ACK APRIL-MAY 2021

THINGS TO DO, TO HELP, TO PADDLE, TO RACE, TO LEARN

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail invites you to help improve the access on the trails by working on tent platforms, portage trails, steps, and other projects.

The Maine Island Trail Assn.'s Island Adopters are volunteers who help by monitoring a particular island (or islands), going out in their own boats as their schedules allow. They check island conditions, help pick up debris, interact with other island visitors to promote low-impact use, and report back to MITA staff about their visits.

BOC SETS SUMMER PADDLING SCHEDULE 2021

Paddling is good for both body and soul. It allows us to exercise, as well as getting into nature, away from the four walls, into a clean, safe, and open environment. The Brattleboro Outing Club plans to host 18 paddle trips April 24-Oct. 9. Details will be posted.

PADDLING AT 75
by Gail Ferris

Gail Ferris, our favorite long distance solo paddler, has noticed that some activities associated with paddling are no longer as straight-forward and easy as in the past. Some paddlers would, however sadly, hang up their paddles and fade away, but not Gail. We are including some of her articles concerning this that she has posted over the years so have hope, old friends. There is water at the end of the tunnel!

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE — And TRAK is here to unleash it.
by Cole Wilde

Adventure is out there and it's waiting for you to answer its call. Expeditioning is like the edge of a blade; on one side you are in touch with the sharpness of the human experience which draws out who you are at a core level, allowing you to discover who I call your "inner wild" — someone primal that exists within all of us. On the other side, the reality is that we are exposing ourselves to the risks inherent to exploring very remote locations.

ON THE SCHUYKILL RIVER
by Bob Adams

I grew up a few miles from the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania and swam in it as a kid. We probably shouldn't have; this was the 60's, and all kinds of pollutants were going into the river untreated. My mom grew up in Philadelphia a few miles downstream, and she said that when she was young, you could smell the Schuylkill a mile away, so I guess she figured it was better now. We all showered when we got home, and so far, we are all still alive. Since the 70's and the passage of the Clean Water Act, things have improved greatly. I still wouldn't recommend drinking it, but I wouldn't recommend drinking any water that you don't know the contents of.

PADDLING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
Dana Gaines' answer to the lockdown was a kayak.
by Geoff Currier

It's slushing out today. The wind is howling, and the snow and rain have made any thought of going outside a fool's errand. Weather aside, it's pretty much the same drill we've all been going through in lockdown for the better part of a year now.

HERE WE GO INTO A VACCINATED SUMMER
Paddling life is opening up again.
by Tamsin Venn

We have booked two trips so far this summer, with plans to paddle in Stonington, Maine; Martha's Vineyard; the Adirondacks; and Squam Lake, N.H. But meanwhile we are lucky our stay-at-home options allow us to launch into open sea or expansive marsh.

A CONVERSATION WITH NICK SCHADE
by Peter Jones

Klassified ads for personally-owned gear are free to subscribers; $0.25 per word, per issue for all others. Photos are $5 each. We will run your ad for two issues. Deadline for ad submission is the first of the month before the issue of publication. NOTE: If seller is advertising more than one item, contact info is after the LAST item.