The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a place that many have sought for its pristine wilderness, solitude, and wildlife, is a great place to get back to the elements for a week or more. For all of these reasons along with accompanying therapeutic advantages, we have chosen the Allagash Wilderness Waterway as one of our culminating trips at Northwoods Ranch and Retreat.
My experience in the Marine Corps along with my personal, professional development have given me the qualifications to be a wilderness survival expert, and prior to becoming the director of Northwoods Ranch and Retreat, I led several week long adventure therapy trips along the Allagash. These adventures proved to inspire improved teamwork, cultivated enhanced communication skills, and provided struggling young men with an unforgettable educational and therapeutic adventure.
So what exactly is the Allagash Waterway? Maine.gov actually has a decent, detailed description, but I’ll offer an introduction here. Students exploring the Allagash traverse nearly 100 miles on rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes, all among the most remote in the continental United States. The adolescent boys who have experienced failure to launch suddenly gain the experience of launching themselves into the wilderness, traveling in two person paddle canoes guided by a one person kayak.