Beo

So ya wanna know how my trip went? It was a really really good time, we drove up to Maine (actually to the end of the route in Auburn) and went across to NS where we took a bus up to Fort Louisbourg, we pitched camp Friday night (we got there at about 6pm) just outside the fort and had a good time, the reenactors were still coming in and setting up so we set up off to the far side of them to stay outta their way. It was the 250th anniversary of the fort and a lot of people were there. I gave a class on the flintlock and loading it, shooting it, and cleaning it, what types of loads to use for what game you were hunting and so on, about two hours in all and had my picture taken several times as did Trooper (my son). At 5am Saturday morning we loaded all our gear after eating a lite breakfast of biscuits and honey and fresh goats milk (yeah I actually tried it, not too bad).
We had two canoes made by Henri Vaillancourt that were birch bark and 24 feet long and one that was fiberglass painted to look like birch bark that was 18 feet, with our gear loaded and us ready shove off we slipped into the water on the coast and paddled for a few hours to Point Michaud and took a break, the break was for our bottoms and legs getting stiff and our arms getting sore, we then headed down to Canso which I didn’t think was that far but the waters off the coast are strong and can he11 to paddle in, we stayed about 100 yards off shore along the NS coast but the tides kinda pushed us along at good clip which made it easier but handling the canoes was real tricky.
At Liscomb we brought the canoes aground and settled in for two hours, cooking a meal in my tin boiler of rabbit with potatoes, carrots, radishes, and rice we ate and relaxed. A few guys hit the coast and scouted it out to get a better reading of where we were (we stayed away from areas where people would be) and came back. After our brief rest we loaded the few things up and hit the coast heading south to Lawrencetown where we stayed for the night, going around the ships harbor was kinda scary cause there are some big ships there and the waters were rough. At camp the canoes were grounded and turned on there sides and some of the guys used these as shelters but me and Trooper set up our diamond fly and were happy as pigs in… well you get the idea. The next morning we set off on good calm waters as it was 530am and landed at Peggy’s Cove, a long azz trip this was coming to be, that took a while and we found passing the little bays and inlets was quicker than hugging the coast. At peggy’s Cove we were able to do a little hunting and I took some duck that coming in, those a couple of the guys cleaned pretty quick and one was cooked as was two squirrels. We dined on that, pan fried bread, grapes, peanuts, and corn cooked in the husk over the fire. Mmm Mmm good eating.
From Peggy’s Cove we headed down and ended up stopping at Whites Port and then Lockeport (actually south of there on the tip of the land) and spent the night there, here is where I shot 3 squirrel and they skinned and eaten, some of the meat was saved for later and we pretty much just sat around the fire talking on what we thought would be coming. Canoeing like this is real work and I wonder how the French Voyageurs ever did this day in and day out, it took its toll on me for sure.
We then went down and around to Cape Sable Island and Clarks Harbor where we had to take a ferry from there to Jonesport Maine as the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian authorities would not let us cross alone on our own, and the Coast Guard, bless their hearts, went through our things making sure we were doing what we said, my I.D. from work brought a big fat “so what” from them, well the Canadians were real nice, everyone I met, and the ones on Cape Sable were real cool and supported us but thought we were crazy.
After loading the canoes and gear on the ferry we landed at Jonesport Maine and went to Winter Harbor and then Bar Harbor snaked through a bunch of little islands which made the goings real nice and the scenery was great, at Boothsbay Harbor which is tucked in we set camp, we stopped for a brief time at Pemaquid Point just to say we had been there, we ate and camped and had a good ole time making fun of the U.S. Coast Guard that had hasseled us and then even followed us for several miles, I think they left because they got board at our rate of travel.
From there it was on to Portland by way of ferry as the local law enforcement at Small Point Beach offered us a room at their in since one of the guys had decided to bring a flask with whiskey in it and we firearms, although the Coast Guard found it and didn’t care, Hmmm. But I will say he had forgotten about it and it was never opened and he poured it out, I know what a waste.
At Portland (actually cape Cottage is where we were but I didn’t know it) the canoes were picked up right on time and headed into the woods and trekked for a gawd awful time putting everything behind us. At Scarborough we headed north towards Sebago lake and followed the edges of the lake to Windham walked across an expressway (again) and into the deep woods of Maine. From here we followed a couple of rivers (the Pleasant River, and others I don’t know the name of) and basically it was all day humping the woods and setting camp, outside of Shaker Village is where I gave Trooper my flintlock Jeremiah and I called in Turkey and he shot it, he then learned how to clean it as the guys said it was something he need to know. From Shaker we were a hop skip and jump from the old Amitgonpontook Indian village on Abenaki land and once there all set camp and had a huge festival, the women cooked us a real good old fashioned meal and there were some nice deer steaks for us, The Native Americans there for the gathering welcomed us with open arms, there were several Shawnee from Ohio and Oklahoma, Lenape, and even some Ojibwe from Canada by the great Lakes. I had taken the most game and led the group in so I was given turkey feathers that had been split and spiraled down about 8 inches, they tied it into my head scarf and sang songs and drummed for us. All in all it was a great time and although I’m sore, tired, stiff, and cramped I wouldn’t have changed a thing and would do it all over again.
Next long trip I wanna go into Canada, the mainland somewhere and trek there for a week or more.
Beo,