Maine Outdoor Journal

The Maine Canoe Symposium has been going on every year since 1986, but I'll confess that I haven't yet attended even once. But I'll fix that egregious oversight this Saturday when I attend the middle (and biggest) day of the weekend event. It's held at Camp Winona, on Moose Pond in Bridgton. It begins Friday afternoon and runs all day Saturday and half of Sunday. I feel a very special connection with canoes. I've been paddling one since I was 10 years old. My first was a battered Old Town wood-canvas model. Today I'm paddling another Maine-made canoe, a 12-foot Bear Creek Cubby. It's crafted of fiberglass in the town of Sebago. Although kayaks seem to be more popular these days, I still prefer canoes on inland waterways. Looking forward to Saturday, I'm hoping to learn more about the techniques and heritage of Maine canoeing. Click here to check out the schedule of events for all three days. Meantime, I'll share a few pix I took of canoes and canoeing in 2007. The first two pix include members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. Canoeing has been synonymous with the Maine outdoors since the 19th century. Above: Amanda Blaine and Katherine Birnie paddle my 12-foot Bear Creek Cubby on Cobbosseecontee Lake last fall. SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO Jonathan Keck paddles down the Saco River last summer. SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO Camping scene along the Saco River last summer. SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO Hope to see a few PaddleME readers at the Symposium!