"Is that really necessary?,” I teased Andy, pointing to the tripod strapped to his pack. Andy, a veteran Outward Bound instructor, was the first of several paddling partners to accompany me on the journey I was about to begin, the first through-paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT), on May 1, 2000. In the original incarnation of this adventure I had imagined Andy and I would travel the entire 740-mile trail together, but his ties to his wife and work precluded him from making the full trip. I’d rendezvous with other paddling partners along the way and paddle solo in between.TINTIN, my 16′ wood-and-canvas canoe, floated at the dock in Old Forge, New York, and with each armload of gear we loaded I watched the freeboard dwindle. I’d built the E.M. White canoe for this trip under the guidance of Maine builder Jerry Stelmok. My goal: cross the Northeast in a single season, under human power alone, following the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. The then-nascent water trail links a series of shorter routes used by Wabanaki natives and early European settlers to travel the region between New York’s Adirondacks and northernmost Maine. The trail is now well established and supported by a non-profit organization (see sidebar below).“Like you’re going to use that axe,” Andy replied. I’d found the axe head rusted and abandoned the previous summer and refurbished it for this trip. While an axe was an odd accompaniment to my Leave-No-Trace ethic, it was the traditional tool for wilderness canoe travel—so I packed it. Though I’d been trained as a low-impact camper, I was fascinated by the era when the canoe was king, and Voyageurs were masters of woodcraft and living close to the land. I had imagined that my trip would have some of that raw quality, but I was hoping to do without the common Voyageur maladies of compacted spines and hernias.
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Fun to read of your adventure again Donnie. Has it really been over 15 years? How is TINTIN holding up these days?
One Hellova trip, right theyah!! Congratulations to you, sir. I have often though of returning to my native Maine to do part of this trip. Wonderful read. Thanks for posting it. And many thanks to Outward Bound for all that you do.
Yup, well done there Donnie, from the wife of your first paddling partner on the trip. Maybe someday we can do the trip with the kids. Great to read about it again.
I just enjoyed reading Roy MacGregor’s book Canoe Country. One story he shares in the book is about the native practice of chopping wood on their knees. Out in the wild they cannot take the chance of an axe to the feet or legs. They consider the loss of power well worth the extra effort, as an injury will often spell death.
I love this article. It inspires me, though my own adventures are less ambitious.
Thank you for a fine story!
Wow! Very impressive accomplishment. That’s a lot of portaging. How much does the canoe weigh? Very inspiring.
So great to see this again! I am the “mom” in the story. Proud of my son today as I was when I first dropped him off at the beginning of his journey, in NY, and picked him up at the end of his journey, many days later in Maine. Such a treat to re-visit that time. Bravo, Donnie!