Tom Casey

Jonathan, I'll be attending the workshop. Tom Casey

Hi Les. As I discussed in my reply to Carl above, I'm thinking about a trip in Casco Bay instead. My intent is to get people involved, so I think Casco Bay (since it's closer and has more bail-out options) would be a better starting point. We can all build up to Monhegan (and beyond) together! Cheers, Tom

Hi Carl. Long time no see. We should do something about that! Yeah, I don't consider myself a level 5 paddler either (well, not unless it's late at night and I've had a couple of beers). So my plan is step back from the Monhegan trip and possibly do something in Casco Bay in September, maybe a point-to-point trip like Jed and some others did a few years back. Maybe start at the New Meadows River and end up at Eastern Point in Portland. I'm traveling this weekend, so I'll post a few ideas next week. Cheers, Tom tom@casepeople.com

Bob, By island hopping through Muscongus, the longest stretch of open water is about 5 miles (the last leg to Monhegan). But you bring up a critical point and one that I want to make abundantly clear (from my perspective at least). No, my idea of expeditions is not to seek out the most challenging conditions. Like Bethany, I paddle to connect with the natural world, and sea kayaking provides a unique way of doing that. I don't want to exclude anyone who's interested in expeditioning, just the opposite. The whole point of the training is to include those who want to participate and, as a group, develop the skills and judgement that we'd need to kayak in places where we can experience nature in a way that's just not possible along the Massachusetts coast. So your point is very well taken. Having the first trip to Monhegan probably sends the wrong message. At this point my goal is simply to build some momentum, and Monhegan was the first thought that popped into my mind. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Cheers, Tom Casey tom@casepeople.com

Okay, while we try to sort through who wants to go where, when they want to go, and with whom they want to go, how about some expedition training to get the ball rolling? Peter Logan and I have been kicking around the idea of a trip out to Monhegan Island for awhile now. Monhegan is one of the outer islands in Muscongus Bay, Maine. Our (very tentative, I need to confirm this with Peter) plan is to pick a weekend in September (probably the 11-12th), get permission from MITA to use on Burnt (or is it Allen) Island as our base, and see if we can make it out to Monhegan. The idea would be to approach this as if it were an actual expedition, to get practice for whatever trips we eventually decide to undertake. So, let me know if you're interested. This would be an unofficial trip, which I'd rate as a level 5. You would need to be a MITA member, and also willing to participate in the pre-trip planning session. I'm not sure what the capacity of Burnt (Allen) Island is, that would probably dictate the group size. Cheers, Tom tom@casepeople.com

Distant shores are calling ... I'm going to serve as the point person for this training/trip. What I need to know is 1) who is interested, and 2) when you'd want to go, and 3) if you have any specific thoughts on what the training should entail and what the destination should be. You can post this info here or email to me at tom@casepeople.com. Once I have a sense of the type of training/trip we're interested in, I'll contact some outfitters and see what they can offer us. Cheers, Tom Casey tom@casepeople.com

I think Liz and Ben have the makings of a great idea here. Personally, I'd love to be take expedition training that culminates in a trip to Newfoundland or such with a group of known quantities who've gone through the same training together. So, if others are interested, I'd be glad to draft an RFP and submit it to several outfitters. So, to get things started, let me know if you're interested, and, more specifically, what kind of training/trip you'd be interested in. You can reply to this message or send an email to tom@casepeople.com. Cheers, Tom Casey tom@casepeople.com PS. While I know this wasn't Ben's intention, I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to mention what an outstanding guide/instructor Ben is. Several years ago I took a day trip with Ben from Rockport to Camden. You won't find a more knowledgeable or gracious guide.