Upwards: Solo Canoeing the 740-Mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail

At age 53, Laurie Apgar Chandler became the first woman to solo thru-paddle New England’s Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Traveling 740 miles alone in a small canoe, she encountered challenges that pushed her to the limits of her courage and endurance. But for every moment of wild weather, upstream struggle, or exhausting portage, there was the joy of seeing nature in all its glory and drama. Join the author as she shares stories and photos from her 53-day expedition.

Bio:

Laurie Apgar Chandler and her two children moved to Maine in 2003, buying a log cabin surrounded by lakes and ponds. Changing careers from forest research to special education, she remarried, and discovered a new passion, wilderness canoeing. After losing her husband, Laurie began taking longer and longer journeys alone. In the summer of 2015, she surprised even herself by solo thru-paddling the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail in a new 13-foot Kevlar canoe. Upwards, the story of that journey, is her first book. Laurie lives in Bremen and works at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta.