Each July, the Penobscot Paddle & Chowder Society organizes a long weekend of exciting outdoor activities collectively called the Summer Picnic. For many years, base camp for the picnic has been Webb’s Campground in West Forks, and we were back there again this year. The entertainment began Friday with a swift water rescue clinic on […]

Four of us were on the third day of a Penobscot Paddle & Chowder Society Machias River expedition. We had just spent the night camping at Holmes Falls and were headed for Little Holmes Falls, a complex, challenging whitewater rapid. For the third consecutive day, we benefited from sunny skies and mild temperatures. While fishing […]

On the second day of our Penobscot Paddle & Chowder Society Machias River trip, four Chowderheads awoke to a welcome cold morning at Little Falls Campsite, arguably the finest site on the river. The temperature was sufficiently cold to freeze the water in one of my pots. I say welcome cold as it was a […]

I started paddling multiday expeditions on the Machias River 45 years ago. In my opinion, it’s the finest river trip in Maine, arguably the eastern United States. About 20 years ago, I began organizing spring Penobscot Paddle & Chowder Society trips on the Machias. I schedule them for late April or early May because my […]

Togus Stream is one of the most unique paddling adventures in central Maine. Numerous easy rapids, two Class IV descents, three giant culverts, and several low-hanging bridges and trees are all part of the stimulating experience. I grew up playing along the tiny stream. Until I was an adult paddler, it never impressed me as […]

For about two decades, Kyle Duckworth has led an April Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society whitewater trip on Kingsbury Stream near Abbot. Organizing the trip entails evaluating a variety of possible spring conditions. Some years, ice and snow are problems. On other occasions, too little water is an issue. This spring, high water and windy, […]