A perilous forecast kept many people away from the Androscoggin Source-to-the-Sea Canoe Trek yesterday, and the 11 of us who did paddle the 10-mile stretch from Mexico to Dixfield got a bit wet.

But the truly stormy weather passed far south of us, and by the time we pulled out in Dixfield the sun was shining and our spirits were upbeat.

The section we paddled was just below the NewPage paper mill in Rumford, and four representatives of the Pulp and Paper Workers' Resource Council joined us: Deano Gilbert and Fran Dragoon paddled the PPRC-lettered canoe, while Scott Grassette and Donna Weston paddled a camo-colored aluminum canoe.

Deano Gilbert and Fran Dragoon paddle the Pulp and Paper Workers' Resource Council canoe yesterday on the Androscoggin River.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Two canoes with four NewPage employees paddle past the mill yesterday.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

The Pulp and Paper Workers' Resource Council is a nationwide organization of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen who work in the pulp and paper industry. Stung by job losses in the industry -- especially in the northeast and northwest -- PPRC seeks to strike a balance between strident environmentalism and a prosperous economy.

They've been participants in the Source-to-the-Sea Canoe Trek for most of its history.

Two young ladies paddle their kayaks down the Androscoggin River yesterday.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Lunch was provided by NewPage, and Scott Grassette of the PPRC conducted an environmental quiz on subjects relating to the Andro's geography and history.

We passed this drift boat yesterday, fishing for smallmouth bass, which are abundant in the Androscoggin River.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

The Androscoggin Source-to-the-Sea Canoe Trek resumes this Thursday in the Livermore Falls-Jay area. Contrary to previously announced plans, Thursday's paddle will start on Pine Island (reached by bridge near Crash Road) due to construction work at Riley Dam.

The end of the Trek will be Sunday, when we paddle the last few miles of the Andro, cross Merrymeeting Bay and then wrap up in Bath -- on the Kennebec.

The Trek is neither a race nor a fund-raiser. Participation is free. Just bring your canoe or kayak, but please register first.

Organizers are selling raffle tickets with chances to win a hand-made Lincoln kayak, from the prominent Freeport firm, or a season ski pass to Sunday River Resort.

Three decades ago, the Androscoggin was one of the nation's 10 most polluted rivers, hideously fouled by untreated discharges by paper mills and municipal sewage systems. Cleanup efforts began in the 1970s and today's Andro is an outstanding recreational resource -- and a source of pride and focus of activity in many communities.

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