For Immediate Release
July 15, 2010
Contact: Kate Williams, Executive Director
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
802-496-2285 or kate@northernforestcanoetrail.org 
RANGELEY, Maine – Canoe and kayak outings, an international paddling challenge, and fireworks over Saddleback Mountain are planned for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) Paddlers Rendezvous in Rangeley July 24-25.
Hundreds of paddling and outdoor enthusiasts are expected to attend the event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Inc. The organization created and manages the 740-mile recreational water trail by the same name that stretches from Old Forge, N.Y. to Fort Kent, Maine.
Free activities, exhibits, equipment demonstrations and educational presentations will take place Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the grounds of the Ecopelagicon nature store and Haley Pond Park off Route 4.
Presentations will happen under a large tent and cover topics from birch bark canoe construction to canoe camping with kids, kayak fishing and great places to paddle along the NFCT. The Chewonki Traveling Natural History Program will have three live raptors for children to see up close and learn about. Other exhibitors will represent boat and paddle products, outfitters, state conservation agencies, and destinations along the trail.
Headquarters for the international "740 Miles in One Day Challenge" will be at the Haley Pond boat ramp behind City Cove Realty on Route 4. The trail-wide paddling event has a goal of logging enough paddler miles from dawn to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday to equal the 740-mile length of the trail. Canoeists and kayakers can participate in the challenge on Haley Pond from noon to 4:00 p.m.
The NFCT trail stewardship crew will demonstrate bog bridge construction and host a Griphoist and highline system skills challenge from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Rangeley Lakes Region Logging Museum on Route 16. Saturday will conclude with a ticketed anniversary party at Saddleback Maine featuring dinner, a commemorative program, live music, a bonfire and fireworks.
A family paddle outing on Rangeley Lake, group paddles, and a bird walk at Rangeley Lake State Park are some of the offerings from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Sunday. The Paddlers Rendezvous will coincide with the 30th Rangeley Lakes Region Logging Museum Festival Days, and NFCT staff, interns and volunteers will represent the trail with a float in the Saturday morning festival parade down Main Street. For full details on the NFCT celebration visit www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/GetInvolved-2/10th-Anniversary–July-24-25-2010-101.
Umbagog Lake, Rangeley Lake, Mooselookmeguntic Lake, Cupsuptic Lake, the Richardson Lakes, South Branch of the Dead River and Flagstaff Lake are the bodies of water that make up the two mapped sections of the NFCT in the Rangeley region.
In all, the trail has 13 mapped sections which follow Native American paddling routes over lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and portage trails through New York, Vermont, southern Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The nonprofit Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Inc. began operation in 2000 headed by husband and wife Rob Center and Kay Henry, both former executives at Mad River Canoe Company. The physical trail opened to the public in 2006 and is accessible to both canoeists and kayakers.
NFCT, Inc. is internationally regarded as the preeminent water trail organization in North America. The organization provides trail access, paddling itineraries, trail construction and stewardship, volunteer work trips, and unique outreach initiatives like the Paddlers Film Festival and the Northern Forest Explorers youth paddling program.
For more information about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail call 802-496-2285 or visit www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/.
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About the Northern Forest Canoe Trail: The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a 740-mile inland paddling trail tracing historic travel routes across New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine. NFCT, Inc. is internationally regarded as the preeminent water trail organization in North America, and connects people to the Trail’s natural environment, human heritage, and contemporary communities by stewarding, promoting, and providing access to canoe and kayak experiences along this route.
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