Deboullie Kayak and Camping Trip 2012

The Deboullie area in the North Maine Woods is such a spectacular place. Its a crazy busy world out there, and to have a place like this to enjoy is a GREAT thing. This was our 3rd time here, and it was just as amazing. Many things happened, and much fun was had, so much so that I could not possibly include everything, but I do promise any trip to this place is going to be special.

The ride from the MA/NH border is six hours. We left around midnight and were within reach of Portage Lake around 6AM. As we drove on the 60 miles along Route 11, the low clouds and fog covered the road completely at some points and others it was a beautiful display of under cast. We made it to the Fish River checkpoint, which is about 3 miles in on the logging road which starts off of Portage Lake. Here, you must check in, and pay the fee of $20 per person per night, which means that for our group of four, it was $320. Not cheap, but very much worth it for many reasons. The rates are different if you are not staying the night, but its important to know so you bring enough cash.

Low lying fog on Route 11

NMW Fish River Checkpoint

After that, it is close to 30 miles on active logging roads until you reach the Deboullie Pond area. There are mile markers on the roads. Along the way on the logging roads, we saw three moose, two deer, and countless snowshoe hares running around. We arrived at Pushineer Pond and took the road about a mile further to Deboullie Pond where there is another parking area. Since our last trip here in 2010, the area has gone through some upgrades, including a new outhouse at that parking area. We learned from two campers at the boat launch that rangers were at our destination building a new Adirondack style lean-to, and that it would be done today! This was pretty cool, so we unloaded the four kayaks from the jeep and carefully packed them for the paddle across two huge lakes. Off we went, into the great outdoors for 5 days.

Bridge over Pushineer outlet (used to require a fording)

Paddling across Deboullie Pond

We paddled across Deboullie and Gardner Pond and established our camp. The rangers were busy putting the finishing touches on the lean-to, which was built in an area behind the first site that was cleared for it. Afterwards, they used our fire we started to cook some hot dogs and we chatted with them for a while, which was really cool. These guys love the outdoors so much too, they really have an awesome job. They filled us in on the exact locations of the ice caves in the area, and we talked about our prior experiences in the Deboullie area. After completing their work, they left, and waiting for us was a brand new lean-to that had never been slept in. Our good friend Sean was the first to ever sleep in it, and me and Bill slept in it one night of the three we were at Gardner. When we come back here again...sometime in our lifetime, it will be totally awesome to think back on the first time this shelter was ever used. I hope that is there for many years to come. By the way, they built another one at Gardner East too.

Gardner Mountain rock slide on the way across Gardner Pond

Our tent setup (new shelter in back)

The brand new Adirondack style lean-to at Gardner Point

Over five days and four nights, a lot happens, including sometimes a whole lot of nothing, and a whole lot of no biting fish, and a whole lot of food preparation. Rather than go on about every exact thing we did and when we did it, I will break it down a bit differently for this report by activity. Continue on...


Paddling
At this time, the Gardner Point campsite is accessed only by kayak, however that will soon change, as a trail is planned to loop Gardner Pond and connect with the other current trails. To get to our site, we had to kayak across Deboullie Pond, portage our kayaks to Gardner, and then cross that pond. On our last day, most of us traversed Pushineer Pond too. Over the entire weekend, winds never allowed the water to be completely still like it was in 2010. These lakes offer some challenging kayaking. Paddling across Gardner Pond from Deboullie is always difficult because of the westerly winds, which blow whitecaps right in your face. Not to mention that, you can't stop paddling or turn to the side or risk getting worn out trying to start again or be toppled by a large wave. While paddling here, your a very small person on a vast lake miles from any civilization.

Paddling across Deboullie Pond

Sean is seen below paddling to camp ahead of us on Gardner

Choppy water on Gardner Pond

Hiking/Climbing

On Friday, we explored the rockslide on Gardner Mountain. The pictures do not even do any justice to how massive it is up close and in person. We would have liked to summit, but we might have to wait until the trails are built because there was no way around or up from the rockslide.  The areas of vegetation are thick and tough to pass through, and the shoreline is all rocks and the depth of the lake is easily 30 feet at least at the edge...like stepping off the deep end. Finding a suitable spot to pull the kayak up in this area is not easy. If you can climb up at least halfway though, you will be greatly rewarded with a view not many people have ever seen.

View down from near the top of the rock slide

Looking straight up from as far as we could go up

Close up of the slide and  sheer cliffs above

On Saturday, me and Bill hiked to Deboullie Mountain while Sean and Eric stayed back around camp fishing and paddling. Trails originate near Pushineer Pond and circumnavigate Deboullie Pond. After we kayaked across Gardner, we left the kayaks and hiked towards Deboullie Mountain on the trail. Along the way, there were a couple of pretty large blow downs across the trail. Bill and I thought it was a cool idea to pitch in a couple of extra minutes and clear a a couple of good blow downs. We were very excited this opportunity was right in front of us, especially to give back to those who already maintain this area for us to enjoy.

One of two blow downs we cleared on the way to Deboullie Mountain

The hike up to the mountain is a short but steep climb of about 800 ft of elevation to the summit, which offers tremendous remote views with no civilization in sight. The sun was beaming hot, it was a beautiful day, and the trail was very pretty. It was suggested by someone in the area that we visit the inside of the fire tower on the summit since we had not climbed up it before. Boy did we miss out those prior years. As a matter of fact, while climbing down from the tower, we noticed the USGS summit benchmark for the first time directly beneath the tower. The views extended well beyond 100 miles because we could see Mt. Katahdin about 75 miles away. We could see as far as the eye could see, basically.

Trail to Deboullie Mountain

Standing at the trail junction and start of the climb

From left to right, Black Pond, Deboullie Pond, and Pushineer Pond

Mt. Katahdin from Deboullie Mountain fire tower

We also took a late afternoon bushwhack from the campsite up and around towards the more gentle sloping side of Gardner. We walked quietly through the woods hoping to see a moose or signs of wildlife. We saw several different types of poopies throughout the entire trip (you can see them in the album below). We kept moving forward, and even this way we came to an abrupt end at a massive rock wall. We were quite surprised and humbled that it was so difficult to pass over or approach the summit from this side. It makes it so much more remote and real. There's no easy access to this spot, which is why we love it so much. (the photo below was taken with my GoPro so it has a fish-eye effect on the trees, but you get the idea - cool bushwhacking) 

Exporing the woods near Gardner Mountain

Wildlife & Fishing

Wildlife we saw: Deer, Moose, Snowshoe hare, red squirrel, garter snake, beaver, loons, ruby-throated humming birds, blue jays, toads, crayfish, arctic char, yellow perch, a newly hatched dragonfly 

Wildlife we heard: Owls (every night), woodpecker (we knew which tree, but could not see him, he had to be huge)

The fish were not as big as the two we caught last year. This makes that nice catch in 2010 really special. Sean had success pulling in multiple arctic char ranging from 6-9 inches, but only one was kept and eaten on the whole weekend. We each had at least one catch. My best of about three small char was pregnant. There were a couple of days and at certain times there is just no bites at all. I make it sound easy, but I have well over an hour of video from the weekend of me just casting and catching nothing. We fished in Gardner, Deboullie, and Pushineer Ponds, and all catches were in Gardner, but this time they were all very small - This is a good sign, though, for the rare char.

How cool is this guy?

The Rest of the Trip
For our last night, we paddled back to Pushineer South to get an early morning start home on Monday. Although it was overcast and cloudy most of the afternoon and evening, it was still comfortable. With the tent pitched right over the pond, we left the rain fly open on one side. Bill and I kayaked down to Fish Pond earlier in the evening, which is the small pond that Pushineer drains into. Its no more than a few feet deep, and we didn't see any fish jumping, but it was a cool little abode, and worth the 20 minutes excursion from base camp. We enjoyed a nice fire at Pushineer South, but the wood was tough burning, we had to feed the fire constantly. It worked out though, and we had some more Glenlivet to toast on another wonderful trip to this beautiful place.

Pushineer South campsite

A beaver swims right past the campsite

My kayak and Pushineer Pond

Please click on the slide show below to see a lot more photos from the trip - I've captioned most of these since most are not familiar with the area. I took over 1000 photos and 105 videos on this trip, that means almost 800 didn't make the cut for my online album. I plan to put together a video, but I'm afraid it will be while with my upcoming trip. I have video of me catching the pregnant char, paddling across white caps, climbing the Deboullie tower....and much much more, but you'll see those in a video sometime soon or when I have the chance. If anyone has any questions about the area, feel free to ask here.

Fishing in 2010

Boy was I a true fisherman in 2010. It was an awesome year for fishing. My brother and I got ourselves each a fly rod, giving us something new to try, and I was able to spend a lot of afternoons fishing after work. It was a great way to come back to earth, especially after a tough day at work. I fished in 3 states this summer, and with this entry, I wanted to reflect on some of my fishing highlights this year.

First Bass On Fly Rod
Crystal Lake in Haverhill, MA is a pond that doesn't get a whole lot fishing pressure. There are trails nearby, but none that connect all of the way around. There are a couple places to park, though. If you walk in from Crystal Street, you can take small trails toward the lake that offer a pretty quiet fishing experience, but the fishing here has never been anything to write home about. However, it was where I landed my first bass on a fly rod. I was fishing in a separate section of water from the bigger part of the lake. I wasn't really sure if I was going to catch anything, because I have maybe only caught a few small bass and some perch before. I sometimes take 3 rods with me when I go fishing, so in this spot, I had been trying out a jitter bug and different lures, and wasn't getting anything to move. The spot was really tricky for fly fishing, but I was eager to try anywhere. I must have gotten my fly stuck in the tree above several times, but I happened to capture my first bass on a fly on camera, while nearly falling into the pond, and I have no idea why I grab the fish on its side and not the mouth, but I couldn't believe it, I think I wanted to hold it sideways for the camera. I can't imagine how funny it would have been if I fell in while catching this fish??

Catching Squat
If there was something I did most of this summer, it was fishing. I cast a line in the brook next to my house, even tried the pond across the street. We used to catch eels and see a turtle that I swear was the biggest, but this summer, all I saw was some minnows, but I tried. There is this one place, I don't know what it is...Putnamville Reservoir on the Danvers/Wenham line is a drinking water supply pond that gets a good amount of people fishing in the summer, but its still pretty quiet, and you can take a walk in towards the middle of the pond, but its not really deep. Just about everyone that I have talked to there says there's fish in there. I have to say I probably fished here the most this summer, because it was so close to my house. I recall going for an hour a few times. I seriously caught squat here all summer, maybe a sunfish and a freaking perch maybe? I tried all along the wall, the middle, along the weeds, fly fishing from the grate on the other side, everything, and I never got any action all summer, kind of a weird pond if you ask me. I see people fishing all of the time here, but I also never see or hear the nearby people taking in a nice catch, but they certainly talk about them???? (Anyways, no fish, so theres no reason to have any pictures, sorry!!)

Catch of A Lifetime (so far)
In my post about filming and using my Olympus Camera, I posted my video of me catching the Arctic Char (Blueback Trout). It's a rare fish that's found in some of Maine's Lakes. This one was caught on Gardner Pond, where there is a confirmed population of the Blueback Trout. I take pride in this video and having caught the fish because of its rarity. Other people fishing in the area were anxious to know how we had caught two of them. We were taking our kayaks out of the water as the week-long campers staying by Deboullie asked of our success. I edited my video to inform the viewer of what I feel makes the difference, and ultimately catching the fish. Although it doesn't look huge, it was well over the limit of 6 inches. It was very exciting.





Fishing Up the Camp Was The Best in 2010
My family has a place and boat on Lake Winnisquam in NH. This year, I definitely got several great weekends of incredible fishing. The size of the bass in here are immense, and I know there are bigger. I love going out on Winnisquam at 6AM when the hounds have just been let loose for a fishing tournament. The boats are screaming through the no wake zone to get to a great spot. The tournaments usually don't allow worms or live bait, but I love when nearby boats get a glimpse of us pulling in some huge bass left and right with our nice juicy night crawlers. It's even funnier to me when we release them back! This has happened twice in the last couple of years out fishing early in the morning, but I suppose that's the reason no worms are allowed...so there are less fish taken. Anyways, I caught tons of huge bass this year on several different rods, including my niece's tiny princess rod (whatever it was). That was hilarious. I also had an awesome pickerel fight early in the year. This video shows me and my father fishing, catching several, in the early morning of June 20, 2010.





I just described 4 fishing experiences this year, and there was so much more. I caught fish in many waters all over the place, including the ponds in Harold Parker State Forest, several different sections of the Ipswich River, and other ponds throughout the North Shore of Massachusetts, including ponds in the cities of Peabody, Lynn, Lynnfield, Danvers, Middleton, Wenham, Boxford, North Andover, Salem (Greenlawn Cemetery), and likely more. I also fished in Tully Lake in Athol, MA. I still want to get out fly fishing in some rivers and get the art of it down much better, so hopefully I have some chances this summer, so hopefully in 2011 I am able to squeeze some fishing in with my hiking :)

Deboullie Ecoreserve - North Maine Woods 2010

Before we had even left Deboullie in 2009, my brother and I had already marked the calendar for our 2010 trip. We were also able to drag our friends Sean and Eric up to this remote area in late May. Having this trip planned an entire year in advance was hell, but it finally came. This year, we were stepping up our game and decided to make it a kayaking trip. We loaded 4 kayaks onto the roof, along with all of our gear, and headed up to the wilderness for 3 nights and 4 days. This was the first time going away with more than just 2 people, so I was looking forward to a great trip.

Our home for 3 nights

It is always more talkative with people, so the 6 hour drive was not as bad this time. Once we got into Portage and onto the logging roads, were were treated to 3 or 4 moose sightings on the way in, including one that darted right out in front of the car while I was driving! Pretty intense. Once we got to the parking lot near Pushineer and Deboullie Pond, we unloaded and packed up the kayaks with all of our gear. During our 2009 trip, my brother and I had set our goal on camping on Gardner Pond, where there is a remote campsite accessible only by boat. We put in at Deboullie Pond and began our paddle across the very deep Deboullie Pond. On the other side of Deboullie Pond, there is a portage of a couple hundred yards over to Gardner Pond. The entire paddle from the car to the camp site is close to 3 miles.


It was incredible to have hiked around the year prior, and come back and sit in the middle of this enormous glacial lake and look at the rock slide and formations from a different perspective. Once across to our destination, the exploration began. There is no possible way for someone to walk or hike to this campsite. It is protected on the southern shores of the pond by cliffs that go straight into the pond, and the northern shore, which is a steep hillside that is densely overgrown with large trees, roots, and underground streams. About twenty feet into the woods behind the camp site was more of the same. There are no trails around the campsite, but there are several hundred feet of rocky shoreline that become yours. Its almost like your own sanctuary, and if anyone is coming you will notice, because they are coming by boat.

Eric fishing just offshore

In 2009, Bill and I tried fishing however we never got a nibble. That was because we were using the wrong bait. This year, we had equipped ourselves with fly fishing rods and trout lures. One of our goals was to catch Maine's rare arctic char (Blueback Trout), which can only be found in 11 lakes in all of Maine, including these ponds. Our friend Eric was the first to pull a char out of the water. He caught it while fishing from the kayak. We certainly cooked that up, which led to an unfortunate event...me getting deathly sick, or so it seemed. Although I have gotten sick before from fish, I did not believe or know whether I had an allergy. It seems that I may have an allergy to fish in the salmon family. To make a long story short, the fish tasted amazing, especially with our canned food, which we mixed the meat with. However, a couple hours later, I began paying for it, and I payed for it ALL night long, until the bile started coming out. I know, sorry.

Eric's Blueback up-close

My Blueback Trout

The next evening, when we were all fishing, trying to catch that night's fish portion for dinner, I had the opportunity to snag the Blueback Trout. I will never forget catching this fish, because I was able to capture it on video. It is clear from the video that technique, the correct position, and luck play a factor in landing the Blueback Trout. We were fishing on a shallow shore, but one that basically drops off into the abyss about 20 feet from shore. After a long time of no action, not even a bite between us all, I moved a few feet forward, allowed the lure to sink more than I had in any previous cast, and then it hit. It had been so boring, when I felt something hit the line, I knew that was it. Having this awesome and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime experience on video is something that I will cherish forever. (Unfortunately, I could not eat my own fish that night)


On the last day before hiking out the next morning, Bill, Sean, and I paddled across Gardner Pond and back to Deboullie, where we then hiked a fairly strenuous elevation gain of 800 feet to the summit of Deboullie Mountain. Although the top is somewhat wooded, there are paths that lead to outlooks offering excellent views of the remote land. After heading down, Bill and I took Sean on the hike to Galilee Pond. When we made it there, there were two Brad Pitt River Runs Wild looking kinda guys in full fly fishing gear telling us they could not catch crap. I took off my boots and hopped into the pond as they looked on. I was using my Colorado, which I caught the Char with. I was in and out the pond in less than 10 minutes and caught about 3 smaller sized brookies


This trip never fell short of my expectations. In two trips, I have developed a connection with this area. Its true remoteness and beauty and will wow anyone who stands within it. Pictures do not measure up to what it is like to stand among such enormous and breathtaking geographic features, and do so with no other people nearby. What really gets me, is that even people who live and work in Maine will tell you that they have never heard of this place.



If you did not catch my Blueback Trout video on my previous post, check out that video on my YouTube Channel, along with a video showing the rough water on Gardner Pond. 

Deboullie Area - North Maine Woods 2009

As I've stated, I am always intrigued by new places. I wanted find a remote area in Maine or New Hampshire to explore and hike. In early 2009, I started searching the internet for remote places in New England. I used search terms such as "most remote area in New England" and also tried searching for the most remote points of each state. Somehow, I came across information for Deboullie Ecoreserve in T15 R9 Wels in Maine. It can also be found as Deboullie Public Reserved Lands.

View Larger Map

The Deboullie Area is more than a 6 hour drive north of Boston, and is just miles from the Canadian Border to the north. Deboullie Pond, Pushineer Pond, Gaililee Pond, Gardner Pond and other ponds in the area are some of the most remote ponds in New England. Red River Camps operates the only camp in the Deboullie area. Besides the camp, the nearest buildings, ranger station, and medical treatment are about 40 miles of logging roads away from Portage, ME.

In 2009, my brother and I set off to explore this area I read about. Once in Portage, ME, that is the last chance you have to make sure you have everything you need. You do have to check in at the entrance to the North Maine Woods. To help authorities take care of the land, there is a fee to enter the area. We arrived at the check point around 7pm, as the sun was beginning to descend onto the horizon. We began the long way down the logging roads, which seemed to never end. By the time we reached the ponds, it was nearing 9pm, and was already pitch black. We parked the Jeep and saw a few others had established their places near the first campsites in the area (that were next to the parking area). We knew where we wanted to end up, and that the trails in the area were pretty well marked. We hiked for a couple hours with our headlamps before finding a flat area to set up the tent. It was a intriguing experience to get out of the car after driving for so long, and then just hike off into darkness, not knowing what to expect.

Camp on first night

The next day, we made some coffee, packed up, and continued around the loop trail that would bring us to the other side of Deboullie Pond. On the way, the trail traverses an enormous rock slide, and some crevasses in rocks that have ice in it year round. Once all the way around, we set up camp at the Deboullie campsite around noon. We now had the entire day to explore the area. We hiked a short couple miles to and from Galilee Pond, which is a smaller pond that sits below a shear cliff of at least 1000ft or more.

Beautiful sunset over Gardner Pond

Having time, we poked around and explored the area. After we ate our supper, we took a walk a couple hundred yards down a different path, and we came to Gardner Pond. Imagine your camping at this insanely huge glacial pond, and then you walk down the path to find another pond similar in size, and there is not another human being in sight, just the noises of the water. The photos I have of this moment will never tell what it was like to stand right there in that moment.

The next morning, we packed up our camp site and continued along the trail to complete the full loop, which goes all the way around Deboullie Pond. The total mileage of this trip was approximately 5 miles. The trail on the southern side of Deboullie Pond goes up and down steep ridges multiple times. It is not an easy trail, in fact, it was a very strenuous hike, and we were relieved to be back at the car by early afternoon for the long ride home.

Me and Bill exploring Gardner Pond for the first time

This trip was one of the highlights of my hiking experiences. It is a truly remote place. We saw only few  different people the entire weekend. I certainly knew I would be coming back to this place.