Outside Online
advertisement
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Gear
  • Bodywork
  • Culture
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Photos
  • Archives
  • Subscribe
Subscribe to Outside Magazine


You Are Here:   Home  >>   Outside Online Archives

Outside Blog
  • A Fish Story You Don't Want To Hear
  • Elephant Pooh Paper
  • Bamboo Compound Could Support China's ...
  • Bringing Mammoths Back To Life
  • The Wonk: I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK
Podcasts
  • Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov listen
  • Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz listen
  • Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch listen
  • Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer listen
  • Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman listen
  • Out of Bounds: That '70s Guy listen
Videos
  • Jack Johnson Cover Shoot
  • Grand Canyon: 3D IMAX
  • Climbing El Capitan
  • Castaway:
  • Episode 1: The Arrival
  • Episode 2: The Quest for Fire
  • Episode 3: Mmm...Slime Nuggets
  • Episode 4: "Last Night, a Crab Tried to Eat Me."
Ask Dave
  • What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer
  • Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer
  • How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer
The Wild File
  • Why do mosquito bites itch? answer
  • Are elite athletes just lucky genetic mutants? answer
  • Can women really tolerate cold water better than men? answer

Online Favorites

  • "Into Thin Air"
  • Best Adventure Books
  • The O Files: Unsolved Mysteries
  • Dream Towns
  • Dream Jobs

Special Issues

  • Family Road Trips
  • Interactive Colorado
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Adventure Lodges
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Photo Galleries

  • Malia Jones
  • Amanda Beard
  • Julia Mancuso
  • Women Who Rock
  • Kelly Slater
  • Olympic Cities
  • Exposure: Sara Carlson
  • See All Galleries
share this article del.icio.us DIGG Facebook StumbleUpon

Outside magazine, July 2000 Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Canoeing pioneers unveil the new 700-plus-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail

New England:
The Final Frontier

PREPPING FOR A FOUR-STATE FIRST TRAVERSE
Like a golf course that requires every club in the bag, the northern Forest Canoe Trail demands a full range of skills, including experience negotiating short stretches of Class III whitewater. Through-paddlers should know how to pole and should allot at least eight weeks to complete the trail, something that hasn't been done yet.

When To Go: May/June or September/October are the best months, as campsites are more readily available and the water is higher.

Getting Primed: Build up to the long haul by paddling short sections first. For information on trail conditions, call the NFCT at 802-496-2285, or check out:
www.northernforestcanoetrail.org.
Also, I highly recommend Adirondack Canoe Waters: The North Flow, by Paul Jamieson (available through the Adirondack Mountain Club, 800-395-8080; www.adk.org).

Staying There: The NFCT passes directly through several towns, so there's easy access to inexpensive motels and cozy B&Bs. For base camps, however, try The Wawbeek, on Upper Saranac Lake, New York (518-359-2656), Northbrook Lodge, in Paul Smiths, New York (518-327-3379), and The Birches, in Rockwood, Maine (207-534-7305).

Outfitters: You'll find a dozen or more supply-rental outfits and other services along the way, among them Mac's Canoe Livery, Route 30, Lake Clear, NY (518-891-1176) and Nulhegan Guiding, 1506 Route 114, Island Pond, VT (802-895-4328). Mac's Canoe Livery's rates are typical: $25 a day for Royal X canoes, $40 a day for Kevlar, and $50 a day for graphite. —C.S.

ONE WARM MORNING EARLY LAST JUNE, we carried our canoes at the shore of Brighton Pond, deep in Vermont's boreal Northeast Kingdom, and carried them over the narrow divide separating the Nulhegan and Clyde River watersheds. It was a fairly short portage, a nearly level stroll on a well-beaten path under tall white pines. Not five minutes later, we came upon the tracks of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad and followed them 200 yards to a tea-colored tamarack bog—perhaps the shortcut we were seeking to the Nulhegan. We put in and drifted toward a narrow blue horizon throughaisles of balsam and spruce.

It was National Trails Day, and my wife and I had joined six members of Native Trails Inc., a nonprofit outfit dedicated to identifying and preserving precolonial and preindustrial travel routes, on a scouting detail. With us was one of its founders, Ron Canter, a cartographer at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as Maryland-based computer expert and waterman Randy Mardres, and Mike Krepner, a Maine guide.

Our goal that day was to check out the portage route and then run the Nulhegan 15 miles to the Connecticut River. It was the latest in a decade of outings Native Trails has led as the group has pieced together the 700-plus-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. The NFCT, a (mostly) fluvial Appalachian Trail, includesthe storied and popular canoe waters of the Adirondacks and Maine at either end, but its interior connections, such as the Nulhegan, have attracted little use since the days of log drives in the late 1800s. We wanted to make sure nothing besides a few short portages and beaver dams blocked the way.

As you might expect, creating the NFCT has been a long haul, but the vision Native Trails outlined ten years ago, based on colonial records and maps, is nearing reality. To promote and maintain the trail, a separate nonprofit named the North Forest Canoe Trail was formed in 1999. The organization is run by Kay Henry and Rob Center, former executives of Waitsfield, Vermont-based Mad River Canoe who view the trail as an opportunity for increased economic vitality and historical awareness. The seasoned managers have already won corporate and foundation grants, and have organized a network of volunteers to maintain waterways, campsites, and information centers.

While every mile of the NFCT follows colonial routes, its final shape has been updated to accommodate changes in the watercourses. The trail begins at Old Forge, in New York's Adirondack Park, and roars down the Saranac, with its sections of Class II and III whitewater, to Lake Champlain. From there, it enters the Mississquoi River and, after a good deal of upstream paddling and poling, lets you out at the Clyde-Nulhegan watershed, where we started out that morning. Reaching the Connecticut River, the NFCT next hooks up with the Ammonoosuc River, cuts across New Hampshire's northern neck, and wends up the steep, spectacular Rapid River to Maine's Rangeley Lakes at Fort Kent. It ends at the Canadian border.

There are still some kinks to sort out. Snags and downed trees from spring runoffs have yet to be cleared. Short sections of portage trail, like the one connecting the Clyde to the Nulhegan, need brushing out and marking, and information isn't complete for every segment of the route. Leaving Brighton Pond that day, we had little idea what to expect.

We paddled the Nulhegan's twisty headwaters, cutting away blowdown, and on through the middle reaches of deep current to the swift lower miles. Toward day's end we came to the head of a lovely Class II rapid with a narrow line of waves cushioning the rocks. We ran it, Ron Canter poling his canoe from a standing position. Eventually we rounded a bend and confronted a maze of boulders blocking the widening stream. While the rest of us watched, one of the men soloed his boat down the rock garden, only to run aground.

A party of long-haulers might have chosen to camp there and reach the Connecticut in the morning. But we called it a day and hiked back to the highway. On a low rise above the railroad bridge, we looked back up the valley, a scene on par with anything depicted by 19th-century painters. The view reminded me of what I love most about the NFCT: its natural beauty and timelessness. —CHRISTOPHER SHAW


Next Page Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5



BlogVideosPodcastsPhotos
TODAY'S NEWS UPDATE!
A Fish Story You Don't Want To Hear
According to Peter Moyle, professor of conservation biology at UC Davis, most of California's ...

Elephant Pooh Paper
If an animated elephant can pitch in to save the planet, so can you. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has been ...

More Blogs:
  • Bamboo Compound Could Support China's ...
  • Bringing Mammoths Back To Life
  • The Wonk: I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK
  • Featured Blog: Green Issues
  • Blog Home
The Peacemaker
Greg Mortenson works to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Greg Mortenson video Watch

winter gear video
Winter Gear
winter filming video
Winter Film
ROM video
The ROM

More Videos:
  • Russell Coutts
  • Gym Jones
  • Dean Potter
  • Photo Guide
  • See all Videos
Gone Missing
The crew of the Travel Channel's newest show talks about filming in Papua.
Gone Missing podcast Listen

Mike Rowe Speaks
Mike Rowe talks about his long strange trip to TV's dirtiest dream job.
Mike Rowe podcast Listen

More Podcasts:
  • Q&A: Climbing El Capitan
  • Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz
  • Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch
  • Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer
  • See all Podcasts
Malia Jones photo gallery
Malia Jones
pirate photo gallery
Pirates
Rwanda photo gallery
Rwanda

readers  photo gallery
Readers
Julia Mancuso photo gallery
Julia Mancuso
Amanda Beard photo gallery
A. Beard

More Photos:
  • Cousteaus
  • Cuba
  • Rally Car
  • Submit Your Own Photo
  • See all Photos

advertisement




Subscribe to Outside Magazine!

special featrues

Gear Spotlight: Adventure Electronics
Our esteemed Gear Guy hones in the FAQs of the digital world in this exclusive archive.
The Green Issue
Earth Day may fall in April, but global awareness should be a 365-day concern. Let us help you stay focused.




Vacation Packages

More Travel Deals
  • Save 50% on packages to thousands of destinations
  • Thanksgiving flights from $166
  • Last Minute Deals for travel this weekend or next
  • Ski destinations packages from $181
Sign up for our Travel Deals Newsletter


More From Outside Online

Outside August 2008

  • Best Towns
  • Jeff Lowe
  • Burma Cyclone
  • Triathlon Training

Special Issues

  • 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide
  • 2008 Winter Buyer's Guide
  • Outside Blog
  • Unsolved Mysteries

Outside July 2008

  • Andy Roddick
  • Fitness Special
  • Summer Road Trips
  • Canadian Adventures

Online Exclusives

  • Spooky Spots and Terrible Tales
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Outside June 2008

  • Malia Jones
  • Weekend Escapes
  • Satellite Radio
  • Joe Papp

Online Favorites

  • Outside Gear Blog
  • Gear Guy
  • Fitness Q&A
  • Adventure Adviser

Outside May 2008

  • Anderson Cooper
  • Best Jobs 2008
  • Surf Genius
  • Russell Brice

Outside Classics

  • Into Thin Air
  • The Whale Hunters
  • Raising the Dead
  • The Long Way Home


Vacation Ideas from The Away Network

Outside's Best Towns 2008

  • Crested Butte, CO
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Portsmouth, NH
  • Washington, DC
  • Rest of the Best

Gay-Friendly Vacation Guides

  • Asia
  • Europe
  • South America
  • United States
  • All Vacation Destinations

Best Fall Foliage

  • Black Hills National Forest
  • Glacier National Park
  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Monongahela National Forest
  • Shenandoah National Park

Trip-Planning Tools

  • Cheap Flights 101
  • Cheap Hotels 101
  • Compare Rates
  • Travel Insurance Tips
  • Vacation Rentals Index

Top Scenic Drives

  • California's Deserts
  • Mountain Tours
  • Upstate New York
  • Weekend Road Trips
  • See All Drives

GORP's Fall Outdoor Guides

  • Where to Camp
  • Where to Fish
  • Where to Hike
  • Where to Mountain Bike
  • All Fall Guides

GORPTravel Trips

  • Active Resorts
  • Horses & Riding
  • Nature Observation
  • Culinary Tours
  • Volunteer Vacations

Fall Travel Guides

  • Active Travel
  • Cultural Travel
  • Outdoor Travel
  • Romantic Travel
  • All Monthly Travel Guides



  • Home |
  • Travel |
  • Gear |
  • Bodywork |
  • Culture |
  • Videos |
  • Podcasts |
  • Photos |
  • Archives |
  • Feedback |
  • RSS Feeds |
  • Subscribe to Outside Magazine |
  • Join/Login




  • About Outside |
  • Advertise |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Subscription Services |
  • Sponsorship Policy |
  • Outside Info |
  • Site Map |
  • Press Room

  • Outside Magazine Media Kit |
  • Photo Department |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Contact Us |
  • Contributor's Guidelines

Partner Sites:
  • Away.com |
  • GORP.com |
  • Orbitz |
  • Cheaptickets |
  • ebookers |
  • HotelClub.com |
  • RatesToGo.com |
  • asia-hotels.com |
  • Outside's Go


©1994-2008 Mariah Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of material from any pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.