Forget Pedal to the Metal, Put Your Mettle to the Paddle
Karrie Thomas, Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Today we are celebrating the arrival of spring (and the concurrent summer trip planning season) by talking with Karrie Thomas, the Executive Director for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.
Whether your affinity for water involves multi-day backcountry paddling or just grabbing a cold beverage and a tube for some floating (while you watch the bald eagles and kingfishers fly by), the Northern Forest Canoe Trail has a spot for you to put in and play!
I am a big fan of anything that gives me an excuse to get a little bit of exercise while exploring a new area - and I’m a huge, ginormous fan of any person or organization that takes the time and makes the effort to create the map or plan or guide that let’s a noob like me plan an adventure that isn’t 100% likely to end in someone crying or getting lost.
But even beyond the amazing trip-planning resources they provide, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail hosts events and unique opportunities for stewardship that get paddlers of all ages out enjoying and caring for 740 miles of pristine waterways that cross the highest reaches of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Karrie Thomas joined NFCT in 2014 and serves as the organization’s Executive Director - but that doesn’t mean she spends all of her days holed up in her corner office talking strategy and grant-writing.
If you’re planning your paddle and decide to call NCFT, Karrie might just be the person who picks up the phone and gives you the inside scoop you’re looking for to help you plan a fantastic weekend or longer distance trip.
I love this conversation because it’s not just Karrie’s individual story, it’s also an inspiring tale about what a small, interested group of people can create and accomplish when they set their collective minds to it.
You can tap into NFCT’s endless wealth of planning resources at NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org, get all kinds of advice and tips in the Northern Forest Canoe Trail Paddlers Facebook Group, and make sure to follow them on Instagram @northernforestcanoetrail.
But the fun and useful links don't stop there!:
Lake Memphremagog (VT/Quebec)
Northern Forest Canoe Trail Paddlers (Facebook group)
Northern Forest Explorers (includes info about NFCT’s new partnership with Teens to Trails)
The 90-Miler (NY/Adirondacks)