Darrin is quite possibly the most extroverted introvert you may ever meet. In his extroverted life, he is talkative and gregarious, and will share snippets and snapshots of his life experience with everyone around him. In his introverted life, he values solitude, and all that it brings him. For me, this blog has been a joy to compose, and has allowed me to nearly paddle right along with Darrin. For him, the blog has provided a journalistic, extroverted, account of an introverted experience. The blog reflects my retelling of the stories, not Darrin’s. It certainly would have a different feel if he had written the narrative himself. But it is for you, the reader, and sharing it is an extroverted gesture. It is a third person narrative so as to preserve the introverted nature of Darrin’s ... read more

...but the blog is not. Darrin successfully completed the Northern Forest Canoe Trail at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday, October 1, when he pulled into shore along the St. John River in Fort Kent, Maine. He was still in one piece, and looking better than ever with a deep tan and slimmer physique. (If you're interested, he will happily explain that although he still has a belly, all of his "back fat" has melted away.) The two of us, plus Addie, had a great reunion and journey home as we weaved our way through New England over the next week. We are now settling in at home, and will soon fill in the rest of the blog from where we left off, PLUS add photos throughout! We thank the many friends who have been dedicated readers ... read more

Saturday, September 29th, 2007. Darrin awoke to clear skies and mist over the water. Thanks to two days of steady rain, water levels were now ideal for paddling, having gone from 300 to 1,300 cubic feet per second in just 48 hours! Darrin set out onto Round Pond, running some small rips while blanketed by a patch of isolated fog. (“Rips” is a Northeastern word for mild whitewater.) He paddled beside shores illuminated by fall foliage, ended up in calm water, and then looked up to see a bull moose swimming across the river. The moose at first swam straight toward Darrin, and then turned and headed into the woods. Next Darrin rounded a corner to see another bull moose swim across the River. A quarter mile later, two moose cows and a calf were grazing ... read more

Friday, September 28th, 2007. Allagash River, Maine. Darrin awoke around dawn and was instantly relieved to acknowledge the fact that both his tent and body were still in one piece. He groggily unzipped the tent fly to find moose number 14, a cow moose, IN his campsite. After escaping the overnight trampling that could have been, now he figured he might as well try to get a good close-up picture. He emerged from the tent, camera in hand, and suddenly saw moose number 15, the cow’s calf. He instantly retracted - cow moose can be aggressive when protecting their calves - and considered how he could prevent the unthinkable THIS time. If things got ugly, he decided, he would make a break for the picnic table and hide beneath it. Fortunately, it didn’t come to this. ... read more

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007. Eagle Lake, Maine. Darrin rose before dawn to avoid paddling in heavy winds. With the exception of a 20-minute downpour, the paddle was uneventful. He made it the Jaws Campsite on Churchill Lake just before lunchtime. He had eaten his trail lunch as a quick pre-dawn breakfast, so now he prepared himself a hot breakfast before setting up camp. After this brunch, the sun came out and dried his wet tent and gear. It wasn’t long, however, before a thunderstorm rolled in. The cloudburst was brief. It was followed by a welcome drop in the humidity, and a picturesque double rainbow. Darrin enjoyed the company of a polite chipmunk during dinner. Unlike Ballsy, and other pestering rodents Darrin had met, this chipmunk watched patiently as Darrin ate. He quietly waited for whatever ... read more