25 Years of Trail Tales: An Honest Review (From Two People Featured in It!)
Title: 25 Years of Trail Tales; Editor Chris Morris, 2025, ISBN-13: 978-0-9786697-1-3
This book is a celebration of the last 25 years of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT). It brings together stories from many different perspectives from thru-paddlers, day-trippers, racers, and volunteers. The book provides an inspiring insight into what this trail has meant to people over the last quarter of a century. This is enabled by recounting heartfelt accounts and presenting stunning pictures.
Reasons to read
Before we go any further we should probably say that we may be a bit biased on this one as we wrote a section of it and there are more than a few of Robert’s pictures scattered throughout. Even if we do say so ourselves the pictures are truly stunning and showcase the beauty of the northern forest.The stories captured in this book are truly touching. It is inspiring to see how a trail can mean so much to so many people.
The book captures unique voices from across the NFCT paddling community, including:
Hardcore thru-paddlers (apparently that’s us now, much to our surprise!)
Racers
Weekend warriors
Day-trippers
and The dedicated volunteers who keep the trail alive!
Beyond the water, people make genuine discoveries about themselves, their travel companions, and the locals they meet. It highlights the real sense of community that has grown around the trail over the last 25 years.
Beyond the stories, there’s a sense of prestige tucked in the back pages. The book features the official roster of the 181 people who have completed the full 740-mile trail. It’s one thing to tell someone you canoed the length of the trail; it’s another to show them your names printed in this history of the NFCT.
The NFCT organisation is a charity and the sales of this book help to raise money for the upkeep of the trail so others may continue to enjoy it. So you know that the profits from the book are going to a good place.
We cannot believe it! We have pictures and writing captured in a book!
Things to watch out for:
This is not a guide book but rather more of a coffee table book that celebrates and showcases the beauty of the NFCT from many different people’s perspectives.
Would we recommend this book?
If you are thinking about doing the NFCT firstly, do it! Secondly, this book will give you all the inspiration you need if you're on the fence. It provides an insight into the best parts of the trail not only showing the jaw-dropping beauty but also some of the characters you may meet along the way.
Where you can find this book
This book is available from the NFCT website and will ship worldwide.
Check out page 70 to see our article. Also see if you can find the picture of Katrina on the Missisquoi River.