While there was still snow in the woods and ice on some ponds, two friends began a 740-mile journey from Old Forge, New York to Fort Kent, Maine on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail on April 23, 2013. Emma Carlson of Maine and Emily Rooney of Vermont launched from the start of the Trail at the boat dock in Old Forge. They completed the four-state and one Canadian province trail in 40 days. During the journey the women communicated with a second grade class at the W.G. Mallett School in Farmington, Maine, taught by Ms. Carlson’s mother. Travelling by canoe, the paddlers kept the trip technology free by avoiding the use of cell phones and computers, choosing instead to communicate with postcards in the mail. The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is the longest paddling trail in the nation and runs from Old Forge, New York through Vermont, Québec, and New Hampshire to Fort Kent, Maine. In 2011 the NFCT was named “Best Canoe Trail” by Outside Magazine and in 2012 the magazine named the Trail a “Best East Coast Adventure.” FMI: northernforestcanoetrail.org or call 802-496-2285.

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