Garrett and Alexandra Conover have been professional

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

and

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

guides since 1980. They are American authors and registered Maine Guides, who have specialized in traditional wilderness travelling techniques of the boreal north woods.

Background

Alexandra

In 1977 Alexandra received a degree in

Human Ecology Human ecology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The philosophy and study of human ecology has a diffuse history with advancements in ecolog ...

from College of the Atlantic. She handcrafts North Woods

paddles A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered w ...

, based on a pattern used in this region for over 100 years. When not guiding, Alexandra enjoys her musical pastimes by playing, composing, and performing on

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, accordion, and autoharp.

Garrett

Garrett studied

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

at University of Montana, and graduated from College of the Atlantic. He has extensively studied the

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

and

ethnology Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...

of the boreal regions and northern travel skills. A talented

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

, Garrett's slide shows are in demand by many

museums A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

, colleges, corporations, nature centers, and other organizations.

North Woods Ways

Before founding North Woods Ways in 1980, the Conovers had the good fortune of an extended apprenticeship with renowned Maine Guide "Mick" Fahey and have refined their skills by living in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with several

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

families in

the bush "The bush" is a term mostly used in the English vernacular of Australia and New Zealand where it is largely synonymous with '' backwoods'' or ''hinterland'', referring to a natural undeveloped area. The fauna and flora contained within this a ...

. The Conovers have specialized in using traditional wood/canvas canoes with handmade paddles of ash for summer travel, and ash/ rawhide snowshoes and handcrafted wood

toboggans A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hil ...

and canvas heated

tents A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

for winter travel. In an age given to the use of ever higher technology, they have chosen to employ, where possible, the more efficient and reliable materials developed by generations of woods travelers. Practicing what they preach, the Conovers live in the North Maine woods in a permanent walled tent.

Books

Garrett’s first book, ''Beyond the Paddle'', was released in 1991. This guide to the skills of poling, lining, portaging, and ice maneuvering is praised as the first and only of its kind to provide clear, precise, and detailed explanations of these techniques used by wilderness canoeists. ''A Snow Walker's Companion'' was written with Alexandra in 1995 and quickly became an authoritative text on winter travel. The book was reprinted in 2001 as ''The Winter Wilderness Companion'', and in 2005 ''A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Camping Skills for the North'' was republished to include an insert about Garrett and Alexandra's epic 350 mile snowshoe trip across the

Ungava Peninsula The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. This peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula, and covers about . Its northernmost point is Ca ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. In 2006 Garrett published his first novel, ''Kristin's Wilderness: A Braided Trail''. This story of a girl growing up among wilderness researchers earned several prestigious awards, including the Lupine Award of the Maine Library Association, the Independent Publishers Association’s National Bronze Medal, the Midwest Independent Publishers Association Top Honor, and the Bronze Medal in the Young Adult category of The Moonbeam Awards.

Booklist

* ''Beyond the Paddle - A Canoeist's Guide to Expedition Skills: Poling, Lining, Portaging and Maneuvering through Ice'' - Garrett Conover (1991) * ''A Snow Walker's Companion'' - Alexandra & Garrett Conover (1995) * ''The Winter Wilderness Companion'' (reissue of ''A Snow Walker's Companion'') - Alexandra & Garrett Conover (2001) * ''A Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Camping Skills for the North'' – revised, Alexandra & Garrett Conover (2005) * ''Kristin's Wilderness: A Braided Trail'' - Garrett Conover (2006)

Books that include ''contributions'' from the Conovers

* ''On Wilderness – voices of Maine''; essay by Garrett Conover * ''Wildness Within, Wildness Without''; chapter by Garrett Conover

Television guest appearances

* Maine Magazine with Russ Ottey - WCBB-TV (1985) *

Evening Magazine ''Evening Magazine'' is the name of various news and entertainment-style local television shows in different markets. Concept On August 9, 1976, Westinghouse (Group W) Broadcasting-owned KPIX in San Francisco debuted a locally-produced magazin ...

with

Barry Nolan Barry Nolan (born June 17, 1947) is an American former presenter on Comcast Cable's CN8 channel, once hosting the shows '' Nitebeat,'' ''Backstage'', and ''Backstage with Barry Nolan''. He is a panelist on ''Says You!'', a weekend radio word quiz ...

WBZ-TV WBZ-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent station WSBK-TV (ch ...

(1985) * Made in Maine with Lou McNally -

Maine Public Broadcasting Network The Maine Public Broadcasting Network (abbreviated MPBN and branded as Maine Public) is a state network of public television and radio stations located in the U.S. state of Maine. It is operated by the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, whic ...

(1992) * Made in Maine with Lou McNally -

(1993) * Color Me Green with Bill Green - WCSH-TV (1994) * Winter Camping Studio Interviews -

WABI-TV WABI-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Bangor, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on Hildreth Street in West Bangor, and its transmitter is atop Peaked Mountain in ...

(1995) * Bill Green's Maine - WCSH-TV (2005)

Books that include features ''about'' the Conovers

* America's Wild and Scenic Rivers - National Geographic (1983) * A Canoeist's Sketchbook - Robert Kimber (1991) * Through the Woods: A Journey through America's Forests - Gary Ferguson (1997) * The American Wilderness - Stephen Gorman (1999) * Northern Wilds: Journeys of Discovery in the Northern Forest - Stephen Gorman (2002) * Living Wild and Domestic: The Education of a Hunter-Gardener - Robert Kimber (2002) * Vanishing America - James Conaway (2007)

Notable magazine features

* Snow Country – article
Sometimes Life Isn't Weird Enough
(1990) * GQ (1993) * Yankee – article
Bragging Cold
(1995) *

Outside (magazine) ''Outside'' is an American company and magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue of ''Outside'' was published in September 1977. History Outside founders were Jann Wenner (the first editor in chief), William Randolph Hearst III (its firs ...

– Profiled in article; The Great Ones: 20th Century Heroes for a New Millennium (1999) *

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. The US ...

– article
Call of the Loon
(2001) *

– article; Lake Onawa in winter (2008)

External links

* The Conovers' own web site �
North Woods Ways
Classic Wilderness Guiding
Wooden Canoe Heritage Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conover, Garrett And Alexandra Writers from Maine