By Jonathan Gardner, MWGO Board Member and Education Chair

This year’s symposium will be remembered for April weather in June. After almost a week of 90-degree temps, the weather transitioned to the high 40’s with rain with a raw northeast breeze coming off Bryant Pond for Saturday and Sunday. The bugs were at bay as Bean Boots prevailed over Chaco Sandals. Regardless, northeast canoeists are not strangers to the cold, wind, and rain that the State of Maine can deal out during any given month. Fortunately, the rain held off long enough for me to set up the MWGO booth without getting wet.

After a warm welcome from the Maine Canoe Symposium (MCS) staff, things kicked off with Andrew Dawson making campfire donuts (the fire was a popular spot). I poured myself a hot coffee from the dining hall (another popular spot) and settled in to watch Jeff and Lisa DeHart’s workshop on quick and effective tarps and shelters. The weather was perfect for this workshop!  Jeff and Lisa worked in concert with one another to set up quick, dry, and wind-free shelters in minutes! People were amazed at how fast these went up, and how cozy they can be with a fire inside! A canoe pole, paddle, tarp, and 550 cord is all that’s needed, and they showed how to arrange and stow it all in your kit for ease of access and setup. This is the second time that I’ve watched this workshop, and I could watch it 10 more times! 

At 10:30, I headed back to the dining hall for more coffee and to watch Jim Vogel’s workshop on Overnight Adventures on Maine’s Public Reserve Lands. He started with 5 of the most popular trips in the state: Moose River Bow, Penobscot River Corridor, Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Upper Machias River, and the St. Croix River.  He had some great pointers for these trips and had plenty of information and maps of Maine’s Public Reserve Lands.  He also talked a bit about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail before opening the floor to questions.

We then broke for lunch in the dining hall (and another coffee), before I headed down to the fire for some warmth and conversation. At 1:15 Dave Lewis held a workshop on canoe travel (lucky for me, right next to the fire).  Dave’s workshop covered everything from boat selection, painter length, food prep, seat options, poling options, and packing/ loading boats for proper trim. This was a very thorough workshop that even experienced trippers could pick up a few pointers.

For the remainder of the afternoon workshops, I split my time on the waterfront going back and forth between Benson Gray’s canoe sailing workshop (I have a weak spot for wood and canvas canoes), and the Canoe Safety workshop put on by Rory Matchett and Kevin Silliker. You would be hard pressed to find someone more knowledgeable about canoe safety and rescues than Rory and Kevin.  If you did, they were most likely in attendance at the MCS!

Unfortunately, I had to leave when the afternoon workshops wrapped up.  After dinner there was a silent auction to benefit the MCS and a talk about the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer by the one and only Zip Kellogg. There were many workshops that I couldn’t attend, including all of Sunday’s program.  Thanks to Chris Corey, Jeff McCabe and the rest of the MCS staff and instructors. I’m looking forward to spending the entire weekend next year!