Customer Reviews

The Allagash Guide

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In fewer than a hundred pages of illustrated text, Gil Gilpatrick's "The Allagash Guide" offers his comprehensive reconnaissance for that dream trip through the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Learn from the experience he has garnered in over one hundred Allagash trips ("I never actually kept track of how many."). Of course you'll learn all the basics which you would expect, including canoe selection, arranging transport, put-ins for trips of various durations, all about bears, insects, tents, tarps, portages, and campsites. Then you'll learn the more unexpected lessons, such as the minimum waterflow (400 cubic feet per second) to make the trip, dealing with wind on the headwater lakes, propane stoves with 5 lb. tanks, using reflector ovens, the locations of every spring along the route, and clever tips like using lake water for washing up and spring water for drinking and cooking. You may also be surprised to learn that bears are not a problem, provided a few obvious precautions are employed. Then there are the three appendices, including one with FAQs, one with camp recipes, and one on getting more information. Perhaps the cleverest part of this book is what it doesn't include; Gilpatrick somehow resisted including topics which would interest some, but not all "trippers." This book could easily have been five times longer, reducing its utility in the bargain. Spend some time with the checklists: shopping, pantry box, tool box, food packs, personal packs, and the master list, and you'll be sure you haven't overlooked anything. Canoeing the Allagash Wilderness Waterway can be the trip of a lifetime, or a prolonged agony. Benefit from Gil Gilpatrick's experience and the chances are you'll have the wilderness float trip of a lifetime.

Gil seems to a legend up this way, he has written several publications about making outdoor equipment, guiding and canoeing rivers up in Maine. This book continues in his easy going style disseminating information as well as stories. We bought this book and a detailed map and canoed the river all the way, just my wife and I. I would recommend the detailed St. John and Allagash map if you plan to canoe the river. Gil is very experienced so if he suggests using caution i would heed the advice. The daily paddling distances we found really easy, but then there was only my wife and I in the canoe and we are used to travelling a long way in a canoe daily. With a larger group or with elderly people and kids you may want to stick to his suggestions for daily distances.

this book coupled with an equally quality map, are all the skilled outdoorsman needs to complete the very enjoyable Allagash River trip.

Gil Gilpatrick, the author, offers the reader practical information about preparation, menus, routes to travel, points of interest along the way as well as additional resources for more information. Gilpatrick's book is ideal for the beginner canoer. I highly recommend it as an introduction to the Allagash River and possible experiences.

This is the best book out on the Allagash River. If you are planning to go to Maine and paddle the Allagash River you must get this book. The detail that is in this book is amazing. The book helped plan out the trip and listed the important things in great detail. If you take the paddle trip without reading the book you will miss the historic parts of the trip. The book also outlines the safe way to paddle the river.