Sophie Slotnick, a Missoula, Montana native, and also our first wilderness trip blogger, brings us photos and a watercolor from her travels to Wilson Pond last week. Enjoy!
Swimming with Nemo
Nemo didn’t keep our Polar Bears out of the water. On Saturday afternoon a brave group of students went down to the waterfront for the traditional weekend dip. Our very own math teacher, Steve, caught it all on video.
What is your most memorable Polar Bear dip?
25th Anniversary of Chewonki Semester School
Chewonki Semester School will be celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary August 23-25, 2013. Alumni, please mark your calendars and save the date for a celebration here on Chewonki Neck! For more information please go to, the alumni page of the Chewonki website.
Remember this t-shirt from the 20th Anniversary? We’re looking for a new flashy design for the 25th!Tag the T Contest
Calling all MCS and Chewonki Semester School alumni! You’re invited to submit the design and/or words that will appear on the back of a T-shirt commemorating 25 years of the Chewonki Semester School!
Your reward if you win?
1) Free entrance to the anniversary festivities.We’ll waive your registration fee!
2) A toehold in history. This T-shirt will be a collectors’ item for Chewonki insiders and a precious item in our archives.
3) Joy. See your very own design on the backs of happy revelers all over Chewonki Neck, August 23-25, 2013.
3) Joy. See your very own design on the backs of happy revelers all over Chewonki Neck, August 23-25, 2013.
Guidelines
You can submit a graphic image (photo, drawing, logo, etc.) and words (quotation, slogan, jingle, joke, etc.) OR just a graphic image OR just words. We welcome all ideas.
Submit images as JPEGs or PDFs. Email your submissions to Heather at helowe@chewonki.org. Please make sure to provide your telephone number.
Deadline
March 1st (notification by March 15)
Put on your thinking cap and Tag the T!
Fridays with Ona the Bearded Dragon
For the past few months at Chewonki, I have been spending my free period every Friday, right before lunch, in the Traveling Natural History Program (TNHP, for short) reptile lab. In the lab, run by Emma Balazs, Keith Crowley, and a host of other people such as Matt Weeks and Sarah Mortati, there are reptiles abound, including: Ona, the Bearded Dragon, Ganat, the Water Dragon, Brutus, the Blanding’s Turtle, three box turtles (Carolina, Georgia, and Linus), Indi, the Blue-Tongued Skink, Ella, the Corn Snake, Stripe, the Alligator, three Leopard Frogs, and some various insects, spiders, and feeder mice. Typically, when I go to the lab, I prepare salads for Ganat, Ona, the box turtles, and occasionally prepare one for Indi, too. Next, I give the reptiles their baths, which means I get to handle them! For an animal lover such as myself, this is one of the most exciting parts of my volunteer work.
When feeding or bathing the animals, it is very important to follow the directions given in the lab manual. Previously, turtles have died because their bath water was too hot. So, I have to make sure that the water is just right. The bath temperatures range from 80 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the animal. I also have to look at the list of foods that each animal can eat and make sure that I am giving them the proper nutrition they need.
The reptiles in the lab, like the birds in the aviary, are non-releasable into the wild for various reasons. For example, Ganat and Indi were both house pets for a brief period of time before their owners decided they couldn’t properly take care of them. Because they would make wonderful teaching aids, and also because Chewonki knew they could be properly cared for here, the lab took them in and they have become permanent residents. Brutus’ story is somewhat similar. He was found walking across a road by a man who then proceeded to keep him illegally as a pet for the next ten years. When he was confiscated, he was no longer releasable into the wild because he wouldn’t survive due to his long captivity. Again, Chewonki took him in and has cared for him well.
Working with the animals on campus, whether in the lab, the aviary, or on the farm, is my favorite thing to do here at Chewonki. Volunteering at the lab has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I’ve gotten to know wonderful people, and I’ve also gotten to know amazing, fascinating animals that I probably would have never come into contact with otherwise. Have you ever held an Australian Water Dragon or fed an alligator? Because of working in the lab, I have! I’m endlessly thankful for this opportunity, and it has encouraged me to continue my work with animals wherever I go.
When feeding or bathing the animals, it is very important to follow the directions given in the lab manual. Previously, turtles have died because their bath water was too hot. So, I have to make sure that the water is just right. The bath temperatures range from 80 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the animal. I also have to look at the list of foods that each animal can eat and make sure that I am giving them the proper nutrition they need.
The reptiles in the lab, like the birds in the aviary, are non-releasable into the wild for various reasons. For example, Ganat and Indi were both house pets for a brief period of time before their owners decided they couldn’t properly take care of them. Because they would make wonderful teaching aids, and also because Chewonki knew they could be properly cared for here, the lab took them in and they have become permanent residents. Brutus’ story is somewhat similar. He was found walking across a road by a man who then proceeded to keep him illegally as a pet for the next ten years. When he was confiscated, he was no longer releasable into the wild because he wouldn’t survive due to his long captivity. Again, Chewonki took him in and has cared for him well.
Working with the animals on campus, whether in the lab, the aviary, or on the farm, is my favorite thing to do here at Chewonki. Volunteering at the lab has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I’ve gotten to know wonderful people, and I’ve also gotten to know amazing, fascinating animals that I probably would have never come into contact with otherwise. Have you ever held an Australian Water Dragon or fed an alligator? Because of working in the lab, I have! I’m endlessly thankful for this opportunity, and it has encouraged me to continue my work with animals wherever I go.
-Becca Beardsley, Ewing NJ
Josh’s Musings on Work Program
The very first weekend up in Maine, the whole Chewonki Semester School community worked together on the Salt Marsh Farm to harvest potatoes, onions, basil, and dry beans. That was our first collective taste of work program, which has become a vital part of everyday life at Chewonki. Whether we are stacking wood to heat the Wallace, feeding the sheep and collecting eggs, doing an energy audit on the (previously drafty) Ranch House, or blogging for all of you (as I am now), every student has had unforgettable moments during these times. Each student participates in work program twice a week, just after lunch. Half of us are in Tuesday’s group, while the other half is on Thursday, and the entire student body works on Wednesday. We all receive our assignments a little while before, and we split off into our groups. For most of us, work program was our first introduction to the farm and the Travelling Natural History Program, a starting place to bond with each other, and a great way to talk to faculty, who aren’t our classroom teachers. There is a bond that is earned for a group that works, learns, and lives together, and working is a great break from academics for a lot of us. I find that working my body along with my mind leads to a very satisfying day. Now no one has any excuse to get out of chores at home!
Josh in the kitchen on work program
As a part of a small community, work program is a method for each individual to contribute to the well being of the campus. Work program is how we keep the Wallace heated, feed the farm animals, clear trails and repair bog bridges, and many other things necessary in our lives up in Maine. I have worked on the farm many times through work program, and those are some of the most influential moments I have had here. Our farmers are some of the most fun people to work with! Caitlin’s singing while working is inspiring, and the conversations I have had with Megan during work program have really given me a vivid picture of the function of our farm. I have never been so motivated to work as when I am weeding carrot beds with four other students, munching on one or two as we go. To our generation, the words “physical labor” seem like a warning – avoid at all costs. For those of us in Semester 49, we’ve learned that “physical labor” can be synonymous with a good time and a satisfying day.
-Josh Rinaldi, Naugatuck CT
I Am Thankful For…
Chewonki Semester School students, faculty, and staff contemplate what they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. See what they have to say, and then add your own!
The ability to watch the sunrise and sunset. Peeg, Semester 49 student.
Being at Chewonki. Drew, son of the school nurse Dawn.
The sunrise. Caitlin, farmer educator.
Fresh hay! Sal the Horse.
Watching the sunset. SB, Semester 49 Student.
A job that never gets dull. Heather, in the admissions office.
Cats. Paul, ethics teacher.
Dogs. Savannah, Semester 49 student.
A 400-acre playground called Chewonki Neck! Charlie F., Outdoor Classroom instructor.
Orchard House. Bex, Semseter 49 student.
The opportunity to give back to a community that has given me so much. Matt W. Traveling Natural History Program.
My parents, who not only allow creative thinking and choices, but encourage them. Zach, semester 49 student.
Pie. Holly L, Program Support Coordinator.
The people here and for spending so much time outside! Lauren, semester 49 student.
My beautiful family. Anonymous
The opportunities that Chewonki has given me, and all of the animals I’ve met here. Becca, Semester 49 student.
Chewonki! Anonymous
What are you thankful for?
Haiku of the Day
Published by Heather in Semester 49
November 13th, 2012 | No Comments
This is a blog post
About Haikus of the Day
A new tradition
Each day after breakfast, amidst the chaos of scraping, dish crew, and last minute work, both students and faculty gather together for morning meeting in the Flinstones area. The meeting is run by that day’s Plato, who starts off by reading their chosen quote. Plato then proceeds to call on the News and Weather person, followed by a plethora of random announcements. Sometime during the beginning of the semester, I decided to add some extra flavor into what I feared would eventually become a mundane morning event. I decided that this flavor would come in the form of a daily Haiku relevant to something happening here at Chewonki and sometimes things in the greater world.
I quickly discovered that writing a seemingly simple 3 line, 17 syllable haiku was not as easy as I had thought. However, I vowed to keep in going 5 days a week and so far have been pretty successful in maintaining this goal. I sometimes find myself running to the five-seven-five syllable pace of a haiku or waking up in the middle of the night to sleepily scratch down a dreamt haiku. Although it is sometimes stressful when I realize over my bowl of farm yogurt that I forgot to write the Haiku of the Day, the laughs and praise from the community always make it worth the effort. I have been writing most of the Haikus in our semester journal and I hope that people throughout future semesters will keep this tradition going!
Below are some Haikus of the Day and their significance or origin in the Chewonki and/or Worldly community.
At school meeting on September 19, we discussed the rare but important commodity of spontaneity. Students and faculty discussed the fine balance between the importance of routine and the necessity for unplanned activities. We came up with big lists of ideas for things we could do on a whim- some that would be for a day with the whole semester, some that would be for 2 people for ten minutes, others that could happen for a cabin at nighttime and many others for a variety of categories. The next day at morning meeting the haiku read:
Spontaneity
Underrated luxury
Polar bear today?
And… as Chewonki does best, the community acted on our word. At 8:00 on a cold Tuesday morning, Steve, Josh, Grace and a few others went to the waterfront and did a weekday polar bear swim!
The day before the awaited activity of the Common Ground Fair, we all excitedly looked over the Fair magazine to choose what we wanted to do there. We were all fickle in our decision making because there were so many new things to take part in! How could anyone decide between a Sheep Shearing Workshop, An Apple Tasting, A Prize Goat Contest and Mule Demonstrations? The possibilities were endless and the haiku was…
The Common Ground Fair,
Many options, little time
That does not seem fair!
The day we got back from wilderness trips was a relaxing yet tough one. We were all tired, sore and hungry, but at the same time so excited to begin telling the incredible stories from our varied adventures. I went on the sea kayaking trip that (everyone knows) is the most physically demanding of them all. The haiku the next morning was…
Blisters, cuts, scrapes, burns
Are not symbols of weakness,
But signs of learning.
-Savannah Solomon, Hastings-On-Hudson NY
Food Day 2012
Published by Heather in Semester 49
November 2nd, 2012 | No Comments
Food Day is a nationwide event that celebrates healthy and sustainable food every year on October 24th. The five main goals of Food Day are: to promote safer and healthier eating, to support sustainable and organic farms, to reduce hunger, to reform factory farms to protect the environment, and to support fair working conditions for food and farm workers.
This year was Chewonki’s second year participating in this event and there was a lot of planning that had to be done. A group of about a dozen students divided up the tasks of planning a menu, creating information materials for the dining room and classes, and planning school meeting. The days leading up to the 24th were full of figuring out every last little detail and excitement leading up to the event.
On October 24th we awoke to a beautiful, crisp fall day on the neck. After enjoying a fantastic locally-gown breakfast, we gathered for morning meeting where a few students put on a funny little skit about milk. Case dressed up as Louise (the cow), and Savannah and Hannah dressed up as Megan and Caitlin (two of the farmers). They “milked” Louise and promoted farm milk over store bought milk. From there we went about our day as usual, absorbing information about food processes between classes.
At lunchtime we all wandered down to the farm where there were tables and chairs set up under the wind turbine. The sun was shining and Sal was frolicking about in her pasture. Students and faculty mingled and talked together under the clear blue sky. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. In the time between lunch and work program we listened to some of the OC staff playing the banjo while we wove the last of summer’s flowers into crowns.
At school meeting we were divided into “families” and given a weekly allowance for food. The amount ranged from $30 to $400 for a family of five for one week. Around the room there were posters listing different foods and comparing the prices of local, organic, and conventional food products. Each “family” had to see how much they could buy for that week without going over their budget. My family had $400 and was able to buy all local everything and still had about $100 left over. Other groups had less than $50 and could only buy the bare minimum of conventional food. After creating our grocery lists we circled up and talked about what we had learned.
On Wednesdays we usually dress up for dinner anyway, but this Wednesday was particularly special. The dining hall was decorated, and there were informational table tents on every table. The cooks had outdone themselves, for the third time that day, and cooked us a fabulous local meal. At the end of the day everyone was full of good food and knowledge.
-Grace Brown, Canton NY
And just to make all the folks at home a little jealous of how good the food was, here’s the menu:
Breakfast
Strata (vegetables and meat, local cheese, bacon), Eggs – Bowden’s Egg Farm, Waldoboro, ME. Cheddar Cheese – Pineland Creamery, New Gloucester, ME. Bacon – Salt Marsh Farm, Chewonki
Farm yogurt bar (maple and blueberry flavored, granola, fruit). Yogurt – Salt Marsh Farm, Chewonki. Maple Syrup – Maine Maple Products, Madison, ME. Blueberries – Bill Hinckley, Red House Farm, Waldoboro, Me
Apple Sauce- Biscay Orchards, Damariscotta, ME
Lunch
Salad (apples, carrots, beets, corn, nuts). Greens, Carrots, Beets – Salt Marsh Farm, Chewonki. Maple balsamic dressing
Baked chicken (tofu) Tofu – Heiwa Tofu, Lincolnville, ME.
Chicken – Salt Marsh Farm, Chewonki
Mashed Potatoes – Maine-Grown
Brioche rolls
Caramel popcorn
Dinner
Parsnip soup. Parsnips, Leeks – Salt Marsh Farm, Chewonki. Potatoes – Maine-grown
Squash and kale pizza (with sausage). Cheese pizza (with sausage and tomato). Squash, Kale, Sausage, Tomato, Basil, Garlic – Salt Marsh Farm, Chewonki. Whole Wheat Flour – Aurora Mills, Linneus, ME. Feta Cheese – Pineland Creamery, New Gloucester, ME
Dessert
Apple crisp
Ice cream. Round Top, Damariscotta, ME.
Solos
Published by Heather in Semester 49
October 31st, 2012 | 1 Comment
The prospect of sleeping alone in the woods has never appealed to me. Actually, even the prospect of being alone at all has never appealed to me. I live in New York City, so I’m surrounded by strangers all the time. Even in the wee hours of the morning, you can be sure that there’s someone else within a block’s radius of you. Even if I’m holed up in my apartment alone, I’m just a text away from all of my family and friends. Solos were different to say the least, and consequently made me extremely nervous. Leading up to the weekend, I pictured being blindfolded, and helicoptered to a remote spot on the Neck, fighting off bears and moose, with only a flashlight and a small plastic tarp to protect me, feeding off fungus and whatever else I could find. Believe it or not, this was not actually the case.
I was dropped off at my spot by my advisor Laura, who kindly helped me scout out the best place to set up my tarp. I mournfully watched as she disappeared into the forest. “Goodbye world, this is it,” I thought. I tried to busy myself by setting up my home for the next two nights, adding extra leaves as padding for the roots. Slowly but surely, the sun started to fade, leaving me faced with the inevitable fact that I would be sleeping in the woods, alone. By 6:00 I decided it was too dark to stay awake calmly anymore, so I retreated to my humble abode and dove Into the Wild. Reading about Chris McCandless’ fearless retreat into the Alaskan wilderness put me in my place, and calmed me enough to fall into light sleep.
After waking with the sun the next morning, I settled down on my rock overlooking the water. I tried to calm my fears (both of boredom and of being alone). I wrote, read, drew, and contemplated. Sometimes I even just sat there, letting my thoughts run through my head in a flurry, never really landing on one for long. During this period of time I decided that I will always enjoy peoples’ company. In a world where a “solo” puts me only a couple hundred feet from someone, my love for people is probably a good thing.
Few people in the world can say that they’ve spent 2 nights alone in the woods. I’m still amazed that I’ve done it. On the last day, as I looked across the water, with the mist clinging to the fire-colored trees, and the grey clouds stretching endlessly above me I wrote in my journal:
“I‘m glad I experienced it as I did. The whole time I was looking forward to this moment of being able to leave, but now that it’s arrived, I find myself hesitating… no one will ever truly understand my experience in the woods. But then again, I will never truly understand theirs. We are together in our solitude.”
-Drew Perlmutter, New York NY
Does anyone else have a solo story to share? Wildlife you saw, things you thought about, or ways you stayed busy? Comment about it!
Wilderness Trips
The 41 students of Semester 49 embarked on 5 day wilderness trips exploring the Northern Maine woods or paddling along the rocky coastline a few weeks ago. The following entries are from student writers who have each provided a snap shot of each of their trips. Enjoy!
Sailing
Picture this: You’ve never been sailing before, and suddenly somebody is asking you to help them raise the mizzen sail. What? That’s how I felt on the first day of our sailing wilderness trip. I had never even been on a sailboat before, let alone helped someone raise the mizzen sail or the main or the jib. Heck, I didn’t even know what a mizzen or a jib was! Even so, I learned very quickly, as did everyone else. Dana and Scott (our two fabulous leaders) helped us learn quickly in Guillemot and Petrel, our beautiful sailboats. The first day gave us lots of practice, it turns out, but it didn’t feel like it would at first. We rowed and rowed and rowed, due to the fact that there was no wind. We took ten minute shifts and switched around, each taking a turn on the tiller, the short oars, and the long oars. Finally, as we approached Hell’s Gate, the wind kicked up. Unfortunately, it didn’t kick up in the way that we wanted – we couldn’t get through Hell’s Gate, so we stayed between the two islands Castle and Berry.
Now, Tuesday and the rest of the trip was an entirely different matter. We had intense wind and waves on Tuesday – which gave us the opportunity to really hone our skills on such challenging conditions. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to the island that we had planned on staying on. Instead, we stayed the night on Ram Island, and the next night because the water looked choppy again. On the next few days, we spent time in a few marinas, saw an old shipwreck at high tide and low tide, and spent our last night on our boats, nestled between Castle and Berry once more.
-Becca, Ewing NJ
Back Packing
One the first day, we boarded our bus at around 8:30am for our four-hour long ride to the beginning of our path. Immediately, our group clicked. We could tell right off the bat that our group dynamic would be amazing. Once we got to the beginning of our trail, we packed our bags and hiked 1.9 miles to our first campsite. Our packs were probably about 40 pounds each. Every person carried, in addition to their personal stuff, some group gear and a food bag. At our first campsite, we learned how to set up our tents, and we split up into groups to do either cook crew, camp crew or water crew. I was on cook crew that night and we made stir-fry. The food on our trip was delicious, with lots of fresh ingredients from our trip leader/math teacher, Bill’s farm.
The following days, we hiked more, ate great food and had a lot of fun. Our group bonded as a whole really well. I remember thinking, as I fell asleep on the first night, that I was just so happy to be there. Every moment was memorable and I will always cherish my time on the AT.
The following days, we hiked more, ate great food and had a lot of fun. Our group bonded as a whole really well. I remember thinking, as I fell asleep on the first night, that I was just so happy to be there. Every moment was memorable and I will always cherish my time on the AT.
On our last morning, we got up at 4:30am, and hiked in the dark to the summit of a mountain. There, we could watch the sunrise from an abandoned fire tower. The sky was pink and light blue. Even though it was bitter cold, I have never been happier. I knew, then and there, that the trip had been life-changing. Away from the busy world, the 10 of us could be silent and appreciate the sky. I will never forget that. I will always feel grateful to be at Chewonki and to get to have experiences like a five-day backpacking excursion in the middle of the school year.
For our wilderness trip, a group of eight students and two faculty members backpacked on the Appalachian Trail. For some, this trip was their first experience backpacking. We went out on Monday September 22nd and came back five days later. I have never been so dirty and so happy at the same time.
-Bex, New York NY and Mallory, Princeton NJ
Sea Kayaking
About two weeks ago, several of my classmates and I, as well as one teacher and two Outdoor classroom leaders, left from Chewonki neck to go on the Sea Kayaking wilderness trip. We began on Monday by traveling 8 miles to Spectacle islands in Sheepscot bay. It was a new experience for many of us, and some (including me) found it more difficult than others. The crossing of the bay produced a spectacular view, and the islands, connected during low tide by a land bridge, were beautiful. The second day proved to be harder, as we had stronger winds pushing us past ocean point and up to Fort Island in the Damariscotta. The waves were huge, and many of us worried about tipping, but we all made it to shore, safe, although unfortunately, wet. On Tuesday night we got the sad news that we wouldn’t be able to make the infamous 16-mile stretch around Pemaquid Point the following day because of bad weather. We spent Wednesday playing games, trying to make a fire with a bow drill, and making a shorter day trip through South Bristol and Witch Island, where we had lunch. On Thursday, the weather was thankfully much better, and we were able to make the journey to Harbor Island on the east side of Pemaquid. It was long and tiring, but fun, and filled with funny games and hectic emergency bathroom breaks.
We were satisfied but exhausted when we finally got to the island, barely making it before dusk. Friday was the home stretch, and we were sad although probably a little relieved when we made it to the landing point. All in all, it was a demanding and amazing trip, and I feel closer to all the people who took it with me. We spent a lot of lovely time eating meals, taking care of the camp, and staying in tents together. We’ve gained memories that we will never forget.
-Claire, New York NY
Canoeing
If you’ve never gone on a five day wilderness trip with eleven other people that you maybe didn’t know very well beforehand, you should really make it a priority. I went canoeing on the St. Croix River for five days as my wilderness trip, and it was an absolutely incredible experience.
Imagine waking up one morning to this:
Imagine canoeing over the still water and looking up and seeing the black and white of a bald eagle flying directly over your boat. Imagine getting in a canoe with someone you have barely spoken to before and getting out of that boat three hours later with a real sense of kinship towards that person. Imagine traveling down a river for miles without seeing any sign of humans. Imagine singing around a campfire that you made start to finish, from chopping down a dead snag for firewood to lighting the match. Imagine floating down a river in complete silence without any feeling of awkwardness.
My fellow students and I experienced all of these things on our wilderness trip. We were usually in bed by 8:30, which may seem early, but I don’t think any of us ever had any trouble falling asleep. One of the many highlights of the trip for me was when we decided to go for a swim in the river. I’ll be honest it was more of a run in screaming, go under, and run out screaming even louder kind of thing, but it’s moments like those that I would stop and think about how fortunate I was to be there. Some of the best and most memorable moments were those of nerves and anticipation of the upcoming rapids and the realization that we could handle them.
Someone said something on the trip that has stuck with me about the adventure not truly starting until something goes wrong or until you feel some discomfort. I think back to those moments when Jonathan and Garth’s boat flipped, or when Neha and Elise got stuck on not one, but several rocks, or when it poured for an entire day and we were all soaking wet, and I realize that there is a lot of truth in that statement. Sure I would have loved to wash my hair with some Dr. Bronner’s or have more than one pair of Smartwool socks, but those moments of discomfort, however fleeting, enriched the whole experience so much more for all of us. Every night around the fire Rowan would pull out her ukelele and we would pass it around, everyone playing the songs that they knew and everyone humming along regardless of whether or not they knew the words. The last night we had an intense round of charades and I don’t think any of us will ever forget Sebastian trying to act out Encounters With the Archdruid which we all read as a semester, or Garth trying to act out the thesaurus. After charades we sat in a circle and played a game called “Warm Fuzzies.” Leah would say something like, “this person made you smile this week,” or “you learned something from this person this week,” and everyone would close their eyes and two people would walk around the circle and give everyone they thought behaved that way a shoulder massage. I think we all were able to see how much we did for each other even if it was unintentional.
How about a Semester 49 canoe trip reunion next year somewhere in northern Canada?
-Jane, Lewisburg PA
White Water Kayaking
By night the white water kayakers were musicians – singing songs and playing fiddle around a roaring campfire, and by day were gnarly shredders – tearing up the West Branch of the Penobscot River. Rain or shine the WW kayakers were enthusiastic learners, everyone was eager to get out on the river each day to put into practice the skills they had learned the day before. The trip leaders returned to Chewonki with nothing but praise and admiration for the work ethic of this group. “We have the makings of more than a few serious paddlers on this trip,” they said enthusiastically, ” I can’t wait to see where they go from here with kayaking, I think we hooked them!”
