Cribworks Rapids, West Branch Penobscot River, Maine — Morning steam rises from the surging Cribworks Rapids on the Penobscot River's West Branch. The roar of the whitewater dominates the pre-dawn landscape. When the first rays of light break through the tree tops, the river mist erupts into a storm of gold smoke. This 350-mile river was the 19th century highway for moving lumber to Bangor. The Class 5 rapids are formed by shattered boulders left in the riverbed by years of dynamite used to break apart the timber jams. Today this stretch of river is world-renown as one of the top fly-fishing and paddling destinations. The word Penobscot means "waters of descending ledge." On this summer morning, a lone kayaker blasts through the formidable hydraulics and skillfully surfs the glassy standing waves.