The Rapid River
text and photos by Betsy Ham
Autumn colors above Pond
in the River
This
appropriately named river, part of the Androscoggin
watershed, flows between Lower Richardson Lake and Lake Umbagog in western
Maine. For such a short river, six miles from Middle dam to Cedar Stump in
Lake Umbagog, it’s well know in fishing and white water boating circles
and by those who have read Louise Dickinson Rich’s best selling book We
Took to the Woods.
Today
the river runs past Rich’s house very much unchanged from when she wrote
about it in the 40s. It’s still not easy to access the river and the
shoreline remains primarily undeveloped.
Not
being as skilled as Rich in describing the area, I’ll simply offer you a
few of my favorite things to do on and near the river. For expert white
water boaters the river offers some great class II-IV pitches including a
hole called the Jaws of Death. I’ve only rafted down the river once and
it’s worth the trip. For those of us who can not quite paddle this river
on our own, Pond in the River, about one mile below Middle Dam, is a
wonderful place to enjoy quiet waters as long as you don’t mind the
portage in. The pond is about a mile long with only two little-used camps
on its shores. Occasionally you’ll meet a small fishing boat with a
motor but generally you’ll only have to share the place with the loons.
Since
I’m not much of an angler, my favorite thing to do along the river is to
bike down the Carry Road, which runs the length of the river and stop at
each of the pools on the way. After you’ve biked around Pond in the
River stop at Lower Dam. Most of the dam is gone now but it’s a great
fishing spot and a nice view. Just beyond the dam is Rich’s house--the
view back over your shoulder towards Lower Dam will make you realize what
inspired her writing. After her house and two other camps you will come
upon a side path leading to Long Pool, a great place to swim. Next check
out my personal favorite Cold Spring where a steep path leads you to a gem
of a pool overlooked by an Osprey nest.
Smooth Ledge, next on the trip, is a great place to hang out and
watch white water boaters play in the waves or take a swim and play in the
waves yourself. Cedar Stump campground completes the tour unless you would
like to check out Sunday Cove on Umbagog.
I
imagine that this river hasn’t change much since Rich wrote about it
half a century ago. A few
more fisherman and white water boaters perhaps but generally Rich would
recognize it.
Will
this unspoiled river remain this way forever? The good news is that most
of the shoreline of the Rapid River is now protected from development
through conservation easements. The bad news is that development pressure
away from the shores of the river could cause the river’s demise. Union
Water Power Company has applied to the Land
Use Regulatory Commission (LURC) for a subdivision permit to build 12
camps near the Rapid. Most of the camps would be designed for those using
the river. In addition, Lower Richardson was one of the few lakes not
included as part of a package of conservation easements on lands owned by
Pingree Forest Partnership. If Lower Richardson had been included future
development on the lake would have been eliminated. As it is the lake is
one of the few owned by the Pingrees left unprotected. Rumors of
development planned for the lake are everywhere! More camps on Lower
Richardson would mean more use of the river. Because the Rapid is a small
river a few camps can go a long way towards causing overuse problems.
Middle dam during
spring runoff
Contact LURC at to voice your opinion or find out more information:
LURC
22 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0022
1-800-452-8711
(in-state)
207- 287-2631
Betsy Ham, who grew up along the Rapid River, is the Maine Rivers Coordinator