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Outside Magazine July 2000
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Exploring - or Through-Paddling - the Riverine AT (cont.)
New England: The Final Frontier
Prepping for a Four-Star 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.
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