GREENVILLE - Just a few days left before the adventure begins.

On Saturday, at 11 a.m., Alexandra and Garrett Conover of Willimantic set
out on snowshoes for Winter Walk 2005 - a 200-mile trip over frozen rivers
between Greenville and the town of Allagash.

This is the second time the Conovers - registered Maine guides who own
guiding service North Woods Ways of Dover-Foxcroft - have made this trip.
The first time was just a few months after their marriage in 1980; the
trip was their ideal honeymoon.

Now, nearly 25 years later, the couple hopes to relive the fun and
adventure, as well as experience the solitude and solace of the Maine
woods.

And they're bringing along Maine students for the quest.

Students across the state will be tuning into the Web site
www.winterwalk2006.org to check in on the couple as well as to leave
messages. In the process, the Conovers hope to share their love for the
wild, along with their winter survivalist knowledge and a heritage of
travel by snowshoe that is almost lost in Maine.

"It's a great, great feeling," said Alexandra. "The freedom you get with
a pair of snowshoes on... You're out in the fresh air, drinking clean
water. It's great exercise. It's unbelievable."

Both Alexandra and Garrett have been snowshoeing since they were children.

Their first trip, in January 1981, took 21 days to complete. It was
highlighted with sightings of wildlife, such as coyotes, deer and snowshoe
hares, and lots of animal tracks.

This year's outing, sponsored by the Natural Resources Council of Maine,
is expected to take a few days longer, roughly 28 days. The couple hopes
to average 8-10 miles daily. They will bring with them toboggans loaded
down with a wood stove, a cotton tent and all that is needed to survive
the wintery conditions.

Alexandra said the toboggans allow them to pull their own body weight
easily "and not really notice it."

"With the toboggans, we can bring luxury with us," said Garrett. "It's
not like mountaineering," where you survive on your own body heat.

Alexandra said the tent can get 80-90 degrees.

At both the start-off and the destination, there will be celebrations.

On Friday, Jan. 14, from noon to dush, a tent village will be set up near
the Ready Workers Community House in Greenville. From 6:30 to 9:15 p.m.,
display tables will be open at the high school. A concert performance from
Slattery & Stewart will be held from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. in the high school
auditorium. An open jam session and socializing at the Black Frog
Restaurant will follow the festivities at 9:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Jan. 15, the tent village will be open from 9 to 11 a.m.,
followed by the departure ceremonies. The start of the Winter Walk will
take place at the east cove of Moosehead Lake, with cocoa near Mile Light,
courtesy of Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club.

On Jan. 23-24, the couple will stop at Pittston Farm for a tour of the
camp, which is located at the confluence of the north and south branches
of the Penobscot River.

Before the walk and after, the couple will meet with students in
classrooms in Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville, Guilford and Fort Kent.
Educational materials also can be found on the Web site
www.winterwalk2006.org.

"We're not doing anything new," Alexandra said. "This method of travel
has been used for thousands of years in the woods ... up until about 150
years ago. We're doing what people did 10,000 years ago, when our roads
used to be the rivers."

For more information regarding the trip, sponsorship opportunities, media enquiries, or just to say hello please
e-mail us. Garrett and Alexandra have a volunteer who collects their email and forwards it to them. Please remember that Garrett and Alexandra do not have email themselves and will respond via snail-mail to your e-mail
correspondence. Should you still wish to send them email please remember to include your snail-mail address in your message.