First Roach Pond

First Roach Pond in Frenchtown Township is anything but a pond and a lovely place to paddle. It's

Put-in on the western end

3270 acres, about six miles long and 1.5 miles wide at it's widest part . The put-in at the western end, in Kokadjo, is easy and there is plenty of parking across the street from the put-in. No parking signs dot the put-in area and the store owner who owns the land keeps a close eye out for violators. Also, there are not any bathroom facilities -- unless there is one inside the store. However, the put-in is only thirty minutes, at the most, from Greenville.

Snack and stretch time on the northern shore

The sandy/stony beach makes an easy place to put in. The shoreline is dotted with camps but there
were plenty of places to get out and stretch without feeling like we were trespassing. We only covered about half of the lake, never making it to North Inlet which I had hoped to check out. There is another put-in on the far east end of the lake which I hope to report on another time.

We saw Loons, but that was about it for wildlife, even though there were places where moose might be spotted. Early mornings and evening are the best bet for wildlife viewing. The lake has quite a few varieties of fish, including land-locked salmon, brook trout, and lake trout, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Cool nights in this part of the state make using a Maine Warmer a welcome event at the end of the

Neck Warmer soothes tired muscles after paddling

day. The heat relaxes stiff shoulder or neck muscles, and at the end of day outside on the water I am ready to snooze.