Maine White Water Rafting: An Immersive Nature Experience
- Steve Fiore
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
This past summer, with my son Michael, I embarked on an incredible sensory experience while we were traveling down the Kennebec River in The Forks, Maine white water rafting when I noticed something I wasn't expecting. It was the smell of pine.
In the raft was a bunch of Massachusetts middle school students from an all-boys school who were on a school trip, chaperoned by one of their teachers. The teacher who also picked up the scent of the pine, shared with the boys to remember the sensory experience, especially as it was combined with the rushing water as we hit wave after wave.
Of course, as you can imagine, the middle school boys just looked at him, with blank stares, but I assume his comments landed with at least one of the six boys.
The other notable part to this story is Michael was also the white-water rafting guide. More on that in a bit.
If you recall from my first post, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate Review: The Intersection of Art and Flavor, I talked about Michael's love for trucks and watching the same Dirty Jobs episodes over and over again. When Michael was about 12 or 13, he asked for a camping tent for his birthday. I remember giggling because Mary Beth and I never took the kids camping. I only went once with friends just after college and remember feeling like a fish out of water. There was nothing natural or relaxing about camping to me. You will also read in a future post that we own Marriott timeshares down in Aruba. That is more my speed.
Michael's connection with nature was different, and one Mary Beth and I have learned to appreciate more as we got older, and a lot of that has to do with Michael. We did purchase the tent for him and set it up on our 3-season porch. We asked where Michael was going to camp and he stated in our yard and woods, which are directly behind the house.
Over his high school years, Michael and his friends would camp in our yard and and as they got a little older, in the woods, having a great time. At some point during that time, we bought one of those outdoor firepits from one of the big hardware store chains only to have it fall apart after one season. With the help of a friend, we did buy one where we had to build it and Michael and his friends would build fires, camp, and just have fun.
The Rooted & Refined Living Expert Tip:
"Stacking multiple senses in a single experience will etch the positive experience into your long-term memory."
Fast forward a few years, Michael is in his final semester at Keene State College in New Hampshire studying Sustainable Product Design and Innovation, where he gets to build things, primarily with wood. He wants to leverage that passion and become a high school wood shop teacher upon graduation.
Towards the end of his second year, he signed up for an outdoor leadership class. It was a 5-day immersive class run by one of the Keene State professors, who was also a licensed Maine State White Water Rafting and Recreation Guide. She took Michael and 5 other students up to The Forks, Maine for a series of outdoor activities including white water rafting, hiking, rappelling, and rock climbing.
Because of Michael's love of teaching, the professor suggested that Michael would be a great white-water rafting guide and he should look to apply the following year.
The comment Michael made following his trip was that he "never felt more connected to a location than he did up at The Forks".
Do you know how many times Michael went white-water rafting before this course...zero.
Maine White Water Rafting
Michael was going to go from never going rafting to being a guide. By the time he started his license training, he went 3 times beforehand.
So, Michael, Mary Beth, and I started a quest of understanding what it took to be a guide, and through a few birthday and Christmas presents from us and family members, he amassed the gear he needed to guide. This is a similar concept of being a mechanic where you need to buy your own tools. Michael needed a helmet, paddle, life vest, rope, knife (to cut the rope), medical supplies, etc.
At the end of his spring semester last year, Michael applied and was accepted to be a guide. He had one week of training last summer and then would become certified. As an aside, Maine is one of the few states that requires guides to be certified.
It was mid-May when Michael and his peers took the training. The challenge with the week they took the training, it was unseasonably cold. Michael, and his peers, pushed through and ultimately became certified later that week.
Following the training week, Michael started as a certified white-water rafting working for Adventure Bound. Adventure Bound specializes in bringing middle and high school age students on class trips or similar visits from local summer camps in the New England area. The students get to do all of the things Michael did when he was in his leadership class including the hiking, rappelling, and rock climbing. Michael is currently working to obtain his certified Maine recreation license as well this year.
The sister company to Adventure Bound is Northern Outdoors. Northern Outdoors caters to adults and families. They offer all of the same summertime activities including the white-water rafting, plus ATVs. and even host weddings. During the winter, they offer snowmobiling.
Northern Outdoors (which Michael has helped out and guided for from time to time), also has a great restaurant, bar, small gift shop, and accommodations. When we went to visit Michael a few times during the summer, we stayed at Northern Outdoors. The hospitality was fantastic.
They also offer a variety of lodging options including the hotel in the main building (where we stayed), cabins for large parties, and a camping area where you can pitch your own tent and use the community showers in the main building. It really depends on your preference and budget.
We went a few times to visit Michael. During each of those visits, we also stopped at the local food truck for breakfast, the Confluence Cafe, which I ate their Trailside Toast (avocado toast) on a bagel for each visit. There is always a line at the Confluence Cafe as it is in an area just off of the main highway where the logging trucks roll by. As a side note, the cafe is only open during the spring, summer, and early fall, most likely to align to the white-water rafting season. Their website references that they open in May this year.
During our visit with Michael, we did a small easy hike to Moxie Falls, which was breathtaking, and even hiked Number 5 Mountain (yes, that is what it is called) which is about 45 minutes north of the Forks.
This summer, Michael will be guiding again, and we plan on making the 5-hour trip up to The Forks and having a great time once again. This time, we will try to get Mary Beth to join us for the rafting trip.
If you are looking for an outdoor adventure, nestled in the pine trees of Maine, book a white-water rafting trip with your family and friends. You will be sure to have a great time.
Hope to see you there. Frequently Asked Questions
What are some unique things to do in The Forks?
There is a natural spring at the side of the road to fill water. Many people who drive up for the week or weekend to their camp (small house with little to no running water) will stop at the spring to fill up massive jugs of water for the week. Michael and I stopped to fill our water bottles. Per my Google search, the location is situated just a short drive from where Lake Moxie Road intersects with US Route 201. As you head down Lake Moxie Road toward the Moxie Falls trailhead, keep an eye out for a small pull off area on the side of the road where the clear spring water flows out.
What is your favorite part about The Forks?
White-water rafting is by far the favorite thing to do and Moxie Falls is a very close second.
How difficult is the hiking at Moxie Falls?
It is a relatively easy hike in and out, probably about 1 mile in from the road. When you get to the falls, there is an easy viewing area with some steps but for the adventurous types, you can hike further down.
What class rapids is the Kennebec?
The Kennebec has rapids that are class II-IV. The upper gorge, where you get the smell of pine, has class III and IV while the lower gorge widens and makes for a more relaxing class II and III rapids.
Start Your Own White-Wate Rapids Sensory Experience with Northern Outdoors
If you are looking for the fun, adventure filled experience, Northern Outdoors is the way to go in The Forks, Maine. It will elevate your sensory experience and provide memories that will last a lifetime. Book today and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
For Transparency: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I truly love and use myself. Also, as noted, while none of the companies listed are sponsoring this post, Michael does work for Adventure Bound and periodically, its sister company, Northern Outdoors.
Comments