Couple Completes Snow Shoe Trip Again for Valentine's Day Anniversary

After a trek on snowshoes that took them along the same route they followed on their honeymoon, Garrett and Alexandara Conover arrived in Maine's Allagash village Saturday. The Conovers, who own a guide service in Willimantic, left Greenville on Jan. 15. They hauled 200 pounds of equipment and food on toboggans. The Conovers used audio journals to record the snowshoe trip on their web site, hoping that their adventure would serve as inspiration for children. They also travelled with letters from school children that they delivered Saturday to students of the Wallagrass Elementary School in Maine.

Their chosen route included Moosehead Lake, portions of the Penobscot River, and a 90-mile stretch of the St. John. Faced with spectacular 50-foot-high ice jams at the confluence of the Allagash and St. John rivers, the Conovers were forced to seek help. They were hauled off the St. John on a snowmobile, about 6 miles from their destination. ''We needed to be here on a weekend so that the schoolchildren could come out," remarked Garrett Conover . ''It would have taken us until the middle of next week to get here" without the tow.

Mr. Conover added that the varying winter weather, with temperatures dipping to -30 degrees, was similar to what he and his wife encountered during their first snowshoeing trip. "However, there were many new wonders," Mrs. Conover stated, "such as the ice reefs and canyons at the end, a whole new population of coyotes, lynx and bobcat tracks, and a raven mating dance along the Penobscot River. Yet the sight of the children from the school meant the most. 'That's what this whole snow shoe trip was about, opening doors and windows. They were bright and really sharp kids."