Couple to trek 200 miles in snow – again

ALLAGASH – A northern Maine couple will strap on their snowshoes next month for a 200-mile, monthlong trek through rugged frozen terrain.

Alexandra and Garrett Conover, who operate a guide service in Willimantic, plan to take off from Allagash village on Jan. 14. They hope to reach their destination of Greenville on Feb. 11.

Last winter, the Conovers hiked 200 miles from Greenville to Allagash to commemorate their 25th anniversary. The response to last year’s trip was so great that they decided to do another one this year that completes a loop back to Greenville.

“The unspoiled, undeveloped wilderness is a magical and wondrous place,” said Alexandra Conover. “We want to teach people how to enjoy and appreciate it.”

The trip will begin on the Allagash River and continue to the West Branch of the Penobscot River before ending on Moosehead Lake. They will haul their food and equipment, including a tent and a lightweight titanium wood stove, on toboggans.

The Conovers last year dubbed their trip the Winter Walk for the Wilds and encouraged schoolchildren and teachers to follow their path using their Web site. Their path meandered Moosehead Lake, portions of the Penobscot River and a 90-mile stretch of the St. John River and followed a corridor used by American Indians on their travels in the region.

The couple again will operate a Web site – www.winter

walk2006.org – that will be updated with photographs and progress reports on the weather, wildlife sightings, ice thickness and other information. It will include a list of educational links and lesson plans for teachers ranging from American Indian history to winter survival.

The Conovers own North Woods Ways, a guide service that specializes in canoe and snowshoe excursions in Maine and Canada’s Labrador region.

They live year-round in a 12-by-20-foot permanent wall tent in Willimantic, and recently released the third edition of their winter skills travel book, “A Snow Walker’s Companion.”