The deep snows of mid-February are covering the landscape (and the canoe trailer), and for the past few days the wind has been howling down the lake with enough force to sculpt the snow and make it feel very cold. With no more winter trips planned for this year, my thoughts are turning to spring canoeing. This time of year I love studying maps and looking for new twists to our spring canoe routes, as well as studying the traditional routes and and the overland carries that link them.
The past few days I’ve thought about all the different variations available on our spring trip on the Aroostook. For a river that seldom gets paddled, there are enough navigable tributaries to keep a person busy for several years just exploring them. This year we’ll again put in at Chase Lake, then float down Munsungan Stream before entering the Aroostook. I’m thinking about a possible St. Croix Stream trip this spring, as well as a possible Mooseleuk trip.
All this trip planning results in hours of happy daydreaming about trips past and possibilities for the future. There are endless possibilities. Eventually I’ll have to choose, but for now daydreaming is enough and keeps me smiling.
