“From a Beer Label to the Allagash: A Solo Canoe Adventure” by Will Law

In the summer of 2020, amidst the uncertainty and confinement of the COVID-19 pandemic, I desperately wanted the freedom of the great outdoors. This led me to embark on a memorable canoe trip on the Northern Maine’s Allagash River, an adventure inspired by Allagash Brewing Company’s “Paddle Trip” beer, a brew I picked up at the grocery store one uneventful Friday night. The journey itself was an odyssey, beginning with an epic 24-hour drive to Allagash, Maine, broken up by a refreshing stopover at my in-laws in Richmond, VA. From the remote outpost of Allagash (steps from the Canadian Border), an outfitter drove me another three hours deep into the heart of the North Maine Woods. I was dropped off, ready to begin a challenging four-day, three-night solo expedition.

On my final morning, I pushed off at 6 AM, driven by the hope of spotting some of the region’s iconic wildlife. My early start was rewarded when I came upon a majestic moose and her gangly calf attempting to cross the river. The calf had already made it to the opposite bank, but the Mother Moose retreated to the same bank where they had started from, her eyes locking with mine as my canoe silently split the water between them. You could cut the tension with a knife. Then, as I passed, the Mother Moose, with a powerful surge of primal instinct, crashed through the river to be reunited with her little one. It was a moment that will forever be etched in my memory.

The trip was a fun and incredibly relaxing escape, filled with hours of peaceful fishing and evenings spent by the fire, serenaded by the haunting, wild calls of loons. With that said, no wilderness experience is without its trials: The black flies were brutal, their persistent bites leaving behind painful, itchy welts.