Outdoors -- Spring-Summer 2018

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Spring/Summer 2018

SURVIVING THE ELEMENTS

LEARNING HOW TO LIVE OFF THE LAND DEEP IN THE WOODS MAINE COMPANY REINVENTS

TRAIL FOOD

PLAN YOUR SUMMER VACATION AT A MAINE

SPORTING CAMP

TAKE A CHANCE ON THE

MAINE MOOSE LOTTERY

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018

It was a beautiful but windy day recently in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When I drove out there alone that morning, I didn’t expect I’d have

Too cold to smile.

Matt on New Hampshire's Franconia Ridge recently.

to help someone down off a summit.

PRINT SALES MANAGER

The winds were expected to reach 55 miles per hour at the peak with below-zero

Todd McLeod

temps. That meant a two-mile trek along the ridge in potentially dangerous

TO ADVERTISE IN MAINE OUTDOORS & ADVENTURE

conditions. I had packed the necessary gear the night before.

Contact Jeff Orcutt | jorcutt@bangordailynews.com 207-990-8036

In the parking area, I met a fellow hiker who asked if he could join me. He seemed fit, and though he seemed lightly dressed he told me he was prepared.

I believed him.

Things went well until we reached the first summit. The other hiker developed a charlie horse that increasingly hobbled him as we made our way across the ridge. It became clear that what I thought would be a 4-5 hour hike was going to take much longer. When I realized he didn’t have a headlamp or heavier clothing, I began to worry. The winds were high, it was frigid, and the sun was setting. If we stopped, I feared, one of us might get hypothermia.

Together we slowly made our way down the mountain, using my lone headlamp. Eventually, after a nine-hour journey, we made it to the base safely, well after dark.

Among my outdoor friends, stories abound of people leaving their snowshoes or headlamps behind, only to realize that one crucial piece of equipment could have made the difference when conditions turned for the worst.

This situation reminded me of the importance of preparation. I’ve started carrying a spare headlamp, and I’ve resupplied my safety kit as well. Hopefully I’ll never need these things. They add some extra ounces to my pack, but in the end, I’d rather be prepared if things don’t turn out as planned.

PUBLISHER Richard Warren Matt Chabe

the Whites. It’s about nine miles round trip, including some mild ice scrambling.

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Bangor Daily News

SENIOR EDITOR, SPECIAL SECTIONS

I planned a solo traverse of Franconia Ridge, one of the more popular routes in

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THIS PUBLICATION WAS PRODUCED BY

Big Maine Adventures are not just for the elite Check out these awesome kid and family-friendly adventures.

CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER Michele Dwyer

CREATIVE SERVICES

Amy Allen, Marcie Coombs, Coralie Cross, Ben Cyr, Callie Picard, Carolina Rave

ABOUT THE COVER

BY MAINE OUTDOORS & ADVENTURE | SPONSORED BY ACADIA MOUNTAIN GUIDES

A student of a Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service survival skills course stands on the shore of the Aroostook River in Masardis recently. PHOTO COURTESY TIM SMITH

R

© 2018 Bangor Daily News. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without express written consent. Requests for permission to copy, reprint, or duplicate any content should be directed to advertising@bangordailynews.com

Stay safe out there — MATT CHABE, EDITOR

ock climbing and mountaineering fantasies

Young Explorers Climbing and Adventure Camps

often call to mind hardy, grizzled adventurers

With both day and overnight options, this is the best bet for

and athletes at the peak of fitness.

budding adventurers-to-be. The rock climbing camp features

But while advanced outdoors adventures

five days of vertical fun, challenge, and learning. In this

might take advanced skills, that doesn’t mean they’re

focused climbing camp, campers get a lot of time on the rock

inaccessible. Maine-based organizations like Acadia

and learn important rope skills like knots, belaying, and

Mountain Guides in Orono provide many opportunities for

rappelling. Not a climbing enthusiast? The adventure camp

kids and families to get the instruction they need to enjoy

affords the opportunity to touch starfish, crawl inside the

big adventures all year ‘round.

earth, hike, learn map skills, and more. It’s a new adventure

Check out these four opportunities (and a bonus one)

every day as campers discover the Maine outdoors and learn

for kids and families to get active in the outdoors this

about outdoor safety, discover nature, and meet new friends.

summer and beyond.

RockPro Teen Climbing Camps

Family Adventures Try something new and exciting that will build family trust

For high schoolers who love to climb and want to bring

and create lasting memories. Acadia Mountain Guides

their skills to the next level. Whether you’ve never climbed

enjoys climbing with families to provide unique experiences

before or already have experience, this is the course for you.

for children and parents alike. From a lower-angled

Divided into focus-specific sections (from fundamentals to

climb to a mountaintop to a seaside vertical playground

multi-pitch climbing), the course is led by PCIA or AMGA-

overlooking Frenchman's Bay, these adventures involve

certified instructors who provide individual instruction

the whole family in the sport of climbing. All courses are

to help you learn and improve your technique at your

tailored to your family and take place in locations like

own pace. In camp, everyone shares in the necessary set-

Acadia National Park, Camden, Clifton, New Hampshire,

up and cooking. Evening is a time to take in a naturalist’s

and along the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers.

program, swim, walk on the beach, or simply relax in camp with new friends.

PHOTO: COURTESY ACADIA MOUNTAIN GUIDES

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MultiSport Teen Adventure Camps

Bonus: Winter Courses For true adventure, set your sites on Acadia Mountain Guides’ full suite of winter excursions. From avalanche

Also for high school-aged students, these “adventure

courses and ice climbing instruction to backcountry

week” programs introduce students to the demands

skiing and tall peak ascents, there’s no shortage of winter

and joys of participating in an outdoor expedition

activities. Acadia Mountain Guides is Maine’s only full-

while encouraging the importance of cooperation and

service year-round climbing school.

teamwork. Each seven day camp session takes place in a different location and includes different adventure

For more information on these and many other year-round

activities like rock climbing, hiking, sea kayaking,

adventure opportunities, visit acadiamountainguides.com.

mountain biking, and more. You can also combine camps

For all your gear needs, check out their retail outlet, Alpenglow

or choose a multi-week program by linking into the

Adventure Sports, in Orono and Bar Harbor or online at

RockPro series.

alpenglowgear.com.

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018

The

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Tim Smith, owner of Jack Mountain Bushcraft & Guide Service in Masardis, Maine, demonstrates how to light a fire bundle during a winter course recently.

PHOTO BY MATT CHABE

T

Survivor

TIM SMITH STANDS on the shore of the

the north Maine woods, not in any

Aroostook River with two other guys, Sam

pastoral sense, but in a way

and Dave, eyeing the frozen span. He’s

evocative of white knuckle chaos. It

explaining ice, how to tell if it’s safe and,

started snowing hard back in Patten. The

more importantly, why. To an outsider, it

roads are maintained, but increasingly less so

could easily be three seasoned outdoorsmen

and rough, rutted, covered in mealy brown slush. I make a hard left onto a side road, and immediately wonder how anyone driving anything less than a truck gets around here.

For most people, this is a place where Only Four Wheel Drive Will Save You. But for guys like Tim Smith and his crew out here, all it takes to survive is your bare hands.

SMITH FARM ROAD. He told me his camp was

Deep in the north Maine woods, Tim Smith teaches others to survive in the wild.

BY MATT CHABE

he road twists and winds through

the deeper I get into The County. They’re slick

down Smith Farm Road. But when I pull up to

wild. Ten of it’s been in Maine, here in the sleepy town of Masardis, pop. 250-ish. He doesn’t like that word: “survivalist.” It suggests paranoia, he says, with images of guys burying guns in the yard. He says the terms change every ten years or so—in the ‘70s it

UP AHEAD TIM LEADS THE PACK, STOPPING EVERY SO OFTEN TO POINT OUT EDIBLE ALDER CATKINS (YOU CAN MIX THEM WITH YOUR OATS), THE CHAGA FUNGUS (MAKES GOOD TEA), AND VARIOUS ANIMAL TRACKS (DETERMINE ANIMAL SIZE BY MEASURING ITS STRIDE).

the place the road’s supposed to be, all I find PHOTO: COURTESY TIM SMITH

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is a small turnout with an empty toboggan

shooting the bull deep in the Maine woods.

stuck in the bank. Faint snowshoe tracks lead

But it’s not: Sam and Dave, relative strangers,

down through an empty field into the forest.

paid good money and travelled a long way to

The snowfall I left behind a town or two ago is

spend the week with Tim.

starting to catch up to me. I strain my eyes. I

That’s because Tim’s kind of a big deal in survivalist circles. For twenty years he’s been teaching people how to survive in the

can make out a road. Sure I can. I strap on my snowshoes and start hiking.

was “survival”; in the ‘80s, “primitive skills”; in the ‘90s, “back to the land,” and so on.

I ask him what he prefers.

Officially, Jack Mountain Bushcraft and Guide Service, of which Tim is the owner, is a “bushcraft, guide training, and wilderness expeditions school.” And that’s what he prefers.

LIKE TIM, Dave’s been an outdoorsman for a long time. He spends about half his time in a cabin that he owns in the Allegheny National Forest in northwest Pennsylvania. The rest of the time he’s at home, just on the outskirts.

Also like Tim, Dave composts his own feces.

(Later in the day, they have an in depth conversation about this which is alternately fascinating and horrifying.)

“All this time, I’ve been doing things my way,” says Dave, looking over his shoulder as we snowshoe through new snow. “I wanted to learn things Tim’s way. Your skills and beliefs get set in. I wanted Tim to challenge them.”

Up ahead Tim leads the pack, stopping every so often to point out edible alder catkins (you can mix them with your oats), the chaga fungus (makes good tea), and various animal tracks (determine animal size by measuring its stride). He’s a big guy, but he floats along the snow with the effortless grace of someone who’s been doing this for A Long Time.

Which is true. He moved his business to Masardis ten years ago when he found this

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(Above) The Jack Mountain Wilderness Canoe Expedition semester is a 4-week course where students learn traditional canoe technique, camp setup, planning, and river reading. (Below) A student prepares a meal at a Jack Mountain bushcraft course.

PHOTOS COURTESY TIM SMITH

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018 61 acres of land abutting the Aroostook River and decided it was the perfect spot to continue his growing business. At first, his scant neighbors didn't really know what to think. Rumors swirled of hippie training grounds and assassin training schools. It’s a small town, he says. Then, when the name of the business got out, “people thought that it was topiaries, that I was gonna give them a couple of bushes shaped like Mickey Mouse or something.”

He spends six to eight months of the year here in his small cabin off the grid. Officially, he lives in New Hampshire with his wife, his six-year-old daughter, and his 13-year-old son. When he’s in the field, he gets back home to see them about once a month. Sometimes they come to visit him.

Lately he’s been making YouTube videos with his son, humorous riffs on macho survivalist tropes.

I ask him if his kids are into this lifestyle—the living off the land, surviving on know-how, even just simple nature hikes.

“No,” he says. “Not really.”

WHEN TIM WAS three or four, his father brought him to the local natural history museum. He was fascinated by an old dugout canoe on display there. As the story goes, some kids at a boy scout camp in the ‘50s found what they believed to be an old log at the bottom of a nearby lake. When they dove down to investigate, they discovered what was in fact a canoe loaded down with rocks. Tim says Native Americans would build dugout canoes, sink them each winter to preserve them, then release them when spring arrived. Here was one they left behind.

It stoked his imagination, and he started consuming books about mountains, adventure, and survival; stories from Alaska and beyond. He learned to camp, fish, and take care of himself in the wild. He wondered, he said, about what was around the metaphorical bend in the river, but the bend kept getting further away. He was hooked.

Years later, after living in Alaska in a 12foot trailer for a year, he returned to the lower 48 to get a masters degree in education. He was going to teach school, he said, but instead studied with survival legend Mors Kochanski and lived among the Cree people in northern Quebec.

He started Jack Mountain Bushcraft in 1999, moving it from New Hampshire to

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Maine in 2008. In that time, he’s become a nationally-recognized bushcraft expert, published author, magazine writer, soughtafter speaker, television consultant, and a member of MENSA, among other things.

“I was like, guys like Mors and [Maine Guide Raymond Reitze, another of his mentors] were able to make a career out of doing this,” said Tim. “And I wondered if I could. So I figured, hey, I’m unmarried, no kids, I'll do this for a year and see what happens. It was 20 years ago and every year it gets a little bigger.”

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Jack Mountain Bushcraft offers yearround courses in expedition leadership, bushcraft, primitive living skills, field ecology, and more. Courses are collegeaccredited and GI Bill approved. For more information, visit jackmtn.com.

PHOTO COURTESY TIM SMITH

SAM’S HAVING TROUBLE lighting his fire.

The group has wrapped bundles of twigs around tufts of birch bark, and Dave and Tim have achieved flame without incident.

Sam, a New Zealander whose job recently transplanted him and his pregnant wife to Rhode Island, is struggling.

“It’s wetter today than it was yesterday,” says Tim. “The only remedy for bad fuel and bad weather is a bigger, hotter fire.

Let’s self diagnose.”

“I don’t think I have enough birch bark,” says Sam. “I think he’s not holding his mouth right,” quips Dave. Everyone chuckles.

We’re out here in the cold woods with ten feet of snow pack, and still there’s jokes.

Sam and Tim make another bundle together. The second time, the smoke turns to flame.

Sam’s never seen winter. He’s never been on snowshoes. He doesn’t have the outdoor experience that Dave has, but he has a little.

He told his wife he wanted to get back outdoors, and found Jack Mountain Bushcraft online. He’s just looking for some backcountry skills in his new surroundings, really. As his wife reminded him, “You’re not going to go out there and kill a bear.”

I ask Tim what sort of student he typically gets here. Are they looking for professional training, or personal experience?

“It’s probably 50/50,” he says. “Some people just want to have that experience of living in the woods off the grid for two months. Some have a lot of outdoor experience and want to transition from the office to running their own outdoor-based business. We do most of our marketing online, so we throw a big net and sometimes you never know what you’re going to catch.”

He tells me about some students he had

last fall, two women from New York. Complete strangers. One of them had been on a weeklong backpacking trip, and the other had never been camping in her life. She taught kindergarten and “she was just one of the coolest women I’ve ever met,” he said. “Her spirit was just like... she was going to go and get it and do it, no matter what. Ironically, you’ve got tough musclebound tattooed guys who are like, ‘Oh, this is so hard’ after a few days of bad bugs.”

Next week, he’s setting off for a twoweek snowshoe expedition around Scopan Lake with eight students. They’ll be building their own shelters and learning to care for themselves in extended harsh conditions. He doesn’t know much about the students yet.

“WHEN YOU’RE IN charge of people, you keep your eye on them.” It makes sense.

Then Tim tells me about an article he read

once. The writer of the article had gone to a Maine Guide school in the ‘70s. He thought that being a Maine Guide would be a life of adventure. Instead, he found it to be more like “Home Ec in the woods.” It involves a lot of resource management.

Tim agrees. His life is undoubtedly one of adventure, and he’s in the business of passing down that sense of adventure to others.

But one of the first, most important skills you can learn, he says, is preparation. To be prepared is to succeed and to enjoy.

I ask him if there’s anything new he’d like to learn.

“So much of what we do here is soft skills, people skills, how to guide people into making better decisions in the outdoors and in life,” he said. “People skills, leadership skills, they can always be upgraded, even on a daily basis.”

He pauses and looks out the window, out to the great white field beyond. In the cor-

ner, the woodstove throws off serious heat.

“As far as hard skills, I don’t know.

There are always more rivers that I want to go run. There are always more snowshoe trips I want to do.”

He pauses again.

“The downside to getting a little older is that the blank spots on the map get fewer and fewer.”

ON THE DRIVE home I stop at Debbie’s Diner in Patten, a place Tim recommended, to grab a bite.

It’s small and rustic as local diners in northern Maine often are. A few locals sit at wobbly tables at the other end of the room. I’ve only spent a day in the woods with Tim and his students, but the suddenness of civilization, the pervasive background noise of convenience that we so often ignore, is jarring. I squirt ketchup from a plastic bottle onto a burger cooked the way I like it on an electric grill in a well-lit room, and I think about something Tim said. I had asked

him if it was hard coming out to the woods, living off the grid with waves of students each year, after the comforts of home and family.

No, he said. The transition’s harder the other way around. The woods are comfortable. There’s nothing extraneous. There’s nothing you don’t need.

How many weeks of the year, he said, do you have to work in order to pay for something that you don’t need or want? “You think about how many things can go wrong if the heat goes off in the winter and your pipes freeze at home. You know, I spend half a year here and there’s nothing to break. When I go home for the season, I’ll just shut the door and go. I’m happier here.

Mentally, there’s less to maintain, less to keep track of. Plus, I get one of my two favorite channels: the ‘fire channel.’”

Sam chimed in. “I like the ‘star channel,’ too.”

Everyone chuckles.

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018 PHOTO: TAYLER AUBIN

Good To-Go foods have been on adventures big and small, from those close to home to those around the world.

PHOTO: JAY KOLSCH

Head chef and co-founder Jennifer Scism in the kitchen: “Our meals are basically my favorite foods.”

Trail mix A Maine-based entrant in the outdoor food market looks to reinvigorate the old standbys. This isn’t your dad’s trail food.

BY MATT CHABE

H

ear us now: gone are the days of dull camp food, of stale granola bars,

plain

military-grade

oatmeal,

and

dehydrated

dinners. We deserve something better, we say. We demand options on the trail. And now, at long last, it seems one trail food

business co-founder, David Koorits. Together, they make portable meals to suit all diets, including gluten-free, low sodium, vegan, vegetarian, and preservative-free options.

Maine Outdoors & Adventure had an opportunity to chat with Scism recently about new recipes and celebrity fans.

manufacturer has heard the call.

Good To-Go, an “on-the-go” foods company based in Kittery, is raising industry standards by offering quick, healthy, and interesting options like Indian vegetable korma, bibimbap, and pad thai for outdoor adventures. Each meal is light, packable, and dehydrated for a long shelf life.

The company’s head chef and co-founder, Jennifer Scism, is no stranger to good food: she earned her chops as the co-owner of Annisa, a nationally-recognized restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village. She’s also cooked at multiple 4-star restaurants and even beaten the Iron Chef himself, Mario Batali, as part of a team on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef” program.

Scism developed Good To-Go after moving to Maine and meeting her now-husband and

YOUR BACKGROUND IS IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. HOW DID YOU GET INTO MAKING DEHYDRATED MEALS FOR OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS? In the beginning, I was just doing it [on a small scale] for us. Then friends started trying our meals. Eventually, friends started saying, “You know, you should try and sell this.”

We spent 2013 basically on a fact finding mission to see if there was a market for this. From there, we went on to develop a brand, which took about a year. We only had two or three meals at that time. But you know, we were just kind of rolling with it. My husband and I never do anything easy. We were like, “Oh, this will be super fun,” and it has been. It’s been a wild ride.

We’ve grown from just a little cape house in

Kittery, and now we’ve built a barn and are developing another addition for a packing room. We’re moving into meat products— we’re doing a chicken gumbo that we’re expecting to release [in March].

HOW DO YOU DEVELOP YOUR RECIPES? As a chef, I love to see what works and what doesn’t work. A lot of things don’t work. [laughs] And you know, hopefully you learn that before your batches get too big or your idea gets too far. I’m getting better at it now.

HAVE YOU TRIED ANY RECIPES THAT YOU THOUGHT WERE REALLY GOING TO WORK, AND JUST DIDN’T? We’ve definitely had failures. Even looking back at our first few meals, we’ve had to redo the process on them as they grow. In the beginning, doing a batch of 60 units is fine. But dial it up to 5,000, the process wasn’t working. It’s good to just see what doesn’t work, and then change it up. And there are recipes that I want to do that I know wouldn’t work. Like, wouldn’t it be amazing if I could do Chinese dumplings?

WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST PLACE YOU’VE EVER HEARD THAT YOUR FOOD’S BEEN EATEN? Well, [Good To-Go] has been to Antarctica.

About 3 months ago, David answered the phone, and he came running into my office afterwards. And he’s like, “Conrad Anker just called me. He’s going to Antarctica, and he wants only our food.” And of course, I’m a chef. I know things like Michelin stars. So I’m like, “Who’s Conrad Anker?” And David’s like, “He’s the greatest climber in the world!”

We were actually at an outdoor industry retailer show recently and we got to meet him.

It was great. I got to ask him things like, “How do you [prepare the food] at altitude?”

HOW DOES GOOD TO-GO SET ITSELF APART FROM SIMILAR COMPANIES LIKE MOUNTAIN HOUSE? We were actually at an outdoor retailer show last July, and [representatives from] Mountain House came over and introduced themselves. It was super friendly. We were all talking, and I was like, “You can pretty much feel secure that I’m not going to be doing a beef stroganoff.” And they looked at

our products and said, “Yeah, we’re not going to be doing bi… bibi…” and I told them how to say it: bibimbap.

For a company like Mountain House, they’ve been around for over 40 years. They’re freeze dried, so their process is different than ours [Good To-Go uses dehydration—Ed.].

And they seem to be aiming for more mainstream appetites. Our meals are basically my favorite foods. I lived in New York City for 23 years...and took a year off in 1998 to travel the world and basically eat. My palate is different than, say, Mountain House’s, and I think we’re both in agreement.

There are other companies out there that are doing the same thing. And that’s part of the stress. We’ve got to come up with more products and try to be amazing.

WHAT’S YOUR OWN FAVORITE MEAL? I have to say, everybody’s favorite is the thai curry, and I really do like that. But my go-to is the pad thai. I’m a noodle person.

Other people are like, what can you not live without your entire life? What could you not give up? For me, it’s noodles.

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Maine

Spring/Summer 2018

Sporting

camps

For high adventure (with little sacrifice), check out Maine sporting camps.

PHOTOS: COURTESY WEATHERBY’S

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Maine’s sporting camps and wilderness lodges are a historic tradition reaching back to the mid-1800s, when wealthy businessmen rode the then-new train from Boston to the remote Maine woods to hunt and fish. Today, Maine’s lodges offer rustic accommodations to sportsmen of all walks of life: fishermen and hunters; paddlers and hikers; friends, couples, and families.

Most Maine sporting camps are family owned and are renowned for their warm hospitality. Some are rustic, without electricity or running water, while others offer modern conveniences. Some are nestled on lake fronts or rivers, some are tucked in the woods, and some are close to town. Many offer the traditional American plan, where sports are treated to three home-cooked meals per day, while others offer self-catering accommodations, known as the housekeeping plan.

I

t’s no secret that the Maine woods are really big. For a lot of people, it can be hard to know how to start exploring them. Fortunately, the storied woods of Maine are dotted with sporting camps with ample opportunities to “get away” — sometimes without sacrificing modern comforts.

The experiences to be had at Maine sporting camps are as varied as they are similar. Whether

your interest is hunting, fishing, or just plain relaxing, there’s a camp for you. Check out some of the fine camps, and start planning your next Maine woods adventure!

What will you do on your sporting camp vacation?

Fishing Ice fishing Hiking Paddling Swimming Boating

Cross-country skiing Snowmobiling Bird hunting Bear hunting Moose hunting Deer hunting

Bird watching Wildlife watching Biking Photography

Learn more at mainesportingcamps.com.

Spring/Summer 2018

Enjoy summer on the water at Chandler Lake Camps.

Y

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Take the “Upta Camp Challenge” at Red River Camps.

A

re you up for a challenge?

our summer adventure awaits at Chandler Lodge!

Lake

Camps

Imagine

Whether you

and

already

fishing,

love

the wildest parts of Maine

paddling, and R&R — a true

or are curious about what

Maine wilderness experience.

lies at the very end of the

Chandler Lake Camps, a traditional Maine

road less traveled, the

sporting camp since 1902, is located just north

Maine

of Baxter State Park between the Allagash

Association invites you to

and Aroostook rivers.

Sporting

Camp

bird watching includes moose, deer, bald

take an epic statewide road

Fishing (fly or spin) and upland hunting

eagles, and plenty of resident loons. Fabulous

trip this summer with

are our passion. Wild brook trout, arctic

night sky viewing. We are pet-friendly with

their

charr, and landlocked salmon are some of the

outside cookouts and bonfires.

Challenge.”

species available.

We cater to small groups, families, and

“Upta

Camp Challenge

cards can be picked up at

We offer single and multi-day trips on

corporate outings. July and August are

participating

the Aroostook and Allagash rivers and five

family vacation months. All youth under

camps,

from

miles of state public reserve land where

comfortable and inviting shorefront log cabins

16 years old stay free with a paid adult. No

mainesportingcamps.com. Just like your

mountains and waters wait to be explored.

with private baths and modern amenities. We

minimum stays. No detail is overlooked. You

favorite coffee place punch card, enough visits

While you’re in the area, hike to the Deboullie

have the only camps on the lake!

choose how connected you want to be with

will earn rewards. But unlike the coffee place,

rock slide, take in a roadside waterfall, or pull

Wi-Fi and telephone in the lodge.

Packages include waterfront cabins with

or

sporting printed

at

home

each leg of your unique Upta Camp challenge

out your fly rod and try to land an arctic

Bangor

is also a reward in itself. If you have your card

charr. Join your fellow adventurers this

fly-and-dine

validated at the Red River Camps in northern

summer and rediscover Maine’s sporting

and fuel. Swim, hike, learn to shoot or (fly/

packages available with our partners at

Aroostook, for instance, you’ll find yourself in

camp tradition. The Maine Upta Camp

spin) fish with a Maine guide. Wildlife and

Katahdin Air Service in Millinocket.

the wilds of the Deboullie Township, 49 square

Challenge makes it easy—you make it epic!

three great home cooked meals each day,

Seaplane

service

canoes, kayaks, and fishing boats with motor

international

airport

from and

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Spring/Summer 2018

Matagamon Wilderness offers four-season fun.

Discover great food and fishing at Whisperwood Lodge and Cottages on the Belgrade Lakes.

Spring/Summer 2018

W

along the East Branch of the

seasons. We are located on beautiful

Penobscot River and at the outlet of Grand

Salmon Lake in the Belgrade Lakes area of

W

Lake Matagamon. We are a four-season

Maine. Come and enjoy activities for all

has been hosting sportsmen and women

business, with six cozy cabins, wilderness

members of the family in a rustic country

from around the globe since the late 1800s

mayflies and caddis late May and June.

campsites, and Momma Bears’ Kitchen to

setting. Nature awaits with a 20-slip

and provides access to dozens of lakes and

Simultaneously, our smallmouth fishing

but haven’t yet learned? We offer fly fishing

powered dock and a separate swimming

streams for landlocked salmon, brook trout,

takes off with the spawn beginning mid-May

school, as well as a spring bear hunt on

area complemented by some of the best

lake trout, smallmouth bass, pickerel and

through June. Fly fish or spin casting, our

Penobscot Indian territory.

small and large-mouth bass fishing in the

perch from May 1—October 20 and offers

smallmouth fishery is one of the finest you

M

Wilderness

in

During

the

cold

months,

enjoy

snowmobiling with ITS85 right outside our

a

is

and

seasonal

sporting camp that has

T6-R8 is a family owned and

fulfill all your needs.

Lodge

Cottages offered

great

fishing,

excellent food, and family fun for over 90

eatherby’s

is

your

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BDN OUTDOORS

full-

service Maine fishing and hunting lodging,

lodge

providing

meals,

guide

service, and ORVIS fly shop. Weatherby’s

door. Ice fishing on Grand Lake Matagamon

Our area is great for hiking as we are

region. Three meals a day in our central

first-rate upland hunting for wild grouse

will find anywhere. Mid-summer finds us

is great for all ages (if you get too cold, we

surrounded by many hiking trails. If you get

dining room will give you the energy to

and woodcock during October. Our cabins

fishing on the lakes and St. Croix River for

have heated ice fishing shacks for rent). Enjoy

too hot, jump on a tube a float down the river.

enjoy all that Whisperwood Lodge and

are rustic yet comfortable with private

trophy smallmouth, perch and pickerel.

skiing? Come try some of our local ski trails.

In the fall we provide a variety of guided

Cottages has to offer. We also offer kosher

baths, electricity and a fireplace to relax by

Great fun for first timers and kids alike with

Shuttle service is available upon request.

hunts including black bear, white-tailed deer,

and pareve foods and provide alternate

after a day in the field. We teach fly fishing

lots of fish catching action. We end the

moose, partridge, and coyote.

dinnerware. Whisperwood is a second-

to novice anglers and we spin fish with kids.

season late September and October with

In the spring and fall, the river is excellent

bangordailynews.com

Design your own fishing experience at Weatherby’s.

operated business, nestled

atagamon

hisperwood

●

for fishing native brook trout and landlock

At Matagamon, we strive to make your

generation owned and operated family

We can design an experience that fits your

fantastic fall run salmon fishing again on

salmon, and in the lake you can also fish

stay with us an unforgettable experience.

business. Our tradition of hospitality,

schedule and expectations. Early season

Grand Lake Stream. Fall foliage, cool nights,

for lake trout. We provide guided fishing

When you leave us, we hope you feel like

quality, and comfort are sure to continue.

provides excellent fly casting for our native

and often a bit of frost in the morning. Give

trips and boat, canoe, and kayak rentals and

you’re “part of our family.” Come make

The McCafferty family looks forward to

salmon and brook trout, beginning with

us a call to see what we can do for you at 877-

pontoon boat tours. Interested in fly fishing

memories with us!

welcoming you!

streamers and nymphs and progressing to

796-5558 or visit us at weatherbys.com.

P.O. Box 6013, 2717 Route 2 Hermon, ME 04402 Phone: 207-848-5576 Fax: 866-271-7195 www.aquaticdevpools.com

13

14

BDN OUTDOORS

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bangordailynews.com

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018

A Man for

many seasons Barry Dana recently ran Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness in less than two days (and lived to tell the tale).

BY CARLENE CONEY JANZEN

T

(Above) Barry Dana (right) and friend Roger Johnstone on a section of the Appalachian Trail’s “100-Mile Wilderness” in Maine last October.

PHOTO: BARBARA DAGGETT

he idea to run the 100-Mile

moose to kill it, for there was honor in doing

Wilderness section of Maine’s

so. It was a very spiritual experience, and they

to pierce the dark, he said

With a headlamp in place

Appalachian Trail in under 48

kept fit to go at any time, any distance.”

he started to feel “done in”

hours didn’t come about because of

With that background behind him, he knew

any contest. It was not a contest. For Barry

that changes he had made since a “heart

around mile 62. At the designated meeting point, his crew was waiting

Dana, it was a test of his own journey to push

incident” about six years ago could benefit

for him with a fire, food, warm clothes, and

to the edge of his own limits and grow by it,

him in this new challenge. He and his wife,

encouraging words. Tired and soaked from

“I was falling asleep on my feet, and the cliff

attaining the goal or not.

Lori, had changed their diet to incorporate

rain, Dana rested and ate butter-fried eggs and

had an over 200-foot drop in places,” he said.

The 59-year-old Dana first heard of the

more natural foods and had eliminated refined

moose sausage while Lori went to work on his

“Not a good place to fall asleep! I felt a slight

challenge through a southern Maine trail

foods, unhealthy sugars and carbs. He began

painful knee.

panic as I stepped out onto a rock face that

running group, the Trail Monsters. Dana read about it on their website years ago, and it had nagged at his conscience since.

This past October, Dana successfully met his goal, completing the remote section of the AT in 45 hours, 35 minutes. For reference, it takes many AT thru-hikers over a week to

“[It] was to be one of the most challenging events of physical , mental , and spiritual awareness.

It would make or break me. It could test me, but also, at any given point, take my life.”

—Barry Dana

hike this section of the trail.

“My daily mantra is, ‘Be prepared at any given moment to do any given thing,’” said

to gain new strength and found that his heart

Dana. “If you want to do something, get up

had returned to a healthy place.

and go do it. Don’t just think on it, be in the right shape and frame of mind to do it.”

He was assisted on the trail by Lori and

“She drove her knuckles right into it and nearly rolled my eyes back in my head,” he said, “but it was the right fix.”

two friends, Barbara Daggett and Roger

Dana pushed ahead. With the miles beginning to blend together, sleep deprivation

distance runners who knew the route. The

started setting in.

events. He’s a regular participant in the

two ran segments of the trail when he needed

Katahdin

their company and strength to keep going.

Native

a branch and went into the tree area and told myself, ‘I got this.’”

At Pollywog Bridge, Daggett rejoined him for the last few miles of the trip. She kept just

hard forward.

“The blisters on my feet were bringing waves of tremendous pain, and I could barely move,”

Johnstone, both accomplished hikers and long

non-competitive

to my prayer, it began to rain as I grabbed for

holding them together, helping him to push

Dana, the former chief of the Penobscot

a

but a long drop, straight down. As if in answer

ahead of Dana as if an invisible tether were

Indian Nation, is no stranger to endurance 100,

was slick as ice and to my right was nothing

he said. “All I could think was ‘move, move.’”

The two ended at Abol Bridge where Lori and Johnstone were waiting for them, just

“I tried to be one with the trail and fight off the

over 45 hours after Dana had began the trail.

need to sleep,” he said. “These boulders and rocks

For his accomplishment, the Trail Monsters

American spiritual event involving a 100-

Dana began his journey around 9 p.m. in

were moving. At one point I thought I got turned

presented Dana with their logo belt buckle

mile trek by canoe, bike, and foot to Mount

Monson, knowing he’d have to hike through

around and it freaked me out. I backtracked

that carries the words, “Maine 100-Mile

Katahdin. And just last September, he

two nights of darkness to complete his quest.

and said okay, I’m where I should be. The night

Wilderness Run.” When asked if he would

completed a hike from Mt. Washington to Mt.

“When we came to Barren-Chairback

was breaking dawn, but the moon and sun were

do the arduous journey again, Dana was

Katahdin, an eight-day, 261-mile journey to

Range, we were in the dark,” said Dana. “On

casting shadows and I knew I saw a wolf, but it

reflective but positive.

honor his late uncle, Cliff Phillips.

the map, the range shows Barren, Fourth,

was a stump. The shadows turned into lean-tos. I

“It was not easy, but even my lows were

“I had heard so many stories growing up, of

Third, Columbus, and Chairback mountains,

saw two beautiful moose near sunrise, only— [he

not that bad. I was so peaceful. I can live

how our elders would snowshoe from Indian

all more than 2,000 feet above sea level with

laughed]—they weren’t there.”

with having done it once, and I’m okay with

Island to Lincoln Island before supper,” he

the trail traveling over each one. In the dark,

said. “How they would run down a deer or

any wrong move could mean death.”

An

almost

deadly

Nesuntabunt Mountain.

climb

came

at

it. Talking about it, it’s like reliving those feelings all over again.”

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BDN OUTDOORS

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16

BDN OUTDOORS

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bangordailynews.com

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018

Tips for an RV

●

bangordailynews.com

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BDN OUTDOORS

17

5 tips to start your own RV adventure.

adventure

COURTESY FAMILY FEATURES

I

f you’re looking for a way to get away

from place to place. Many are designed to

the other end. More than 460 national chain

One way to get the scoop and gather tips

without the hassle of planes, hotels and

be lightweight, so even family vehicles like

outlets and local RV dealerships rent RVs,

from experienced owners is to stay at a local

an exorbitant travel budget, a recreation

minivans or SUVs can tow them.

including

late-model-year

campground and talk to your neighbors about

units. A growing number of campgrounds

their RVs. Ask questions about the space, key

offer on-site RV rentals, as well.

features, expenses, tricks they’ve learned and

vehicle (commonly known as an RV)

may be just the answer.

PHOTOS: WELCOMIA/THINKSTOCK

Whether you’re traveling with family,

Take time to plan ahead

Beyond the type of RV you need, think about

Most

state-of-the-art,

RV

rental

companies

offer

so on. Also be sure to ask about any problems

your significant other, or several generations

how you’ll use it to understand what features

housekeeping packages (dishes, pots, pans,

they’ve encountered or any decisions they’d

of family and friends, these tips from world-

you’ll want. What types of trips will you

bed linens, etc.) for a fee, or you can bring

make differently if they could.

renowned auto travel expert Alan Taylor can

take? Who will be traveling with you? What’s

your own. Even if you’re driving or towing

get you on your way to an unforgettable RV

your budget? There are hundreds of models,

an RV for the first time, features like

vacation adventure.

so how you answer these questions will guide

automatic transmissions, power steering,

your purchase.

large external mirrors, and rear view

of life, when the vacation is over and the real

cameras make it easy for inexperienced

world beckons, you’ll have to do something

drivers to adjust to the difference in size,

with the RV. Before you buy, be sure you

height and weight.

have plans for storage, be it a campground,

Put style first

The first step to planning an RV getaway is deciding what works best for you: a

Try it before you buy it

There’s no better way to try before you buy

motorhome or trailer. Motorhomes are built

than by renting an RV. Many people rent

on a motorized chassis and are designed

RVs simply for a change of pace by taking

as temporary living quarters for camping,

a trip to a special event or destination. You

travel, or seasonal use. Towable RVs or trailer RVs are towed by another vehicle to be moved

Do your research

Get practical

Unless you’re planning to make RVing a way

in your garage, or at a storage facility.

Learn what’s involved in safely storing your

You’ll find plenty of information online, but

investment while it’s not in use and take

can rent near home and journey to your final

another source of knowledge is any person

those needs into account when considering

destination or fly and pick up your RV at

who owns an RV or regularly rents one.

what type of RV you’d like to own.

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bangordailynews.com

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Spring/Summer 2018

Spring/Summer 2018

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19

Taking a chance on the

moose LOTTo

2018 Maine Moose Lottery to be held in Skowhegan.

BY MAINE OUTDOORS & ADVENTURE

W

hat’s more fun than a parade of

Kristina Cannon, the executive director of

elephants? A party of jays? A

Main Street Skowhegan, the organization

consortium of crabs?

planning the event, said Skowhegan is making

It’s the 2018 Maine Moose

Lottery, set this year for June 9 in Skowhegan.

a weekend of it, with events like wild game dinners and live music acts.

And while there’s no guarantee you’ll see a

“We’re really excited about the potential

herd of these giants of the Maine woods, it’s

for new people to come in and visit our town

sure to be a great time nonetheless.

and see all that we have to offer,” she said.

For the uninitiated, the annual Maine

“Hopefully [the events] will bring people in on

Moose Lottery is held to determine which

Friday night and keep them around through

lucky hunters get to pursue Maine’s version

Sunday, stay and eat in our restaurants, stay

of big game—the venerable moose. According

in our hotels or campgrounds, and really get a

to Commissioner Chandler Woodcock of the

chance to explore Skowhegan.”

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and

Cannon said Main Street Skowhegan’s

Wildlife, about 55,000 people, residents and

mission is to revitalize the town’s economy,

non-residents alike, apply for a moose permit

help the community, and boost tourism.

each year. Of those, only about 2,100 receive

She said the organization has recently been

one. The number of permits available is based

promoting Skowhegan’s natural resources,

on various factors and is managed carefully.

outdoor recreation, and the food scene—

For many, winning the lottery represents a nadir in their chosen pastime.

“We’ve got a pretty big local food movement happening here.”

For the past several years, the lottery has

Skowhegan’s 2018 Maine Moose Lottery

been hosted in various Maine communities

celebration runs June 8-10, with many events

[2017’s lottery was held in Caribou—Ed.].

planned. See back page for the current schedule.

PHOTO: ANDREA PELLETIER/THINKSTOCK

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20

BDN OUTDOORS

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bangordailynews.com

2018 Skowhegan June 8-10, 2018 Skowhegan Fairgrounds

●

Spring/Summer 2018

moose festival & Lottery Tentative Schedule

Friday, June 8 • 2 to 8 p.m.

• Hunting and fishing demonstrations and seminars with Registered Maine Guides and sporting experts, including Big Woods Bucks

• Vendors including Operation Game Thief, Registered Maine Guides, outdoor retailers, food trucks, and more

• Moose Maine-iah Monster Truck Rides

• Raffles for major prizes, including Cabela's gear, a hand-crafted dog sled and more

• Face painting and antler-making

• Hunting and fishing demonstrations and seminars

• Live music

• Moose Maine-iah Monster Truck Rides

• Climbing wall, exploratory activities for children • Archery range • Primitive skills demonstration

Sunday, June 10 • 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Maple Breakfast (Constitution Hall, 7-10 a.m.)

• Activities kick off at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds at 9 a.m.

• Vendors, including Operation Game Thief, guide services, outdoor retailers, food trucks, and more • Raffles for major prizes, including Cabela's gear, a hand-crafted dog sled, and more

• Fly casting demo and competition

• Hunting and fishing demonstrations and seminars with Registered Maine Guides and sporting experts

• Axe Women Loggers of Maine (four shows)

• Moose Maine-iah Monster Truck Rides

• Live music

• Retriever field and drill demonstrations with Cabela's Pro Staff

• Exploratory activities for children

• Wild Game and Craft Beer Pairing & Tasting (Constitution Hall, 5-8 p.m.)

• Chainsaw carving demonstration

• Live music

• Exploratory activities for children • Archery range • K-9 field demonstration

Saturday, June 9 • 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Vendors, including Operation Game Thief, guide services, outdoor retailers, food trucks, and more • Raffles for major prizes, including Cabela's gear, a hand-crafted dog sled, and more

• Meet & greet with Maine’s Game Wardens

• Moose calling competition for adults and kids (Grandstand, noon-1:30 p.m.)

• Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Moose Permit Lottery Drawing (Grandstand, 2-6 p.m.)

• Country music concert with headliner Phil Vassar and opening act Bryan White (Grandstand, 7-10 p.m.)

• Archery range

Note: This tentative schedule is not comprehensive; more activities will be added. Times and specific locations will be determined as the date nears. The Skowhegan Moose Festival is proudly sponsored by Cabela’s and Hight Family of Dealerships.