Canoeing & standup paddleboarding in Belgrade Lakes Maine

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Thanksgiving on the river

After an all night drive with canoe and SUP on the roof, I picked up some Dunkin Donuts in Vegas and met Haley & Gillian at the airport.  Couple quick stops and we arrived at Willow Beach to launch for four days of paddling, hiking, soaking and holiday eating.  Haley and I did this trip last Turkey day with friends and were really excited to return with family.

We made our way upriver 8 miles, eddyhopping when necessary, and setup a base camp for the next four days.  Arriving reasonably early, there were few people around and we settled on a campsite as close to the river as we could manage.  We had a great fire ring to cook on with the new dutch oven we picked up just before setting out on this trip.  At 14 pounds it's far from lightweight, but with canoe support it was a breeze.  This Thanksgiving we'd be toasting all the family back home and savoring our meal cooked on Arizona time over an open flame.   Oh, and the paddle boarding wasn't bad either.

Check out some pics here:   

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2353111662404.2113861.1088538441&type=1&l=daf3d773cd

Nice hike in the hills

climbing to the tubs

slaving over Turkey dinner

Bark Expedition with gear - great setup!