First post, planning and thoughts

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is something I have been intrigued with from the moment I found out about it. For the past few years I have been seriously considering through-paddling the trail since I started college. The hardest part has been finding the right time to do it. Summer jobs, school, and the lack of a partner that could also take the time held plans back.
Well, now I have graduated college, and am currently employed part time, with a flexible schedule. My girlfriend of the last four years, Meghan, is graduating college this spring, and has not yet lined up a full time job (oh the joys of graduating and job hunting). That makes for a good situation to have the time to do the trip! So, we both talked about it, and decided we would commit to the canoe trip this summer.
A little background on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) for those that may not know- The NFCT follows historic Native American travel routes through the northern forest. The trail begins in Old Forge NY and ends in Fort Kent Maine, covering 740 miles through New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. You can check out the NFCT website here- http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/

 Now maybe a bit about ourselves. I (Chris) have gone on numerous wilderness canoe trips with my father, brother, and friends from our Boy Scout troop. We have done some pretty challenging trips, but the NFCT will be the pinnacle of my canoeing achievements (for now).
Meghan went on her first canoe trip with my Dad, brother, and myself a couple of years ago. We paddled the Moose river bow trip in Jackman Maine, of which is a section of the NFCT. While she was a bit apprehensive at first, when we finished, she couldn't wait to go again, and she was hooked.

Right now, we are busy planning and preparing. We have already gone through the 13  maps (7 of which are for Maine!) and have a rough itinerary. We are looking at a minimum of 6 weeks, averaging about 16 miles a day. I do feel we might end up lengthening the trip, due in part to some of the difficult sections, upstream, low water conditions, weather, and just general fatigue, things you can't really plan for that well. The trip for us isn't about seeing how fast we can paddle it, it's about the journey, the adventure, the challenge. So if we have a few short days or zero mile days because we can't pass up that beautiful campsite, or the weather is a bit poor, or we just want a rest, so be it. We will get there when we get there, and that will be as soon as we please.
We already have alot of the gear we need. Meghan is getting a new pack, the one she has used in the past has worked, but is not the most comfortable thing. And with the amount of portage miles on this trip, a comfortable pack is a must!
The canoe still needs to be outfitted. New painter lines, add D rings for gear tie downs, etc. etc. We still need to plan a food menu, arrange pickups and drops, meeting places, organize all the gear, and the list goes on and on. For some people, like my Dad, planning is an enjoyable part of any trip. He revels in planning things out, and he's good at it. Me, not so much. I know there is so much left that we need to do. It's only April, and we're planning on leaving mid June, and that will catch up to us real fast. We will be ready though, without a doubt!
Every day I think about starting at the Western terminus in Old Forge. And what it will be like when we catch site of Fort Kent and take out at the Eastern Terminus. There is 740 miles in between. It will be hard, it will be challenging, but most importantly, it will be an amazing journey. A real modern day ADVENTURE!

-Chris

Meghan and I at Holeb Falls on the Moose river in Jackman Maine

The "crew" at the ruins of Augustus Low's great camp in the Adirondacks