I spent the last week of August paddling Maine's Allagash Wilderness Waterway with Master Maine Guide Ray Reitze, Jr. Ray has been guiding trips on the Allagash and other Maine waterways for over 15 years. His guide service and school of wilderness living, Earthways, is located in Canaan, Maine. Ray grew up in Maine under the tutelage of a native elder who taught Ray the lifeways of his people and the skills of living in the north woods. Ray passes on these skills through his guided trips, wilderness living skills courses, and philosophy courses. Our party of eight traveled in four of Ray's handmade wood and canvas canoes. Three of the canoes, two 18 footers and a 20 footer, are made from the famous E. M. White pattern, while the fourth, a 17 footer, was more of a whitewater design. I had the good fortune to paddle the 20 footer for the week, and it was a treat. The E. M. White canoe was designed to be a freight canoe, but handles like a dream in all types of water. It can be rolled up to the gunnel without being swamped, and was a joy to paddle and pole.