A Guide to Solo Wilderness Travel with Alexandra Conover Bennett, Wendy Weiger, Aislinn Sarnacki
Friday, July 21, 6:30 pm
Thoreau couldn’t have survived in the wild without his Penobscot guides, but he brought the experience of the Native world of our region to the world at large. Tonight, come hear how going solo in the wilderness is a life-changer, with the extraordinary experiences of a panel of outdoor experts living right here, right now.
Alexandra Bennett lives off-grid near Moosehead and has spent her adult life in the back country of Maine and Labrador. She’s lived solo in winter territory, ran traplines, and is uniquely qualified in the many aspects of surviving difficult situations in a remote country. She brings with her a lifetime of outdoor skills, where, for her, going solo into the woods is as essential as breathing air. She is an expert canoe and snowshoe guide, and a remarkable identifier of birds, plants, and animals. Her specialty is how to live, travel, and survive northern boreal woods, having made a 350-mile snowshoe trip across the Ungava Peninsula, Québec, refining her skills by living with indigenous
friends and learning their traditional ways.
Dr. Wendy Weiger left the halls of academe and moved to Moosehead Lake. Much like Thoreau, she absorbed all she could from the locals around her. Then, she went solo, living alone off-grid in her cabin east of Kokadjo, and became a naturalist writer. Come hear what she found as spiritual solace, celebration, and life-affirming connections in all her travels through these woods and waters.
Aislinn Sarnacki writes about her outdoor experiences for a living and admits that going solo was at first an acquired taste. Now, it is her preferred way. She says going solo into the wilderness is not for everyone, and unless you have the skills, knowledge, and gear, there are some things you just don’t do alone. With experience though, she now prefers going it alone, for the independence, for the freedom of being on nobody’s schedule but her own, and for the ability to see wildlife that you
otherwise wouldn’t get to see it.
Come hear about the risks and the rewards of going solo in the wilderness. All three experts are dynamic speakers. Each in their way tells their remarkable personal journeys, with many tips on navigating, being confident, feeling alive, and finding ease in Maine’s rugged woods and waters.
Questions and Answer time will follow this rare panel presentation.
The Festival is made in partnership with Moosehead’s Natural Resource Education Center and the Penobscot Nation Cultural & Historic Preservation Dept., Maine Woods Forever, and the Moosehead Historical Society. For festival details, CONTACT NREC’s Suzanne AuClair: 207-349-0538 or email: [email protected]
