ThePilgrim

Enter the Pumpkin Chucker Here was a learning opportunity if there ever was one. At Poland Regional High School we had a half day and decided to combine many different learning areas (Math, Physics, History) in one fun filled event of Pumpkin' Chunkin' glory. Jonathan Doughty, a very energetic and awesome science teacher at PRHS has a good friend who constructed a large trebuchet and was willing to transport it out to the school! Through out the whole day we had students measuring projectile distances, time from launch to landing, and the masses of pumpkins and watermelons. There were exercises in mathematical modeling ballistics to find the initial velocity of the projectiles and their highest point. All and all it was a bombastic ballistic bonanza and it was made possible by teachers... read more

Not even hurricane Kyle could stop the free flowing Brew at point Sebago! So before I get on to telling this story, I would like to precede it with some helpful hints at attending ANY Brew Festival. 1. Always have a designated driver. 2. If you don't have one, make sure you have at least an hour per drink to sober up before heading back to your desitnation (Tons to do at Point Sebago, so that shouldn't be a problem). 3. Talk with people, see the vendors, chat it up with folks and share their Brew. 4. Make sure you have money for the local food vendors there are many good and salty treats to be had at these festivals that compliment brews very well. 5. Be prepared for the weather. If you're cold and damp ... read more

So before I begin this post it is only fair that it contains a precursor. This is a long post as it contains the remaining portion of our journey from Rangeley to Fort Kent, so make yourself comfortable, go make a nice sandwich and cold glass of your beverage of choice...I'll wait. OK, you back? Did you get a pickle (they compliment sandwiches very well)? No, well, go ahead, I'm not going anywhere (granted the power doesn't go out) as this is just photons bouncing off from your screen to your retinas. Alright, you settled? Ready for the long haul? Here we go. From Flagstaff to the Moose River After Rangeley and a nice day off from the trail we took the opportunity to supply for the long and remote haul from the Dead River to ... read more

So it has been a long and arduous journey UP the clyde river which is very labryinthine and swampy and beaverish and slow moving. You definitely get to see a lot of river birds (we saw some hawks, ospreys, and a bald eagle) and it is kind of easy to get turned around, but after a long day of oxbows, reeds, blowdowns (lots of trees in front of the river), lillypads and rain we made it twenty miles up the Clyde to Island Pond! It was late and Brett and I decided to grab an all you can eat Seafood platter for 9.95 at the Clyde River Motel (formely the infamous Zoo). We met up with a nice fellow named Al Goulet who put us up in a nice little room with a couple of beds ... read more

It has been an arduous three days. We've switched from DEET to sunscreen as the intense heat has kept the bugs down (plus we're further north and the bugs don't seem that bad). The Saranac River is what we have been traveling since Saranac Lake Village and it has many different facets. It's very snakey and slow moving coming out of Saranac Village as it meanders through town and out into the marsh lands and forests of the Adirondacks. We ended up not being able to find the exact location of a campsite marked on the map, so we ended up bush wacking into the woods a bit and setting up camp in a misquito infested woodland. Day One: Windbound The first day on the third map of the NFCT, we paddled all the way up ... read more