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BACKPACKER.COM 13the trees, then ditch your packand explore the side canyonsriddling the area—you mightfind unnamed waterfallsand more rock shelters. Nextday, head west to ThompsonCreek, then climb WarlickRidge back east to hook upwith the Gum Pond Trail backto the road and your car.Multiday epicGet a grand tour of the Sipseyon Barrett’s favorite trip: afour-day, 40-mile loop thatmeanders through each ofthe region’s ecosystems, fromupland forests to sandstonecanyons to fern-filled gullies.The logistics are a bit intense,but it’s worth it: You also getabundant seasonal waterfalls(November through May) anda firsthand look at the area’shuman history, from post-IceAge shelters to 19th-centurywhiskey stills. Follow Trail 203from the Flannigan trailheadon the wilderness’s easternedge down to Borden Creek,then link Trails 207, 208, and210 to camp under the forestcanopy near mile 9.5. Daytwo’s hike stays high on a ridgefor almost 7 miles, connect-ing Trails 210 and 223. Daythree, follow Trails 208 and206 past Eye of the Needle (atight boulder squeeze) andShip Rock (a prominent, prow-shaped bluff) before takingTrail 209 east along the SipseyFork. To finish, link Trails 209,200, and 203.Birder’s campgroundAvian enthusiasts pitch theirtents at the quiet, 13-site BrushyLake Campground for a peek atgreat blue herons, kingfishers,and, in spring and fall, migra-tory species such as orchardorioles, yellow-throated vireos,and warblers. Not among thebinocular set? Launch a kayakor canoe from the camp-ground and paddle the dayaway on 35-acre Brushy Lakeor 10 miles along Class I and IIBrushy Creek to Hickory GroveRoad (portage around thedam on the southern shore).Trip plannerSEASON Ye a r- r o u n d PERMITSNone CAR CAMPING $5/night(first-come, first-serve) MAPSBankhead National Forestand Sipsey Wilderness byCarto-Craft Maps ($5 each);cartocraft.com CONTACTbit.do/bankhead-nfFROM TH E SLOW RHYTH M of the splashes,I know the moose isn’t hurrying. I’m also fairlycertain it’s staying on the far bank, but I can’treally tell, thanks to the thick fog that obscureseverything but the tips of the Eastern whitepines 300 feet away on the opposite shore.Not for the first time this trip, I’m grateful forthe wide expanse of Maine’s Allagash River.I’m here during mating season and have nodesire to cross a moose during the rut.The Allagash flows north, cutting 92 milesthrough Maine’s North Woods to Canada.It pools into lakes along the way, slowing theprogress of our canoes, but here, it’s brisk.I still can’t see the bank across the way, butwith each minute, the morning sun meltsaway more of the fog and early-morning frost.It’s hard to be thankful for 25¡F nights whenyou’re on a five-day canoe trip in NorthernMaine, but it does ensure one thing: solitude.The Allagash, which celebrated its 50thanniversary as a state-protected waterwaylast year, is a popular summer destination foranglers, and from July to Labor Day, it’s awashwith kayaks and canoes. But in the beginningof October—just a few weeks shy of the winterice—we see just four other people on our35-mile segment: three moose hunters andone forest ranger.The weight of the quiet silences even ourgroup of 11. The river reduces the static ofour daily life. We navigate small rips in nearsilence, adjusting our 16-footers to avoid rocksand downed trees. We’d put in at Long Laketo bypass the 9-mile Chase Rapids sectionjust south, where whitewater requires fastthinking and sure paddle strokes. Instead,here, we fall into the gentle rhythm of the lazyriver; loons call to each other at night, andeagles occasionally wheel across the windowof sky visible between the pines.``````Accustomed to carrying everythingI need on my back, it’s pleasant to let a canoedo all the work. It frees me up to focus on thescenery, the conifer-dotted marshes andred hardwoods. Both banks of the Allagashare dotted with first-come, first-servecampsites equipped with campfire rings andcomposting toilets, and it feels a little like carcamping when we unload our heavy Duluthpacks and food storage boxes onto a picnictable each evening. But with only the sigh ofthe pines and the murmur of the river echoingoutside my tent at night, that’s where thesimilarity ends.The Allagash was on Thoreau’s itinerary aswell, and I channel him, rising early to saturatemyself in solitude on the last morning of ourtrip. I stretch muscles sore from paddling,shake the frost off my tent, and walk downto the river to inhale the last few moments ofstillness. I look upriver toward our beachedcanoes and spot movement through the fog:moose, a bull and a cow, picking their wayacross a narrow inlet. Perhaps it’s a little morecrowded out here than I thought.``````DO IT To replicate the writer’s five-day,35-mile route, put in at Umsaskis/LongLake Thoroughfare and take out at MichaudFarm (shuttle car required). OUTFITTERNorthwoods Outfitters (maineoutfitter.com) in Greenville rents boats starting at$30/day. GUIDE Mahoosuc Guide Service(mahoosuc.com); starting at $1,225 SEASONMay through October, depending on ice.PERMITS Wilderness permit (starting at $7/person per night) and North Maine Woodsday-use fee ($10 to $15/day) required; obtainat North Maine Woods control stations orAllagash Wilderness Waterway Stations.CONTACT northmainewoods.org``````The Great NorthSavor shoulder-season solitude on Maine’s Allagash4 River. BY LINDSAY WARNER``````LIFE LIST``````A paddler glides across Allagash Lake in thesouthern portion of the waterway.