“Closing the Loop”
Celebration of Maine’s North Woods Traditions Continues
NRCM is proud to serve as fiscal sponsor for “Winter Walk 2006: Closing the Loop,” a unique wilderness adventure and educational resource. NRCM members can help to underwrite Garrett and Alexandra Conover’s month-long trek from Allagash Village to Moosehead by making a gift online. Simply follow this link to our giving page and, after providing the requested address and credit card information, write “Winter Walk” into the Notes section.
In early 1980, Garrett and Alexandra Conover honeymooned in Northern Maine. No cozy cabins for these experienced wilderness guides. Instead, they snowshoed nearly 200 miles across Moosehead Lake, Seboomook, the North Branch of the Penobscot, and the Upper St. John River to Allagash Village. Back then, they traveled alone. But for their silver anniversary in 2005, they invited the world to join them.
Traveling by snowshoe and camping in tents, the Conovers retraced their honeymoon trek. This time, they used modern technology to share their experience with school children from Maine to Hawaii. Using a satellite phone, they filed a daily report on a specially-created event web site. They also provided teachers with a curriculum guide to help lead discussions about Maine history and the traditional foot and river routes that Native Americans and early European settlers traveled.
On January 14, the couple will “close the loop,” starting in Allagash Village and snowshoeing 200 miles back to Moosehead Lake. On February 11, Garrett and Alexandra will arrive in Greenville in time for Sno-Fest. Once again, the Conovers are filing daily trail reports, answering questions from students, and—after their return—visiting classrooms around the state.
To hear the Conovers’ daily trail reports—and to enjoy the sights and sounds of Winter Walk 2005—click here. And return often to track the Conovers’ progress and to learn how they are coping—and thriving—in Maine’s frozen wilderness.