Sunday, May 24, 2009

Wish Lists

I’ve always liked wish lists. I’m sure I’ll never get to do all on my list, but it’s a list of paddles and dreams that help me plan and look forward.

One of the things on my list is paddling the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, a trip I added to the list after I got my Kruger Dreamcatcher, a perfect boat for this. It’ll certainly be a big trip if done as a thru-paddle. It’s listed as one of those trips for “after retirement”.


I also have hiking the Appalachian Trail on the "after retirement" list, it’s been there forever. But, the more I think about the hike, the more I worry that I’ll just hate being off the water for as long as 6 months. And, not to be morbid about it, I may have to choose carefully about what all will fit into my "after retirement” period. I’m now considering modifying this to hiking the shorter North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail, finishing with a long NC coastal paddle.

So, I was pleased to see a new blog out there called the ‘Voices from the Northern Forest Canoe Trail”. This blog was launched to share news, events, and insights along its 740 mile “blueway”. It’ll make the waiting more fun.

And I’ve joined the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail Association too

I’m always planning ahead. It even seems a bit of a conflict that while I’m adding great adventures to my wish list, I’m also planning to put myself on a waiting list to eventually live in a retirement community.

1 comment:

Michael said...

I live a stone's throw from the part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail that slips into Canada and would have to say that be prepared to lose a bit of gelcoat on the journey! Some of those rivers are mostly wet gravel and boulder fields at best. Still, like you, I'd be interested in doing some sections, especially parts in Maine where one would truly be in a northern forest wilderness much of the time.