While there is still snow in the woods and ice on the ponds, two friends are set to begin a 740-mile journey from Old Forge to Fort Kent, ME on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.
Emma Carlson of Maine and Emily Rooney of Vermont will be launching from the start of the Trail at the boat dock in Old Forge on Tuesday, April 23.
Their goal is to complete the Trail, which crosses four states and one Canadian province, in 40 days.
During the journey they will be communicating with a second grade class at the W.G. Mallett School in Farmington, ME, helping to educate the students about the people and places they meet and visit along the way.
The class is taught by Carlson’s mother.
Traveling by canoe, the paddlers are determined to keep the trip technology-free and avoid use of cell phones and computers and instead are choosing to communicate with the class through post cards.
“We are always excited when the ice clears from the ponds and lakes of the Trail each spring and now we also have this additional rite of spring when paddlers set out on one of the nation’s truly great adventures”, said Kate Williams, Executive Director of the non-profit Northern Forest Canoe Trail.
Locally, people are watching daily for ice clearing on the Fulton Chain of Lakes. The paddlers do not yet have a clear channel, but the warm temperatures are working on the lake ice.
Carlson’s and Rooney’s connection to the Adirondacks runs deep as they first met in 2007 while on an Adirondack semester at St. Lawrence University in Canton.
