A group of eight of us just completed a 27 mile trip down the East Branch, the lifeblood and central waterway of the newly-minted Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. It was a wonderful trip, complete with thrilling whitewater canoeing for the other parties, packrafting for Darcie and myself. A journey through the water trail taken by Thoreau in The Maine Woods exhibited a fragile, recovering ecosystem for sea-run Atlantic Salmon. The river’s dam release flow is managed by a non-hydroelectric dam with a migratory fish ladder and is tended by a storied Mainer, Don Dudley, who’s tended for 48 years. Pair that with some fly angling for salmonids, Ramsey-quality camp meals and plenty of laughs and long portages, and the trip was one of the more multifaceted experiences anyone could have in what may be the most remote and wild river in the east. Look for the upcoming feature in Fly Fisherman magazine.
