OLD LYME — On Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m., Potapaug Audubon offers its fifth presentation of the season titled, “Discovering the Allagash”: A Canoeing Guide to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, North Maine Woods,” in Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme St., Old Lyme.
This talk will be presented by Jeff Sims, who will focus on this area as a wildlife preserve who has enjoyed endless opportunities to experience nature unencumbered by humanity.
Sims is the author of a book with the same title as the presentation. This book is the ultimate guide to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) because it covers every aspect of the canoeing/camping experience from the skilled eyes of a seasoned camper, accomplished canoeist and dedicated Eagle Scout.
It includes maps based on the map/brochure issued by Maines Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry with permission from the AWW Superintendent. There are over 100 color photos, suggestions of what to bring, where to park, where to put-in and take-out, as well as brief summaries of what to expect at different campsites.
It is also a study of contrasts, as the author describes: quiet serene lakes; charging bull moose; terrifying intense winds creating three-foot waves; rainbows over calm water; embedded history of lumbering; spelunking in the Ice Caves; hiking nature trails with beautiful vistas; starring up at the Northern Lights; surviving the white water of Chase Rapids; falling asleep exhausted to the call of a loon, the babbling of a brook or the roar of a waterfall, and so much more.
The AWW is an extremely remote, nature sanctuary that has won the author’s heart. He hopes the guidance and advice in his book will allow others to canoe this wilderness paradise with confidence and insight, as they are reminded of Henry David Thoreau’s quote, “… in wildness is the preservation of the world.”
All are welcome. Come early to the meeting for cheese, crackers and cider, and catch-up conversations.
For more information, visit http://www.potapaugaudubon.com
To read a review of Sims’s book, visit https://www.awwf.org/good-read-new-book-documents-18-trips-on-the-allagash