Voices from the Trail

Exploring the Eastern Maine Canoe Trail

(The Eastern Maine Canoe Trail was an historic route rediscovered by Mike Krepner, whose vision helped inspire the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Mike passed away in November 2018. This story was originally published in 1997 by the Portland Press Herald…

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Northern Forest Canoe Explorers bushwack to the Northville Lake Placid Trail

There was no easy way forward. Tangles of overgrown beeches, witch hobble, and fallen spruce loomed in front of us. Miles of cobbled riverbed, at times too shallow to paddle, at times too deep to wade with a full pack, lay…

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An alternative route to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail

On a beaver stream somewhere north of Mount Katahdin: It’s nearing dusk as we round a corner and find our route blocked by yet another tangle of blown-down spruce trees. The last mile and a half of travel have taken…

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A Video Guide for the NFCT in Vermont

The following is a question-and-answer session done via email with Joseph Defelice of Riverbank Media in East Dorset, Vermont. He created a five-part video series about Northern Forest Canoe Trail waterways in Vermont. The series can be found in our…

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The 90-Miler

The thing that surprises me the most as I recover from paddling my first 90-Miler canoe and kayak race is that my quadriceps are the only muscles that hurt. My arms and shoulders and core muscles that propelled the boat…

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That ‘Big Sky’ feeling in Vermont

I heard a man from New Hampshire talk about the views in the North Country recently. He had just returned from driving through the Missisquoi River Valley in northern Vermont, where he was reminded of the scenic vistas that used…

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Raquette Lake to Blue Mountain Lake

For thru-paddlers on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, side trips, such as this one from Raquette Lake to Blue Mountain Lake, are a luxury few can afford. On the other hand, section paddlers often take their time and are treated…

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Upper Saranac River Whitewater

When many Northern Forest Canoe Trail Paddlers think of the Saranac River, images of hand-operated locks, many bridges, and wide-open marshlands come to mind. While these are quintessential aspects of this river, they don’t offer a complete picture. The Saranac…

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Upper Ammonoosuc River Paddle-Hike

I plan on revisiting the Upper Ammonoosuc River this summer and combine a paddle with a hike of the Percy Peaks Loop. Bill Schomburg, a dear NFCT friend who passed away recently, told me about Percy Peaks and the Cohos…

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Impromptu Trip on Lake Memphremagog’s South Bay and the Black River

We stood on the board walk in downtown Newport, and watched the whitecaps dance in the wind under a bright blue fall sky on Lake Memphremagog’s South Bay. Northern Forest Canoe Trail staff and board members were hoping to paddle…

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