Connect with Winter, the North Woods Way

December 17, 2008

Topics: Borestone Mountain | People Profiles

Garrett and Alexandra Conover lead two weekends at Borestone Mountain this winter. Discounted pricing just announced. Find detailed descriptions in menu on right.

You stop to take a look as your snowshoes settle into deep powder. Behind snowy boughs stretches a landscape of flat white pond under a white-capped mountain peak. The only thing you hear is your breath, entering cold and exiting cloud.

For 30 years, Registered Maine Guides Garrett and Alexandra Conover have been making moments like this possible. Collaborating with Maine Audubon this winter, they're bringing this rare opportunity to Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary in the North Woods.

Traditional Travel in the Wild
The Conovers have devoted the last 30 years to sharing a love of nature through traditional outdoor treks in the wildest parts of the Northeast.

Traditional? Think wooden snowshoes and canoes, making your way across a lake by paddle or by foot on its frozen surface. Think dinner on a crackling fire and nights in cozy canvas wall tents under more stars than you could dream.

The guides have become famous internationally for teaching these outdoor skills and their deep knowledge of the natural world. They have been featured on television, in books and dozens of magazine articles, and they have written their own snowshoeing and canoeing guides.

Meaningful connections are what they seek. "We've chosen these types of sojourns because in many ways technology has estranged people—from nature and each other," said Garrett. "By connecting with the natural world, people can strip away some modern barriers."

Borestone: 'Perfect Setting'
With a rich history, well preserved natural beauty, and a palpable spirit, Borestone Mountain has always been a special place for the Conovers. "Borestone is the perfect setting for the kind of experiences we want to share," said Alexandra. "It's easy to connect with the natural systems there, beating away as they have for a hundred years."

Over two winter weekends at Borestone, the Conovers will connect groups with those natural systems while teaching unique outdoor skills used for generations. Highlights include putting winter camping skills to the test on an overnight to Onawa Lake.

Nights will be spent in one of Borestone's lodges or in canvas tents heated by woodstove, with good food and camaraderie found around the fire—Conover outings may eschew modern technology but don’t mean living without comfort.

Pick a trip and join them. Winter will never be the same.