Back on our feet

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We have officially laid our paddles to rest after 820 miles of travel aboard the canoe. Though we had already grown weary of paddling, the extended paddle down the St John from Fort Kent was the final straw. This is not to say we dislike paddling but we are in need of a change of pace. The St John River beyond Fort Kent was an altogether different waterway than those we had encountered on the NFCT. In New Brunswick, the river is very industrialized, with litter, waste and mining impact scattered along the banks. Thankfully it was only a brief paddle which we were through in a couple of days.
While on the water, we changed our plans slightly to head directly to Fort Fairfield, ME. This proved to be a providential choice on many levels. Before we left Fort Kent last Saturday, Andy had the foresight to search for canoe dealers in the area but was not able to secure any plans for the boat. When we arrived in Fort Fairfield, Andy phoned Dan, the local Old Town dealer, who graciously agreed to shuttle and store our canoe for the next week. This was an invaluable favor and we thank him for his support. Much to our surprise, we were disappointed to see the canoe go after such a long month together. We had developed a love-hate relationship with the Wenonah but it was undeniably the third member of our expedition. After Dan drove off with the boat, Andy and I looked at each other, unsure of what to say in the absence of our fine boat.
The next day we overcame this feeling of loss as we began the day as hikers. Walking through town with only our portage packs was like a dream come true. We were free of the burden, able to move with ease through the streets of Fort Fairfield. We felt very welcome in the town, thanks in part to the timely publication of Julia Bayly’s article in the Bangor Daily News that same morning. The town office as a whole was incredibly helpful but Tony Levesque was particularly eager to assist us on our transition to the International Appalachian Trail.
Though relatively unknown when compared to the Appalachian Trail, the IAT still has a strong community of supporters working to promote the burgeoning trail. Tony has been part of the effort to develop the trail since the mid 1990’s, which shows how long it takes to establish a well organized long-distance trail. He allowed us to print the IAT guide at the town office before giving us a ride to the trailhead at US Customs. If planning to hike the IAT, be sure to stop in Fort Fairfield before entering New Brunswick. We owe many thanks to Dan, Tony and the town of Fort Fairfield.
The US-Canadian border at Fort Fairfield marked the beginning of our long hike south. Our first day on the trail we covered the stretch between Fort Fairfield and the Mars Hill shelter. Hiking the trail was enjoyable but no doubt made more difficult by our canoeing gear. Backpacking in river shoes while carrying a portage pack cannot compare to a good set of trail runners and an ultralight pack. Thankfully we only needed to use this setup until today, when our family arrived from Iowa with the hiking gear we will need to reach Georgia.
Now we are off the trail for a little break over the next week. We will not be covering any miles but still have many tasks to complete before we can hit the trail again. Once we resume travel, it will be a rush to head south before the season changes. There are many variable with thousands of miles to cover but we hope to be in Georgia before the holiday season. In the short term, Gorham, NH is the next point we must reach but first we will need to leave the comforts of the hotel room, which may prove to be the greatest challenge we have faced thus far.

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Photos

Border trail
We hiked 12 miles on the US-Canadian border trail.

A windy affair
Last night we camped under the wind towers on Mars Hill Mountain.

Comments

[Peg Mikulanec]

indianola
Hi, guys, I think u guys picked a great time to travel-we are bombarded with 2 much politics already -how will u get to vote on the trail? Take care

[Vanessa]

Pictures
The pictures you have posted are awesome! It looks and sounds like an amazing adventure...good luck on the IAT! Can't wait to see your next posting!