Karen and I made a long day trip to Bethel, ME last Saturday to attend the ME Canoe Symposium. We'd never been, it was their 35th year, and it was stellar! There were two tracks; land and water. Karen covered land, as she's on crutches nursing a broken foot (unicycle crash). Ray Reitze and Gil Gilpatrick were there along with other very accomplished Guides. Karen said she felt like she was in the presence of legends. She got many new ideas and tips regarding trip planning, equipment, food, cooking, camp organization and set up, and more. I had fun on the water and in particular, enjoyed clinics on poling and the Northwood's Stroke. Attendees were a good mix of young to old, with many young families. There was an excellent children's program which ran all day and we couldn't help but notice how much fun the kids were having. It was a great group of people to be with!