Voices from the Trail
Category: From the Interns
The Places You Go and the People You Meet
It’s difficult to describe the sights you see and the souls you meet while out on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. From this internship I got everything and more than I could imagine. I expected to be totally immersed in…
Sacred Waters
As I sit here in the 95 degree-heat, 90 percent humidity that is Maryland now that my Northern Forest Canoe Trail summer internship is over, I find myself daydreaming about being on the river again. How do I describe spending…
Stewardship Intern Reflects On Rewarding Summer
Working as a stewardship intern for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail was at times a whirlwind of activity and at other times a peaceful experience. This reflects the rivers that NFCT follows, often slow and meandering, yet occasionally they become…
In Praise of Tent Life
The Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius once suggested that, from time to time, we spend a few nights sleeping on the ground. It didn’t really matter where it was – it could even be right next to the bed we usually…
Life On The Trail
The question I received most frequently this summer was “Wisconsin, eh, how’d you end up all the way out here?” The answer to that is simple. I was sitting in my grimy college house living room exploring options for what…
Why Thru-Paddle?
(Editors note: Beth Ziehl and Calvin Decker plan to thru-paddle the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, starting in mid-May. The pair are outdoor enthusiasts who both currently live in the Hudson Valley, where they enjoy paddling, hiking, and biking. The following…
A Peek into the Life of a Northern Forest Explorer
From the rapids of the Androscoggin, down the meandering Clyde River, across Blue Mountain Lake and through the quick water of the Connecticut River, the Northern Forest Explorers travel. Nine trips set off last summer with 10-14 year-olds spread out…
An Intern’s Privy Pride
I took a deep breath, stepped back, and paused a moment to gather myself. I could hardly believe that only several months earlier I had eagerly accepted this position, that of the outdoor wanderer, the transient do-gooder, a member…