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Through Woods & Waters: A Solo Journey to Maine's New National Monument
Maine's Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was two years young when Laurie Chandler embarked on a unique journey. After trekking its panoramic peaks on the International Appalachian Trail, she traded her hiking boots for a solo canoe. Taking the long way round, the author followed age-old waterways into the upper watershed of the Penobscot River’s East Branch, then descended its wild waters and quiet byways through the heart of the monument. Hers is a story of shared discovery, highlighting the region’s rich history and natural wonders.
"Following in the footsteps and paddle strokes of her marvelous book, Upwards," writes Jeffrey H. Ryan, author of Hermit, "Laurie Chandler's latest adventure reminds us that while a map can set our course, letting the journey itself be our muse is the greatest guidance of all."
"Following in the footsteps and paddle strokes of her marvelous book, Upwards," writes Jeffrey H. Ryan, author of Hermit, "Laurie Chandler's latest adventure reminds us that while a map can set our course, letting the journey itself be our muse is the greatest guidance of all."
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
6 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Apgar Chandler
3 books4 followersLaurie Apgar Chandler's love for wilderness paddling blossomed after 40, when she moved to Maine with her two children. Inspired to write by the beauty of the woods and waters, she began journaling, drawing inspiration from her work in forestry and education, and her faith. In the summer of 2015, at 53, Laurie became the first woman to solo thru-paddle New England's 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Laurie lives with her parents in their Bremen, Maine log cabin. She has shared her story with a wide variety of audiences, including civic organizations, libraries, churches, boating and outdoor clubs, and L.L. Bean. Upwards is her first book.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 17, 2024
Absolutely loved this book, great writing about adventures and Maine’s history in the north woods!
February 23, 2023
Journeys. That’s what life is about, right? And when it comes to one venturing out alone, then you perhaps keep the words of Amelia Earhart close by: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.”
This is what Laurie Apgar Chandler has been doing for the better part of the last 10 years — tenaciously pursuing her own journey of exploration.
First, she navigated the 740-mile route known as the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, becoming the first woman to solo thru-paddle its entire length from Old Forge, N. Y., to Fort Kent. She wrote about that experience in her first book, Upwards, published in 2017. In her new book, Through Woods & Waters, Chandler tells us about her most recent accomplishment, a 220-mile solo journey beginning at the upper branch of the Penobscot River, down its East Branch, into and through the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Chandler arrived in Maine in 2003 with her two children. Marrying in 2005, she spent her honeymoon canoeing the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. That trip she believed at the time was a “quiet” turning point for her. Tragically she lost her husband in 2009. That Christmas Chandler’s father gave her a kayak, cementing that relationship she found on the Allagash. Chandler is a former forester who today, when not out hiking or canoeing, works in special education.
When Chandler decided to set out on her journey, the newest monument in the U.S. — located in the North Woods of Maine — was only two years old. Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument spans over 87,000 acres of mountains and forestland in northern Penobscot County. The place is home to a landscaped fabric of history and natural wonders. Thoreau, reflecting on his three visits to Katahdin, wrote: “The narrow intervals on the rivers, the bare tops of the high mountains, and the lakes and streams, the forest is uninterrupted.”
For one to travel through unknown territory for the first time is daunting; to do so with both determination and a pensive obsession for detail is striking. Chandler’s pen does not disappoint when she transfers to the page those moments her senses are seeing, hearing and touching. Her words illuminate both a time and a place. History seeps from the banks of the river, climbs tall trees in a wild setting that elicits an emotive response to it all for the reader. That is what great writing can do.
“But, no, I turned again, and the sky had exploded in a blaze of apocalyptic color, perhaps beyond the craft of words to capture. From two angles, like giant spotlights, the yellow-orange ember glow of the setting sun shone up upon billowing towers of cloud, purple-gray in the shadows at that moment, a barred owl began to call from deep in the forest, the notes finding their way straight into my soul.”
People, too, as Chandler points out throughout the book, were important on this journey. For some, their words appear at the beginning of every chapter. For others, their influence on her —this journey and her life —are striking because their influence is clearly in the actions they took for her; and for still others, their influence lies deeply rooted in the history of this place.
Frost, Thoreau, Emerson and Longfellow and many others guided Chandler’s thoughts with their words. Chandler’s parents, with their words and deeds, are her constant companions as she navigates life. And even Roxanne Quimby, the person responsible for the “how and why” this monument even exists in the first place, is integral to this journey, to this story. They are all present in the moment. Because of that, Chandler’s own journey is made better because of all those that came before her and her knowing what they experienced along the way.
Yet still, amidst all of these voices, Chandler sets the tone of her narrative in real time. With every stroke of the paddle we are there with her. As she hikes from one granite ledge to another we are there, seeing what she sees in both flora and fauna. And we are there when she settles down for the evening, watching the setting sun, conversing with the stars as they whisper back time, all while embracing the song of an owl perched somewhere out there.
This book is filled with intimate observations made by a seasoned explorer, one confident in expressing herself in words. These singular moments on a stream or deep in the woods I am certain seemed huge for Chandler¬ — facing them alone and seemingly vulnerable. She adeptly captures the awe of the experience with an unerring eye for detail, and, as she so eloquently states at the end, her memories of this last trip will sustain her until the next one appears around the bend.
“As we part ways, until the next river beckons, the tale will go on. One memorable summer, I went in search of serendipity and found it in abundance. Along the winding way, I heard voices of those who had gone before, and they stirred my heart and soul. One flowed into another, centered in this land that shelters in the shadow of Katahdin. It is humbling to think that my voice may join that flow, to become part of the story that will last for as long as the mountains stand.”
This is what Laurie Apgar Chandler has been doing for the better part of the last 10 years — tenaciously pursuing her own journey of exploration.
First, she navigated the 740-mile route known as the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, becoming the first woman to solo thru-paddle its entire length from Old Forge, N. Y., to Fort Kent. She wrote about that experience in her first book, Upwards, published in 2017. In her new book, Through Woods & Waters, Chandler tells us about her most recent accomplishment, a 220-mile solo journey beginning at the upper branch of the Penobscot River, down its East Branch, into and through the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Chandler arrived in Maine in 2003 with her two children. Marrying in 2005, she spent her honeymoon canoeing the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. That trip she believed at the time was a “quiet” turning point for her. Tragically she lost her husband in 2009. That Christmas Chandler’s father gave her a kayak, cementing that relationship she found on the Allagash. Chandler is a former forester who today, when not out hiking or canoeing, works in special education.
When Chandler decided to set out on her journey, the newest monument in the U.S. — located in the North Woods of Maine — was only two years old. Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument spans over 87,000 acres of mountains and forestland in northern Penobscot County. The place is home to a landscaped fabric of history and natural wonders. Thoreau, reflecting on his three visits to Katahdin, wrote: “The narrow intervals on the rivers, the bare tops of the high mountains, and the lakes and streams, the forest is uninterrupted.”
For one to travel through unknown territory for the first time is daunting; to do so with both determination and a pensive obsession for detail is striking. Chandler’s pen does not disappoint when she transfers to the page those moments her senses are seeing, hearing and touching. Her words illuminate both a time and a place. History seeps from the banks of the river, climbs tall trees in a wild setting that elicits an emotive response to it all for the reader. That is what great writing can do.
“But, no, I turned again, and the sky had exploded in a blaze of apocalyptic color, perhaps beyond the craft of words to capture. From two angles, like giant spotlights, the yellow-orange ember glow of the setting sun shone up upon billowing towers of cloud, purple-gray in the shadows at that moment, a barred owl began to call from deep in the forest, the notes finding their way straight into my soul.”
People, too, as Chandler points out throughout the book, were important on this journey. For some, their words appear at the beginning of every chapter. For others, their influence on her —this journey and her life —are striking because their influence is clearly in the actions they took for her; and for still others, their influence lies deeply rooted in the history of this place.
Frost, Thoreau, Emerson and Longfellow and many others guided Chandler’s thoughts with their words. Chandler’s parents, with their words and deeds, are her constant companions as she navigates life. And even Roxanne Quimby, the person responsible for the “how and why” this monument even exists in the first place, is integral to this journey, to this story. They are all present in the moment. Because of that, Chandler’s own journey is made better because of all those that came before her and her knowing what they experienced along the way.
Yet still, amidst all of these voices, Chandler sets the tone of her narrative in real time. With every stroke of the paddle we are there with her. As she hikes from one granite ledge to another we are there, seeing what she sees in both flora and fauna. And we are there when she settles down for the evening, watching the setting sun, conversing with the stars as they whisper back time, all while embracing the song of an owl perched somewhere out there.
This book is filled with intimate observations made by a seasoned explorer, one confident in expressing herself in words. These singular moments on a stream or deep in the woods I am certain seemed huge for Chandler¬ — facing them alone and seemingly vulnerable. She adeptly captures the awe of the experience with an unerring eye for detail, and, as she so eloquently states at the end, her memories of this last trip will sustain her until the next one appears around the bend.
“As we part ways, until the next river beckons, the tale will go on. One memorable summer, I went in search of serendipity and found it in abundance. Along the winding way, I heard voices of those who had gone before, and they stirred my heart and soul. One flowed into another, centered in this land that shelters in the shadow of Katahdin. It is humbling to think that my voice may join that flow, to become part of the story that will last for as long as the mountains stand.”
September 7, 2025
I recently picked up this book at the Jefferson Market and General Store in Jefferson, Maine, and I could not have found a better companion for my vacation at Damariscotta Lake. Laurie Apgar Chandler's "Through Woods and Waters" is a fantastic memoir of the author's solo canoe paddle to Maine's Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Instead of starting her float in the Monument, Chandler begins her adventure some 150 miles to the west of Katahdin and travels through many interesting sites, including the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Baxter State Park, and the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail. For each chapter, Chandler blends her own experience in the canoe with historical anecdotes about the region and its people. Following a similar route of Henry David Thoreau's 19th century Maine expeditions, Chandler traces the lines of those who came before her and describes the importance of preserving the wild splendor of the region for those who will come after her.
As a former white water raft guide and adrenaline junkie, I particularly enjoyed the more adventurous sections of the book, including Chandler's ascent up Allagash mountain and descent into the Allagash ice cave; her hike along the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) and use of her survival skills training when she temporarily becomes lost; and her decision to run some daring rapids instead of portaging around them. However, I also appreciated Chandler's decisions at times to take more conservative actions on the water, especially considering that she solo paddled the trip with no connection to the outside world aside from her SPOT satellite communication device. I also enjoyed reading of Chandler's quiet moments along the journey, including her encounter with several moose, deer and eagles, and her gratitude for the awe-inspiring moments that come from being alone in nature.
Chandler also wonderfully describes the ancient history of the Appalachian mountain range and the creation of the IAT, and some of the significant conservation efforts made over the years, including Governor Percival Baxter's efforts to protect the Katahdin area and Burt's Bees founder Roxanne Quimby and her son, Lucas St. Clair, controversial push to have the area designated as a national park. Some of the best history, however, comes from the local legends of the region. Chandler shares the story of 12-year old Donn Fendler, who spent nine days lost in the Katahdin region before stumbling across civilization at the Lunksoos Camp. She also tells the story of how a Disney animator named Maurice "Jake" Day used the region for inspiration for the setting of the movie Bambi.
My main criticism of the book is that Chandler does not share the personal circumstances that compelled her to take such an extended solo trip. While I have not read Chandler's first book, Upwards, which I think might address some more of the author's personal story, it still would have been helpful for her to mention some of her motivations so that the reader felt a deeper connection with the meaning and significance of her adventure.
All the same, the book is an excellent artefact of a culturally and environmental significant region of Maine that I imagine is not very well known to the average person. The book inspired me to visit Katahdin and I am already using "Through Woods and Waters" to help plan my trip.
As a former white water raft guide and adrenaline junkie, I particularly enjoyed the more adventurous sections of the book, including Chandler's ascent up Allagash mountain and descent into the Allagash ice cave; her hike along the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) and use of her survival skills training when she temporarily becomes lost; and her decision to run some daring rapids instead of portaging around them. However, I also appreciated Chandler's decisions at times to take more conservative actions on the water, especially considering that she solo paddled the trip with no connection to the outside world aside from her SPOT satellite communication device. I also enjoyed reading of Chandler's quiet moments along the journey, including her encounter with several moose, deer and eagles, and her gratitude for the awe-inspiring moments that come from being alone in nature.
Chandler also wonderfully describes the ancient history of the Appalachian mountain range and the creation of the IAT, and some of the significant conservation efforts made over the years, including Governor Percival Baxter's efforts to protect the Katahdin area and Burt's Bees founder Roxanne Quimby and her son, Lucas St. Clair, controversial push to have the area designated as a national park. Some of the best history, however, comes from the local legends of the region. Chandler shares the story of 12-year old Donn Fendler, who spent nine days lost in the Katahdin region before stumbling across civilization at the Lunksoos Camp. She also tells the story of how a Disney animator named Maurice "Jake" Day used the region for inspiration for the setting of the movie Bambi.
My main criticism of the book is that Chandler does not share the personal circumstances that compelled her to take such an extended solo trip. While I have not read Chandler's first book, Upwards, which I think might address some more of the author's personal story, it still would have been helpful for her to mention some of her motivations so that the reader felt a deeper connection with the meaning and significance of her adventure.
All the same, the book is an excellent artefact of a culturally and environmental significant region of Maine that I imagine is not very well known to the average person. The book inspired me to visit Katahdin and I am already using "Through Woods and Waters" to help plan my trip.
December 20, 2020
Another wonderful book from the author. I love the way she writes - there's a peace and tranquility in her writing style, and I always feel like I'm floating down the river with her, in the hushed and somber stillness. At the same time, I'm in awe of her strength, courage, and determination - she makes me want to go on a solo backpacking or kayaking trip, but also makes me realize I probably could not accomplish it. Following along on the author's trip is probably the closest I'll ever get - and that's good enough. She paints vibrant pictures with her words and this book even includes a several page color photo spread! If you are an outdoor enthusiast, I highly, highly, highly recommend all books by Laurie Apgar Chandler.
July 3, 2021
An excellent read! Laurie has truly sealed her fate as part of the legacy of promoting the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Although I've finished it and it'll be placed on my bookshelf for now, I look forward to a reread when the snow's on the ground and a fire's blazing in our woodstove.
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November 15, 2022I enjoyed going along on the journey through the waters and woods with part of it in the Katahdin Woods & Water National Monument. Some of the area I have been through and recognized from Laurie's relating about her journey
May 5, 2021
This was engrossing travel narrative, with precise observations that gave me an immersive experience, as if I was there along for the paddle (portage, hike), with lyrical writing and historical background.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews