The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the pocket-size Allagash Explorer, A Take-Along Companion For Maine’s Wilderness Waterway, created in collaboration with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
Designed for use in all seasons, Allagash Explorer differs from other guides that offer paddling and camping tips, as well as from traditional narrative histories. Its intention is to provoke connections between the user and the abundant historic, cultural, and natural resources of the Waterway; and to encourage visitors to record their own thoughts and observations of the Waterway and its impact.
Guided by a schematic map of the Waterway, users experience the Allagash through a series of stories that highlight the history, ecology, and forest industry innovation that make the Waterway so special a place to visit, be inspired by, and learn from.
In one story, you experience the life of a mid-20th century Allagash “dam keeper’s wife” and the art that her life in the Waterway inspired. In others, you discover the varied ways people have accessed the Waterway over the centuries, by birchbark canoe, logging road, and snowshoe, and the brook trout, moose, and birds they encountered.
In addition to all who are cited in the guide’s Acknowledgements, the AWWF and BPL extend special gratitude to interpretive writer Julia Gray, editor Bruce Jacobson, copyeditor Jane Crosen, graphic designer Karen Zimmerman, illustrator Alison Carver, and mapmaker Jon Luoma. Their skills, talent, and devotion to the project are reflected in Allagash Explorer’s high quality and appearance.
Allagash Explorer is available at the following outlets: