Will, Jon, Joe, Ted, and I arrived at Telos Landing with plans to run the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. As we prepared to embark, the park ranger appeared with a tape measure and told us our kayaks weren’t canoes.

Section 2.3 of the Allagash rules and regulations is quite clear: “A canoe is defined as a form of small watercraft long and narrow…. The width at the widest point shall not exceed 20% of the craft’s overall length.” Of our three kayaks and one canoe, only one met those regulations. The canoe, it turns out, was a cannot.

It’s worth knowing that I’ve been told stories about how Maine Game Wardens are among the most empowered law enforcement officials in the US. “They can shoot you if they want to,” an older, drunken friend said once. Ranger Rick in front of us didn’t appear to have a gun, but I didn’t see the tape measure until it was too late either. And the difference between a ranger and warden seemed a bit argumentative if the gun did come out.

And those thoughts are what helped me keep a straight face while the ranger repeated “yep, they’re not canoes, you can’t go on the river with ‘em.”

Jon, however, was fearless.

“I’m not trying to argue, but these are kayaks.”

“They might be, but I can tell you they’re not canoes. And you can’t go beyond Lock Damn in ‘em.”

Jon and Ranger Rick continued for a bit. We all wanted to know why. What did the width and length matter? Why?

Rick was able to point out the regulations, but couldn’t explain them. “Nope, it’s not for safety,” he was able to say, but couldn’t offer any other insights to what the rules were about or why. He was quite excited to help us contact an outfitter friend of his who could rent us some official canoes, and he warned us that other rangers at the various portages would each stop us if we tried to continue.

Choose your own adventure indeed.

We cancelled our plans to have our cars shuttled to the end of the river and consoled ourselves with kayaking in the, um, brown waters of Lake Chamberlain. We spent three nights on the lake, paddling a 20 mile loop (to sustain our pride, we usually add that it was against the wind each way), long enough to enjoy the lake fog and some wooded sunsets.

Will lit our campfires with a bow. Ted feared our doddling would attract aliens. Rain blew in on the last night, and Joe taught us all fantan. Huddled around the picnic table under a just too small tarp we played game after game.

Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Allagash, river, kayaking, canoeing, canoe, kayak, maine, rules, regulations, vacation, mancation

Posted August 20, 2007 by Casey Bisson
Categories: Photoblog, Travel. Tags: Allagash, Allagash Wilderness Waterway, canoe, canoeing, kayak, kayaking, maine, mancation, regulations, river, rules, vacation.

2 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

 

User contributed tags for this post:

Allagash (65) - Allagash Wilderness Waterway (19) - allagash kayak (16) - alligash Maine (15) - wilderness sex (13) - Allagash River (11) - allagash wilderness (10) - alligash (10) - allagash river blog (10) - allegash river (8) - alagash river (8) - alligash river (8) - photos allagash, me (8) - kayaking the allagash (6) - allagash wilderness waterway rules (6) - allagash car shuttle (5) - allagash wilderness waterway map (5) - kayaking the allegash (5) - allagash wilderness waterway regulations (5) - kayak the allagash (5) - allegash maine (5) - allagash river kayak canoe maine (5) - kayak allagash (5) - allagash kayak rental (4) - Allagash waterway (4) - allegash river maine (4) - canoeing the allagash map (4) - Allagash Wilderness Maine (4) - allagash waterway map (4) - pictures of the allagash (4) - allagash ranger (4) - allagash river maine (3) - Allagash maps (3) - Canoe/Kayak/Maine (3) - allagash trains (3) - ALLAGASH KAYAKING (3) - alagash river in maine (3) - allagash trip report (3) - allagash canoe rules (3) - allagash river ME (3) - allegash, maine (3) - pictures of maine wilderness (3) - allagash waterway rules (3) - allagash movie (3) - wilderness sex pics (3) - kayaking allagash (3) - photos of maine for macs (3) - ALAGASH RIVER , ME (3) - نيكني (3) - allagash waterway canoe (3) - allagash river october (3) - allagash Maine (3) - allagash waterway paddling (3) - canoe sex (3) - river map allagash canoe trip (3) - kayaking the allagash river (2) - maine alligash (2) - canoeing regulations maine (2) - photos of Maine wilderness (2) - alligash brewery (2) - allagash trip (2) - alligash wilderness (2) - running the allagash river (2) - alligash river maine (2) - Allagash in October (2) - allagash wilderness maine ranger contact (2) - canoe video of allagash river maine (2) - canoeing allagash maine (2) - Maine kayaking laws? (2) - allagash canoe rentals (2) - allagash photos (2) - wilderness kayaking in maine (2) - allagash river me canoe shuttle (2) - allagash kayak length rules (2) - pictures of allagash wilderness (2) - maine rent canoe (2) - kayaks on allegash wilderness (2) - allegash wilderness (2) - canoe rental allagash maine (2) - allagash maine land (2) - maine allagash wilderness (2) - Allagash canoe trips (2) - allagash rules (2) - allagash and photo (2) - Maine Kayaking Regulations (2) - videos of sex in wilderness (2) - allagash river, me (2) - blogs canoe trip allagash (2) - allagash river kayak trips (2) - allagash waterway maine map (2) - Allagash Wilderness Waterway pictures (2) - allagash canoe trip (2) - Allagash Waterway, ME (2) - sex in the wilderness (2) - kayaking the allagash waterway (2) - allagash river trip reports (2) - canoeing allagash river maine (2) - kayak allagash maine (2) - allagash kayak rules (2) - allagash wilderness waterway how to kayak (2) - iphone maine (2) - allagash waterway rules and regulations (2) - Maine Canoe Loop (2) - allagash river waterway (2) - allagash river trip reports 2008 (2) - allagash river photos (2) - allagash wilderness waterway rules kayak length (2) - allagash river trip plans (2) - rules and regulations for canoeing on rivers (2) - kayaking on the allagash (2) - www maine sex com (2) - 2008 allagash wilderness waterway rangers (2) - maine rangers in allagash area (2) - alligash park (2) - RANGER 28 IN MAINE (2) - ALLAGASH RIVER ALIENS (2) - allagash river movie (2) - ALLAGASH waterway ME 2008 (2) - wild wilderness sex (2) - Allagash River report (2) - planning a allagash kayak trip (2) - allagash river maine video (2) - rent kayak allagash maine (1) - allagash river shuttle (1) - allagash wilderness travel stories (1) - maine game wardens (1) - sex in the wilderness pics (1) - allegash map (1) - Maine Allagash Waterway Pics (1) - allagash kayak rentals (1) - map of maine allagash (1) - Maine Kayaking rule & regulations (1) - kayak rules (1) - allagash videos (1) - allagash river maine pictures (1) - maine canoe regulations (1) - allagash wilderness river map (1) - allagash river canoe regulations (1) - kayaking sex (1) - pictures from the allagash waterway (1) - allagash wilderness waterway me (1) - sex videos in the wilderness (1) - Canoe Shuttles Allagash (1) - Allagash Waterway canoe outfitters (1) - rules for canoeing the allagash (1) - Allagash Maine Trains (1) - Sex in the wilderness video (1) - kayak allagash river maine (1) - wilderness sex stories (1) - allagash wilderness waterway canoe canoeing (1) -