We Tried to Go to Moxie Falls

Early in the spring, when summer seemed so far away, I let my sister Melissa talk me into whitewater rafting on the Kennebec River. Summer came and Melissa made our reservations. I was nervous. Waves of nausea trained me to stop thinking about whitewater. We arrived at The Forks a day early, settled in and set off for a short drive to the trail head of Moxie Falls. The parking lot is 2.3 miles from Rt 201.

The trail is well maintained. The smooth gravel is secure under foot, the trail is wide and there are obstacles to avoid. It’s an easy trail. Sturdy steps make the inclines easy to manage.

It took 20 minutes at a slow pace to walk to the first observation platform. We took our time and enjoyed the view. The only wildlife we encountered was an angry chattering red squirrel.

The view from the first platform is beautiful. It overlooks cascading water on its way to the waterfall.

We didn’t make it to the waterfall. A huge tree fell, blocking the steps with its branches and leaves. I admit to feeling wimpy about taking chances at the time. I didn’t want to get hurt before whitewater rafting the next morning. Climbing over and crawling under the tree, branches and debris didn’t seem worth the risk. I’m returning to the area again next week and hope to finish the trail then.

I’ll be writing about our rafting adventure on the Kennebec River next. It was not at all what I expected.

Robin Follette

About Robin Follette

Maine Press Association award winner, 2013. Robin's Outdoors, Bangor Daily News, third place in Sports blogs. I grew up with a fishing pole in my hand and have always loved the outdoors. From gardening to hunting and fishing, kayaking, camping, hiking and foraging, most of my time is spent outdoors. I teach outdoor skills as a volunteer instructor for Hooked On Fishing - Not On Drugs and Becoming an Outdoors-Woman. Pro-staff at The Limb Grip. My personal blog is here. I'm currently working on my first book, a collection of short stories based on my outdoors experiences.