The Birches – Laurie Apgar Chandler

We’re moving…come along for the ride

This post will be short and sweet. As the publication of Upwards gets closer (really it is), it’s time for me to have an author’s website, with an easily remembered address and expanded content. My blog, Laurie’s Adventures, will soon be moving over to become part of the new website, at laurieachandler.com.

(If you go take a peek now, you’ll discover that it’s still a work in progress).

All of the existing blog posts and followers of Laurie’s Adventures will migrate to the new site at some point during the next week or two. At least that’s the plan. If by chance we miss moving you, the home page of the new website makes it simple to subscribe again.

In other book news, the interior design is virtually complete and only a Library of Congress number stands between us and the long-awaited press proof. After that, the order goes out to the printer and we wait for that glorious moment when the boxes arrive. It can’t come soon enough for this anxious, exhilarated first-time author.

A waterfront look at The Birches, the latest business to order advance copies of Upwards

Day 43: The Birches to Big Duck Cove, Moosehead Lake (9.3 miles)

DSCN8024 — John Willard, owner of The Birches, helped create the NFCT and always cheers me on with my paddling adventures. If you ever visit, be sure to go up for a float plane ride with John and see where you have (or will) paddle from the clouds.

One luxury of through-paddling is working off what you eat, even when it is a stuffed omelette, English muffin and jelly, and The Birches “small” orange juice, which is not small. Mom waved farewell to the rest of us after breakfast. Dad would paddle the seven miles around Farm Island and Sue and I were headed to a beautiful cove where we had camped before, an easy day. Easy, that is, as long as you arrive before the wind gets up and find an empty campsite.

DSCN8033 — My aunt, Susan Sefcik, shares my love of the outdoors and, like me, has been venturing out on some solo trips. She joined me for the miles on Moosehead Lake, camping in Big Duck Cove, then stayed for a few extra days, braving some hearty winds along the way.

Paddling strong, we made good time, to discover one of our two favorite back-to-back sites free. We were on the protected back side, helpful indeed when the wind blew whitecaps down the length of the cove later that afternoon. Lazy hours in camp to gather wood, watch a red squirrel scamper past our tents with a furry bundle of baby in her mouth, then dabble our feet at water’s edge with a crayfish and minnows for company. It was a bit cold for swimming, though, and we were glad to layer up after a quick dip. Family togetherness in the great outdoors!

DSCN8048 — Sue loves to cook and I love to eat…with my appetite being especially well-developed at the moment. Dinner was turkey stir-fry with a multitude of fresh vegetables and the anticipation of pancakes and bacon tomorrow morning.

DSCN8042 — I love to cut firewood and Sue loves campfires…here is our tidy camp on the cove.

TOTAL MILES: 586.5

Day 42: Rest day at The Birches in Rockwood on Moosehead Lake (only miles for fun)

My aunt Sue Sefcik, my father, and I paddled up to Baker Brook before our French toast and bacon, in the hopes of spotting a moose. They were also glad for the miles, as they will each be paddling with me on two of the remaining days, Sue on Moosehead and Dad on the St. John River. I stopped to check out the NFCT Baker Brook campsite on the way.

The rest of the day was restful and rejuvenating – swimming, the hot tub, reading, and a trip to Greenville for some shopping and more. I even bought a book to take, which I will surely appreciate on Mud Pond Carry! (My food supplies have also filled an extra small dry bag.)

Friends Ken Dale (also our pastor) and his wife Kathy Malatesta treated us to dinner at Kelly’s Landing. The fish fry special with salad bar was a wonderful finish to a restful day. Thanks again, Ken and Kathy!

The last three maps of the NFCT will take me across Moosehead Lake to Northeast Carry, up the West Branch of the Penobscot into the Allagash and then on to the St. John and Fort Kent. There may be a chance for one more post, but probably not.

This will be a time for reflection, writing, and photography, and I promise to journal well and finish sharing when I get home. To each of you faithfully reading along, heartfelt thanks for the multitude of ways you have all generously helped me along the river (or the road)!