Greenville women spend 18 days on Moosehead

GREENVILLE — Two Greenville women recently completed an 18-day trip on Moosehead Lake to view its splendor, virtually following in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau.

Faye Booker, 37, an English teacher at Greenville High School, and one of her former students, Mary Barteau, 19, traversed much the same area as Thoreau. The pair had intended to travel for 21 days, but a bout with influenza forced Booker to stop the trip earlier.

Originally, Booker and Barteau were to be joined by Nancy Watler, but her schedule prohibited that. Watler, however, did serve as the “resupply sergeant,” according to Booker.

The pair had intended to travel by canoe, but Booker didn’t feel she could devote the entire summer to the trip, so they traveled by 16 1/2-foot motorboat. A dinghy attached to the motorboat served as the shuttle between land and water. A two-way radio connected them to civilization.

Booker took photographs during the trip, while Barteau sketched scenes they plan to incorporate into a book on the natural beauty of the lake.

“I want people to appreciate this place,” she said.

Planning for the trip, which took the pair from the cove in the village to Hardscrabble in the Kineo area, began a year ago. Booker, who served as the chief cook, said the pair ate steaks, biscuits, baked beans and pork chops. As a reserve, Booker purchased several packages of freeze-dried food, which became a meal for raccoons.

Rain hampered the trip almost 15 of the 18 days and wind battered the boats. The pair endured 3- to 5-foot waves during the foul weather.

“You just learned to take what was given to you,” Booker said of the weather.

Booker and Barteau saw no moose during their trip, which is unusual, but did watch and photograph waterfowl, rabbits and owls. The pair used campsites along the lake that are maintained by the Maine Forest Service.

For Barteau, it was an experience never to be forgotten. An inexperienced camper, she learned the ropes quickly. While hiking Kineo Mountain, she was chased by a partridge protecting her young. Barteau said that at first she had no idea what was chasing her because all she heard was screeching.

One disturbing thing that the pair observed during their trip was the lack of respect some boaters had for the lake and the weather.

“We watched small boats full of people with up to eight individuals on board. Some had no maps or life preservers,” Booker said. “People took a lot of chances.”

“I would do it all over again, but I would do it for stretches at a time,” Booker said of the trip. “When I first came back, I was bitter that I didn’t finish the trip. Out there you’re pretty puny compared to the rest of the scheme,” she said.

“I’m a believer in lifelong learning,” Booker said.