
hen in the coffee can.
Folger’s
Black Silk,
and
a pudding lid spoon.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a Chickadee and a Loon.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a campsite to rest.
Spruce
gum for the rookie,
Counting
moose at its best.
A
swim though the rapids,
Flint
and steel for our test.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a campsite to rest.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a Long Lake Dam
A
dam to portage if you can,
Or
paddle at risk and I’ll be dam.
A
spike waiting to rip the canoe,
Tim
and Steve paddled be dammed.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a Long Lake Dam.
Oh
lord take me down to the Allagash now.
Take
me to the north woods,
Where the moose runs wild and proud.
To
see the eagles soar,
As I
relax on the shore.
Oh
lord take me down to the Allagash now.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me some rapids right now.
The
"V" through the rocks
will
guide us somehow.
The
draw stroke shall save us
with
a quick turn of the bow.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me some rapids right now.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me more beer.
To
help me create more cairns made of stone,
And
the whistles of willow,
And
the white birch bark stars.
So
much more to create, so
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me more beer!
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a big ole white sail.
I’m
on Eagle Lake and,
The
wind never fails.
My
arms ache from paddlin’,
Oh,
S#%t is that hail?
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a big ole white sail.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me a big ole fat fish.
I'll
gut him and skin him,
Then
he'll land in my dish.
An
eighteen inch Brookie,
Now
that'd be my wish.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me a big ole fat fish.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me a bigger Canoe.
'Cause
the one I have now,
Just
simply won't do.
Need
more room for the beer,
for
the hard strokin' Crew.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me a bigger Canoe.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me some stars in the Sky.
They
look near at hand,
yet,
are so high.
I'm
just a lightening bug seeking a mate,
in
the heavens above, but I'm feeling spry.
Oh
Lord, won't you buy me some stars in the Sky.
(Steve)
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me paddlers so grand.
Dundee
is prepared,
And navigates
first hand.
Timothy
skilled in the stern,
When
the river gets tough he insures the turn
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me paddlers so grand.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a campfire recipe.
Garret
flint and steel,
Tim
saws wood fire-to-be.
Linwood’s
cuisine is five-star,
Lobster
and eggs benedict are the par.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me a campfire recipe.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me “Never say I wish I had …”
For
eight days we were in awe of the Allagash and the Loon,
Our
skills grew as we paddled in tune.
Coolers
with names of rivers,
All
are lifetime of memories delivered.
Oh
Lord, won’t you buy me “Never say I wish I had …”
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