Paddling With a Purpose

By Chuck Domenie

The trip hatched in June via text.

"Call me when you get a chance, I have an idea!" I wrote to Sandra, who was in Glacier View, Alaska, where she spends summers glacier and sea kayak guiding.

Almost four years ago to this date, Sandra and I had learned to paddle together on a four-day trip to Casco Bay, Maine, with Green Mountain College. Now, four years later, we are packing our Wilderness System Tempests in Eastport, Maine—the northernmost town on the coast—and getting ready to embark on a month-long journey to paddle the coast, from Canada to New Hampshire.

Sandra Townsend and Chuck Domenie stand on the beach prior to their 250-mile trip along the Maine coast. (Photo courtesy Chuck Domenie)

Sandra emailed me a receipt from a purchase of a Maine Island Trail Association membership. Our idea was slowly becoming a reality.

We worked out dates, gear and all the other gritty details necessary for spending a month out on the water via phone and email. Finally, on September 17, I drove to Logan Airport in Boston, and we spent the next week and a half gathering gear, planning routes and visiting friends.

Nine days later, we launched from Sandra's family cabin on Deep Cove in Eastport at 11 a.m. Along our 250-plus-mile journey, we will be collecting surface water samples for Adventurers and Scientist for Conservation’s Marine Microplastics Project.

Chuck Domenie guides standup paddling and kayaking full-time for Eastern Mountain Sports Schools. Keep an eye out for photos from his trip on both ASC and EMS social media.

---

Find more about ASC’s microplastics project on our website, and learn more on our Field Notes blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.