Ice blocks Maine’s spring fun

A picture on last Monday’s Sports page summed up our fabulous spring. There sat H.I. Hasey of Bangor, one of the kayak racers in last weekend’s Passagassawakeag River race, with icicles hanging off his helmet and a coating of ice on his spray skirt. Welcome to spring in Maine!

It could be that we actually will have a spring around these parts, but I’m beginning to lose faith. I’m still standing by my bet on the ice leaving Pushaw Lake before the end of the month and being able to paddle from the western shore to the eastern one. The way things are looking, I may have been a little optimistic. Of course having 20-degree nights hasn’t helped in the ice removal category. My salvation may lie in heavy rains flooding the surface, thereby providing enough water to float my boat. We’ll see, I guess.

In the meantime, I’m thinking of heading south in search of open water – how’s Belize sound? I know it won’t happen in my lifetime, but I can dream, can’t I? It would be nice, however, to paddle just once in water that was about the same temperature as the air on a summer day.

In the meantime I’ll have to be content with getting gear ready for this weekend’s foray to the frigid waters of Penobscot Bay. With a little bit of luck it won’t snow on Sunday and we’ll be able to launch an early season foray on the waters of Castine Harbor. I’ll let you know.

Speaking of cold water, I heard from my friends at Northern Outdoors in The Forks. It seems like yesterday I was visiting them to experience snowmobile trail grooming. Now they’re getting ready for the rafting season (I think they’ve gotten a bit bored with winter, too.).

They’re offering deep discounts, like half off, on Kennebec River trips in May. Talk about optimism! Obviously they feel the ice will be gone this month, too, because they’re planning on running trips beginning May 3. I’m sure there won’t be many black flies flitting about then. For about $50 with transportation, equipment, shuttle, and barbecue thrown in, it sounds like an offer that river junkies cannot refuse.

As an enticement on every day but Saturday during June, Northern is offering similarly discounted trips on both the Kennebec and the West Branch of the Penobscot rivers. During the spring the minimum age for a paddle raft is 10.

“Following a winter with great snow pack, we’re anticipating an exciting spring season on both the Kennebec and Penobscot watersheds,” operations manager Greg Caruso said. “Early season rafting provides high thrills with fewer people around making it a great time to be on the river,” he added.

If your cup of tea is big roller coaster waves, lots of group excitement, and big rapids with names like The Three Sisters, Alleyway Magic Falls, Exterminator, Staircase, and Cribwork, you’d be smart to sign up for the early season. You’ll be able take two early season trips for the price of one July or August trip. For more information call 1-800-765-7238 or check out their Web site at www.northernoutdoors.com.

If canoes are your preferred method of travel, there are a couple of events on tap you should know about, put on your calendar, if you will.

The first is coming right up. It’s a slide show presentation on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail by Rob Center of Waitsfield, Vt., executive director of the trail. He will show you pictures of the trail at the Greenville elementary school beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday. It’s right behind the high school and abuts the parking lot. The door should have a poster on it, I’m told.

If you haven’t heard about this canoe trail, it’s a 740-mile-long paddling route that stretches from Fort Kent to Old Forge, N.Y.

In NFCT’s words, the trail “represents a network of travel routes once used by Native Americans and early European settlers and is central to the heritage and development of the Northeast. This landscape of interlaced waterways continues to provide extensive opportunities for canoe and kayak recreation. The trail will be managed and maintained by local community stewardship organizations and volunteers, in cooperation with the non-profit Northern Forest Canoe Trail organization.”

The Natural Resource Education Center has recently become the stewardship organization for a section of the trail which runs from Moosehead Lake to Umbazooksus Lake (south of south of Chamberlain Lake and west of Baxter State Park), Linda Koski told me. At this upcoming meeting the following tasks will be discussed: Identify all the landowners along the trail; identify campsites, access points, portages; identify points of interest along the route; identify a group to work on writing a route description; write text for the map; gather photographs for the map; gather historical information; gather natural history information; research general rules, regulations, fees for campsites; and brainstorm grant projects.

Anyone interested in helping should call Koski at 695-3668 for more information.

For more information about the trail, check out the Web site at www.NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org.

The other event all you canoeists should note is the 2003 Maine Canoe Symposium at Bridgton June 6-8. This annual event, which began in 1986, features hands-on lessons, canoe demonstrations and slide shows from experts in the canoeing community.

If there’s anything you ever wanted to learn about canoeing, this is the event to attend. If you attend you’ll get to rub shoulders with the likes of Master Maine Guide Gil Gilpatrick, author of several books, including the just-published “Allagash: A journey through time on Maine’s legendary wilderness waterway” available directly from the author (P.O. Box 461, Skowhegan 04976, $19.95).

Former American Canoe Association national champion Jim Bowman, who has taught canoe sailing at this event annually, will make a repeat performance, as will Harry Rock, 11-time national poling champ. He’ll show you how to move your boat without a paddle.

This year’s agenda includes demonstrations and instruction on paddling styles including Northwoods, freestyle, classic solo, sit and switch, touring, and white-water techniques, as well as sessions on paddle making, wilderness trip skills and gear, camp cooking, river reading, weather, map and compass, canoe repair, and safety and rescue.

Since this event is family oriented, there are a number of activities geared to the younger set including crafts, games, hikes, paddling, and outdoor skills instruction.

There are two specials events planned for Friday at additional cost. One is an introduction to solo paddling with Kim Gass, Registered Maine Guide, who will show you how to handle a canoe by yourself; and an afternoon paddle on the Ossipee River with David Butler of Maine Path and Paddle Guides.

Friday evening renowned Canadian canoeist Becky Mason will present a slide show entitled “Views from my canoe and a film in the making.” On Saturday night, Rob Center and Kay Henry will talk about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

This event takes place at Winona Camps on the shores of Moose Pond. Registration for the weekend is $65 per adult prior to May 1 ($80 afterward), and there are various accommodation/meal packages available. For example, wall tents for 1-2 people are $17 per night, tents for 3-4 people are $25 per night, bunkhouses are $9 per person per night, or you can pay $5 per person per night if you provide your own tent or camper. There’s a meal package for Saturday (three meals) and Sunday (two meals) for $41, or there are individual meals available at various prices.

To get a brochure or information, call 892-3121 or check out the symposium’s Web site: www.MaineCanoeSymposium.org. You can also write to Winona Camps, RR 1, Box 868, Bridgton 04009.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.