Growing up I spent summers canoeing and kayaking the waters of Maine. Mostly lakes and small rivers. A lot of those trips involved loading canoes with with camping equipment and setting off across Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Several rafting trips down the Kennebec River was the closest I had come to anything resembling rapids. I had never taken a canoe down anything involving white water.
Earlier this year I bought a canoe with the express goal of exploring more of Maine’s vast waterways. I wanted to get back to those days of being on the water. So when the opportunity to register for the 2018 Kenduskeag Canoe Race presented itself I jumped on it. I remember watching the race years ago when I was attending the University of Maine, but I never envisioned myself actually participating.
The 16.5 mile race begins in the Town of Kenduskeag and ends near the confluence of the Penobscot River in downtown Bangor. The first 10 miles meander down the river with the remaining 6 miles consisting of some decent white water. The first big set or rapids flows at 6-mile falls (pictured below). Somehow we fumbled our way through with out tipping over. However, just out of sight we got caught in a eddy and rolled our canoe over. It was cold, but shockingly refreshing and rejuvenating.
I only have this one image from the race. I didn’t feel comfortable carrying my camera with me, even in a dry bag.
Photo Credit: Michelle Barker
You might also like
