Peter Macfarlane's 2013 Solo Through-Paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
in a Cedar-Strip Canoe by Otter Creek Smallcraft

NFCT's Map of Overall Route Peter & Sylva completing the NFCT

Trip stats, Before & after photos ...

The numbers

  • Total miles: 755.5*
  • Total days: 28
  • Paddling days: 27
  • Rest days: 1
  • Average daily mileage (all days): 27.0
  • Average daily mileage (paddling days): 28.0
  • Longest paddling day: 39.3 miles (Day 2)
  • Shortest paddling day: 15.5 miles (Day 9)
  • Total days without rain: 4
  • Paddling days without rain: 3
  • Number of thunderstorms: lost count
  • Number of nights in camping hammock: 15
  • Number of nights in a real bed indoors: 9
  • Number of nights in other covered accommodation: 3
  • Number of capsizes: 0
  • Number of rides accepted: 0
  • Initial body weight: 151 lb
  • Initial pack weight: 48.5 lb
  • Canoe weight: 37 lb (about 41 lb including paddles, poles, PFD & beachball (see Day 6)
  • Final body weight: hard to say because of voracious eating before weighing in at 153 lb
  • Body weight at Day 13: not measured, but would have been interestingly low!
  • Number of moose sightings: >20
  • Number of bald eagle sightings: 15 - 20
  • Number of blackfly sightings: millions
  • Number of mosquito sightings: see blackflies
  • Number of no-see-um sightings: 0 (think about it!)

* Measured using Google Earth's ruler function along the route that I took (to my best recollection). This is longer than the "official" 740 mainly due to the trip via Allagash Lake (although an ill-advised carry route from Clyde Pond (day 11), missing the entrance to Spencer Stream (day 19), and a side-trip to Lobster Lake (day 22) contributed to this figure).

Before and After

How the hull fared, viewed from the bow (above) and the stern (below)

  

The top viewed from the bow (left) and the stern (right)

  

The internal fibreglass splits (left) and the repaired seat (right)

  

The paddler at the start (left) and at the finish (right)

Website design © Peter Macfarlane

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