Cupsuptic Lake camping trip

A couple of weeks ago I went camping for two days on the remote western shore of Cupsuptic Lake in the Rangeley area.

Cupsuptic actually forms the northern bay of Mooselookmeguntic, one of Maine's largest lakes. At one time, Cupsuptic was a separate lake. But after the installation of Upper Dam on Mooselook, the water level was raised 12 feet and lakes became one.

We had a gorgeous waterfront tent site with an ancient moss- and lichen-covered dock out front. Aside from a few fishermen who passed by in trolling motorboats, we were the only people around for miles. That's how remote this place is. The only way to reach this site, part of the Stephen Phillips preserve, is via a two-mile boat ride across the lake. We loaded the boat with tents, bedding, food, wine and fishing gear. We wanted to paddle around the area so we strapped a pair of kayaks to the boat.

The weather was perfect and the lake was like glass much of time -- rare for these lakes where a strong northwesterly wind roars down from the mountains and out of nearby Canada most days. The calm surface made for perfect paddling conditions. Check out the video.