We are excited to welcome a new contributor to the Icespike blog: Mandy Farrar, aka Caratunk Girl. As her blog states, Mandy is “that crazy chick from Caratunk, Maine who runs in the snow, bikes in the rain, and swims across the lake just for fun…”
Mandy is a marathon runner, triathlete, & white water raft guide who lives in Caratunk, Maine (population 60 in the winter, 120 in the summer). She makes her living working as a forester, and is lucky enough to work every day with her best friend, and trusty sidekick Bailey, a 10 year old Bernese Mountain Dog.
Caratunk is nestled on the east side of the Kennebec River and it, along with the towns of The Forks (pop 35) and West Forks (pop 47), are the hub of whitewater rafting and other recreational activities in the summer. In the winter, people come to snowmobile, cross country ski, snow shoe, or drink at one of the 7 bars scattered amongst the three towns.
The Appalachian trail also crosses through Caratunk just before it skips across the Kennebec River & on toward the South. Mandy has hosted many a thru hiker during the late Summer months, as they make their way closer to the Northern Terminus.
Although her vocation is forestry, she truly found her passion in triathlon and endurance sports. She ran first marathon in 2005, completed her first triathlon in 2009, and has been completely “hooked” ever since. She created her blog, Caratunk Girl to follow her triathlon training, tell some stories, and maybe help inspire and motivate people to get outside and keep moving, every day.