Guide Spot

Bill Geagan Follow Up

2009-04-11T07:36:00.008-05:00

Since there seems to be quite a lot of interest in Bill Geagan and "Nature I Loved" that I posted about quite a while ago, I want to bring it up again. I found out that an audio book was made by Bill Geagan's friend Hal Wheeler and published by Bangor Daily News. Last I knew, they still had quite a few copies available. I googled them and called them up to order a copy for my nephews. Unfortunately,it is only available on cassette.

Since others seem to have the same compelling questions that I had, I want to share a quote with you from Hal Wheeler. Here is what he told me in an email dated December 7, 2007.

... As you know, with Bill and Alice it was "love at first sight" and I can tell you that they certainly enjoyed a wonderful life together. In fact, because Bill never completely overcame his problem with nerves, Alice was his "protector" for most of his life, especially the last 10 or 15 years they had together. Bill and Alice kept the hunting camp for some time after they were married but eventually, because of the nature of his work, spent less and less time there. I honestly don't know if they sold it or just stopped using it. I know it no longer stands. I think they sold it, however.

And for more than $50!

I met Bill in 1955 when he was doing a twice weekly TV show on Bangor's channel 2. I was a part-time cameraman and I got to know him very well through that association. He was never comfortable doing television and gave up the show after only one season. He truly was a very private man and being in the glare of klieg lights with a big camera staring at him wasn't his cup of tea.

Bill had done a radio show on Bangor's WLBZ for several years and was much more comfortable, though not entirely, on radio than on TV. The studio was large and had very subdued lighting and dark panelled walls which made him feel much more at "home" The program was called "Along the Trail." He would always sign off with these words: "I see that our campfire is burning low..."

A few years before he became ill and died, Coward McCann (or the company that bought that house) was pestering Bill to write more books but he just couldn't concentrate on the task so they were never written. He and Alice had no children, but, as you know, a nephew who spent a lot of time with them.

He was always a complete gentleman and would gladly autograph a book on request, always drawing a snowshoe rabbit in full flight on the page. He autographed my copy and if your copy doesn't have that little drawing, I'd be glad to sen you a photocopy of it.

Sadly, Alice's last years were darkened by Alzheimer's (we didn't know the name of that disease then) and she lived in virtual squalor during that time, flushing food down the toilet and hiding social security checks and then claiming someone was stealing them. A very kind public health nurse did all she could to keep her as stable and safe as possible until she finally had to be admitted to the City hospital where she died.

If Bill had had the "chutzpah" that Bud Leavitt of the Bangor Daily News possessed he would have been a richer man, but I'm not sure he would have been happier. He was a child of nature and material things meant nothing to him except as a means of providing the necessities.
....

I found more information and a pencil sketch of Mr.Geagan at Bangor Daily News.

I hope you find this additional information interesting.

Home: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-10-03T06:15:00.000-05:00

September 22, 2006

I woke up to a frost at 5AM and Orion was clearly visible in the clear pre-dawn southern sky. How strange that Orion seems to be the favorite constellation of many folks. Maybe that is because it is pretty easy to imagine that it looks like a man.

I grabbed my Allagash books and my Allagash map out of the group library box and packed everything in my personnal duffle for the trip home. I grabbed my paddle and lifejacket too. I walked to the store (open at 3AM for the local loggers) and bought soveniers for my wife and kids. I encouraged everyone in the group to get up and get packed so we could get going.The cabin where some of our folks stayed had a painted wooden floor. What made it most unique was that they had painted a line of deer tracks on the floor which led up to the rear end of a deer mounted on the wall.We left at 6AM and got to Fort Kent at 6:45AM. In Fort Kent you can see the end of Route 1 North and the beginning of Route 1 South on the same sign. I called my wife on the cell phone and talked to the kids. My youngest missed me "worser" than I missed him and told me he liked me a whole lot. All the other customers in the diner were jabbering away in French. We were the only ones speaking English. We were back on the road by 7:15AM.We stopped in Ashland at the woodsman's museum and checked out a King Pine log on display as well as log hauling equipment, a loggers cabin, and other interesting historical things.We also stopped briefly at the Cold Spring Rest Area, and then again in Patten at the drug store to adjust ourselves back into the food of society. I had taken over 700 pictures on this trip and, although we were all tired and uncomfortable in the van, we had a good time looking through the camera’s LCD at them. We could see Katahdin, where the journal began, way off on the horizon. We had traveled more than 100 miles north from where we had started.

Once we got to Bangor, we drove past Stephen King's house, and then dropped Bud off at his house. We ate at Dysart's. Tim dropped me off at 3PM at the Gray exit and I waited for my wife and kids to arrive which they did at 4:30PM. Dirty and in need of a shave- my excellent adventure was now over.

Pelletier's Campground, St. Francis: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-10-02T06:42:00.002-05:00

September 21, 2006
Rain early then mostly cloudy and cool. Showers with Sleet and windy by lunchtime.
I got up at 5:30AM in my long johns and rain poncho, then worked for about half an hour and got the wet weather fire going using a huge glob of spruce pitch and a large sheet of birch bark. Since we had plenty of propane left, we cooked the oatmeal over the propane stove using a diffuser to keep it from burning on. As people started to get up for breakfast, I realized I was still in my long johns and had to run for the tent. Other folks didn’t share my appreciation of how stylish long johns can be. While we were eating breakfast, a big bull moose stopped in for a visit. He hung around for a while and we watched him instead of packing up which is what we should have been doing. I wrote in my journal and quickly packed the canoe.
There were some tempers flaring that morning since we were just about done with our trip. I got a bit ahead of the group and did some fishing- more catch and release chub. The group came right along and we poled through the rapids without much fanfare. Some of the rapids were quick and shallow and we all made good time. A huge bull moose followed us along the shore getting pretty close to us in the rapids. When we couldn't see him, we could still see birch trees swaying as he rubbed against them running parallel to us downstream.Everyone had really gotten the hang of poling rapids at this point. I thought it felt great to blast through the rapids at 5 or 6 mph. Although shallow, we managed to work our way down the river. In the middle of a decent set of rapids, a huge gust of wind came up. My lure stuck and my line broke with about 15' of line on it. I poled back up but was unable to locate lure or line. It was a bit depressing since I had made it the whole trip with only one lure.Just as we arrived at Cunliff Depot to see the Lombard Log Haulers, the cloudy sky opened up with huge raindrops and sleet and we all ran for our raingear. Up river, one member of our group who will remain anonymous set the pole wrong and dumped the canoe. I remember thinking, “OK this is it. We’re done for the day. Now it is time to start a fire and get dried off.” He arrived soaking wet and we pulled his canoe up on shore. He then grabbed his dry bag and headed into the woods.We put on our raingear and I stuffed a bunch of GORP in my mouth to curb my appetite. I had stuffed my camera in the cooler to keep it dry. I remember the loud pinging of the sleet against the rain hood on my head. Once the sleet stopped, we went for a short hike to see the Lombards and to warm up. I was still in shorts with a t-shirt, wool shirt, polypro shirt, and fleece jacket on. My kneepads gave my knees some insulation and I didn’t want to change so close to the end. We checked in with everyone to be sure they were warm and dry. Even the poor fellow who’d gone for a swim was now dry and good to go. With only two miles to go, we headed down river while the wind howled in our faces and made the rapids difficult to run.At this point, I could almost run the rapids in slow motion because the wind speed and downstream current forces were almost equal. Then the wind would stop, or blow harder, and I would be off course and into a rock. It became difficult to choose a good route through the rapids. Several times, I was blown into shallows and had to get out and pull the canoe. Getting wet was bad because then I was cold. Just as I started to feel uncomfortably cold, I saw our destination, Michaud Farm at 2:30PM. Just for good measure, at the very last rapid, I got blown off course and had to pull the canoe out one last time.Once at the van, I changed into the clean dry clothes I had packed in the van ahead of time. We loaded our gear into the trailer and van and headed into Allagash village. At the checkpoint, we officially checked out of the North Maine Woods.
The paper snowmobile sign said Kelly's diner and another Two River's Restaurant and none of us cared that it was nothing fancy. A warm meal that was full of grease and fat was all we desired. I got a bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, coke, and 3 scoops of ice cream. It cost me $9 including a tip. Four of our group wanted the huge breakfast special so the lady called the breakfast cook who arrived about five minutes later to cook for them. Now that was service- everyone that works there must live nearby.We then drove to John's Country Store and Pelletier's Campground in St. Francis. I bought a Moxie, and some of the others wanted beer. Four of our group rented bunks in a hunting cabin for $20 each. The rest of us, me included, spent one more cold night in the tent reluctant to come back to civilized living. I looked for a payphone with no success. My cell phone still didn't work even in this populated part of the world. We sat around the picnic table telling stories for a bit while I wrote in my journal. We watched shooting stars and looked to identify constellations in the cold clear night sky. Devin and Tim discussed past and future classes. We crawled into our sleeping bags about 9PM.

Five Fingers Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-10-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

September 20, 2006I was up at 6AM and tried to get the fire going without much success due to the rain. Paul took over and spent an hour or so and finally got it going when the rain let up. The weather appeared to be clearing slowly and Bud said his barometer was holding steady. I ate a bowl of GORP with canned milk. I packed while the others finished their breakfast. Then I had a bit of millet in a bowl with more milk. I still thought it was for the birds.
We packed everything up even though it was soaked and I took the time to treat the blister from my hike with 2 coats of liquid bandage- yikes that stung. I found a big bullfrog that was stuck in the woodpile and picked him up. He growled and howled even after I put him down on the beach. He was mad at the world. Then he hopped into the water and swam away.

We left the campsite a bit after 9AM and headed for a spring. Bud visited a sporting camp on the other side of the pond that he had been previously visited in 1962. We filled our water bottles at the spring, Bud rejoined the group, and we all headed down the rapids. I put the camera in the cooler to keep it dry when I was really worried I might go for a swim. When we went by Outlet campsite there was a woman packing gear into a Mad River canoe. We began to snub our way through the rapids using the poles. (snubbing is stoppng the canoe or changing its direction with a pole going downriver)When we snubbed (stopped) in mid-rapid as a group to discuss poling strategies, the Mad River canoe came zipping through the rapids bouncing from rock to rock. They smacked and banged their way through our group and then on down the river. Their expletives following each drum of the canoe on a rock were quite entertaining to our whole group. I guess we felt like we finally knew what we were doing.
Tim kept offering suggestions about improving the way I returned the pole for my next push. Hopefully that meant he thought I was using it the right way the rest of the time. I seemed to be missing the rocks with the canoe and finding the deepest water even in the shallow channels. Poling through the rapids was a total blast!

We ate lunch at a beaver dam where the Musquacook River meets the Allagash at 1:30PM. I tried a bit of fishing at the beaver dam but had had no luck. Just after we resumed down river, we went around a bend and I thought I could look back and see the tower I climbed the day before.

We made it to Five Fingers campsite at 3PM. There was a huge rock and eddy in front of the campsite. This is Tim's favorite swimming spot on the whole Allagash. A few in the group swam out and shot down past the big rock.
I tried to fish it but got nothing above or below the rock. Bud caught a nice 10 or 11" brook trout which he cooked and ate. I had a bite and it was delicious. I started to change out of my wet socks and Devin started yelling. He had just had a fly fishing lesson and almost immediately hooked a beautiful 14" brook trout. It was gorgeous. When we cleaned it, Bud cut open his stomach and we found a whole shrew in there! You might say Devin is hooked on fly fishing now.Bud salted the fish, rubbed it with flour, salt, and pepper. He salted and peppered it while he cooked it and again before eating. He preheated the fry pan with oil to medium hot- the oil was just making a popping sound, Bud said salt pork or bacon fat would work too. He'd have mixed 50/50 flour and cornmeal if we had had it.
He started to fry the fish when the oil was hot- not smoking but close. He browned both sides of the trout while holding it down with the spatula. Once both sides were browned, he reduced the heat and cooked it 5 minutes per side (10 minutes total per inch thickness of fish). He then cooked it a little longer for good measure. Then he separated the meat from the backbone at its thickest point. He fried a few onions in the fishy oil right after the browning stage of cooking.
(Bud’s Secret Tips- butter can't take the heat but it browns a fish nicely. Also, 1 part yogurt, 1 part mayo and a bit of dill makes a wonderful sauce for trout.)

We all ate some of Devin's fish. It was delicious- the best trout I had ever had. Just when we finished the trout, our regular dinner was ready. We all ate dinner (not nearly as good as the trout- tuna, rice, and celery). Then we ate gingerbread for dessert. I wrote in my journal while the dishwater heated. Devin and I did dishes again. Then we looked at the stars and tried to stay up. It was cold and crystal clear. We went to bed about 8:30PM.
When I got up at 2AM for my typical middle of the night ritual, I noticed it was warmer and there were no stars out. It started raining at 2:30AM . As soon as I heard the sprinkles, Bill and I grabbed our gear and threw it in the tent which kept most everything dry. It rained quite hard until about 8AM.

Inlet Campsite Day 2: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-09-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

September 19, 2006
I was up at 5AM and, for once, I didn't feel tired. I think the previous day’s nap did me a lot of good. I got the fire started, made coffee, put on oatmeal, and dish water. By 6:30AM other people started to stir. I went fishing for a bit in the canoe with Keith (I had to rescue the lure that I had hooked on a log at 5:30AM).We got really close to a loon on the way back and he took off and circled around only to land near us again. We returned to camp by 7:30AM. During our usual breakfast of oatmeal, our campsite was invaded by quite a few sparrow sized pink and green birds. A quick look in the reference guides introduced us to the neighborhood house finches. Tim discussed options for our layover day, stay at the campsite and do bushcraft or paddle over and hike to the tower. I was the only one who wanted to hike so I went solo. At 8:30AM, I paddled over to Tower Trail campsite. There I met a nice older couple from Savannah, Georgia. I convinced them they should climb up and see the tower since it was warm and mostly sunny. We all left at 9AM, and since I needed to be back to the campsite by lunch we didn’t stay together. After 15 minutes or so, I stopped for a bit of a break and the older couple caught right up- I was impressed. I got to the tower, climbed to the top, took some pictures. I could see a front of clouds coming from the south and started to climb back down. By the time I got to the bottom of the ladder, the older couple had arrived. It was getting very windy but the tower seemed secure. We chatted for a bit and took pictures with each other’s cameras at 10:45AM.
By the time I arrived back at the lake, the wind was up the waves were very choppy. I rolled my canoe over, put it in the water, and loaded it quickly at 11:45. I had a heck of a time paddling solo directly into the headwind and whitecaps to get back to the campsite. By the time I made it back to Inlet campsite, I could see the older couple preparing to hit the river ahead of the weather. I had made it back by 12:10 and it was time for lunch. My solo hike had resulted in only one blister, sore arms, and a lot of cool pictures. I saw moose and bear scat, ruffed grouse, and red squirrels. In the afternoon, I carved a netting needle. I thought about taking a nap when some of the other folks did but the clouds began to look ominous so a few of us set up the tarp over the picnic table and split a bunch of firewood. We had just enough time to throw all of the gear into the tents before it started raining. It rained hard for an hour or so. Tim started a wet weather fire. We boiled the beans and cooked rice over the fire. The fire wasn't hot enough so Tim finished up over the propane stove at 5PM. Paul cooked bacon and Devin made gingerbread.

After dinner, we sat around and tried to stay awake by talking about books. I jotted down some of the recommendations: Fannie Eckstorm's father's book, "The Life and Writing of a Maine Fur-Buyer, Hunter, and Naturalist", "How to Talk Yankee" by Gerald E. Lewis and Maine's Golden Road: A Memoir and anything else by John Gould, No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War by Hiroo Onoda. The big bull frogs were in camp again for the second night in a row. Went to bed to the songs of the loons at 8:15PM. It rained all night so we hoped the river would be up the next day.

Inlet Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-09-27T07:43:00.004-05:00

September 18, 2006I was up early yet again. I guess I sneezed and coughed a lot since everyone asked how I was doing. I finally felt a lot better after a good nights rest. Devin has been camping under his canoe and he has really got his set up perfected.We ate our oatmeal, packed up, and poled down the stream. After a mile- we did a poling lesson and then poled on. We went 4 to 5 miles per hour in the rapids. It was mostly cloudy, windy and hot. We averaged 3 mph or so when we weren't waiting for a few in the group that occasionally got into trouble. I was pleased at how well my poling skills were improving.On the shore, after Henderson Bridge and just before Round Pond, there was a big Bull Moose standing there looking at us. I sneezed and he ran off. The river started to get wide and shallow and we were forced to wade and pull the canoes along in a couple spots.
We made it to Inlet campsite with a slight tailwind by 1:30PM. After a quick lunch, I went for a swim to clean up a bit, then set up the Hennessey Hammock and napped for an hour or so. Feeling better, I went fishing. I caught and released tons of chub except for one fat 12" chub which Devin decided to clean and cook for himself.

Dinner was tofu, rice, soup mix and carrots. The carrots were rotting in the cooler and had to be sorted through, washed, and boiled before dinner. Tim made coleslaw which went very well with the soup. We ate a lot and had great appetites; in fact, we weren’t picky at all at this point. After dinner four loons were calling back and forth and I recorded some of it. We sat around the flames of the fire and talked until almost 10PM. I was up a few times during the night.

Long Lake Dam Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-09-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

September 17, 2006
I awoke tired, congested, and miserable but still glad to be in the Allagash. It was cloudy, hot, and windy. The group debated some interesting questions: “How many rings on a racoon's tail? We decided from five to seven. “How do you teach someone to use a compass?” Put the dog in the doghouse. Put the red in the shed. “Is the fog over a lake in the morning convective or advective?” We didn’t have a clue but further Internet research says possibly advective. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FogWe had millet for breakfast again. I got the fire going and made coffee. We saw a moose while we were eating breakfast. There was a fog with heavy dew and everything was damp. We loaded the canoes and had a birch bark demonstration. Tim made a birch bark bowl that floated. We left about 10AM and were quiet but still didn't see any moose.
Almost immediately we hit headwinds, but I was in fine shape since it was my turn to be in a tandem with Dawa today. We made it across Umsaskis to a sheltered bay where we waited for the others not fortunate enough to be tandem. Once together again, we pressed on down Long Lake. Just before the ranger station, Meredith, the lady ranger, showed up with the lifejacket Devin had lost the day before. Devin was embarrassed because we made him go and get it from her.We pressed on past the ranger station, then on to Grey Brook where we wolfed down a 24 minute lunch so that we wouldn't miss the tailwind. Dawa held up a trash bag between two paddles in the bow and we sped northerly along at up to 4mph. A few of the others lashed 3 canoes together and made a square from a tarp. It looked like a pirate ship.We got to the Long Lake Dam campsite at about 4:30PM. It wasn’t a great site but would be good if it rains and it would be welcome after a hard paddle. We ate elbow macaroni, spaghetti sauce, onions, coleslaw, and sourdough biscuits. While waiting for dinner, I caught tons of small chub and one 14" chub which Dawa wanted to eat. I gave her the fish and she worked with Bud to clean and cook it. After dinner I took notes in my journal and swapped memory cards in my camera. It was early to bed for me, my head cold was really getting to me.

Chisholm Brook Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-09-25T11:26:00.006-05:00

September 16, 2006
I was up at 5:15AM again and it was partly sunny and warm. After collecting a bunch of twigs, I got the fire started from a coal leftover from the previous night. I ate GORP (our GORP contained Cheerios, raisins, peanuts, and m+ms) and canned milk and water. The rest of the group had millet and pears. I tried some and it was OK. I just can't get over thinking millet is birdseed. We packed and left by 9AM. We quickly paddled over to Scofield Cove to visit the spring where we filled our water jugs. Both Scofield sites are very nice with the point being the nicest. Devin lost his life jacket the previous day and we look for it as we paddle towards Churchill Dam. We feared that the wind grabbed it the day before and blew it far away. We meet a game warden in a Scott boat with a 10hp outboard on it. He motored around the shore looking for the life jacket for us as we continued to paddle on.We got to the dam about 11:30AM. I took some pictures at the dam and in the little museum. There was a cool stump puller and a rail car that looked like a motorcycle with a sidecar. We had to portage with the ranger since the water was too low for us to navigate Chase Rapids in the canoes. Fortunately, the ranger was happy to loan Devin a life jacket while we continued to look for the one he lost.
SUGGESTION: Bring an extra life jacket.The ranger took the first 6 canoes and gear around the rapids. It was a twenty minute ride through the woods. We ate lunch and poled up and down the rapids while the ranger went back for Tim, Bud, Devin, and the remaining canoes. I was starting to feel ill, so I rested while we ate lunch.
After lunch, we redistributed our gear load around so that we'd be a bit downstream heavy. That way the canoe pointed downstream. (RULE: load the canoe downstream and upwind heavy) I was pleased that I was able to pole up through the rapids and hit the eddys just right but I had really started to feel the dreaded head cold that Paul and Tim had the past few days. By now the sky had cleared off nicely and it was hot and sunny.
Everyone reloaded their canoes and we poled down to Chisholm Brook campsite which wasn’t that spectacular. While poling past Meadows campsite, we met a young female ranger who was looking for some biologists in a raft. Devin really liked her and we obligingly continued to tease him about this the rest of the trip.We arrived at 5:15PM and set up camp. I felt very poorly from my head cold. Dinner was a pound of bacon put into the boiled soaked beans with brown sugar. The bacon fat went into the sourdough biscuits. Right before dinner I caught an 8 and 10" chub. After dinner, Bud showed me how to scale the smaller fish, chop off its head, and gut it. I floured it and fried it in oil. The larger of the two fish, we boiled in the bacon fat covered fry pan in salted water. Both fish were surprisingly tasty for what is considered a trash fish.The lady ranger came downstream and talked to us for awhile. She was surprised to see us eating chub. Team New England (Devin and I) were set to be guides again the next day so we decided to get an early start. I went to bed early and hoped I'd feel better the next day.

Scofield Point Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-09-24T14:57:00.010-05:00

September 15, 2006 I got up at 5:10AM and stumbled up the trail to the scenic overlook in the dark trying to see without my flashlight. The overlook is a ledge outcropping that gives a great view of Eagle Lake and Farm Island looking across the lake to the tramway. Once at the ledge, I lay down on my fleece jacket to await the sunrise. A strange bird flew over my head. Since it didn't sound like a regular bird, I opened my eyes. A Saw-whet owl sat on a branch just 15 feet away and kept moving his head up down and side to side, looking at me. He flew to a branch on the other side and repeated the procedure. I tried to get a picture a couple times but didn't have much luck due to the low light conditions. All the picture shows is the reflection of his eyes in the darkness.

It was partly cloudy but there was a decent view. As the sun rose on the other side of the island, I took some nice pictures and headed back to camp with the story of my owl encounter. I arrived back at camp at 6:30AM and no one was up yet. I gathered firewood and practiced making fire with damp twig bundles. It was while making one of these twig bundles, that I found a moose vertebrae about 20 feet from the fire in the woods. I figured the little forest creatures would have long since nibbled it up- but there it was. We left it where I found it.
I warmed up some water so we could wash up and then I changed out of my sweaty shirt. Tim explained his rationale for wearing suspenders instead of a belt. Suspenders allow the hot moist air that your legs generate to warm your upper body as it vents up your chest- and you don't get crotch rot. I took a nice picture of Tim and Paul in their bright red suspenders. They looked so stylish. We packed up our camp but didn’t leave.

It was time for a group activity so we sat down at the table and made a harness for our water bottles out of string. We cut 4 strings 2.5 times the height of the object to be harnessed, flipped the object upside down, tied an overhand knot in the middle of all 4 strings, then we tied over hand knots in pairs of ropes just over the edge of the object (upside down bottle in this case). Then we tied over hand knots every 2 inches or so in each pair of strings and repeated this step until we got to the top. We did one last overhand knot an inch above the previous one at top of bottle, ran a new loop of string through the loops that formed and pulled tight around the object. Now we had harnesses for our water bottles. It was a fun activity.

We had another fire building demo where we all made fuzz sticks. When we lit the fuzz sticks, Dawa left her match case too close and it turned into a plastic glob. We ate a lunch of tuna, crackers, carrots, mayo, mustard, humus, and celery with GORP for dessert. The clouds had retreated, and we left around 2PM and canoed down towards a beaver house, then over to Zeigler campsite which looked like a nice place to camp. Then we paddled on toward Scofield point which was our goal for the day. It was hot, sunny, and the wind was welcome as it pushed us out of Eagle Lake, under John's Bridge, and halfway across Churchill Lake. Not only did Scofield Point have a gorgeous campsite, but the view was amazing.

Dawa pitched her tent out on the sand dunes. Devin pitched his tent way out on a gravel bar. It is a beautiful spot. The breeze was nice and I set up clothes lines to dry my clothes and sleeping bag. I took some pictures as we set up camp. We used the propane stove for cooking again and basically only used the fire to boil water for drinking, for dishwater, and to cook sourdough biscuits in the reflector oven.
Dinner was tofu with a soup mix and rice and carrots. After dinner, when the sourdough biscuits were ready, I used leftover strawberry jelly and canned milk to make a strawberry shortcake dessert. It tasted great and others followed my example. We then made another batch of biscuits, this time with garlic powder. A few of us discussed saving some cheese at lunchtime to make cheese and garlic biscuits. We were really getting into our wilderness lifestyle and now had time to worry about food creativity.
While cooking the second batch of biscuits we listened to a coyote howl fairly close to the campsite. It got dark quickly. Devin and I washed dishes, we told jokes, and went out with the star finder to try to identify some more constellations. We all crawled into our sleeping bags by 9PM.
SUGGESTION: tin foil might be nice for the reflector over when cooking sticky things as it can be hard to get clean. Of course we could have just melted butter on the pan first, or skipped the sticky stuff.

Pump Handle Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal

2008-09-16T08:54:00.008-05:00

September 14, 2006
We dragged ourselves out of our warm dry sleeping bags at 6:30AM while listening to the rain and drizzle outside. We ate our usual oatmeal for breakfast and prepared to line our canoes through canal stream by learning to tie a slippery bowline to one side of the stern, a prussic knot in the middle and a slippery sheet bend on the other side of the stern. This rope work is called a canoe bridle.
It rained and drizzled until 9AM, and after that it was dreary and overcast. A group of three men from Connecticut came up through the canal and headed down the lake. This was the exact reverse of what we were about to do so we had a quick chance to ask them about the canal while they portaged their canoes over the dam.Jeff left us and headed South down the lake following them- he planned to sleep in his truck and head back to New Brunswick the next day. While we grouped up to plan the day, a spruce grouse reclaimed the campsite totally unconcerned we were still there. After our meeting, I followed the spruce grouse around and took pictures. She was as tame as any chicken.
We lined, paddled, poled, and pulled the canoes through the old canal and over beaver dams. Once through, we paddled to Thoreau campsite and ate our lunch. While eating, we learned that some people wanted to go straight to camp while others wanted to see the tramway. I decided to go to the tramway with five other canoes while the rest went to our next campsite, set up camp, and cooked dinner.
Right before the tramway we saw a cow moose and she just kept staring at me while the other canoes closed in. She didn't know what I was but didn't run away either. After twenty minutes or so, we paddled on to the tramway and left her eating on the shore as if we’d never been there.At the tramway, it was amazing to see the huge locomotives and other assorted giant equipment and pieces of metal lying around like huge gears, crankshafts, and steam engine blocks. We paddled across Eagle Lake past Farm Island and I took out my fishing pole and trolled the lure behind my canoe. I eventually caught a nice 11" trout which was again just an inch too small to keep.
I trolled my line out behind me again and while I was just taking in the views and paddling along, another trout took out all the line off my reel. At the last minute, I saw my line floating on the water. I reversed direction and retrieved the line and tied it onto my pole.
I was the last canoe to arrive at Pump Handle campsite and immediately asked Bud to help me fix the reel. I reeled in another nice trout which was also too small to keep. We set up our tents, I changed out of my wet clothes (wet wool pants), and we ate dinner. We recited the few poems we could remember around the campfire. Tim read a few paragraphs from Robert Service's "The men that don't fit in". It was interesting to see how the group dynamics were changing. Bud recommended that we check out books from Edmund Ware Smith. We stayed up a bit but were all in bed by 9PM.

Lock Dam Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal 2006

2008-09-15T09:33:00.007-05:00

September 13, 2006

In the early morning light, the fog was so thick visibility was less than fifty feet.
We got up about 5AM and checked in with Paul who was sick with a head cold. He said he'd be OK, so we woke everyone else up. We made coffee first thing- but everyone decided to delay breakfast so we’d get an earlier start. All our gear was packed and we departed Gravel Brook campsite about 7AM . The fog covered the lake and it got thicker as we paddled into it. We had assigned Bud to point (first canoe) as he had a GPS. I also had a GPS and I went last (sweep) to be sure everyone was in between us. It was scary, exciting, and served to really build our confidence.

We navigated a safe course left of the point across the bay. Our original plan was to eat breakfast at Donnelly Point. However, by the time we got there, the water was calm and clear. The lake was a giant mirror and the fog swirled around us. I took many cool pictures. Everyone elected to push on and wait longer for breakfast. We aimed for Ellis Brook campsite for breakfast.
Ellis Brook campsite is actually on the brook not on the point as it appears on the Delorme Allagash map. We had overshot the campsite by half a mile or so. Rather than go back, we crossed the bay and put in at Lock Dam campsite around 10AM.

We cooked our oatmeal over propane which ended up being ready at 11AM so we ate our lunch at the same time- Nutella, jelly, and peanut butter on two packages of crackers. We put dehydrated pears in our oatmeal and it tasted good. Will full bellies, some took naps. I went down and washed up a bit in the lake with a few others who were interested in the warm sun that had burned off the fog.

We all relaxed and decided we'd stay here for the night instead of pushing on due to the unsettled weather and wind that had started to come up. In the afternoon, Ryan, the assistant ranger for the area, stopped in to check our camping permit. He'd just graduated from Unity College and had only been on the job for four weeks. On the Allagash, Rangers work nine days on and get five days off. As a teenager, Ryan came here a lot with friends in the winter to ice fish. That is what got him interested in his career choice. We had been out bathing and the girls were sunning themselves when he stopped. After the ranger left, Jeff came back to report that he'd been skinny dipping around the point and the ranger caught him. He just waved and smiled with his “naughty bits” exposed. Jeff has a great sense of humor. Cool phrases I heard around the campsite that day: “as subtle as a barbed wire sandwich”, “a local general store that carried everything from a baby's fart to a thunderclap”, “a stressful situation doesn't make a stupid person smarter”, “hunger is the best sauce”, “if it flies, floats, or f**ks, RENT don't BUY”, “opinions are like a**holes- everyone has one.” At least we had moved on from the bodily function humor.
Then we had a survival lesson from Jeff Butler. I recorded some of it and took notes. Jeff’s main point was that in a survival situation most people worry about food, when in fact they should be looking for water and shelter. After our lesson, Devin and I started to cook dinner. Jeanie made the sourdough biscuits. I cut up carrots and onions. Devin cooked the burger and onions. I steamed carrots. Tim chopped up a whole head of cabbage. We dumped a soup mix package into the burger. Once it was cooked, we dumped everything into a stainless steel bucket and stirred. It was very tasty.
SUGGESTION: laminate all recipes and put them into the kitchen box so that whoever is cooking has something to refer to. There was a bit of confusion as to what we were supposed to make and how we were supposed to make it. Jeff and Tim were busy so we had to wing it.
It was dark after dinner and, while people cleaned up, we talked about the stars again. It was getting cloudy so we could only see one star. Jeff explained that even if you can only see one star, lie on the ground, pick a point and watch that star. The star will move east to west, so you really only need to see that one star to be able to navigate at night. We were all in bed by 9:30PM. Rain and drizzle began around 2AM.

Gravel Beach Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal 2006

2008-09-12T06:24:00.017-05:00

September 12, 2006

The day dawned clear and very windy out of the North. I was up by 6AM. We started the propane stove hand boiled the oats and raisins that had soaked all night. (we must have started the fire for coffee and dish water.) Tim's "Secret" Oatmeal Recipe: 5 cups old fashioned oats, 1 box raisins. Soak all night. You need to keep stirring while heating to keep the oatmeal from burning on. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. We added 1/2 box of shelled sunflower seeds to the oatmeal. Canned milk and brown sugar were added individually to taste.
Why brown sugar instead of normal sugar? Tim brings brown sugar because it clumps- if the container dumps we'll be able to recover some of the sugar. Good advice if you are going to be out in the woods for a while. We also made camp coffee which is 1/4 cup of grounds to 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil and let the grounds roll once then remove from heat. Let set a few seconds and then pour one cup of cold water into it from a height to settle the grounds. I enjoyed standing on the picnic table and dumping in the cold water from as high as I could reach. There was a strange satisfaction in it.
We all packed up our gear and tents while the dishes were done. Jeff and Tim talked about how you can add baking soda to baked beans to make them less gassy. Our first day in the woods and we were resorting to bathroom humor- the glue that binds humanity together. I planned to paddle solo this day. To set the trim in my canoe correctly for lake travel, I carried my 60lb army duffel bag with the 3 mil liner, the 50 lb group cooler, the 10 lb tent, and a 56 lb 7 gallon water jug- total about 180 lbs. For lake travel we tried to set the trim even bow to stern in the canoes.
We left camp around 9:30AM- an early start, or so we thought. We paddled 2 miles in the first hour. Then the wind and waves came up and we paddled the next 2.4 miles in 3 hours. The solo folks (me included) really had trouble moving along. The waves got higher and higher. Just past an island, while I should have been paying attention to paddling, I caught a nice 13" brook trout on a daredevil lure. I snapped a picture and put it back in the lake. The limit for brook trout in Chamberlain Lake is 14" and one trout per day. After the adrenaline from catching the fish wore off, I got very tired of paddling into the wind, moved to the shore, tried poling, and then tried pulling the canoe through the waves. I kneeled to try to get out of the wind. The wind was right in our face and the whitecaps were high. Some waves broke over the bow and some water was beginning to get into the canoes. I thought my trim might be bow light, because the wind kept trying to turn me around. I vowed to grab the knee pads out of my duffel for the rest of the trip as soon as we stopped.
Tim made the decision to give up and stop for lunch about 1:30 because we weren't making much progress against the wind and whitecap waves. The tandem canoes had gotten way ahead because two people could paddle much more effectively against the wind. We were all ready to take a lunch break but the tandem paddlers had to walk back across the beach to us before we could eat. We had two packages of reconstituted humus, two pounds of cheddar cheese, and two packs of crackers. After lunch, we each took one piece of gear and walked it a mile or so down the beach to Gravel Beach campsite. Tim identified and discussed edible plants along the way. We saw colts foot which is a yellow flower that blossoms first in spring. We saw deer tracks and I found a crayfish shell. Once we reached the campsite, Tim and Jeff demonstrated the twig bundle fire building method. Tim made a tripod for the fire and Oliver gave an axemanship demonstration. Bill and I set up our tent. The wind had died down enough so that we walked back to our canoes and paddled them to our site about 4:30. We'd had a rest and paddled against the wind for the remaining half mile pretty easily. After a dinner of Zucchini, burger, onions, rice (which had soaked in water in the cooler all day) and sourdough biscuits, Tim assigned Devin and I (Team New England) as guides for tomorrow. Devin and I discussed with Tim and Jeff the idea of leaving earlier in the morning to avoid the wind. We also discussed skipping Allagash Stream and going straight to Lock Dam as we'd missed our campsite goal for the day and we could be back on schedule. Once it was very dark, Devin and I had done dishes again, we went out to identify stars. I could easily find the big dipper and little dipper and North Star. We identified Cassiopeia, Signus, and also saw a shooting star and satellites. A tiny orange light appeared on the horizon like a small coal. Soon the coal grew into a raging orange fireball. It turned out to be the moon and it was surreal. Though it seemed really late, in reality we crawled into bed about 9PM or so.

Boy Scout Campsite: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Canoe and Guide Training Trip Journal 2006

2008-09-11T10:10:00.012-05:00

September 11, 2006

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11/2001, I woke up full of anticipation for the opportunity to take more than a week away from our "civilized" society. The early morning was clear and cold, and my windshield sported the first frost of the season- just a little warning about the winter in the not so distant future. My wife dropped me off at Marden's in Gray, where I sat down in my camp chair beside a shopping cart containing all of my worldly possessions for the next two weeks.

Flaggers and construction people started showing up around 8AM to work on the new Gray bypass. One of the flagger ladies kept looking at me sitting there in the morning sun, in my jacket with a wool military surplus helmet liner on, huddled beside a shopping cart with an Army duffel and a paddle sticking out. After awhile, she came over and asked if I wanted a Pepsi and if I was homeless.

I kept watching for my ride in the direction of the turnpike, but after a couple hours sitting there and waiting, I realized he might be coming via Route 202. Sure enough, at 10:15 or so, I saw a large white van with five canoes on a trailer behind it. I must have made a great first impression, since everyone in the van was laughing when I rolled my gear over in a shopping cart. There was Bill, who teaches English in Japan, Dawa, from California, Devin, from Vermont, Kevin and Oliver a father son team from Scotland , Paul and Jeanie, a young couple from Wisconsin . Last but not least, Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft, was driver and the organizer of this River Guide Training trip to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

Jack Mountain Bushcraft offers a multitude of survival and lifestyle classes ranging from making mukluks and snowshoes to entire college accredited semester courses. This Allagash trip was a two week portion of Tim's Earth Skills Semester program. It turned out, Paul had taken Tim's semester class the previous year and was the assistant instructor this year. Dawa, Devin, and Oliver were Tim's semester students this year. The rest of us were along because of our interest in skills needed by a Maine Guide while leading an extended river trip.

Along the way we picked up Bud Farwell, a registered Maine Guide from Bangor, and Jeff Butler, a New Brunswick Guide. Jeff took Tim's guide course a few years ago, and offers wilderness survival training as well as guided trips in New Brunswick. Once our entire crew was assembled, we stopped at a store where they had a real birch bark canoe up on the wall so that Devin and Keith could buy fishing licenses.

Just outside Millinocket, on the Golden Road, we stopped at the North Maine Woods (NMW) gatehouse so Tim could pay around $800 for overnight use fees for 8 people for 10 nights. (Bud and Jeff took care of their own fees). We had great clear views of Mount Katahdin as we drove to the Chamberlain Thoroughfare Bridge. We divided up the group gear, put the Nova Craft Prospector 18 foot canoes in the water, and paddled North reaching Boy Scout campsite about 6 PM. We paired up and set up our Eureka Timberline Outfitter 4 tent (a super durable 4 person tent that sleeps 2 people and gear very comfortably- http://www.eurekatent.com/p-65-timberline-outfitter-4.aspx) while Tim cooked elbow macaroni and spaghetti sauce on the propane stove.

Most of the cooking on this trip was over a campfire but for situations like this first night in camp, Tim brought a 10lb propane cylinder. Since we didn't use propane for lighting, the midsize propane tank was a nice luxury to have in case of adverse conditions or a late night arrival at a campsite. After dinner, Tim discussed night time lighting and also night time courtesy. He recommended that everyone wear headlamps on their red setting around their neck to minimize night blindness in everyone. The red light provides just enough light so you can see what you are doing without causing your eyes to adjust. Unfortunately, I had only brought a white LED flashlight but I was careful not to shine it in anyone's face and it worked fine for the next 10 days.

As we would on many nights to come, Devin and I volunteered to do dishes. The campfire discussion this evening was about how Rafe Judkins from Survivor had taken a bushcraft class with Tim and Jeff before he was on Survivor. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/bio/rafe_11/bio.php?season=11 Neither Jeff nor Tim knew Rafe was going to be on Survivor. One night Jeff was watching TV, affectionately known on this trip as the box that giveth, when he realized he had been with this guy in class. He called up Tim to confirm, and sure enough, it was the same guy.

Once the dishes were done, Tim went over the trip plans with us. Each evening we would assign guide teams of two students who will determine meal and route planning for the next day. The next day, the guides will organize the group such that we get breakfast, eat lunch, arrive at the next campsite by 2PM, and get dinner cooked early enough to have dishes done before dark. Breakfast needs to soak overnight every night so it will cook faster in the morning. It sounds like a good plan to everyone.

On this first night, our tentative itinerary depending on weather was: 9/11 Boy Scout Campsite, 9/12 Donnelly Point/Lost Spring, 9/13 Lost Spring/Lock Dam, 9/14 Pillsbury Island, 9/15 Schofield Point, 9/16 Jaws, 9/17 Chisholm Brook, 9/18 Long Lake Dam, 9/19 Back Channel, 9/20 Five Finger, 9/21 Michaud Farm, 9/22 home

Dehydration is a major concern when one lives in the out of doors 24 hours per day. One is supposed to consume 3 quarts or so of water per day. On this first evening, I discovered a new ritual in which I needed to crawl out of my warm sleeping bag to urinate at 2AM and again at 4AM. This new ritual taught me to the need to always put on long johns before bed and to bring a pair of slip on moccasins with me on these trips. I was chilly and damp both times when I finally got back to the tent. (I confess as the trip went on I didn’t bother to venture very far from our tents.) It was a clear moonlit night and there was no need to use a headlamp, be it red or white. It is interesting to note we weren't too far from a road and I listened to distant logging trucks all night long.

Authors Note: I visited the variety store pictured above with the Schlitz sign in January 2008. The sign welcomed visitors for years but was destroyed in a windstorm in the Summer of 2007.

Allagash River Trip Journal

2008-09-11T10:09:00.002-05:00

In September of 2006, I was fortunate enough to take a guide training class along the Allagash Wilderness Waterway with Tim Smith. I will post each journal entry day by day in order to relieve that journey over the next two weeks. I hope you will join me!

Time to catch and release those Brookies

2008-08-14T14:24:00.002-05:00

Maine state law now states:

"From August 16 - September 30, rivers, brooks, and streams are restricted to the use of artificial lures only and the total daily bag limit for landlocked salmon, trout and togue (lake trout) is 1 fish."

These poor fish are starving due to all the rain we've been having. My kids have been catching a lot of hungry brookies lately using worms. They have even begun to experiment with different lure and worm combinations. This weekend we're switching to lures only. We don't have a problem with the limit since we try to keep it to one fish per person anyway.

What a crazy Summer we've had. There is so much water in our brook that I saw a Beaver submerge and swim upstream. I was so startled I didn't take a picture in time!

Let those brook trout spawn and stick to the lakes- happy fishing!

Sourdough English Muffins

2008-07-24T09:37:00.005-05:00

Let me tell you that fresh breads and biscuits on a campout can really be the highlight of the experience for you and your guests. During a recent outing to Chain of Ponds, we woke up to a cold drizzle. Fortunately we had planned ahead, ok I admit it was my wife's idea, to have bacon and egg sandwiches on sourdough english muffins. We could cook them on a griddle or fry pan over the fire- but we cooked them on the propane stove so we didn't need to start the camp fire on a rainy morning.

We prepared the sourdough the night before according to the recipe on page 538 of The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook. I've paraphrased this recipe below but highly recommend this book because it has a great section on sourdough. I'll be sharing my views on the best sourdough bread recipe at some point in the future.

In any case, here is the recipe:

1 cup sourdough starter,
1 ½ cups milk,
5 ½ to 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar,
1 Tbs salt,
1 tsp baking soda,
cornmeal to sprinkle on cast iron griddle

Sponge: Mix together the starter, milk and 3 cups of flour. We cover this with a cloth and let it sit overnight.

Dough: When you first wake up, mix together the rest of the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda in another bowl. Combine thoroughly. Set aside for an hour or so until people start waking up to the smell of coffee.

When the dough has risen, knead it on a cutting board for 2-3 minutes, until the dough is smooth. The dough will feel elastic. Roll the dough about ¼ and ½ inch thick (or do it your own way). Cut out 3-4 inches circles, put them on the floured baking tray- we use a pineapple rings can with both ends cut out. Let the raw muffins rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat the cast iron griddle until hot, then cook the muffins with very gently heat until they rise, about 10 minutes. Flip on the other side, then cook again for 10 minutes.

We wrapped them in a towel to cool while we cooked the bacon and eggs. We then split them with a fork, added mayo, egg, cheese, and bacon.

Try it out and let me know what you think- this will surely be a hit with your guests!

Camp Cooking with Kids

2008-07-22T20:15:00.003-05:00

I just got back from Natanis Point Campground on Maine Public Reserved Land on Chain of Ponds. OK- let me get a few things out of the way. It was so breezy there were no bugs. The fishing was incredible, and I swear the kids caught fish on bare hooks. The scenery was stunning. The wildlife was abundant. The canoeing was great, etc etc. Great place to camp for a reasonable price. I'd call it remote but I can't call it wilderness since they offer bathroom facilities with hot showers. We stayed for 4 nights and spent less than $100 including lots of worm purchases at the camp store.

In any case, since we were camping with kids, I wanted to involve them with the cooking. Among other things, we had fresh bread every day, english muffins, corn bread, and chocolate cake. Most of the time I used a dutch oven. For bean hole beans, I use a cast iron bean pot with legs very similar to a dutch oven. For the corn bread we used the reflector oven.

I really like the reflector oven with kids since they can actually see the food cooking. I bought mine from Don Merchant at Pole and Paddle. If you have access to sheet aluminum or stainless steel, Gil Gilpatrick's Building Outdoor Gear has a pattern and detailed instructions for making your own reflector oven. I'm sure I'll talk about some other projects in Gil's book, but the book is worth the $13 price just for the reflector oven pattern.

We used a cast iron cornbread mold that made little cornbreads that look like ears of corn. The cast iron pan in the reflector oven made up for the fact that we fed the fire little twigs to keep the flames up. A reflector oven cooks with heat from your fire, but it works best with flames instead of coals. The cast iron pan holds the heat to allow for even cooking. We only had to turn the pan once. I really like the fact that Don's reflector oven design features a flip up top so I didn't have to work over the fire, or move the reflector oven once I placed it in front of the fire.

In any case, we used the same fire to finish up the beans, start coals for a chocolate cake, cook our cornbread, and for the kids to cook hotdogs on. It seems complicated, but it wasn't. The kids and the adults enjoyed the food. I think we all gained weight on this trip.

Walk-On Adventures at LL Bean

2008-06-24T13:27:00.005-05:00

Today I headed over to LL Bean to purchase the fly rod outfit I've been saving up for and was distracted by the idea that they had an hour and a half walk-on flyfishing adventure for only $15. I decided that it would probably be worth $15 to try out the fly rod equipment that LL Bean has to offer before making my purchase.

I got there 15 minutes before the noontime adventure began and there were only two folks signed up before me. Another guy signed up when he heard me talking to the guy about all the open slots still available. We hopped onto a little LL Bean bus (with seatbelts) and headed down the road towards the Desert of Maine. We pulled off into a little field. For $15, our fly fishing would be done on a nice green grassy lawn. You get a stocked trout pond in the two day $399 class.

Our instructor was Bill Stevens, and fortunately, he was very patient. There were four students, a father and son from Connecticut, myself, and an older gentleman from Yarmouth. None of us had ever held a fly rod before. We were invited to partake of the provided 50spf sunscreen and deet flavored bug spray which all of us declined. We were then issued a pair of awesome polarized LL Bean sunglasses to protect our eyes. Bill ran us through a safety checklist for liability purposes and then, finally, class was in session!

Bill started by demonstrating and describing the four part fly cast: pickup, backcast, forward cast, and presentation. He even gave us little laminated orange cards to take home that describe the process. We all got a chance to ask questions.

We practiced casting for a little while and I repeatedly demonstrated a gift for tying knots (sometimes two at a time) in the line while casting. I hope Bill wasn't telling the truth when he said he'd never seen anyone do that before. I seemed to be very adept at tying the knots until Bill suggested that I try moving the rod tip out to the right while casting, and that seemed to help me as my casts improved significantly.

Then we practiced false casting, before taking a short break where cold drinking water was provided in case we were feeling dehydrated. Bill demonstrated the roll cast and we practiced that for a few minutes, before, all too soon, the bus returned. Bill finished our class by pointing out the $99 Quest Two fly rod outfit we had been using in the LL Bean Fishing Catalog and inviting us to take more Outdoor Discovery School classes. We were given a $15 off Outdoor Discovery School coupon and a 10% off fishing gear coupon for use in the LL Bean store. Basically, the class pays for itself if you make another purchase.

The bus delivered us back, as promised, in exactly 1.5 hours from the time we left, just like clockwork. I wanted to rush in and buy Bill's recommended rod outfit, the Qwest Two 8' 6" 6wt for $99, but I had to get back to work. Fortunately, I don't work that far from LL Bean and will try to drop in before I go on vacation this year. I'm pretty sure that this $99 rod and a few flies will keep me very busy fishing this Summer. No guarantees about catching, but the fishing will be great! I'm going to try to convince my brother-in-law to meet me there sometime for an hour and a half of shooting sporting clays or a two hour kayak paddle. All in all, a ton of fun for about the cost of a movie ticket these days.

Long winter

2008-06-22T07:26:00.002-05:00

It was a log tough winter. I managed to get one trip in through Baxter State Park in January that I will surely blog about. After that we got snowstorm after snowstorm, and I was constantly reminded of how poorly we are set up here on our farm. The barns we use to store hay and house chickens roofs have a pitch that was inadequate for the snow to slide off of. I have pictures of me shoveling five feet of snow from them.

Spring brought thunderstorms and lightening took out the well pump. At 280ft, you can't service your own well. So there went another $1500. Why do we choose to fight nature? I wish we had a shallow well and the nice gravel that go along with it!

So, in any case, Summer is finally here and we're still getting ready for next winter.

This year, we'll be using the wood boiler. No more oil for us at $4 plus per gallon. I'm attempting to reroof the barns with a steeper roof. No sense fighting nature, I'll let nature shovel the roof.

Have you planted your garden yet? We've got tomatoes in. We hope to plant more but time is rushing by!

Trout and Eggs for Breakfast

2008-06-22T07:21:00.002-05:00

My youngest woke me up this morning and said let's go fishing- you can have trout and eggs for breakfast. I told him to wait a while and tried to get back to sleep. It was then that I realized that if I didn't go, he'd eventually stop asking. So, we got up and headed to the brook. To make a long story short, the kids had stored the worms in a can with a hole near the bottom so most of the worms had escaped. We used worm pieces (the one's that didn't have the smarts to escape) and he managed to catch one little keeper. He ended up fishing the last of our hour with my fishing rod. We saw a lot of fish and caught quite a few little ones. The brook is still healthy!

We came back to the house and cooked up trout, eggs, and sourdough toast for breakfast. It doesn't get much better than this!

Do it yourself

2007-12-31T11:32:00.001-05:00

If I watched TV, I'd probably spend all my time watching the DIY channel. I'm fascinated by the guys woodshops and the metalworkers who fabricate anything they need. In my reality though, as well as most Americans I suspect, when something breaks I buy the parts and fix it. OK, probably most Americans just throw whatever it is away and buy a new one. I'm too thrifty to do that.

My snowblower broke before Christmas. I checked with Sears and they could "order" me the part. I didn't want to wait. Things warmed up after Christmas and I had the day off. I told my sons I was going to make a new one. They didn't believe it was possible.

I had a wide L bracket that I had scrounged somewhere years ago. It was about the same size but a lot wider. Using basic hand tools, I transformed a piece of scrap into a usable bracket.

First I spent about 30 minutes hack sawing off a chunk that was the correct width. Then I filed the sharp edge down. The kids lost interest long before this point. Then I drilled a pilot hole with a small bit using a variable speed pistol drill. I used thick chainsaw bar oil to keep the drill bit lubed up. Then I stepped up a couple sizes at a time until I got to the right size. I don't have a fancy shop, so I just used a C clamp and a piece of angle iron to hold it.

When I was done, I hacksawed the notch in the bracket. Why am I blogging about this? I truly enjoyed making this bracket. It didn't make economic sense. I am no craftsman and it looks rough. However, it does work, my kids thought it was so cool that I could make it, I enjoyed the entire experience, and my snowblower works! I had forgotten how much fun it was to work with metal.

Skiing, Cooking, and Landowner Relations

2007-12-08T17:03:00.000-05:00

Half the fun of cooking outdoors is trying out recipes indoors. I'm always looking for simple recipes. My biggest complaint is that recipe books use too many ingredients. Keep it simple and use normal ingredients and you can take advantage of a bad situation.

My wife makes a lot of homemade bread. Often, there will be stale pieces left behind which she feeds to the chickens. However, if you are out on a trip and your bread goes stale, what should you do? Make bread pudding!

Simple Bread Pudding Recipe I adapted

2 c Milk (use some evaporated milk)
2 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
1/4 c Butter or oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs (I haven't found a good source of powdered eggs- has anyone else?)
8 slices old bread (NOT moldy- just crunchy and stale)
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Raisins

In dutch oven, heat up the milk and melt the butter into it. Beat eggs and salt together in the milk mixture. Break or rip bread into small pieces into the bowl, add the cinnamon, the raisins and then mix. Stir until bread is well soaked. Bake until toothpick comes out clean at approx 350, about 30-40 min.

If I ever get a reflector oven, I'll try this there. Until then, I'll stick to the dutch oven.

We went cross country skiing today on the 20 acres behind our house. It was fun looking at the tracks. There are snowshoe hares everywhere on the land that was clear cut 10 years ago, which probably explains the hunter tracks we found all over the place. If you hunt on someone else's land, please take the time to contact the owner. This guy gets way to close to our horse pasture and house and makes us feel uncomfortable.

I'm tempted to post our land "Access by Permission Only". I'm not opposed to hunting at all. I just want to know who is on my land and why they feel the need to get so close to my kids, my animals, and my house. It is very inconsiderate of this one fellow. If he had the sense to meet me, I'd tell him where it was OK to hunt on my land and we'd all get along just fine.

So if you guide hunters, please be considerate to the landowner. A little time spent on landowner relations goes a long way.

Learning the Ropes of Knot Teaching

2007-12-05T19:08:00.000-05:00

I was asked to teach knots to kids last night. I thought I was ready. I went to Home Depot and bought 50 feet of yellow poly rope. I bought 20 feet of brown/orange poly rope. I cut 2 foot pieces of each for each kid (20 ropes total). I came up with this cool idea that the kids would tie their ropes together using square knots (the knot I was supposed to teach) and then throw an inner tube to a teammate 20 feet away.

I thought the game would be fun. Well, the kids had fun but it was chaotic and confusing. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes. First, spend the money on softer rope. I spent extra money for fatter rope but clothesline would have worked great with their little hands. The large diameter poly rope was difficult for them to tie and the knots came out easily. The kids were frustrated. I was frustrated. Fortunately the kids like to throw things so I was covered there.

I used a 20' piece of rope, tied it to the inner tube, and we played the game. I learned a lesson. The two colors of rope was a good idea. The poly plastic rope was a bad idea. The fat rope would be good for teaching splicing but not for teaching elementary school aged kids knots. I'll post about this again- if I try this again.

The Adventures of Bill Geagan

2007-12-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

Leading the simple life isn't so simple as you might know. Shortcuts often complicate things. Recently I've been making the time to read Bill Geagan's book Nature I Loved which was printed in the 50s and reprinted in the 70s. My parent in-laws and brother in law highly recommended this book to me when they gave it to me while I was studying for my Maine guide exam earlier this year. Unfortunately I haven't made the time to read it until now.

It seems Bill was unsure about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He paid $50 for a cabin on the edge of a pond in the North Maine Woods and proceeded to make a life there. Along the way he has described how he came to befriend a skunk and a crow. He goes into great detail about his piscatorial adventures as well as his interactions with reynard. Imagine being free to live the good life being eaten alive by black flies as you cook wizened trout for breakfast beside the brook where you camped under your canoe the night before. Mr. Geagan has done a great job so far and I can't wait to hear about more of his misadventures with his canvas canoe and the shelf ice as I head into Winter and the last half of his book.

Has anyone else read this book? I haven't seen this referenced in anyone else's recommended book list. Did you read it and like it? Would you recommend something else? Drop me a line....

Christmas List

2007-12-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

We all have different things we're hoping for this year. I thought I'd list out some of the things I'd like to see under the tree.

Books:

The Ax Book: The Lore and Science of the Woodcutter by D. Cook
Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills & Wilderness Survival by Mors Kochanski

Tools

Sharpening Stones
Splitting Maul Head (yes- just the head)
SpokeShave
Drawknife
Coffee Pot with a Bale
Cast Iron Beanpot for Bean Hole Beans
I'm not sure if this is better than the traditional ceramic bean pots I've been using, but I've got a few outdoor events to do this year and people like to help. This will be more durable.

Membership Renewals:

Licenses:
Maine Combination Hunting and Fishing License $38

Misc. Supplies:
Tung Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil, Turpentine

Mini Adventures:
A Day Ruffed Grouse hunting with someone who can demonstrate how to prepare and cook them
A Day Rabbit hunting in my back yard with someone who can demonstrate how to prepare and cook them

Should I be wishing for something else? Let me know.

Cooking with kids over a campfire

2007-07-18T09:05:00.000-05:00

For those of you who guide families into the woods, how do you encourage the "helpful" kid when mealtime rolls around. Sure, you could make the menu include hot dogs, foil dinners, and rolls on a stick. I prefer to keep a nice food menu with little extra side dishes prepared by the kids themselves.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be cooking for a group at a campsite which included another group of kids. One of the kids in the other group, was extremely interested in what we were up to (no wonder, it took them 3 hours to get their charcoal started, their meal prepared, and finally were ready to eat). In any case, this kid was asking me all sorts of "what are you doing?" questions. I put him to work breaking eggs into a mixing bowl, then stirring cake ingredients in the same bowl.

I try to bring a couple things that kids can cook all by themselves in a campfire with me. Nonstick aluminum foil and a pair of leather gloves makes a campfire accessible to kids and, if you are concerned, you can easily reuse the foil more than once before crunching it up and packing it out. This weekend I had grabbed corn on the cob, bananas, apples, and brown and serve sausage in addition to the ever necessary s'more making materials.

The kids this weekend were interested in baking corn in the husk. As I was cleaning the corn and preparing to wrap it in foil, an older gentleman in the group said "that's not how I'd do it". Sometimes at these points it pays to listen. When asked how he'd do it, he said he'd put the butter on the corn before he'd bake it. With nothing to lose, I buttered the corn liberally, put the husk back on, wrapped it all in foil and tossed it into the coals. The results were much better than any corn I've ever baked before. Small spots that might have been burned before were now caramelized in butter. The results were very tasty and the kids were eager to bake more.

At breakfast time, I made sourdough pancakes with dehydrated blueberries that came out very tasty. Since I was cooking on the dutch oven lid, I only get 3 or 4 pancakes at a time. While they are waiting, I have the kids make worm in the apples. Core the apple, shove in a brown and serve sausage, then wrap in foil and place in the coals. In about 15 minutes the kids get applesauce and a sausage to eat with their pancakes. Happy kids make for repeat customers.

Tips for Speeding Up Dinner Preparation for Campfire Cooking

2007-06-24T19:55:00.000-05:00

Cooking over the campfire is a very rewarding experience and I enjoy the opportunity to cook for a group. Inevitably, when the fire finally gets going and I finally get the right coals for cooking, I am pressed for time and the group hovers around the fire waiting patiently and eagerly to eat. I feel pressured to feed them and take risks which sometimes effect the quality of the meal.

On Saturday evening, after riding 18 miles on horseback, I prepared Beef and Beer Stew loosely following this recipe:
*****
BEEF AND BEER STEW

1/3 cup finely chopped salt pork or bacon
2 ½ to 3 lbs. Beef stew meat
3 large onions, sliced
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 12 ounce cans beer
1 cup water
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 large potatoes, cubed
6 large carrots or parsnips, thickly sliced

Cook salt pork in a large stew pot until rendered. Add meat; cook and stir over medium high heat until lightly browned. Remove meat. Reduce heat to medium; add onions and cook until tender. Return meat to pot and add seasonings, beer, water, tomato paste and Worcestershire; stir to mix. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 ½ hours.

Add prepared vegetables; cover and simmer until vegetables are cooked, about 45 minutes.
*****

We got back at 5PM and my preparations began, dinner at 6PM, I knew I was in trouble. I chopped up the fat back (salt pork without the salt), potatoes and carrots and onions just before I started the campfire. I used very dry hardwood and got the fire started around 6PM. Because I was pressed for time, as always it seems, I fried up the pieces of salt pork in the dutch oven until they were half liquid and half pork rinds. I browned up 4 pounds of stew beef, I then threw the onions directly in with the beef. I let the onions cook for 10 minutes. Then I dumped in the beer and vegetables and cooked everything for another 25 minutes. Total cook time was only an hour, a good hour and 15 minutes faster than the recipe called for. AT 7PM my group hungrily devoured the stew and pronounced it good.

How could I have made the same stew better in the same faster amount of time? Answer: dump in veggies that are already cooked. (NOTE: I'm not opposed to using canned veggies for canoe camping- burn out odors, crush flat, and pack them out very easily) If I had used canned cubed potatoes and carrots, and frozen chopped onions, I could have saved a ton of prep and cooking time. I could skip the cutting board entirely- why pack it if the food is already prechopped. In fact, all I would have needed to do was to chop up the fat back (salt pork) before the trip and put it into a ziplock bag or I could substitute lard or butter instead. Just remember, nothing calls people to a campfire faster than the small of frying bacon or salt pork.

Another suggestion, made by my father in law who was helping me, was to cube up steak instead of using stew beef. At first I laughed at the suggestion, after all this is stew and I was using "stew" beef, but once I ate it I realized why this was such a good idea. By speeding up the recipe, I wasn't stewing the beef and it was far from tender. My group of hungry customers would have eaten anything I put in front of them. Next time, if I cut up steak ahead of time, instead of using stew beef, the shorter cook time won't matter a bit.

This recipe was a hit. The aroma of beef cooking in beer was fantastic. The stew had a very nice flavor (even though I skipped the Worcestershire sauce and spices, and used cheap beer). I'll definitely cook it in the dutch oven again. Hopefully I'll remember my own quick preparation tips for speeding up dinner next year when I try to be both a participant and cook at this event.

Survival Whistle Comparison Testing

2007-05-25T19:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to find any good information on the Internet as to what whistle is best for a survival kit. I'll need to choose a whistle to use with clients when I "take to the woods". I picked up a whistle made by NRS for marine use at Eastern Mountain Sports for under $4. I needed a whistle for my whitewater training back in April and my kids had "borrowed" my other whistle at the time. The NRS whistle is flat and clips onto your clothing though there is a place to put a lanyard through.

I also picked up a Fox40 "Classic Whistle with Lanyard" at Walmart in the Sporting Goods section for about $6. My kids were very excited to help me "test" the whistles and we headed for the woods. Right away it was clear that the whistles were not audible over the babbling brook near my house.

However, it was amazing how far away we could hear each other with the whistles even in dense evergreens. My kids thought the Fox40 whistle was loudest. I thought the NRS whistle was loudest. I suspect this is because the FOX40 is a higher pitched whistle. I'm quite a bit older than the kids, so I am less able to hear the higher frequencies than my kids. Perhaps I'll get more scientific in the future, but for now I'd say either of the whistles is adequate, but I'll be buying more of the NRS whistles. The further away I can hear a whistle, the better. I'd be interested to hear someone else's opinion about different types of whistles.

On another note, I got my Maine Guide written exam results back yesterday. I did much better than I thought and was surprised at my score. I mailed in my $81 today and hope to get the actual license soon.

Registered Maine Guide Written Exam Passed

2007-05-21T18:34:00.001-05:00

This morning I took the written exam to become a Registered Recreation Maine Guide at the Augusta Armory. There were about 22 men and 3 women taking the test. Of those, nearly half were for the Sea Kayak guide license, 2 were recreation, 3 were fishing and the rest were hunting. We got our test booklets and an answer booklet. According to my booklet my test was written in 2003.

I had questions on heat stroke and first aid. I had a few questions about animals, birds, and their mating, breeding, and feeding habits. The "Critters of Maine" book prepared me for these. I had a ton of questions on canoeing and canoe rescues. It was a good thing I knew the parts of a canoe. I thought I knew a ton about boating laws, lights, pfd types, and pfd requirements. There was more on the exam than I knew. I guessed a bit when it came to larger boats and boat navigation.

When it came to mammal, bird, and fish identification, I had prepared with "Critters of Maine" and the IF&W published "Fishes of Maine". Most of the pictures seemed straight out of the fish book and I think I got all the fishes correctly identified. As for mammals, the black and white pictures are tough to discern. Suffice it to say, you'll need to know the difference between a bobcat and a lynx, an otter, weasel, mink, marten, and fisher, chipmunks and 3 different types of squirrels, etc. As for duck identification, I completely did awful. I guessed on all 5. The pictures were bad and though specific characteristics were there, all I could do was know that I was choosing a drake or a hen from the multiple choice answers. It was not a proud moment.

I finished third of fourth and the administrator told me to wait if I wanted to know if I had passed or not. Of course I waited to see how I had done. After a few minutes he gave me the thumbs up. I'd like to have done better but a pass is a pass. I'll be learning more guide stuff and taking trips with other guides this year so stay tuned.....

Registered Maine Guide Oral Exam Passed

2007-05-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

I arrived at my Maine Guide Oral exam appointment early, 24 hours early in fact. There were already two candidates standing there and looking at me. They asked if I was here for the 9:30 appointment too. At first, I thought the IF&W had screwed up. In the end, one of the guys was supposed to be there Wednesday. One was there at the correct time. I was was a day early. So fate brought 3 of us there at the same time. The IF&W was trying to figure out how to deal with the guy that was 24 hours late so I left and went to the sales counter.

I bought a neat book to help me with mammal and bird identification called "Critters of Maine Pocket Guide". I'll go through it this weekend and, once I take the written exam, provide feedback as to how good it is. The IF&W guy also gave me a book called "Fishes of Maine" published by the IF&W. Hopefully that is adequate to prepare me for the fish identification portion of the written.

At that point I had another 24 hours to mentally prepare myself for the oral exam which took place on Friday morning. The Suunto A10 compass I had been using to practice had been driving me crazy as the left side and right side were not parallel (in fact they were 3 degrees different). I stopped at EMS in Portland and traded up to the next model, a Suunto M2, which was shorter and wider. I like the design of the more expensive one but the bezel doesn't fit into the base plate tightly and it is possible to slide it left or right. When I got to the actual exam, the compass they provided me was an even more expensive model that had this same type of bezel so I was comfortable using mine.

I spent a lot of time recording my lost person scenario plan and going over the details of the contents of the survival pack. I then listened to myself and tried to determine how I could do better. There was always room for improvement even when I got to the actual exam. I spent much less time preparing for the client care portion of the exam as I was very nervous about the compass and lost person scenario.

In reality, the compass portion and lost person scenario portions went extremely well as I had overprepared. I walked into a little room with pencils, tape, rulers, and a compass on a 3x6 folding table where two examiners sat, one a man and one a woman. There was also a little wooden table in the corner by a window that looked out onto the capital building in Augusta. I was given an 8x10 map of an area north of Jackman by the Canadian border. The map had a 3/8" circle on it at the inlet of a stream to a pond. They told me to start there and give them a bearing to the outlet of another pond. Then I was to give them a bearing to the inlet of a different pond. Then I was to give them the bearing to the point of origin. I was a bit concerned because I was so nervous and the whole table was shaking. I oriented the map between each bearing. I also double checked with their compass since I was allowed to use anything on the table to get my bearings.

In about 12 minutes, I provided them with 6 correct answers for magnetic and true bearings. He was very reserved and I thought I must have done something wrong but then he said I had passed. He then told me that a lot of candidates had been to guide school and he wanted what I would do in a lost person situation not what the guide school told me to do. He explained that while he was marking up my map, he wanted to hear what information I would get from the clients on a phone call in February for a trip in September. He then wanted to know what I would do for a pretrip briefing when my clients arrived for the trip. I was unable to finish telling him about what I sent the clients for information before he sped me along to the pretrip briefing. While I was discussing my pretrip briefing he sped me along before I could discuss my signal system. He handed me my map with all sorts of black lines on it. He told me I had 2 couples that had come for a moose photography trip. When we left on the hike, one of the woman was too sick to go with us and stayed behind in the tent to read her book. We left at 9AM and when we returned at 4PM she was gone. She left a note saying she felt better and was coming to meet us.

In my hasty search I looked around the campsite and ran up and down the trails close to the campsite looking for clues. I had no last known direction for the woman and was given none. That is how the scenario started and it went on from there. By looking at the map, I was able to give him a plausible theory of where she had gone. I explained that when I taught her how to read the map and had gone over the days hike, I had mentioned a stream which she should not cross as she would be going in the wrong direction. I also said our hike was to be along the lakes all day so she would know she was headed in the wrong direction. Eventually I found a fresh footprint. This went on until he sped me up and said "where do you think she is and why?" I said she would have returned to camp before nightfall if she wasn't hurt, I think she is here on the steep section of trail with an injury. He said we were done and I had to wait for 10 minutes while they debated whether or not I had passed.

In 10 minutes, he came out and got me. He gave me no clue as to how I had done, then said I had passed, and that other than missing a couple of details, I had done fine. We moved onto 25 questions or so some of which were worth 12 points each and he'd tell me when those were. There were a lot of questions and things are already blurry in my head. I was tired and stressed and he didn't want me to write anything down. Writing things down helps me to slow my brain down and helps prevent me from saying stupid things. For example, name two ways to purify water. Did I say "filter it", no, first thing out of my mouth is boil it. How long? Six minutes. Only six minutes? Well, I'd boil it for 10 but 6 is what the book said.... Give me another way to purify water. Again, I took the more difficult route. Chemically, like with drops of bleach. Really- you are going to provide your clients with bleached water. How much bleach per gallon? Only a couple drops... we moved on.

Things I know I messed up- I didn't provide enough symptoms of hypothermia, though I believe I did fine in describing the treatment. Getting my clients to strip down and get into a sleeping bag with him. That always makes for a trip to remember. Of course, then he took the sleeping bag away from me so I had folks trade clothes with him and huddle under a survival blanket. He seemed satisfied.

I totally switched out the treatment for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. I identified the problems fine but treated one for the other. I was really tired and stressed out after and hour or so of this grilling. For the most part, though, I was very comfortable with my answers and there weren't a lot of curveballs. He was looking to trip me up and got me with his last two questions. I was able to give answers and stuck to them. I'm sure I got partial credit.

I'd guess my scores were A, A, C for the total exam. I needed to spend more time on the client care part of the exam, specifically on first aid. If you plan to take this exam, brush up on your first aid treatments. This exam is tough. Fortunately, I'll never have to take it again. I need to take a 200 question written exam to become a Registered Recreation Maine Guide. I can also take other exams to become a fishing guide and a hunting guide. I would describe the process as tough, challenging, but not impossible.

Emergency Survival Kit Thoughts

2007-04-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about what should be in a survival kit that all of my "sports" take with them on one of my trips. Note that this is not my survival kit which will be more extensive. It needs to compact down into a small bundle and should include at least the required items in the orange "You alone in the Maine woods" book.

NOTE: this little survival kit is in addition to the whistle and compass I'll put on a lanyard around every client's neck

Emergency Survival Kit contents
these items are deemed mandatory in the orange book:
knife (you can use this for many things including splitting firewood and making fuzz sticks)
waterproof matches
spare compass
spare whistle
required medicines and spare glasses
survival food (I need to look for something better than energy bars)

items not deemed mandatory in the orange book that I think should be in the kit"
waterproof firestarters
band aids and basic first aid kit
led headlamp with spare batteries
map of the area
copy of "You alone in the Maine woods" orange book
pencil stub
flagging tape (long strips that can be hung in trees around the camp"
space blanket
signal mirror
water bottle with built in purifier
parachute cord

Other ideas?

Contoocook River Class II

2007-04-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that we went to bed late, I woke up at 4:15 and then about every 15 minutes until the first of the group got up. Most everyone arrived early at the church for the 7:30 start. We had an ample continental breakfast served by a full kitchen staff. We put on our paddle gear and assembled. We were given a name tag and a ribbon. The ribbons helped to insure that the right people and boats were shuttled to the right place. I was matched up to my instructor Dick Morin, a whitewater paddler with decades of experience.

We discussed paddle strokes and water safety. Our job is to get the person out and to shore then save the canoe and any gear. We shuttled to the river for training. Student to teacher ratio was nearly 1:1 and there were many more staff members in little kayaks which provided safety and support roles. They zoomed all around setting up a 2 balloon slalom courses with balloons and brick anchors on strings while we discussed paddle strokes on the shore. They looked like little ducks all swarming around on the river.

Once we hit the water, there were additional rescue staff members on the shore taking pictures mostly but quick to assist with any swimmers. I was in the open canoe tandem class. We broke into groups of 4 canoes so there were 4 students and 4 instructors in my group. There was at least one other group of tandem canoes and quite a few solo canoe folks. The rest were all whitewater kayak people.

Dick held the canoe on shore while I demonstrated strokes to him in both the bow and the stern. Then we put into the water and I got to demonstrate bow and stern strokes while we went up and down the river avoiding strainers and other natural features. When he was satisfied I wouldn’t take him for a swim, we practiced on the balloon slalom course. That was fun.

Then all the canoeists got together to play canoe soccer. Basically we broke into 2 groups- 8 red canoes against the other colors (4 green, 2 tan, 1 orange, 1 blue). Some of these canoes were tandem and some were solo. At first Dick and I hung back and played defense. Then he encouraged me to get aggressive and we started ramming boats. He steered us right into the action and we were right in the jumble of boats. It was a fairly safe way to practice strokes in a “panic” situation. I got splashed many times and we managed to accumulate an inch or so of water in the canoe. Only one person went for a swim and it was a solo canoeist that got rammed by other canoes. The game immediately stopped while we “rescued” her in the 3 feet of water.

While I had a total blast playing this game, I was REALLY glad I wasn’t playing the game in a boat that I owned. I guess whitewater paddlers aren’t afraid to bang their boats around a bit. This was a great way to get to know my partner and by this point I felt comfortable and ready to hit the whitewater.

We loaded the boats and shuttled back to the church for lunch. The warm water had been a nice treat when we took a break mid-morning. Now, as I sat eating cheese and crackers, and drinking vegetable juice, I realized that I could have just brought hot soup in the thermos. It sure would have been tasty!

My wetsuit was very warm and moist and the nylon splash suit had blocked most of the water but I was still quite moist. During lunch I pulled down the farmer John wetsuit so that my tshirt could dry. I had to leave my splash pants on since I was too lazy to take off my paddle shoes. In retrospect, since we ate and then talked for a couple hours, it would have been time well spent to take off my splash pants.

We ate lunch, taked about canoeing informally, then assembled for river training. We talked about rapids and how bubbles in the water cause the boat to become less buoyant. We discussed how obstacles such as rocks will appear in different water speeds and depths. We discussed scouting and best ways to “read” the river.

After lunch we shuttled up the Contoocook River. We needed to carry the 80lb canoe across a swampy area and then slide it down a snowy slope. Though Dick had 30 years on me, there was no question in my mind that I was slowing us down. Once on the river, we decided I’d be in the stern, and practiced peeling out of the eddies and eddying out into the eddy. We ferried across the river and were ready to peel out into fast rapids when the boat just ahead of us flipped instantly while doing the same maneuver. Dick yelled “boat over”, said to lean and we quickly peeled out as planned and went on to provide rescue support downstream. I was a bit apprehensive at doing the exact same thing when the other canoe had flipped but we were fine.

We headed into sets of rapids and it never seemed to fail that Dick would pick some obscure eddy and we’d hit it just right and eddy out. It was really great having such a strong paddler in the bow and being able to stop in the middle of a maelstrom. After we took on some water during a rough section, we pulled up on shore to bail out and I switched to the bow. We ferried across into the rapids and then into an eddy, we then surfed back up into the middle of the rapids and ferried/surfed out into the rapids where we peeled out and back down the river. It was very clear to me what a class 3 or 4 whitewater paddler is capable of. Though I admit I was scared, it was amazing what we could do in the canoe.

All the other rapids paled in comparison and we arrived at the takeout point just below a covered bridge. Dick caught a shuttle back to his vehicle where we put in and I caught a ride back to the church where I changed into warm, dry clothes. I had put on a fleece jacket after lunch against Dick’s advice and I had been too warm. The basic gear set he recommended the night before seems to be just the right combination for paddling this time of year.

We had appetizers and then a huge dinner. Dick introduced me to his wife and we were able to compare notes. They are a very nice couple and I hope I can paddle with them in the future. Soon after, they announced that they were canceling the Sunday portion of the class due to the large blizzard that was headed our way. We discussed future tripping options with the club and headed our separate ways around 8PM. I headed Northeast and arrived home at 11:45 PM totally exhausted and sore. I can’t wait to paddle with these folks again.

Southwest to the Whitewater Class

2007-04-14T01:30:00.000-05:00

NH AMC Paddlers

Friday I left the house around lunch and headed Southwest down to North Conway where I went to EMS and LL Bean Outlet looking for the last couple items on my gear list. I was planning to wear a bike helmet and I knew it would be cold so I wanted a hat. I had seen one in the NRS catalog that looked perfect called a Mystery Sea Hood. LL Beans doesn’t carry it but EMS does. EMS in North Conway didn’t have it in stock but they just got one in Concord. I decided I’d stop at EMS in Concord to pick it up.

I headed South on 16 and took a slight detour to 28 to Wolfeboro Falls and stopped in to see Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft.

His road had plenty of slippery snow on it and I ended up helping a car out so that I could park. I walked down the hill to see Tim’s place. He has a great setup with a nice large barn where he is currently stretching canvas over a canoe. We discussed reflector oven designs, cooking, trips, etc. over coffee. He gave me some sourdough starter and I headed South to Concord about 4:30. I got to EMS and LL Bean in Concord about 5:30.

I found an aluminum dutch oven made by GSI Outdoors on sale at the LL Bean outlet. This is a great find as I was unaware of anyone making aluminum dutch ovens anymore. The aluminum models are a lot lighter and more practical for canoe tripping than the traditional cast iron.

At EMS they had my hat in stock though it was more money than I wanted to spend. As I was making my purchases, the EMS clerk told me it would take about 45 minutes to get to Henniker from Concord. He advised that I drive South on 93 then north on 84 to get to Henniker. It is a straight shot on 202 but on a Friday night, travel would have been slow.

I made it to the class in Henniker 10 minutes before class started. I couldn’t believe the number of people in the Church meeting hall- there were almost 50 students! We discussed plans for the weekend and the storm that might mess up our plans for Sunday. We then covered basic river safety, how cold the water was, and what to do when you take a swim. We discussed proper cold weather gear. The instructor was Paul who has been whitewater paddling for over 40 years. His neoprene shirt was fringed with red, white, and blue and looked straight out of the 70s! His favorite wool shirt was a yellow plaid with huge holes in the back. It was good to hear that he felt that the traditional and durable materials are still OK. It was also good to see that he had gotten many years of service from his gear.

We then broke into our groups for a gear check. I was a bit skeptical since our intro class had brought be way over prepared with gear. My leader put more than half of my gear in a pile and said I’d be fine. I was left with my coolmax tshirt, techwick boxers, NRS farmer John wetsuit, polypro shirt, wool socks, paddle boots, neoprene gloves, and my nylon jacket and pants. I put the rest of the stuff in a bag and decided to keep it around in case I went for a swim.

Class dismissed and I grabbed a ride to a fellow student’s house. There were 3 other students staying with him (all related to him in some way). They are planning a trip to the St. John in May and this class was their training plan. We stayed up until 11:30 talking all about rivers, canoes, gear, etc. Finally we all just went to sleep on the couches.

Cold Water Gear Test

2007-04-11T06:48:00.000-05:00

My NRS Farmer John wetsuit arrived in the mail from LL Bean yesterday afternoon. I put on my polypropylene union suit. Then I put on my wetsuit. Then I put on wool socks and my paddle shoes. I discovered the paddle shoes wouldn't fit over my wetsuit but the wetsuit would zip over the paddle shoes. Everything fits very snugly. I was unable to pull the NRS Rio pants over the paddle shoes, so when I'm actually on the river, I'll need to remember to put the paddle shoes on last.

I filled the tub with cold water and tested my gear by jumping in. Amazingly enough, the paddle shoes stayed dry for 10 to 15 seconds. Then the zipper let in a slow flow of very cold water. Once the water warmed up though, my feet were still toasty warm.

I lay down in the tub and the cold water seeped into the wetsuit. It was shocking how cold it felt. I lay still and waited for the water to warm up. I was very comfortable except for the most sensitive parts which remained ICE cold even after waiting 5 minutes for things to warm up. So I'll need to look for some sort of wool underwear or some other solution. All in all though, I feel the gear test was a huge success. I really like the wetsuit and it seems to fit. The whitewater class this weekend should be a lot of fun.

LL Bean

2007-04-07T07:12:00.000-05:00

I went to LL Beans yesterday to pick up an NRS wetsuit for next weeks whitewater class in Henniker, NH. This week instead of the semi-helpful "expert" in the canoe section, the clerk was extremely helpful and a complete expert. He recommended a dry suit but wasn't pushy. He asked where I was going for trips and where I'd been for trips. He gave me all sorts of useful websites like Piragis Northwoods Company. He was disappointed Beans didn't have my wetsuit in stock, personally called their catalog store, adjusted the price since the catalog was more expensive, asked the catalog associate when it would arrive at my house, and then handed me the phone to complete the order. He suggested that I order two and return one in case it was the wrong size. He also assured me that if for some reason the wetsuit didn't arrive on time, I could call him and borrow a Kokata Meridian Dry Suit for the trip. Now that is service. I like Beans but this was the first time I really felt one of their associates had really gone out of their way to be helpful. What a place to work- this guy loves what he does and does what he loves. He's not getting rich but he was happy.

I'm still putting together all the gear I'll need for next weekend's trip. I need to decide if I'm going to buy a new fleece union suit or if I'll use my old itchy polypropelene base layer. I'm looking at Immersion Research and NRS union suits. I really like the Immersion Research design but I can't find one locally to try it on.

Oral Exam Scheduled

2007-04-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

You may remember that I sent in my Maine Guide exam application on March 7. On March 31, I received a letter with a scheduled oral exam date on it in April- not a bad turn around time. I just checked for an official description of what is on the oral exam and here is what I found at the state website:

The oral exam will cover General client care issues, Weather related questions, First aid, Safety, Ethics (legal business practices and behavior of clients), Aquatic vegetation, Clothing, Sanitation, Watercraft laws/rules, Map & compass, and Lost person scenario. You will also be asked to demonstrate your ability to work with a map and compass and to explain to the Board what steps you might take in the event that a person becomes lost while in your care as a Guide.

After successful completion of the oral exam, you will be scheduled for the written exam....

University of Scouting

2007-03-24T18:05:00.000-05:00

I had an opportunity to attend the University of Scouting put on by the local Boy Scout district. For $10, I got a day full of training along with lunch- a deal that can't be beat. Here are the highlights from what I learned today:

I met a guy from Harrison that was so excited to meet someone else that can pole a canoe that he invited me to come down and pole the Crooked River in Harrison with him. This is exciting news as I have looked at the river on the map and thought about trying it. What better way to do the river than with a local who does the river all the time. I'll keep his number handy and take him up on his offer later this spring.

As for his Allagash advice, he recommends multiple coolers. You don't open the coolers that contain the last few days of food until the day they are needed. Pack the top of those coolers with newspapers to keep the cold in. He recommended the Little Ossipee River trip as practice for Chase Rapids. He also said the St. John trip was better than the Allagash! I have to find someone that is going on the St' John trip this Spring. Black flies won't keep me away (they may keep me from going back but they won't keep me away). He also recommended the water bottles with purifiers built in. That way the kids are sure to have clean water and they have a "cool" "wow" factor.

He has a Tripper XL and loves it on paddle trips. However, he doesn't enjoy poling it. This is good information and I really think I'll be buying an Old Town Tripper 17. However, I'll wait until after the whitewater training class before I buy anything. That should be a great opportunity to try a bunch of canoes.

My next class was all about cooking with Dutch Ovens. He didn't provide any handouts but I took note of a few things. Use more charcoal on top to bake and more charcoal on bottom to boil. Don't scour a dutch oven or you'll need to reseason it. Season it with mineral oil or peanut oil NOT olive oil. Olive oil goes rancid.

Ask churches for their wax candle stubs after Christmas. You can melt all the candles down and use the wax for firestarters, waterproof matches, etc. Lee Valley Tools sells Kelly Kettles for less money than Lehman's BUT you have to pay extra for shipping.

He had a very cool trick for his Pineapple Upside Down cake. He brought a circle of cardboard the size of the inside of his dutch oven. He covered it with wax paper and duct taped it in place. When the cake was done, one quick flip and the cake came out of the over and sat on the cardboard. Peel off the aluminum foil and voila- one pineapple upside down cake ready to eat.

The next class I attended was called "Mad Scientist" and it was about cool experiments you could do in the field. By boiling the outer leaves of red cabbage, you can make Red Cabbage Indicator which will allow you to see how acidic something is (it turns red) or base something is (it turns green yellow). She suggested checking the PH of river water on a trip. Still water in stagnant pools can become quite acidic she said. She also mentioned making a color chart based on known things like vinegar, lemon juice (sour acids) and milk, baking soda, tums (sweet bases). Things that stay bluish with Red Cabbage Indicator are more neutral.

Then we made lava lamp like things in a test tube with corn syrup, water, and oil. Then we dropped in a few pinches of salt. As it slowly dripped down, bubbles of oil would burp back up to the top. It was cool. Even better, then we dropped in a small piece of alkaseltzer and there was a lot more action.

On to lunch, they had a Major General in the National Guard as the speaker- here was his intro joke:
What is the difference between the National Guard and the Boy Scouts? Answer: The Boy Scouts have adult leaders.

After lunch, I went to "Wooden it be Fun!" where I got all sorts of ideas for making shapes out of wood to use as a picture frame. They'd make great souvenirs for trips. For example, a State of Maine shape with a cut out for a picture, wood burn on the date (or use a black marker) and insert a picture. What a great souvenir for your "sports" to take home with them!

In the Geocaching class, I got all sorts of ideas about making geocache courses and group activities that involve hiding containers with trinkets and a log book. GPS units have come way down in price and adults and children love to hunt for "treasure". I can think of a multitude of ways this could help a guide on a trip- think rainy day activity for example.

The last class of the day was on food dehydration. The lady had a lot of great information but she hadn't done a lot of food dehydration before. She recommended that we buy predehydrated stuff at the grocery store. However, we were able to taste test homemade vs store bought dehydrated bananas and apples. The homemade stuff tasted better but looked worse. She gave us handouts which described how to dehydrate vegetables, fruits, and how to make jerky. Her jerky was rubbed which meant it was VERY spicy. But with a little water and some dehydrated veggies, it would have made a great stew or soup! I hope I'm inspired to use that dehydrator that has been hanging around the house unused for years!

I asked if anyone had thought of dehydrating frozen veggies (think minimal prep time). No one thought it would work. However, I found a website here that talks about just that. So now I think I have to try it. By dehydrating my potatoes, onions, carrots, and corn, all I'll need to add is a trout or some jerky, with milk and or water, to make a stew or chowder.

Whitewater Canoeing

2007-03-18T08:32:00.000-05:00

Last year, I had an opportunity to take a Whitewater trip with Kevin Slater down the East Branch of the Penobscot. I really enjoyed it and started to seriously think about becoming a Maine Guide. This spring, I'm not going to be able to take Kevin's class so I've signed up for a Class II clinic put on by the AMC group that calls themselves NH AMC Paddlers. I had to fill out an application form and go through an interview process on the phone. These folks are serious about whitewater canoeing and brave the cold Maine and New Hampshire waters year round to do it.

As part of the class, we had a 3 hour get together last night at the Boys and Girls club of New Hampshire so that we could try out gear in their pool. They had a discussion about cold water/weather gear and then the kayak folks had to demonstrate a wet exit. The canoe folks looked at and compared different brands and types of gear. They really seemed to recommend NRS and just about everything they make. One woman in the class recommended dry suits and said that Kayak Academy rents dry suits for $30 per day. Not a bad deal at all.

I tried on my wet suit before the class and discovered that sometime in the last few years, I have matured into an XXL from an XL. I can shoehorn myself into my suit but there is no room for polypro or coolmax or any other layers that the NHAMCPaddlers recommend.

Here is a listing of their recommended gear for training day:
Coolmax or other polyester undergarments
Polypro or fleece long johns
NRS Farmer John or Jane wetsuit
NRS splash jacket
Sealskin glove liner
NRS neoprene gloves
Sealskin or Wool socks
NRS neoprene booties

We did talk a bit about dry suits but the concern was cost of the suit vs insulation ability and durability- one rip and its over.

They recommend a fun little exercise at home for a gear check. Freeze some jugs full of ice. Fill your tub with cold icewater. Take a tub. If you are comfortable with your gear on- you are probably all set. If you are cold- buy more gear!

We took a look at the canoes that they use and I realized that these folks are in a different canoe world from me. These canoes were fully rockered (rounded from bow to stern). Every canoe I have ever paddled has been flat bottomed and designed for touring. Their canoes looked like a cross between a canoe and a kayak. They even have foam saddles, knee pads, and straps to help hold you in the canoe. I'm sure I will get lots of good ideas for touring, and hopefully don't get too addicted to solo paddling in the white water. It really looks like fun.

My first impression of these folks is that they are genuinely interested in getting people into white water paddling in either a Kayak or Canoe. They were very enthusiastic and serious in their discussions. Most of these folks have been doing this for years and are either retired or in some business that allows them the flexibility they need to hit the rivers when the rivers call them. I know I am very exited about the White Water Class II class coming up.....

Red Cross First Aid Training

2007-03-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

Part of the Maine Guide certification process, is the requirement that you be certified in Red Cross First Aid prior to sending in your application for the Maine Guide oral and written exams. Once you are a Maine Guide, your first aid certification can lapse and the state will still let you renew your license. From a liability standpoint, I would hope a Guide would stay current with their first aid skills just in case....

I had signed up for the class at the Red Cross office in Portland on Congress Street. The course included CPR and First Aid and cost $40. The last CPR training I had had was in the 1980's. The training was very different- first aid is now basically stabilizing the patient and dialing 911. When CPR is necessary, you get right into chest compressions quickly and only do 2 breaths for every 30 compressions. The trainer told us not to freak out if we heard ribs cracking while performing CPR. I'm not sure how I'd feel in that situation and hopefully I never need to find out.

They discussed liability and good samaritan laws in the class. You have to ask a person if it is OK to help them and if they say NO- you can't help them. You just dial 911 and wait for them to pass out. Once unconcious, you ask them if they are OK, and if they don't reply, consent is automatic. Also, if there is a kid that needs assistance, their parent has to allow you to help the child, if not, it is hands off and dial 911 again. The trainer said that this can make for a very difficult situation.

All in all, it was a great day. It is nice to feel like you might be able to actually help someone in an emergency situation. I wish everyone would go out a take one the Red Cross first aid class. I plan to every 3 years whether I decide to guide or not.

Maine's Ice Fishing Regulations 2007

2007-02-10T21:01:00.000-05:00

Just for fun, I read the entire State of Maine Ice Fishing Regulations for 2007 today. OK- it wasn't just for fun. I feel I need to know this stuff if I'm going to be a guide. Besides, some of this material might be on the guide exam.

In any case, I learned some cool things. Here are my notes:

You don't need a license to ice fish in Maine on 2/17/2007 and 2/18/2007. I wrote those days down, good days to take the kids ice fishing. (The Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding President's Day each year are free fishing days).
No ice fishing at night is allowed. You can ice fish only between 1/2 hour before sunrise and 1/2 hour after sunset.
The bag limits for fish per day are actually between noon of one day and 11:59am the next day. So if you only fish one day, you can catch your limit in the morning, have a huge fish lunch and go out again in the afternoon to catch your limit again.
Only 5 lines/traps per person
Don't cut off heads and tails until you are ready to cook the fish
Use 2" Letters on your ice shack
All brooks, streams, and rivers are off limits to ice fishing unless they are listed in the rule book as open to ice fishing
Maine resident kids can fish without a license until they turn 16. Out of state kids can fish without a license only until they are 12.

Hopefully someone else finds this material interesting too.

Self Preparation for Maine Guides License

2007-02-09T20:01:00.000-05:00

A year ago while reading Gil Gilpatrick's Allagash Guide, I decided I'd like to prepare to become a registered Maine guide. I considered taking a guide preparation class but in some ways, I was concerned that this would prepare me only for the exam and not for a guiding career. While hunting around for guides that might teach me valuable skills, I found an organization called Maine Wilderness Guides.

The folks at Maine Wilderness Guides encourage exploration of the back woods of Maine by non-motorized means. Since I was looking to improve my rusty canoeing skills, these guys suited me fine. They were offering a white water canoe class down the East Branch of the Penobscot.

I signed up, met some great folks, and really enjoyed myself. I hope to write up my trip here in the near future. For now, you need to know that Kevin Slater of Mahoosuc Guide Service organized the trip. He has done the East Branch over 100 times and I got the impression that he started his guiding career by apprenticing on that river. Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft was my sternman for most of the trip. It was a real pleasure to camp, cook, and canoe with a group of Maine Guides. The exposure I had on this trip really helped me to commit to obtain my guide's license.

I plan to keep this site up to date with what I'm doing or reading about in order to prepare myself for the oral and written Maine Recreation Guide exams. So, check back often, I'll try to post at least once per week.