Fish River Lodge Journal

Winter Hangs On

2010-03-24T21:15:00.002-04:00

Rita and Bill Wehsler arrived on March 2nd from Tofte, Minnesota. Rita is a favorite to win the CanAm 250 one of these years. Bill will compete in the 60 mile race with some of their younger dogs. Jaye Foucher and her handler Natalie arrived on the 5th. Jaye will also be running a team in the 250 mile race.

Mild temps above freezing continued right through the month as northern Maine prepared for the CanAm sled dog races. Snow had to be hauled in, as it always is, for the Main Street start. But this year they also had to haul in snow for the parking lots where the 80 plus teams were staged. Race day on the 6th started with temps well below freezing but by 11:00 a.m. it had warmed to 41 degrees! It was perfect weather for spectators and by all accounts it was the largest group ever! After helping Rita get her team to the starting line I drove her and Bill's dog truck and trailer up to Lonesome Pine so it would be there when Bill finished. I stayed long enough to watch a few of the 30 mile teams finish and had a visit with Eric Saxon (Eagle Lake) and Jim Carter (Munsungan) then I was off to Portage. I stopped briefly at the lodge, long enough to load the ATV and grab some lunch, then I headed south. The Portage checkpoint was well staffed and word was out - teams would be arriving early due to fast trails. All teams had arrived, been fed and watered, rested, and were back on the trail headed to Rocky Brook checkpoint by 2:00 a.m.

I slept in on the 7th . Wayne worked all weekend. The race progressed to Maibec checkpoint then to Allagash. After Wayne got out of work we drove to Allagash to not only see the teams at the checkpoint, but to celebrate our 4th anniversary. We reminisced about our wedding day under the two fir trees next to the river, visited with friends we see only once a year during CanAm, and headed home.

Ed and Julie Dallas, our dear friends from Minnesota, sent us a special anniversary gift. Ed was our best man and has taken his responsibilities very seriously. He's always there sharing advice and keeping things light hearted! They sent us matching, hand crafted sling shots for our anniversary. It seems Ed was on a canoe trip in the BWCA with a friend who had whittled an 8-sided dice. Ed asked if he could make a sling shot. Well, what this gentleman created was not any old sling shot. He made two, identical works of incredible craftsmanship and artistry. The sling shots are made of laminated ash and walnut. They have beautiful curves and a fine finish. The ends are even fitted with copper. They will be treasured forever as a reminder of our friendship with Ed and Julie and of our anniversary. My goal is to practice with mine and kill a grouse with it this fall!

I was up early on the 8th to cover some of the teams at the finish line for our second event newspaper, "CanAm Chronicles". Matt Carstens (NH) won, Ryan Anderson (MN) finished only 15 minutes behind Matt. Rita finished a very respectable 5th, only two hours behind the winner!
There's lots of interesting information on the CanAm web site at http://can-am.sjv.net/ The site is most exciting during the race as you can follow teams as they progress along a virtual race trail.

I attended the musher's banquet with Rita and Bill on the 9th and they all headed home on the 10th. That afternoon, traveling through Fort Kent, you'd never know that just days before one of northern Maine's biggest winter events had been held. Life returned back to "normal" after our minds had turned to "mush" for a few days while Fort Kent hosted sled dog teams from North America and Canada.

We celebrated Wayne's birthday on the 12th - I brought home 3 dozen smelt so he could go ice fishing and I gave him some streamer flies and a fly wallet. That night Jerry and Sandy were up and we all had birthday cake for Wayne's birthday. They also dropped off 7 of our tanned beaver pelts. We will stretch them on hoops and decorate them with beads to make rustic wall hangings. We're also looking for a sewing machine capable of sewing hides so we can make beaver mitts.

On the 13th Wayne and I packed a lunch and took our sleds "off trail" riding. Trail conditions were amazing and the warm temps made riding very comfortable. We had lunch overlooking Eagle and Square Lakes at Three Brooks Mountain.

On St. Patricks Day Grace gave birth to three little German shorthair pointer puppies! We've given them Irish names: Conan (boy), Erin (girl) and Madigan (girl) for as long as they are here.

March 23rd it started snowing. It snowed all that night and the next day! We ended up with about 10" of heavy, wet snow. Winter is back...

This weekend Mary Heald and Dan Pinnette are bringing Ian and two of his friends up to ice fish before the season closes on the 31st. I'll let you know how we do... But winter is definitely going to hang around for a while!

February Thaw?

2010-03-24T21:12:00.001-04:00

The month began in typical winter fashion...daytime temps at or below zero, breezy, peeks of sun that provided mid day warmth as days grew longer. The second week of February ushered in mild temps in the 30s. A saw whet owl perched in a tree along side Old Main Street watching morning commuters pass beneath. I saw it on my way to Fort Kent on the 9th. Wayne and Grant installed a new cupboard in cabin 1. It gives us lots more storage space this winter and I think our guests will like it come spring. We enjoyed watching the Olympic Games from Vancouver and looked forward to evenings in our cabin seeing all the Olympians compete. We've been cooking up the remainder of last fall's bear meat. We've had stews and loins. The tender, rich meat is a delicious treat at the end of a winter day.

On the 13th Wayne and I took advantage of unseasonable temps and drove over to Spud Speedway in Caribou to watch vintage snowmobile racing. The old sleds, difficult to steer, careened around (and sometimes off) the track providing spectators thrills and spills! We hope these races become part of their regular winter schedule because it was a lot of fun to watch and a great family outing.

Fort Kent hosted our own "Olympics" of sorts, the State Class C ski meets the week of February 15th. We were honored to have Freeport's Marriconeag Waldorf School students, parents, and coach staying with us during the meet. Although the lodge was closed for the winter we couldn't deny "our athletes" the opportunity to watch the Olympics during their stay. Each afternoon we'd fire up the old woodstove so the Marriconeag School skiers could gather 'round the big TV to watch their favorite Olympians compete and to take advantage of our dining room to eat dinner together. While we have a "soft spot" for our local skiers, we couldn't help but hope our friends from southern Maine competed well in Nordic events - Zoe Chase finished 2nd in her class - Nicely done Zoe! Throughout the meet our print shop published an "event newspaper" called "The Pine Journal". We covered the meet with photos and stories from both Lonesome Pine and 10th Mountain venues.

Our skiers departed on Wednesday which gave us a day to clean cabins and get ready for the arrival of our favorite snowmobilers. Duane and Tom Webber (Cundy's Harbor, ME) have become some of our most loyal clients. I grew up with Duane hunting, skiing, and making so many memories over the years that he is more than a friend, he's like a brother as we've shared life's ups and downs. His parents, Ron and Mim Webber, are lovingly called "Aunt Mim and Uncle Ron" although they aren't really relatives. Now Tom, Duane's son, is of another generation adding to the memories and strong bond between friends. Duane graciously agreed to bring Acadia up during their stay so I could spend some "quality time" with my grand daughter. On the 18th they called me at work from Portage so I could meet them at the lodge - perfect timing as I followed them down Old Main Street!

Every one got settled. Acadia found new friends in Duane and Tom and suggested we go check on them. Our visit led to a Chinese checkers game - Tom kicked butt!

Wayne ice fished on the 18th and brought home another fat brook trout. We finished cleaning cabins on the 19th. Acadia played on the lake with Alli and Grace, went sliding, then helped us by hauling bags of trash up to the dumpster with her sled. After we got our work done we took our snowmobiles for a ride to Portage for a late lunch. Other than bare ground in the logging operations, trails were in remarkably good shape given the lack of February snowfall. In Portage we rode through the deer yard and saw about two dozen deer! We continued on to Stockholm and Cross Lake before finishing our 110 mile ride. Acadia was a trooper, preferring to ride two-up behind me. I worried about her falling off but her good balance kept her safely and snuggly behind me, although I had to keep reminding her to hold on around my waist - she was too comfortable back there!

Eagle Lake Winter Riders, led by Pierre Plourde, hosted snowmobile drags on the lake on the 20th. There were hundreds of spectators, most rode in on their own sleds to watch. The club ended up running qualifying and the race on the same day due to worries conditions on the lake would deteriorate the second day. It was an amazing event and huge success - plan on it for next year! That afternoon, after watching the races, Acadia and I ran to Fort Kent for groceries. We watched a fat raccoon cross the road - spring is in the air!

The night before Duane, Tom, and Acadia left we had a marathon of Chinese checkers before bedtime. It was a melancholy morning for me when Acadia, Duane and Tom departed on the 21st. Tom is thinking about going to UMFK to study criminal justice in hopes of becoming a game warden some day. It sure would be a treat to have Tom attend school in Fort Kent!

I took a walk with Alli and Grace on the 28th. The lake is in great shape for snowmobiling, walking, skiing, and ice fishing. Snow in the woods is "rotten", compacted ice granules. When temps are cold it can be walked on, when temps warm it is walked in. I walked through the woods without snowshoes by staying on an old snowmobile track Wayne left a month ago. There the snow was firm enough to walk on. Step off the track and snow was well over my knees!

Although it has been a mild month we've enjoyed our share of winter activities...snowmobiling, ice fishing, sledding, walking on the snow... We better enjoy it now for it will all be slush and mud in another month!

Ice Fishing Season Open

2010-02-08T19:17:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We’re in the depths of winter – long nights, short days, cold temps. Although it has been a relatively mild winter so far (thank you!) Finally this month the Eagle Lake sled dog races are able to receive my full attention. Until January arrived I was able to do only what was necessary to keep the race planning train rolling along. With the race less than three weeks away, it gets my full attention! Most mornings and evenings are spent tying up loose ends, trouble shooting, and problem solving.

January is also the month we chose to move in to cabin 1. We gambled last winter and kept the lodge open. High gas prices, snow throughout New England, and a sour economy kept snowmobilers closer to home. We spent a fortune heating the lodge for just Wayne and me. We won’t make that mistake twice! Wayne arranged for DirecTV, phone, and internet service to change over to the cabin, which meant our “moving day” would be the 9th! Wayne took the propane heater out of cabin 1 and replaced it with the old lodge woodstove on the 5th. Wayne had to work all weekend which left our big move to me! I started early Saturday morning by cleaning the lodge. Then I moved our food, cleaned the lodge refrigerator, moved our clothes and bathroom stuff, our winter clothes, some furniture, and personal stuff to make the cabin look like “home”. I called Gracie and Alli (our German shorthaired pointers) over to their new home (although they’d been curious all day about my many trips back and forth between the lodge and cabin!) and grabbed the cat and just before Wayne got home I had us settled! We treated ourselves to a pizza for dinner to celebrate moving day!

We shut the lodge down on the 10th and BRRR it’s cold in there! Since the phone and internet hook up was scheduled for the 12th, until then I would have to return calls and emails from the frosty lodge! This was a challenge the week before the race with many calls coming in and going out. I was so happy on the 12th to come home from work and place calls and emails from the cozy and warm cabin!

With volunteers in place and all our planning done, co-director John Kaleta and I were anxious for race day. Roy Roalf and Buck had worked for weeks putting in the 50 mile sled dog trail to Moose Point Camps. Conditions were very good this year, and the forecast was for comfortable temps. Our driver’s meeting was held Friday night at the American Legion. We handed out bibs and instructed mushers where to be and when on Saturday. I had to run back to Fort Kent to finish our sponsor sign with my boss, Steve Daigle, on Friday night after the meeting. The sign was done at 11:00 p.m and would be needed for the race in less than 12 hours – we cut it pretty close!

Visit http://www.eaglelakesleddograces.com/ to read all about our race. After a last minute trail reroute (due to local “politics”) we had to send teams up Old Main Street and Convent Road (plowed!) but once they hit the trail about 1 ½ miles out it was smooth sailing on excellent snow and a firm trail - as long as temps stayed below 20 degrees. Mid-day highs approaching 30 degrees softened the trail a bit and slowed teams but all the 30 mile mushers finished before dark (Rico Portalatin (MA) won the 30). All 100 mile mushers were in to the check point by 6:30 p.m. for their mandatory 4 hour lay-over (so I took a break from my duties helping Eagle Lake Fire Chief Shawn Madore staff race headquarters and “central communications” to run home and say “hi” to Wayne – I hadn’t seen him much in the past few days). Teams began departing the Moose Point check point around 8:30 p.m. Sylvain Robillard (Quebec) won the 100 mile race finishing just before 2 a.m. We had all the 100 mile teams at the finish line by 6:30 a.m. It had been a long weekend and I had one more hurdle to jump – get through the awards presentations at 11:00 and the 2010 Eagle Lake Sled Dog Races would be behind us for another year…John and I presented checks totaling more than $5000 (sponsored by Irving Woodlands, LLC) to 100 mile finishers, and more than $2000 to 30 mile finishers. After saying “so long” to our mushing friends for another year I headed home to tie up loose ends (paper work, press releases, and fielding calls from those wanting finishing results) and then took a nap!

Both Wayne and I were back to our “real jobs” Monday morning. Check out our new web site for PaperSignsInk (the print shop I work at). If you need business cards, brochures, posters, or any other printed materials, our prices can’t be beat! http://www.papersignsink.com/

Winter set in the week of the 23rd when temps plunged to -4 on Tuesday but then warmed to 32 degrees with freezing drizzle on the 25th. Wayne shoveled roofs on the 26th in anticipation of a full house for the weekend. With the heat-loss through our cabin roofs, any snow up there melts and can build ice dams if we don’t keep ahead of the shoveling, Brandon Cox and friends were the first of our ice fishers to arrive on the 27th. His father, Steve Cox and friends and Scott McNichol and more friends arrived on the 28th. Scott brought a load of fresh scallops to the delight of many in town! I think half of Eagle Lake was feasting on scallops over the weekend!

We got about 8” of snow on the 28th. Although not a big “snow event” it is a welcome addition to the three feet of snow we have and helps keep the snowmobile trails in great shape.

The big draw for our weekend ice fishermen was the annual Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby. The two-day event had 566 entrants, including our guests, and Wayne. Wayne had never fished the derby but made time this year for it, setting his ice shack on Friday so he could hit the lake before sunrise on Saturday for the best spot on the lake for brook trout. He was out of camp by 4 a.m. and had all his tilts set up by 5. I drove the snowmobile out to check on his progress on Saturday afternoon. He had landed several brook trout in the 1 – 1 ½ lb. range, keeping a 1 lb 14 oz. fish. He was back at it Sunday hoping to best his nearly 2 lb. brook trout caught the day before. Typically, it is a 4 pound plus fish that wins the brook trout class in the derby. After fishing from sunrise to late afternoon, Wayne pulled his tilts and was home Sunday by 3:30. We called over to derby head quarters at the Long Lake Sporting Club. The winning brookie at that time was 2 lbs 4 oz and third place was 1 lb 11 oz. Wayne’s Saturday catch could be good enough for third place! He and friend Grant Shook took the fish over for weigh-in and as the final minutes ticked by, Wayne’s fish held up and earned him third place honors and a $275 check; not a bad pay for two days of ice fishing!

So we ended January celebrating Wayne’s “trophy trout” and look forward to getting back out on the lake to ice fish next month. We’re also hoping we can find an afternoon to go snowmobiling. The trails are in GREAT shape (so we’re told!) so we want to get out and enjoy some of the best riding in the northeast! If you haven’t planned your winter “get away” yet, give us a call. February and March offer some great riding and ice fishing!

Christmas Traditions: old & new

2010-02-08T18:41:00.003-05:00

December marks the start of our “down time”. I worked at the print shop on the 1st while Wayne used his day “off” to shut down the last of our open cabins. It involved turning off water and draining lines, gathering up laundry, and cleaning so the cabins would be ready to reopen when needed.

We set up our Christmas tree on the 2nd; and strung 500 tiny white lights among its branches. Selecting ornaments of white and “gold” from our large collection, the 7 foot tree offered a warm glow in the dining room once we finished decorating it. I used the remaining ornaments to decorate garlands over each of our dining and living room windows. Each window had a unique theme based on the ornaments used…”Sweet Treats” (Nana’s handmade ornaments collected over the years), “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (a collection of hand carved and hand crafted Santa ornaments), “Woodland Critters” (loons, bears, moose ornaments), Fishing (hand carved fish, fly boxes, and bobbers), “Relaxing by the Woodstove” (a collection of miniature book ornaments), etc. I added a few colorful glass balls to create a festive and shiny look to the garlands. Adding white lights and strings of red and gold wooden beads to the garlands around the dining room entry ways, red pillar candles on end and coffee tables, red table cloths, gold paper mache reindeer with white and gold ribbon around their necks set on the dining room tables and the old log lodge looked very festive and ready to open for our Christmas dinner parties!

We'd gotten so caught up in trapping season that muzzle loader season for deer passed right by. Wayne never got that elusive buck still running the ridges in Pennington.

We hosted Christmas dinner parties for Ricky Saucier and his staff (and celebrated Ricky's birthday too!), Dr. Daigle and staff, Chopper One (Ray Blair) and his logging crew, and the Roy family. Our guests love Wayne’s cooking (rosemary roast pork loin, sirloin steaks on the grill with his "secret" rub, Aroostook herb roasted potatoes, maple glazed carrots and my famous apple crisp are favoites) and the rustic holiday atmosphere of our log lodge. They linger long after dessert has been served and share the spirit of Christmas.

We learned a new "game" during the Chopper One party. If ever asked to play this game, beware…Ray “initiates” rookie members of his logging crew by inviting them to participate in an age-old wood cutter’s tradition. It is based on a competition among loggers where they attempt to chop a log in the exact same spot with each swing of the ax. Since they are professionals, and to make the competition more of a challenge, competitors are blindfolded, asked to remove their shoes and socks to compete as the natives would, and kneel on a pillow. Once the blindfold is in place and as the competitor is assisted with lining up his ax, his socks are placed across the log (unbeknownst to the chopper). He is instructed to make his first chop – which of course falls across his socks! He is encouraged to make the second chop as close to the first as he can, and again the sock is chopped! This goes on for several chops, and his socks become shredded! His skills with an ax are praised and onlookers cheer at his remarkable expertise. His socks are removed from the log and returned to their resting place with his shoes before the blindfold is removed, then he is told he can put his shoes back on. Of course, he reaches for his socks first and discovers they are chopped to bits as the onlookers roar with laughter! We watched Ray conduct this initiation competition after Christmas dinner and I’ll have to say, his rookie was a very good sport, even after exclaiming, “Hey, those are my best socks!” as he inspected what he’d done with the ax!

We continued trapping fisher and pine marten through December. Our catches increased as snow piled up and temperatures dropped. I caught my first fisher on the 5th in a trap I set myself. Many of our other catches were from traps I’d set with Sandy. There was a sense of deep satisfaction in checking traps I’d set myself and finding a fisher or marten. When we’re not serving dinners, we use the lodge as our “trapper camp” for skinning. We share the evenings with Jerry and Sandy skinning, stretching, and drying our marten and fisher.

I celebrated my birthday on the 13th. Sandy and I struck off to check our traps that morning. We’d gotten about a foot of snow during the week so the woods roads were tough to drive over. The snow had compacted from driving over it the previous day and cold temperatures overnight hardened the edges of our tire tracks. Each time my tires would “bump” against the edges of the track it would grab the truck and pull it left and right making it tricky to negotiate hills and turns. We pulled two traps on a branch road and rather than drive further in to turn around, I decided to back out the 300 yards to the main haul road over our existing tracks. Backing out was going extremely well, until we were about 75 yards from the main haul road. All at once the truck pulled to the left, out of our existing track and toward the high shoulder of the road. Hoping the 4-wheel drive and increased speed would provide the momentum needed to drive the truck back toward the middle of the road I continued backing up…until the left front tire got too close to the shoulder. All at once the front end of the truck slipped right off the edge and we stopped perfectly perpendicular to the road, facing down a 45 degree, five foot embankment! I took a deep breath, summoned all my strength just to open the door at that crazy angle, and climbed out to inspect the “damage”. It appeared, miraculously, that the truck was sitting on all four wheels and not resting on its frame and that no rocks or logs had broken anything. There was hope of getting it out. With a vehicle in that predicament, there was only ONE person I could think of who might possibly get us out without calling in the heavy equipment…Ron Toussaint (whose truck fell in Eagle Lake while he was plowing three years ago – Ron recovered his truck using a self-designed system and no one got wet!) Sandy had a cell phone and we got service (which is unusual in most places we travel in the back country!) We tracked down Ron and his son Travis at church. They agreed to get Travis’ truck and a chain, and head in. Their ETA, sometime after 2 p.m. It was 11 a.m. by then. Rather than waste time, Sandy and I hiked down the road, pulled a few other traps, hiked back to the truck, gathered fire wood, and built a fire well away from the long shadows cast by the trees so we could enjoy a little of the sun's warmth along with the heat from our fire It was a very quiet and relaxing couple of hours – just what I needed after so many hectic months! We enjoyed the little fire’s warmth under a darkening sky while savoring our cold sandwiches.

Trav and Ron arrived around 2:30. Ron stepped out of Travis’ truck in to my tire tracks that were etched in to a foot of snow wearing his Sunday church shoes and black leather jacket! He assessed the situation and declared it was unlikely they could pull my truck up such a severe angle to get it back on the road. He suggested a skidder, or bulldozer… My heart sank. But being one to never give up without a fight, Ron instructed Travis on how to pack out the road, angle his truck, and attach the chain. They would at least “try”. It was soon apparent that pulling the truck up the embankment was not an option. Rather, they hooked on to my front end to pull the truck DOWN to the bottom of the embankment and parallel to the road before trying to pull it out. I got in, put the truck in 4-low, and buckled up for a rough ride! For all I knew the truck would end up on its side! I had already told Ron and Trav they would not be held liable for any damage! Trav repositioned his truck, attached the chain to my front tow hooks and started hammering. Ron coordinated our efforts and with all of us working together Trav pulled my truck in to position. Ron re-rigged the chain and Trav changed the pull angle. Trav’s truck banged and lurched forward, my truck shuddered and dug. We lurched forward, inches at a time, but it wasn’t looking good. We had one last chance before the shoulder angle and stumps and rocks would prevent our progress. Trav gave it all he had and so did I – his old Ford pulling my old Chevy – both in 4-low, and suddenly my truck made a big lurch forward. We both held our feet to the floor and our trucks dug and churned forward.... One last lurch and I don’t know how exactly, but Trav and Ron had pulled my truck back up on to the road AND both trucks were still drivable! As darkness set in, Sandy and I pulled a few more traps off that haul road – we were done in there and headed home, thanks to Ron and Trav!

We met Jerry and Wayne at the lodge. Wayne made a nice dinner for all of us and Sandy gave me a pretty pink birthday cake. We spent the rest of the evening skinning and stretching marten and fisher in between me taking birthday calls – thank you all who called and made my birthday special!

Below zero temps mid-month allowed the lake to “make ice” as slushy spots started to freeze. Although we doubted whether or not the ice will be safe enough on January 1, to start putting ice shacks out.

The weekend of the 22nd we continued pulling traps. Both Wayne and I worked on the 24th. Before leaving work I made all my trapping partners their Christmas gift - a collage of trapping photos I’d taken and mounted on foam core. I met Wayne, Jerry and Sandy at the lodge and we exchanged gifts. Sandy made us a beautiful quilt for our bed. Tyler Gagnon joined us in the evening as we feasted on fresh Maine shrimp, drank, and had a merry Christmas eve!

Christmas day Wayne worked but the rest of us checked and pulled more traps. Two storms left us with about 2 feet of light, fluffy,snow on top of the 18” already on the ground. Going was slow on our snowmobiles, breaking trail all the way. We spent more time digging our sleds out of the “fluff” than we did checking and pulling traps. We pulled everything except those along the soon-to-be-groomed snowmobile trail. Back at the lodge in the evening we called our families to wish then all a Merry Christmas. Wayne gave me two new ice fishing traps, Ed and Julie sent an assortment of gifts from Minnesota (conservation booklets, framed loon photo, and framed otter photo, fleece ear flaps to be worn with a ball cap – clever!) Mom and dad sent us warm socks, gloves, a candle and $. We enjoyed the peace of the lodge when only Wayne and I are at home, cozied up by the fire.

Jerry and Sandy continued pulling traps while we were at work and had them all out of the woods by the 30th. We’d had a good season – 50 marten, 8 fisher, and 28 beaver (plus a muskrat, about a dozen weasels, and a couple of raccoons).

With the butt end of 2009 in our sights, we invited over Steve, Shondelle, Chris and Alli Daigle, and Jessie and Heather Jandreau to celebrate with us, and to thank them for chipping in to buy us a cord of firewood to go with the other four cords we’ll have delivered next week. I stopped at Paradis on the way home to pick up some snacks and Heather brought snacks and a birthday cake for Shon. We ate and ate, and drank, and played cards all the way to 2010! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And as 2009 came to a close, Wayne and I reflected on the memories we made with our family, many friends (new and old), and our guests. May 2010 be a year of good health, peace, and prosperity!

Trapping with the Professor

2010-02-08T18:36:00.005-05:00

The long days of summer are behind us, we set our clocks back last night. It's hunting and trapping season! Since we can't hunt on Sunday and our first party of deer hunters won't arrive until the 7th we used the day off to tidy the lodge and rake the grounds before snow arrives. Five truck loads later we had cleaned up all the leaves from around the lodge, along the driveway and in the ditches. I got the lodge windows washed and it looks as if there's no glass in them with all the dust and dog nose prints wiped away! We'll let the remaining leaves blow away... We continue working our other jobs trying to keep up with the ever-increasing costs of doing business. Propane, electricity, taxes, and insurance all continue to go up yet there is also increasing demand from the tourism market for "affordable" lodging. We have to keep the cost of lodging down in order to retain our current client base and attract new visitors. This juggling act makes it impossible to operate "in the black". Thus, our jobs away from the lodge allow us to remain open. We've watched as one local sporting camp closed last year, unable to keep up with their mortgage payments and another is facing a similar fate. We will do all that we can to keep Fish River Lodge going - "failure is not an option". We got a dusting of snow on the 6th and Wayne got to hunt on the 7th - there's a big buck on one of the beech ridges in Pennington; Wayne is determined to find him. I started trapping with Jerry and Sandy Whitcomb. I've nicknamed Jerry "The Professor" - he is my trapping instructor, teaching me the skills I need to successfully to trap beaver, pine marten, and fisher. Trapping is something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember but, growing up on the coast, the only trapping I knew how to do was for lobster! Wayne and I met back at the lodge at noon on the 7th so we could get groceries for our first deer hunting party - Jeff Wagner, and Tony & Joe Fiala (PA). Jerry and Sandy checked our first beaver set as they came out of the woods at dark - we'd caught one! After a day of instruction from The Professor, I worked in tandem with Sandy on the 8th as we set our 120 and 16o conibears...one of us would attach a "box" to a tree while the other set the trap and wired on bait. Once the box was in place the trap would be set in the box and safety latches removed. As we became more proficient as a team we could get in, set, and get out before The Professor - quite a feat for a tam containing a rookie! Sandy was always watching to make sure I was setting the traps correctly and safely. We both were mindful of following the complex Maine trapping laws. We put out 35 marten/fisher traps and another 15 beaver traps. I caught my first beaver - a 48 lb. "super"! After serving dinner I got my first beaver skinning lesson from "master skinner" Sandy - she can skin a beaver in under 20 minutes while it took me almost an hour to do my first! The larger beavers will be sold on the fur market. The smaller ones we will make in to decorative wall hangings, stretched on willow hoops. Joe and Jeff bought our first wall hangings as we were skinning!

The days are long when deer hunters are in camp. Up early (3:30 a.m.) to start breakfast and set out lunches, clean up in time to go to work or check traps, home to bake and prepare and serve dinner, clean up and skin, then bed time. We continued working, feeding our hunters, and trapping right through the week and had our schedules down to a science by the time the Bombara family along with Charlie Sayers and his buddies Smitty and Bob arrived for the third week of deer. A tradition at Fish River Lodge is for Gloria Curtis and Diane Chouinard to join our hunters for dinner mid-week. They bring dessert (this year apple dumplings - yum!) and catch up on the year that passed and reminisce about the good old days of deer hunting with Gloria's husband Nick at Crooked Tree Lodge and Chubby Ricciardi at the Michaud Camps. It is a visit we look forward to every year. As the week came to a close is was evident the declining northern Maine deer herd presents a challenge to our hunters, yet we appreciate their willingness to return and share in the nostalgia of Aroostook County big buck hunting. On the 23rd, after checking traps all day, I headed in to a new beaver flowage to take my final exam. Jerry left it entirely up to me to "read" the flowage and set my traps. It was a small and tricky flowage to set, at first look. I almost missed the culvert, an obvious place to set a trap, because all our beaver trapping was being done off logging roads and although there are culverts under those roads, I'd not yet encountered one in a beaver flowage! I set three 330s (one at the culvert, two in a channel to the beaver lodge and feed bed, and a 220 where the water was shallow. Only time would tell if I could trap a beaver on my own. It was dark when we got home to serve the dinner Wayne had prepared. Next day (Monday) I had to go to work. The flowage I'd set was about an hour's drive away so Jerry and Sandy "graded my exam" while I was at work...I got home to learn I'd caught TWO beavers! They pulled my traps since I'd taken two large beavers from the small flowage. The Professor wrote me a note (my "diploma") giving me an "A". Who would have thought, a month ago I'd never trapped but I'd learned enough in three weeks to set a flowage myself and pull two beavers out in less than 18 hours! We checked our traps before heading south on the 25th to spend Thanksgiving with Miranda, Tyler, Acadia, and Nellie in their new log home in Bowdoin, ME. I got to spend some quality time with my grand daughters Acadia (7) and Nellie (7 wks). We visited with Aunts and Uncles, Nana Pat and dear friend Mary Demers and her daughter Tess. Mary and Tess invited Acadia and I to meet their Morgan horse "Velvet" We were invited to ride but 50 m.p.h. winds that day and torrential rain the night before created conditions unsuitable for riding. But we certainly enjoyed cleaning the mud off Velvet to reveal the beautiful mare she is! We got back to Eagle Lake on the 29th. Another deer season and Thanksgiving had come and gone. I learned how to trap - the highlight of November for me! No deer were tagged at Fish River lodge during the regular firearms season so we'll have to see what muzzle loader season brings next week... And the trapper in me is excited to see what December brings - the best month to trap marten and fisher, and more beavers!

Hunting Season (moose and grouse)

2009-11-03T17:17:00.001-05:00

Moose hunters began arriving on the 26th and 27th of September. Wayne's clients, Tom "Hunt the World" Hunt (MA) and Steve Hargraves (ME) were in for a week of hunting a bull in zone 3. Tom is a big game hunter who has hunted all over the world - his phylosophy this week: "go big or go home!" Wayne will do his best to call in a trophy bull of 55" or better... Opening day and it is raining, again. Wayne called in two bulls but nothing "trophy class." More rain on day 2 - Vinny and Peter Grosso (back for Peter's THIRD moose hunt) came in with a 19 point wide-racked bull taken from across the lake. Mark Morris (OH) and Jeff Billings (VT) who are with the gang in cabin 6 got their cow in zone 3. Wayne called two more bulls but nothing Tom would take. James Guerrette (Frenchville, ME) took out Wayne, Tom, and Steve. James has been photographing moose for two months and may be able to help. Again, no trophy bull, yet. Sanborns took a 1000 lb. bull, and the Norm Cloutier party brought in 700 lb. bull.

Mark Morris, from cabin 6, has been sharing his many delectible delights with us: smoked wild turkey from Ohio, smoked venison hams, lake trout dip, snapping turtle soup... All our hunters have tagged out, except Wayne's clients. While they are a bit discouraged, there is still plenty of time to call in a big bull moose and Wayne is determined! He scouted several 50" + bulls in zone 3 throughout the season but it seems they've run off to breed cows and are no where to be found! On the last day of the hunt we tried to "double team" the moose - I went out too. We saw one small bull in the morning, then the rain came. It was to be a dry week for Tom. Wayne was disappointed - he was sure he could fill Tom's tag with a nice bull, yet it wasn't to be. These are the weeks that break your heart for your client and you always wonder if they felt you did your best, even though you know you gave 100%. One thing we can say for sure, Tom was a gracious client and he and Steve we count as friends after a week of hard hunting. Tom wrote after the hunt "Owners Wayne & Tenley Bennet provided us with rustic but comfortable cabin accommodations, excellent meals and enthusiastic camaraderie all at a very fair price. They really went above and beyond our expectations and I will hunt with them again someday. Despite the lousy weather, they showed us a total of 17 Moose. Wayne called in four bulls early in the hunt which I passed on at less than 50 yards. ... I’ve had the pleasure of hunting with rock stars and presidents and have negotiated with presidents to promote and legalize bow hunting in Africa. I rarely talk about these things as all this experience does not make me a bit better than anyone else. My point is that it has given me an understanding that selective hunting benefits conservation and holding out for an exceptional trophy means you sometimes go home empty handed – that’s the reality of trophy hunting." - Thank you Tom for the kind words - you are an amazing sportsman!

Wayne pulled our docks out of the water on the 5th - winter is coming!

We enjoyed a busy second week in October - Vicky Foster (MA) and friends returned for a week of grouse hunting, along with NAVHDA friends Kevin Harris (ME), Lon Ruddock (MA), and Boyd Cooke (CT). It was Chad Wheeler's first stay at Fish River Lodge with his dad - they came to hunt the elusive ruffed grouse all the way from Virginia! Dinnis Libbey and company (central ME) hunted with us for a few days early in the week. I missed every one's mid-week tales when I got a call that my daughter Miranda had given birth to my second grand daughter, Nellie, at 7:30 a.m. on the 6th. Nellie was a month early and weighed in at just under 5 lbs. Both she and Miranda were fine but Nellie had to spend her first days at Maine Medical Center's newborn intensive care unit (NICU). I ran down for a quick visit the 7th-9th and got to meet Nellie, spend some quality time with Acadia, Miranda, mom and dad before making a quick run home to get ready for our next gang of moose hunters...

Sandy and I each set bear traps on the 11th. This is our first attempt at trapping bear. We intentionally waited until later in the season to get started expecting the sows and cubs will have begun denning up. Although the stops on our traps permit a smaller bear from escaping, we figured our timing would reduce or eliminate smaller bears from tripping the set and potentially missing an opportunity for a larger bear. We check our traps daily, which is fun because we also get out grouse hunting in the morning, looking for beaver flowages to trap later this fall, and observing the progress of the many moose hunters.

Bob Willey (classmate from Mt. Ararat, Topsham, ME) and son Cameron along with Gary Pulsifer and his son, and Bill Quimby arrived on the 9th to get an early start - they will scout moose and get a feel for the extensive road system before their zone 3 bull hunt begins on the 12th. Also in camp: Jim Potteiger party (Freeport, ME) zone 3 cow; Jack Lamb (NC) and John Bryan (Yarmouth, ME) zone 3 cow; Deanna and Steve Brown and daughters (returning after last year's hunt came to a quick end when Steve ruptured a disk in his back and never got to hunt - permit reissued) zone 3 cow; and Art and Dennis O'Connor along with Dennis's wife and son Devan and brother Patrick for a zone 3 cow. Dennis has hunted with us before - this is his second permit.

Opening day of moose and all our hunters were out of camp by 5:00 a.m. - a good sign since the best hunting occurs just after sun up. Jerry, Sandy and I got a later start - we needed only to check our traps. The phone rang at 6:40 - it was Wayne. Dennis had already passed up on one cow and killed another just 10 minutes in to the hunt! He made a perfect 248 yard shot as determined by the range finder! Ironically, we caught up to Wayne and the O'Connor party shortly after they'd loaded their moose. On the way out we also happened upon Jack and John as they were loading their moose! Back at the lodge Bob Willey and Company pulled in with a 34" bull - not a bad opening day!

I took Dustin (Jerry and Sandy's grand son) up on the hill to hunt grouse over Gracie. He missed one bird but got another, and a red squirrel. He was a happy little hunter before heading home!

Tuesday was moose skinning day! And Alli treed her first racoon, which I shot and will make a hat from it for Acadia. It now rests peacefully in our freezer. Checked traps (no bear) and beaver flowages - we have an extensive list! A tradition at the lodge is moose heart after a successful hunt, so we had a gathering of hunters down for dinner and made mashed potatoes and gravy and corn to accompany the delicacy.

Wednesday evening the Browns connected with a cow - we were all nearby that evening (Willey and Company, Wayne and I) and were able to help them drag it out, gut it, and load it. More moose heart for dinner... All our hunters were tagged out by Wednesday! NICE!

More trap checking, no bears. We're starting to think ALL the bears have denned up! Next year we'll rethink our strategy...

One of my long-time clients - Dewitt Davies (NY) - was up to hunt grouse for a few days. Dewitt first hired me as a guide when his daughter Lynn was a student at Bowdoin College. Lynn has since graduated but Dewitt still plans a grouse hunt each year. Over the three-day hunt we moved 53 birds. Dewitt got his limit on Monday and Wednesday. Tuesday proved challenging - it was breezy and the birds were flighty! Very difficult to get a shot at them, although he did bag one elusive grouse that day. I brought Dewitt along to check the bear trap each day, but...no bear.

It snowed about 6" on the 22nd. I was able to get out to scout deer on the 23rd. We did see some sign but it won't be easy hunting - they're hanging out on the beech ridges. That means hunters will be doing some strenuous HIKING to get to them!

I continued checking the trap through the 29th when I pulled it. I will DEFINITELY rethink when to set the trap next year! From the 23rd-31st we caught up on housekeeping, wood stacking, raking, office stuff, bills, paperwork, etc.; things we had put off or didn't have time for since the start of hunting season. We'd been running since the start of bear season two months ago. No complaints though - this is the work we enjoy most (the guiding and running the lodge part). We have a few days "off" from our lodge duties (although we still have our "real jobs" to go to each day) and treated ourselves to a "vacation" of sorts and went scouting deer when we could. We hunted opening day on the 31st with no luck, but we enjoyed our hike up the ridges!

The trees are naked and only beech leaves shiver in the cold wind. We've had our first snow fall. Deer season opened on the 31st. By the time it's over we will have celebrated Thanksgiving, with Christmas on its heels! Enjoy this fall season while you can - it's almost winter again!

If It's September, It Must Be Bear Season!

2009-11-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

It's huntin' season! Our season's first bear hunters arrived on August 30...Bob Watkins (MA), Steve Mudgett (MA), George Skolfield (my dad - Great Island, ME), David Labbe (Brunswick, ME), and Duane Webber (Cundy's Harbor, ME). Mom and Aunt Teri joined their husbands for this hunt and took advantage of the opportunity for their own mini-vacation. Uncle David provided dozens of lobsters, Steve brought dozens of ears of corn (and a BOX full of tomatoes from their family farm stand) and mom baked a delicious blueberry cake to add to our lobster feed - we ate until we could eat no more! Then we settled in for "orientation" - Wayne and I provide instruction and back ground information to our hunters so they will be well prepared for their hunt - we talk about what we've done and what the hunters can do to increase their chance for success.

Opening day dawned overcast and windy. Not perfect bear hunting conditions. The guys practiced their archery and firearms shots - Bob was dead-on with his stick bow, and Steve too with his compound. The others brought "big guns" and checked their sights. No excuses for missed bears! Wayne and I sharpened our knives, checked and rechecked our gear - we will be prepared for whatever the evening hunt brings. Out of camp by 2:30 while mom and Teri to Madawaska Marden's for a hunt of their own - a bargain hunt! Dropped guys off and finished bait run. The long wait began at 4:15 when Wayne pulled in for a visit before driving back to his guys for his own wait... A shot rang out at 4:30! Only an hour in to the hunt and already a shot! It could be David, or Duane, we waited for the radio call...it was David. He shot at a "nice bear". Wayne and I grabbed our fanny packs and went in to pick up his bear, or track it. No blood at the site but a good bullet hole in a root beyond the bucket. It was likely a clean miss but we checked for blood and found nothing. David was disappointed he'd missed (this was from the guy who originally wanted to only sit and hopefully SEE a bear - we had to convince him he might as well buy a bear tag and shoot a bear if the opportunity presented itself). David assured us it was a "nice" bear. We took the memory card from the camera on his site. Later, back at the lodge we can look at the chain of events captured by the camera... We sent David back up in the tree stand to finish that evening's hunt. Wayne headed back to sit near Steve and Bob, I waited until 7:30 then "rolled along" to pick up Dad, then Duane and David (who were watching moose in a clear cut). We all met back at the lodge; Steve had a nice bear come in but couldn't get a good bow shot so passed it up. We checked the camera memory chip... yup, a bear had come in - we had two pictures of it, a yearling, then more pictures of us as we searched around the bait site. Since there are definitely bigger bears coming to that site it is just as well David missed!

The hunt continued during this full moon week, which typically causes the bears to feed later in the evening, since it never is truly dark (sun sets as moon rises). We tried a morning hunt after trail cameras showed a bear on Steve's site at 9:24 a.m. on the 1st! Temps unseasonably warm, in the upper 70s; we're in a full sweat by the time we finish dropping off hunters and baiting sites. Guys were seeing lots of moose as they walked out of their sites, or at their sites - Steve had a very large bull come in one evening. "The Big 'Un" (bear) showed up at Bob's site at 6 p.m. on the 2nd. Bob "Smoke Stick" Watkins was experimenting with his raspberry smoke sticks and while the 350+ lb. boar came right in to the site he never presented a long bow shot for Bob even after 10 minutes of cruising the site, but Bob was very excited to have seen this bear! David had to leave on the 2nd, he has lobster traps to haul.

As the week wears down things get serious. Bob's smoke sticks seem to be working but he only has enough for himself and Steve, so Duane and I improvise by making pots for a honey burn. We'll try that tonight on Dad and Duane's sites... "Big 'Un" came back! He arrived at the site at 6:30 and Bob took a shot. The bear was not 15 yds. from his stand. Bob drew on the bear but was unable to make full-draw with his long bow and did his best to line up the shot - WHAP! The arrow struck the bear! The bear ran off and after looking in vain for blood, all Wayne was able to find was the broken arrow. It appears the arrow struck the bear squarely in the shoulder blade. Bob was crushed! He is an amazing archer and was so disappointed that he was unable to make a good shot. Steve had another bear come to his site but no archery shot presented. Duane and Dad saw no bear. BUT, they both loved the experience and can hardly wait to try again next year! After dinner we watched Bob's custom long bow promotional video, the one where he makes all kinds of trick shots, including shooting disks and clay targets out of the air! We sent Bob and Steve home with pictures of the bears they'd seen that were captured by our trail cameras during baiting season.

Bill and Kathy Bernier arrived in the middle of all this bear hunting stuff for their two-week vacation, and to do some fishing.

Our seond week bear hunters cancelled - this slow economy is killing all of us. Their business was down so they couldn't afford a hunt, others had lost jobs. It "trickles down" and affects us too. So, when Joel Guimond of Track Down Kennels and Lodge (Wallagrass, ME) called looking for a guide, I jumped at the opportunity to work for this legend of a bear guide! I worked with apprentice Paul Gagnon to guide Roger, Ken, Matt, Justin, and Lucas on an "ATV hunt." We would all use ATVs to commute to the sites. I don't know, but I think the guys enjoyed the ATV riding almost as much as the bear hunt! By week's end, all had seen bear. One had killed a pretty "V" necked bear, another had a similar experience with a bow to Bob's...arrowed the shoulder; some passed up smaller bears while others had large bears show up just after "legal". Often, as our hunters were out, Paul and I would wait at 1st Lake Wallagrass until it was time to pick up our hunters. We'd listen to the geese, watch the trout rise, and enjoy the sight of the changing foliage. We'd build a little fire just to pass the time and keep the bugs at bay until temps cooled with the setting sun and it was time to collect our hunters.

I was so impressed with Joel's operation, his guides, and the entire experience. Their facility is first-class, wife Rena runs a tight ship in the kitchen - the food plentiful and delicious. Guides keep busy every morning skinning bears, filling bait buckets, doing chores around the facility, repairing or washing vehicles, and getting ready for the day's hunt. After the hunt they gut bears, have some dinner, and if there's time, sit around the camp fire with their clients to swap tall tales! I hope I have another chance to work for Joel in the future - it was a real treat!

On the night of the 10th, after returning from Joel's, I found Wayne at our game pole with a beautiful 250 lb. boar with a perfect white "V". He was so excited to have killed such a pretty bear and put some nice meat in the freezer for winter. Kathy and Bill, and Grant were there to celebrate with him. Now we can look forward to bear stew and roasts!

Did I mention we had more truck troubles (along with the broken CV joint)? Yup, transmission went in the green truck, got it back, then the gas tank leaked so we had to get a new one. The gray truck also had its share of repairs. With the help of Bill Bernier (who loaned Wayne his truck the night Wayne shot the bear) and neighbor Mike Michaud (who loaned Wayne his truck the night the Greouxs shot their bears) we were able to keep our transportation schedules!

Dan Daigle delivered 6 cords of wood on the 13th. With help from Grant and Jim Jandreau we'll have it put up "early" this year (earlier than December I'm sure!)

We had two "characters" stop by for a visit on the 16th - Herve Pelletier (Topsham, ME) and his son Alvey (Norway, ME). They were camping and fishing at St. Froid Lake and wanted to find us - Herve used to work with my grandpa! It was like meeting long-lost cousins! Herve was charming and the two of them kept Wayne and I in stitches for hours! Kathy and Bill had us down for dinner that night.

We made bear stew on the 17th and shared with Kathy and Bill. Jerry and Sandy arrived for the weekend and surprised us with lobsters and some of Sandy's canned goods - yum! Wayne and I snuck away for an afternoon of ATV riding on the 20th. We rode through Dickwood trails to Carter Brook trails, and on to Herman Guimond's camp to look at the amazing view of Spaulding Pond. Larry and Joel Guimond arrived too, for the same view and while we each had snuck away for some quiet, we ended up reflecting on our love of the St. John Valley, the beauty of the vast views. Wayne and I expressed our gratefulness to the Guimond family and their generosity in sharing so much of their land with others. On the way home we stopped at Wallagrass Stream and built a fire and roasted hot dogs for dinner as the sun was setting. We got home just in time to greet Kevin and Jason Geroux (Old Town, ME). Kevin won a 1/2 week hunt we'd donated to the Penobscot Youth Conservation Association. They're up for their hunt. Kevin is quite a sportsman and shared many stories of his caribou hunts and fishing trips in Labrador and Newfoundland. Skye Sutherland (NY) is a business woman and artist who came to visit family and also "get away from it all". She was intrigued by the bear hunt. Kev and Jason's hunt started on the 21st. I stayed home to make dinner and visit with Skye and her labrador retriever, Zack. At 8 p.m., in typical fashion, Wayne's truck rolled in for dinner. But instead of parking the truck, they backed to the game pole...they had two bears! Kev shot a yearling but Jason got a nice 200 lb.+ boar, with a white "V"! We celebrated their successful hunt until Monday turned to Tuesday. Eldon Jandreau (Portage, ME) will do their taxidermy work.

We've had a couple of frosts up in the hills, but here on the lake we received our first hard frost on the 26th. It looked like a dusting of snow! Wayne and I got up early to scout moose - we saw two bulls, three cows and a calf along with a bunch of grouse. Moose season should be good! As September winds to a close, we turn another page...bear season is behind us - moose is yet to come...

...out came the sun and dried up all the rain...

2009-11-03T12:26:00.000-05:00

The month of August turned out to be PERFECT for vacationing in northern Maine! We FINALLY got to enjoy sunny days and warm temps. The Johnston family - Steve, Diane, Hope, Noah, and Ivan - from Maryland joined us for a "Family Summer Camp Experience". The entire famlily enjoyed participating in paddling instruction, map & compass exercises, plant and tree identification, animal tracking, an "expedition" looking for fossils (with success - I think Steve carried home about 50 lbs. of fossils!), a campfire and family dinner. In the evening they went "moose hunting" and saw several cows with their calves. The week culminated with a scavenger hunt utilizing all the skills Hope, Noah, and Ivan had developed during their stay. Hope definitely received an A+ for her efforts and drew a beautiful admiral butterfly! We enjoyed watching the Johnston family work as a team while paddling as they discovered their individual strengths and developed new skills. They left Maine with increased confidence to go out and explore nature on their own! Larry Converse, his wife, and grand daughter Casey came for a brief visit too. They paddled and fished, and after breakfast on the 8th I took Casey out for a paddling lesson on Fish River. She is a confident paddler and developed new techniques while we were out, especially as the wind kicked up on the way back to the lodge! Larry's goal is to take Casey on an Allagash River canoe trip in the near future. I think she'll soon be ready!

Edgar Satterfield and his fishing buddy Mike spent their "first trip" away from home when they came up in early August. We assured Edgar's mom we would keep a watchful eye on them - although they were gentlemen and did just fine on their own! While the fishing was slow, they enjoyed some excellent adventures, especially one evening when they missed the road home from 1st Lake Wallagrass and towed their boat and trailer back to Eagle Lake via the ATV trail!

The Dubreil (CT) family returned to Fish River Lodge with their young grandsons - we certainly enjoy watching as another greneration becomes acquainted with the St. John Valley. Gloria Lebrecque's (CT) and her parents Lou and Germaine Levesque's (CT) extended stay came to a quiet close on the 15th. Gloria always looks forward to her time at Fish River Lodge to reguvinate her spirit and spend quality time with her mom and dad.

As our vacationers vacationed, Wayne and I combined our duties at the lodge and jobs with establishing this season's bear bait sites. Trail cameras sent by "Santa Bill" Beecher (TX) last Christmas made the baiting job all the more enjoyable as we got some amazing pictures of numerous bears at our sites. We'll enjoyed comparing photos (hundreds of photos!) from 2009 with photos we'll have from at the sites in years to come.

Mom and Dad Skolfield and dear freinds Ron and Mim Webber spent the week of the 10th with us. They enjoyed day excursions on their own then shared the evenings with us. It was a treat having someone cook for us for a change - many evenings we enjoyed dinner at their camps. Then one night we had a "pot luck" at the lodge to use up leftovers - Mim's "moose balls" were excellent in sub rolls topped with cheese! The weather held and we enjoyed many sunny days well in to the month. We hosted Mike and Lolita Collin's for their 49th anniversary dinner with friends who were celebrating their 43rd anniversary. All enjoyed a very relaxing evening with lively conversation.

On the 14th Norman Roy (aka Norman King) of Dunedie, FL stopped by to meet us. He is the son of Joseph King who guided here back in the 1920s. We have several photos of Joe King hanging in the lodge! Joe also helped Charlie Wiles build the lodge and log camps. Back then the property was known as Charlie Wiles Lake View Camps.

Jerry and Sandy Whitcomb moved their "ice palace" up to Eagle Lake in anticipation of ice fishing season. They parked it next to Ol' Number 9 camp. Until it goes on the ice they will use it as a camp and base of operations while transporting bear bait this fall and running their trap lines.

Throughout the last weeks of August Wayne and I continued preparing our bait sites - adding bait regularly, brushing out walking paths and shootling lanes, changing stand set-ups. We enjoy the hard work, preferring it over our "real jobs", but are equally appreciative that we have jobs during these slow times. I got stuck at the bottom of a muddy hill to one of our bait sites on the morning of the 23rd. The truck wouldn't go in to 4-wheel drive (CV joint broke) so I had to walk out, 8 miles, to Sly Brook Road to call for help from Lakeside Grocery. Wayne was downstate so I called Steve Daigle and his old Ford pulled my old Chevy up the hill which was slippery as snot! We finished the bait run, and headed home - my legs were tired!

On the 26th Steve took Lilly Tuell and I out to dinner at Swamp Buck. It was Lilly's last day of work at the print shop before she starts college at USM. The Ross family (MA) stayed the night with us on the 28th. They're up to drop their son off at UMFK.

It rained all day on the 29th but that didn't dampen our spirits - the ATV club hosted a big steak feed at the public beach pavillion. An excellent turn out assured that it was a successful fund raiser for the club. After cleaning up a few of us hearty souls stuck around for the bon fire, under drizzly skies, then retreated to the lodge for a "night cap".

August 30th, marks the official end of summer for us - vacation season is over as our bear hunters begin arriving!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2009-08-02T21:36:00.001-04:00

What’s the weather? If you’re wondering, we’ve probably endured the same weather you have if you’re reading this from the northeast. And I apologize for not writing sooner! It’s been a very busy summer despite the weather…

Let’s back up to mid-May: Long-time friend Malcolm Charles and his friend Dwight Violette were up for some spring fishing during the week of May 19th. Mike and Bob Daubec (Worcester and Paxton, MA) fished the 18th-22nd. We woke to frost on the 19th then clouds rolled in and the following days were partly sunny and windy. Wayne and Grant jacked up the lodge on the 22nd and got the deck level again and made a huge improvement to the front wall in the living/dining room. It still has its famous tilt but isn’t nearly as noticeable and now we can open the doors without taking them off the hinges! The Babine family joined us over the long Memorial weekend, arriving on the 23rd. I enjoyed seeing three generations of Babines here at the lodge: Dan (grandpa) and Mark (dad) enjoyed watching baby Eve explore on the grass under sunny skies. We got out the lawn chairs – our summer season is officially underway!

My grand daughter Acadia, daughter Miranda and soon-to-be son-in-law Tyler joined us for Memorial weekend too. Ernie and Paula Smith (Bucksport, ME) – friends form the “old days” when we all went to Greenville, bought Warden Jim Fahey’s camp in Portage. They surprised us with a visit and we welcomed them to the neighborhood! The 24th dawned sunny. Bronwyn Babine took a swim – our first swimmer of the season! Later Acadia and I took the ATV to town to ride with the club in the Memorial Day Parade. Just as the parade formation broke in front of the American Legion, the skies opened and it poured! We made a run for the lodge! Wayne was out fishing with Maurice Pollard and a friend. Tyler towed some stranded boaters across the lake when they sought refuge here at the lodge during the down pour and their motor was acting up. Later rain turned to quarter-size hail – Tyler waited it out across the lake at their camp and Wayne and his fishermen holed up on the porch of the cabin on Fish River. Meanwhile, up the hill across route 11 a tornado tore through town snapping trees like match sticks and toppling a tractor trailer rig and gravestones. It ripped a 2 ½ mile swath of destruction. Fortunately no one was injured. May ended with a few sunny days but the wind continued. The lodge’s most loyal client – the legendary Joe Decker from Jersey – arrived on the 26th. Joe was our first guest when we took over the lodge in 2005 and we celebrate each passing year with Joe’s return. He showed us how to put out the dock and fish the lake the first year we were here. Joe always catches fish and although the fishing had been slow, he managed to bring some in every day. Finally on the 28th temps reached 68 degrees after days of temps in the 40s and 50s. Brian Stevens (West Haven, CT) and Dave Hughes (Stratford, CT) settled in on the 30th for a week of fishing, followed by the John Buccos (Fonda, NY) party. He was joined by fishing buddies Eugene Rescott and Joey Cristo (West Sand Lake, NY), and Irv Sewell (Averill Park, NY). John entertained us with stories of Irv’s exploits over the years (builder of fine firearms, pianist, prize fighter, rodeo cowboy, and sportsman) and Gene’s skills as a race car mechanic. John himself is quite renowned and is the owner of the largest maple syrup producer in New York State! While it was an “on again/off again” week of fishing every one caught salmon and brook trout. Wayne took Joey over to Blake Lake the last night of their trip. They had a hard time catching their limit. After losing count after 28 brook trout in the 14-16” range, they each struggled to catch their one, 12” fish!

Brian Stevens wrote after their stay “This past week has been awesome and went by too fast. Wayne and Tenley were great hosts and the lodge and camp was comfortable and rustic, just what you want when going to northern Aroostook County, Maine. The home cooked meals were top notch and we’re looking forward to going back to get the “Big One”. Total fish caught: 45 salmon and 67 brook trout.” Not a bad week at all!

And did you see Wayne’s picture on the FRONT of the NORTH WOODS SPORTING JOURNAL? They used a photo we’d sent a year ago for the cover of the June issue!

JUNE: Our dog Alli had a visit with the vet on June 1st. She returned home after her morning run sneezing constantly and then her sneezes produced blood spray. While on her daily romp she had managed to shove a stick up her nasal passage! The vet removed it and she recovered quickly. We enjoyed our first camp fire of the season on the 4th. We woke to another frost on the 9th and a high of 58 degrees. Since the ice went we’ve had cool temps, high wind, overcast or rain almost daily. We’re hopeful June offers better weather. Harold Hutchins and friends were up to fish the 7th-14th. They had a slow week of fishing – I think Brian and Dave caught all the fish last week! Acadia celebrated her seventh birthday on the 10th. Mary Ellen Chasse’s Ashland Methodist Church group joined us for dinner on the 10th and on the 12th we hosted a dinner party for retiring school teach Dick Fortin (Fort Kent Community High School). He and 49 of his friends and colleagues joined us at the lodge for a dinner party that wore on well in to the evening, even as it rained. When the rain let up the party spilled out on to the deck and down to the fire pit. The last of the evening’s revelers left at 2:00 a.m.! A great time was had by all. The dinner was a success because Steve Daigle, Jesse Jandreau, Linda Englehardt, and Dave Kelso helped serve and clean up. Many hands make light work!

On the 13th I headed south to visit my grandpa. I had written in May to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He has spent several weeks in the hospital and then was moved to Amenity Manor in Topsham, Maine. Since he can no longer live unassisted, I drove down to Brunswick to help mom and dad and Miranda clean out his apartment. It broke my heart cleaning out his apartment but I suppose it is a much easier task to complete while he is still with us. It was a very sad weekend, although the highlight was spending time with grandpa. He looked so frail at the nursing home seated in a wheel chair, wrapped in a blanket and drifting in and out of sleep but I enjoyed my time quietly sitting with him and telling him stories of what we’d been doing at the lodge. Tears fell like rain as I kissed him good bye. Mom called on the 16th, grandpa had passed away. It was the same day my brother-in-law Bill (Denver, CO) had surgery. He has been diagnosed with liver cancer. He now needs your thoughts and prayers, as does my sister Heidi and niece Sami. This has been a tough spring for our family and the miles that separate us makes it that much more difficult. But if you recall, last year my mother brattled breast cancer. Her treatments were tortuous but she is bouncing back with a new, full head of hair. She is a survivor! What keeps Wayne and I going is the arrival of our guests. We look forward to making new friends and enjoying the return of our seasoned guests that have become like family to us. They are our sunshine on even the grayest of days.

It was hazy, hot and humid on the 18th, the day the moose permit lottery was held in Fort Kent. Wayne and I went and recognized many of the names that were drawn although we were not among them. However we did appear on the front page of the Bangor Daily News the next day – a gentleman sitting in front of us was drawn and we appeared in the back ground of the photo! We’re looking forward to guiding Denis O’Connor (Greenville, ME). He will return to hunt moose again with us as one of the lucky permit winners. We spent the next couple of evenings folding, taping, and sticking address labels on our 525 moose brochures. We sent them to all zone 2 and 3 permit holders south of “the County” and all non-resident permit holders in zones 5 and 6. The Andy Payne party (Milford, NJ) spent the week of the 20th at Fish River Lodge. Jerry Whitcomb his wife and grandsons spent several days with us while he was up in our neck of the woods delivering bear bait. Earl and Gene Burgess returned to fish the 21st-25th. You’ll remember Earl and Gene – they hunted moose with Wayne last fall. Wayne’s cousin Tasha, husband Pete, and their baby daughter Kaylin joined us for a couple of days at the end of the month.

June passed much too quickly. It rained almost daily. Wayne and I continue working our second jobs. He’s cooking at the nursing home in town and I still work for Steve Daigle at Paper Signs Ink – the print shop in Fort Kent. My job is more “full time” than “part time” so between work away from the lodge and keeping up with running the lodge, most days it seems all we do is work and sleep! Every once in a while we can sneak off for an evening fish. We welcomed back John and Sue Chasse and their grand daughter Savanah on the 27th. John is famous for his “trash can turkey”. Dirck and Joanne Brandt (Mt. Desert Island, ME) snuck away from the “rat race” on the coast to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet here in the St. John Valley, arriving on the 30th. If you’re looking for a quiet “get away”, the slow pace of Aroostook County and calming effect of Eagle Lake is just what you need to re-charge your batteries!

JULY: Since the 4th fell on a Saturday it was a very busy day for us saying “so long” to some and welcoming others, which meant cleaning cabins! We got busy right away in the morning so we could have all the cabins ready for guests as they arrived…the Bragdons, Lou and Germaine Levesque and daughter Gloria, the Calverts, and Devoes. Wayne’s mom delivered Kaitlyn to spend the next two weeks at the lodge with us. John prepared his famous turkey on the beach, using an aluminum trash can as the “oven” (the trash can is used ONLY for baking turkey!) When it was done everyone gathered at the lodge for a pot luck supper, then a fire down at the beach, and fireworks! Unfortunately, after Wayne and John hauled their pyrotechnic show over to Duck Point and set up for their show, it started to rain, and rain, and rain. They tried to light them but many were too damp so we enjoyed half a fireworks display! The rest we fired off on Sunday the 5th. Throughout the week all the Calvert, Devoe, Chasse, and Bennett girls kept each other company, swimming tubing with John, paddling, giggling, and just plain having fun – girls being girls! Our dear friend Shawn Pelletier was home for two weeks and introduced us to his lovely girlfriend Jamie. They were both out from Washington State and home visiting family. We took the afternoon of the 11th off and drove in to Duboullie with Shawn and Jamie for an afternoon of fishing. We each caught several brook trout but the most exciting part of the trip was the drive home. We saw 6 bull moose, a cow and calf, a bear and a fox!

Lou Levesque joins us often in the evening to watch the Red Sox or catch up on the news. Gloria enjoys relaxing with her knitting and we sometimes find her rocking and knitting in the lodge. The weeks after the 4th of July holiday are generally slow since most people have already vacationed. It’s a great time to plan a vacation at Fish River Lodge because there are fewer guests here and you’ll nearly have the place to yourself!

On the 13th Lindy Howe, Kevin Quist, Larry and Irene Murphy, and Dave Bell joined me for a meeting to begin planning for our “Snow Dog Adventures” dog sledding school we will host this winter. We will offer 3, 5, and 7 day dog sledding schools January – March. We’re all very excited about this new venture and look forward to sharing our enthusiasm for dog sledding with others. Wayne and I drove down state to attend grandpa’s memorial service on July 15th. He is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Dresden, along side his wife Avis. While it was a melancholy day honoring my grandfather, it was also a day to spend time with family and friends we’ve not seen in a long time, some for many years. We found comfort in the tie that bound us together, my grandpa.

In my personal journal I find many entries that read simply: “Rain, work.” July weather has been no better than June. As we now say…”If you’re going to mold, you might as well come up and mold with us in paradise!” The locals are also saying “it will stop raining when it starts snowing”. We fear the truth in that!

Finally, we had a full day and two half days of sun on the 19th-21st but then more rain and overcast skies. So far the highlight of my summer has been a visit from my dear friend Mary Heald (Litchfield, ME). She, Dan and Dan’s son Ian drove up hauling a horse trailer to spend a few days with us. She was kind enough to bring her horses Rea and Quincy so we could ride. Only those who knew me before Fish River Lodge know how much I LOVE horses and riding. I had my own horses for nearly 20 years and sold them only because we moved to Eagle Lake. So you can imagine how much I’ve missed my horse and “horsey friends” from down state. I looked forward to Mary’s visit for three weeks! Finally the day arrived. My heart was full of joy seeing Mary, catching up and just spending time together, watching the horses graze as we talked, and riding! The weather didn’t really cooperate. We worked very hard at the print shop on Friday, the 24th so I could get home early and ride with Mary. The day started out sunny. By the time I got out of work it began raining! So we enjoyed drinks with the horses and were sheltered from the rain under the awning on Mary’s trailer. We did get to ride the night before and after waiting all morning Saturday for the rain to stop, we finally headed out in the drizzle, then got rained on but we had a very enjoyable ride just the same. I’m hoping next summer I can lease a horse for a few months. I’d forgotten what good “therapy” they are for me. Miranda celebrated a birthday on the 18th and mom’s birthday was the 24th.

The Stevensons spent a few days with us. Dorothy Procks (New Britain, CT) and her family were here the 23rd-25th – they enjoyed playing fetch in the lake with Gracie and ATV rides. Although Wayne assured them the ATV was “fine” one afternoon even when the “low battery” light was on. They called from Old Mill Marina – the ATV was broke down. We all had a good laugh when Wayne returned, towing them home.

The last wee of the month was like “old home week”. Mike and Sharon Bolduc (Fairfield, ME) and her sister Deb and husband Tom Endyke (Litchfield, NH) we up “molding” with us. Actually, the week of July 27th was the best week of the summer yet. While many days began or ended with rain most were dry and we even saw some sun. Melissa and David Smey, their Westie “Sophie” (Brooklyn, NY) and aunt and uncle Randy and Deb Murasso (Andover, CT) and cousin Megan and her husband Scott spent the same week here. Melissa was surprised one day while out for a walk when they saw a small bear scoot across the road! Sophie will soon participate in her first agility competition. She and Melissa practiced the “weave poles” beside the lake in preparation.

July has come and gone and summer slips away. Today is dad’s birthday – happy birthday dad! We spent this past weekend getting ready for this week’s guests: Edgar Satterfield and his fishing buddy (Poland, ME), Johnston family (Ellicott, MD), Crosby family (Sharon, MA) and Dubreuil family (Clinton, CT). The day started with sun, then clouds and it is raining now. I took the Johnston family paddling this morning. Mom and Noah (10 y.o.) in the green canoe; dad, Hope (11 y.o.) and Ivan (4 y.o.) in the red canoe, and I in the kayak paddled up the Fish River. I had to send Alli home after making a stop at Duck Point. She was swimming along with us! We saw an eagle high overhead and looked for turtles on logs. We didn’t find any turtles. The water is very high. Three times this month Wayne had to pull the dock to higher ground as the lake level rose. Maybe, just MAYBE, the weather will improve in August. Otherwise, the locals may be right…”it will stop raining when it starts snowing!” C’mon up and mold with us!

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-05-17T17:41:00.000-04:00

It's May 17, already! We're enjoying all of natures colors - green flora every where, purple and gold finches, sparkling blue water - it's such an explosion of color after many months of living in a monochomatic world. Today it was overcast and windy with a high of 54 degrees. We spent the day cleaning cabins then headed to Fort Kent for groceries. We hosted our first spring fishermen of the season last week - Larry Converse, Greg Gordon, and Mike Carcia - all from Connecticut. They had a good week of fishing bringing in a 4 lb salmon, several other salmon in the 1 1/2 - 3 lb. range and several brook trout 16" and longer. But let me back track a bit and fill you in on what's been going on since the 1st of April...

On April 2nd we could see open water along the shore. Wayne snowshoed through the woods to take a few casts in the river, just because he could. Rarely is there open water this early in the season. Although he didn't catch a fish he enjoyed watching two bald eagles and an otter, and found a set of lynx tracks. The week of the 6th was quiet here at the lodge. Finances are very tight and we're scrimping and saving trying to keep up with the never ending stream of bills. A week of wind and rain and temps in the upper 30s and lower 40s did nothing to brighten our spirits. My journal entry from April 10th says we had about 12-16" of snow on the ground. The mouth of the river is opening wider, as if yawning after a long winter's sleep. On the 11th Wayne and I headed south to Brewer to attend the Maine Profession Guides Association banquet. On the way down we planned extra time to stop in Smyrna to visit the Amish harware store. If you have time on your way north or south it is worth the extra time and effort to visit this quaint community of Amish. The store contains many items in addition to hardware - they have a nice assortment of pantry supplies - flour, sugar, beans, herbs and spices; and boots, gloves, belts, purses and cutlery. I bought a new paring knife and a small bag of malted Easter eggs. A young man rang up our items on an old fashioned, hand crank cash register. The store was lit with sky lights and a woodstove was used for heat. The community also has a furniture store we've been told but didn't have time to visit it, along with a harness shop, tin roof manufacturing, and storage shed builders. Many of the homes had buggies parked in front with horses tied along side. On the way back to Interstate 95 we saw a horse drawn buggie driven by"grammy" with her grand daughter along for the ride. I fell asleep around Millinocket where there were still patches of snow. I woke in Old Town where the gress was greening - it was like I'd slept through winter! The banquet was a wonderful social event after such a long winter. We enjoyed renewing aquaintances with guides from all across Maine. Along with 14 others, I was awarded a new Marlin .45-.70 stainless steel guide model for selling $1500 worth of Super Raffle tickets last year. Now I have two of these special edition guns with the MPGA logo etched on the stock. One I will present to my grand daughter, Acadia, on her 16th birthday (in 2018!) We celebrated MPGA's 30th anniversary and honored many of its founders. Since the future of hunting and fishing belongs to our youth, we raised enough money at the banquet to send several children to Maine Conservation School this summer. A common theme throughout the evening's presentations was the importance of sharing our hunting and fishing tradition with today's youth. So, find a kid and take him or her hunting and fishing! On the drive home, as we wound our way toward Winterville, we came upon a yearling moose in the middle of Route 11. He did not want to share the road so we had to follow him for over a mile as he trotted along in front of us until finally "pulling over" and letting us by.

Easter Sunday was spent quietly beside the wood stove enjoying our malted eggs. Mike Michaud and later Ron and Travis Toussaint paid us a visit. I called home and got to talk to Nana Pat and Grandpa Armand too. It snowed on the 13th. By the 14th we were able to do a little raking around the lodge driveway to clean up a winter's worth of wood chips and bark. Juncos and house finches have arrived and are eating sunflower seeds from the feeders almost as fast as we fill them. We held our first-of-the-season ATV club meeting here at the lodge on the 17th. It was very well attended and we're all eager to get out on the 1,100 miles of interconnected trails in "The County"!

On the 19th we took our snowmobiles on the last ride of the season. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of riding under sunny skies with temps climbing to the mid 40s - in some places there was still snow to our knees! We rode until our tanks were nearly empty. We attended an Aroostook County Conservation Association meeting on the 21st with George Pooler, a fellow guide from Wallagrass. The mission of ACCA is to restore the whitetail deer herd in northern Maine. We enjoyed an informative presentation by Peter SeeHusen of Quality Whitetail Consultants and dealer of Whitetail Institute food plot seeds. After Peter's presentation I, along with others attending, were convinced that with a unified and concerted effort on the part of private and corporate landowners, we can establish food plots that will enable our whitetail to survive our long winters.

Through out the month Wayne and I continued working our part time jobs - he cooking at the nursing home and me learning graphic design at Paper Signs Ink. On the 24th and 25th I assisted Steve Daigle at the Top of Maine Trade Fair in Madawaska where he had a booth promoting his print shop. It was without a doubt the booth offering the most fun to attendees. We shared space with Judy Bossie (Moment In Time Photography) and superimposed portrait photos on various backgrounds, then printing 16" x 24" posters. It was a great family activity at the show! A downpour in the evening of the 24th and big wind on the 25th started breaking up our ice. It was the making of an early ice-out. It was interesting watching large plates of ice float by etched with last winter's snowmobile tracks. As soon as the lake opened up the loons moved right in! On the 27th we woke to calm water and sun sparkling on the LAKE! What a sight to behold after being iced in for so many months to watch the sun reflect off the ripples on the water! That same day Wayne started jacking and leveling cabin 4. It will be our winter home next season. We have been anylizing our expenses versus our revenue stream and have to make some tough decisions if we are to continue operating Fish River Lodge. One tough decision we made will be to close the lodge after Christmas next winter. We will move in to cabin 4 and continue winter operations, just without the lodge. We will continue renting cabins in winter and hosting guests with the exception being the "lodge" will be cabin 4 until spring. As we get to the task of remoding the inside of cabin 4 it will be done to accomodate us living there as well as being a central gathering place for our guests who want to visit with us. In addition, we will change our focus from providing lodging to snowmobilers and put more emphasis in our marketing efforts to attracting ice fishermen, cross country skiers, snowshoers, and dog sledders. We have partnered with Lindy Howe and Larry Murphy, local dog mushers, to offer 4-day and week-long sled dog schools where "students" will learn all aspects of sled dog training, care, and nutrition, and will go on excursions with a team of dogs during their stay. As much as we wish we could continue "business as usual", we must be nimble during these economically challenging times if we are to remain sucessful. Then of course, come spril 2010, we will move back in to the lodge through fall.

Anyway, back to spring "springing"! Here's a great story...The evening of the 27th was relatively warm so after dinner I went out on the deck to watch the "icebergs" float by. One in particular caught my attention. It's ragged edges formed a floe about 20 feet in diameter. There atop the "berg" were five unusually perfect "cubes" of ice. I pondered what "natural" occurance would result in five cubes on a berg? They were cut too perfectly to have occured naturally... suddenly it dawned on me...those cubes looked familiar...they were of the same sizes and shapes as the ice Wayne cut when we put our ice shack out on the lake back on January 4th! And as I looked even more closely I could see that they were left melting on that berg just as we'd layed them out to block the wind under our ice shack. At that moment I had gone out to watch icebergs and at that moment those cubes floated by on a westerly breeze, last touched by me in January! Amazing! Later that night when we let the dogs out before bedtime we heard Alli barking like only Alli does when she's alarmed. As Wayne started up the driveway he saw a cow and calf moose trot across our parking lot! They must have wandered down from the hill looking for a bite of tender grass.

On the 28th I began raking. I started out wearing a turtleneck and fleece but as temps rose I shed the fleece, then traded the turtleneck for a tank top! Temps soared to 68 degrees! I got our flower bed cleaned out and began raking around cabin 6 and across the front of the lodge. After two truck loads and five wheelbarrow loads of debris dumped on the hill the property was starting to look tidy again. I had to rake around a few snowbanks but they were melting fast! The ice cubes floated by again today, on an easterly breeze... Grace has rounded up collection of tennis balls. One was so covered in burdocks it was unrecognizable! I picked the budocks off and she joyfully rolled the ball down the hill next to the lodge, retrieved it, and let it roll again and again. Alli stretched out in the sun, oblivious to Gracie's game. Last count, Gracie's collection included 5 tennis balls in various stages of balding.

We declared official "ice out" on April 29. On the 30th I raked around the rest of the lodge, around cabins 5, 4, 3, and 2. That afternoon we took the canoe over to Pennington Pond. Wayne caught a couple 15" brook trout and released both. On the way home he asked what we were going to have for dinner? With the cupboards bare and refrigerator empty, we wondered why we hadn't kept at least one of the fish! We found a box of beans and rice and a couple pieces of frozen chicken. It was a good dinner and the trout are still in the pond to be caught another day. Back at the lodge as the sun was setting we were entertained by a large beaver "cruising" back and forth along the shore. I guess after spending so many months under "hard water" it was happy to swim where ever it's heart desired.

After working all day then going back to Fort Kent for groceries we stayed up late on May 1st finalizing our presentations and agenda for our guide study sessions. Earlier in the spring we canceled our usual guide course due to lack of interest. Then as May approached we were approached by more and more prospective guides from the area to help them prepare for the guide exam. Since Wayne and I have both attended guide schools and successfully completed testing requirements we agreed that we would hold a two-day "study group". We had seven participants who put us through our paces. Local trapper Jerry McLaughlin helped us on May 3rd when he gave an excellent presentation on trapping.

On May 5th I started "opening" cabins. Wayne put away our winter stuff...snowmobiles, plow truck, sled dog box, ice auger, snowblower, shovels, roof rake, and ice chisel, and tidied up around the shed by neatly stacking last fall's bear bait barrels then he put our dock out. Back to Fort Kent on the 8th for more groceries - this time to feed our first group of spring fishermen - yippee! It is the start of another year which always begins with spring fishermen! Larry Converse, Greg Gordon, and Mike Carcia arrived in the afternoon of the 9th. We love welcoming back our guests not seen in a year! They have become family - "Uncle Larry", "Uncle Greg", and "Cousin Mike"... We all woke to a heavy frost on the 12th. I got another couple of cabins ready. Russ and Carole Dyer and their son Danny arrived later that day to spend a few days fishing. Wayne put our boat in the water. The dining room was lively with conversation well in to the evening as we all shared "fish stories" and other tales. On the 13th I went on an excursion to Square Lake in search of fossils at Limestone Point. I brought Alli and Gracie along. We explored the point and found many nice specimens but left them for others to find although I did pick up two small ones to learn more about. I wish I knew more about geology - there are so MANY interesting rocks at Limestone Point! On the 14th I surfed the web and learned the fossils were the remains of an extinct class of echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins...). Their origins in the class Crinoidea. These sea critters spent their lives fixed to the OCEAN bottom (yes, this area was covered by sea water 500 million years ago!) There in the stone were the remains of the stalk columns, preserved for 500 million years, give or take.

On the 14th we were hit with strong winds and gusts to 52 m.p.h. It was not a good day to be on the lake so Larry and friends decided to fish the streams. Their adventure began when they tried to get back to the lodge for dinner. The dirt access road was blocked by downed trees. Mike was prepared and had a machete in his truck. At dinner they shared pictures and video of each taking a turn with the machete to chop through the trees enough so they could be pushed off the road. That night at dinner we awarded "Honorary Logging Degrees" to Larry "The Logger" Converse, Greg "Eager Beaver" Gordon, and "Machete Mike" Carcia. They enjoyed a pretty decent week of fishing and weather; we enjoyed their friendship

I learned Grandpa Armand is in the hospital with pnumonia and a low oxygen count. These are the times when I hate being so far from "home". Please say a prayer for my grandpa. Even as he lays in the hospital he is curious to know what's going on up here at Fish River Lodge.

So here it is, the middle of May. The sun is setting and Wayne has just left to play basketball tonight. Tomorrow we are expecting Bob Dauback and a friend from Massachusetts, and Malcolm Charles will be arriving with a freind from southern Maine. They will be here to enjoy some fine salmon and brook trout fishing. Spring has definitely sprung here in the north country. Fishing season is underway!

Still in Winter's Grip

2009-04-05T18:43:00.000-04:00

While many look forward to the first day of spring, we're still held tight in winter's grip. March in northern Maine is just the end of winter, not nearly the start of spring. And March for Wayne and I is also a time for celebration. On March 6th we celebrated our 3rd anniversary. He surprised me by sending a beautiful bouquet of roses to work and then we went to China Garden for dinner. We left for Fort Kent in a snow storm but by the time we finished dinner it had changed to rain. The roads were a mess and we were glad to get safely back to the lodge. Except when we entered the lodge it was full of smoke and the wood stove was "belching"! There was no chimney fire but Wayne climbed up on the roof and discoved our stove pipe had rusted through and water was dripping in to the woodstove making it smoke, the smoke was backing up in to the stove pipe and would ignite and "belch" smoke through the damper of the stove in to the lodge! We let the fire in the stove burn down and spent the next hour airing out the lodge. The next morning Wayne ordered all the parts needed to replace our old stove pipe.

Wayne decided to pull our ice shack off the lake while conditions were good. A series of cold days and nights in the single digits had hardened previous slushy conditions so he was able to easily pull the shack across the crusty snow with his snowmobile. The pull was easy across the lake but as he ventured up on shore and over a snow drift the shack lurched and tipped. Just before dark on the 10th I was in my office returning calls and emails when I heard Wayne open the kitchen door latch..."Hun, can you help me? The ice shack tipped over." "Tipped over?" I questioned, "Yeah, it's tipped on its side." he grumbled. I put on my snow pants, boots, anorak, and gloves all the while envisioning the ice shack leaning at an awkward angle simply needing to be pushed "level" as he pulled it with his sled. As we made our way around cabin 7 toward the beach all I could see of the ice shack was its roof facing us! It had tipped completely over and was laying on the downhill side of the drift! It was then I began wondering how he and I were going to right it alone, and if we did, what would keep it from toppling all the way over on its other side? When I asked Wayne what the "plan" was he suggested that as he pushed it upright I "catch it" as it came over. Hmmm. I contemplated the idea and while doing so could only imagine the pain of a broken arm or dislocated shoulder, twisted knee, or all of the above if the shack were to flip over on me. I decided not to catch the shack, rather I prefered to work along side Wayne and hope it didn't flip completely over the other way. If it did, we'd figure that predicament out next. As it were, we both pulled and then pushed and the shack neatly righted itself. Actually, it was too bottom-heavy to flip again. I though it might be a good idea to just leave it there on the beach for the time being. But after floundering in the snow we discovered it was sitting right on top of one of our rental boats! Plus it would be wiser and safer to tow it up on level ground.

Wayne celebrated his birthday on the 12th. I surprised him with a store-bought cake I picked up on the way home from work the night before and hid it in my truck. I also gave him a picture. It was a picture I took of Wayne fishing at the warden pool on the thoroughfare to Square lake. He is in his waders and reflected in the water. At work we "photoshopped" the picture to look like a watercolor. It is truly a piece of art! Wayne loved it! That night we began packing for our long anticipated ice fishing trip with a gang from Eagle Lake. In years past we've missed the trip because we were exhibiting at the Wilton Sportsman Show. This year we chose to "sit out" the show. With the downturn in the economy we suspect there will be few from western Maine venturing to Aroostook County to vacation.

Our trip began at 5:00 a.m. on the 13th when we woke to a chilly zero degree morning. By 6:00 the sky was brightening with the promise of a sunny day. Wayne picked up some fresh-caught smelt given to him by Ron Albert - Ron fishes for smelt every morning at 3:30 a.m. - he's retired. Then we met everyone at Tamarack Inn for breakfast - Mike & Geneva Michaud, Ron & Margaret Soucy, Justin & Denise Raymond, Reed Devoe & Morgan, brothers Ron and Dana Laferrier, brothers Bert & Cory Simard, Buck Labbe, Bruce Dube, Clayon Fournier, and Fred Michaud. We all had our MURS radios on and the chatter began! I'm sure if I had taped the conversations I could make a million selling it as a comedy show! We got on the Pinkham Road at Portage - it was in good shape most of the way. We took the 522 Connector to John's Bridge Road and it was glare ice. Wayne avoided a jack-knifed trailer with his quick hands! The road in to Barry Ouellette's logging camps was glare ice too, and so was the parking lot and anything that had been plowed! We all unpacked our gear and slip-slided as we moved in then departed for Ross Lake. Our small tote flipped several times on the icey lake surface but we managed to get everything in place and set up by 1:00 and lost only a partial bag of wine - which Fred all too eagerly finished emptying for us. With no fish caught in the first hour Mike declared it was time to move, so we all packed up like a bunch of nomads and moved, set up again, and started fishing again. We all had shelters of some sort on the ice and were glad for that. The wind was so strong we had to tie ours off our sleds to keep it from collapsing! When we tried to make sandwiches the wind would blow our bread out of our hands and ham off our sandwiches! By nightfall several togue and about a dozen whitefish were landed. Wayne caught a 17 1/2" and 18" white fish and I lost one. Back at the logging camp we enjoyed a big spaghetti feed then settled in to watch American Logger on Discovery - we even had satelite TV!

Saturday the 14th dawned sunny, cold and windy. We woke for a big breakfast prepared by Wayne and Clayton. No one lingered over coffee - we immediately loaded gear into frosty totes and climbed on to our frosty sleds for a day of fishing on Chamberlain Lake. First we had to cross Eagle Lake. Sleds were overheating due to the lack of snow cover on the frozen lake. We rode over as much crusty snow as we could find but it wasn't enough. Fortunately we gave the sleds a break just in time at the adandoned steam engines. What a sight to find two huge locomotives in the middle of the north Maine woods. Back in the day (1927) Edouard Lacroix, a Canadian logging industrialist, conceived the idea to haul logs from Chamberlain Lake to south-flowing waters. Eagle Lake flows north to Canadian waters, Umbazooksus Lake, 13 miles from Chamberlain, flows south to waters that would bring logs to mills in Millinocket. One of the engines was purchased used from Rutland Railroad, the other from New York Central. They and enough steel for a 1500 foot bridge across the Allagash were hauled in by Lombard haulers over the winter while the lakes were frozen. The new railroad was called the U&EL line (for Umbazooksus and Eagle Lake).

Justin Raymond (works for Irving Woodlands) took the role of tour guide and shared lots of information on the railroad and old days of logging. Clayton Fournier took a group photo of us at the engines and then we moved on to get set up on Chamberlain for another day of ice fishing.

The clear sky made it possible to see Katahdin rising to our south. What a sight to look over one shoulder at Katahdin and the other shoulder at a pair of eagles soaring overhead! It was a slow day for us but others caught togue and brook trout. We cooked hotdogs on the ice and the afternoon sun felt so warm when we could get out of the wind. It seemed much like a day at the beach - our shelters were cabanas as we "sun bathed" all over the ice. Chamberlain has to be one of the most spectacular ice fishing spots in all of Maine!

That night Wayne and Clayton put on their chef's hats again and made us a feast of grilled filet mignon, baked potatoes, and corn. An evening of stories, laughter, and card games followed. The younger guys went cusk fishing on Eagle Lake. Margaret and I went out to check on them and were amazed to watch a million stars in the clear night sky. We counted six jet liners pass overhead and wondered where all those people could possibly be going? One thing for sure, there are few more beautiful places in the world than where we were standing!

Sunday morning we "broke camp". The drive back home was over muddy roads softened by the rising sun as we left the logging camp. Further north the Pinkham Road was still frozen and light snow fell. That the roads are starting to break up indicates winter is slowly losing its grip. Back in our Town of Eagle Lake Ron and Margaret had all of us over to eat up our leftovers from the trip for lunch. Slowly our ice fishing adventure came to a close.

The week of the 17th we were very busy at the print shop printing and binding 250 town reports for Wallagrass, 200 targets and timing sheets for the biathalon, (and mailing) 1200 brochures for a fire wood company, 500 brochures for the university, and lots of FedEx returns for Radio Shack to name a few. Another ice shack mishap on the 18th. While Wayne was sanding the driveway the truck slid on an unsanded section and knocked over the ice shack again! no real damage to truck or shack and Wayne used the bull dozer this time to right it.

Wayne's work schedule has been cut back so he started "spring cleaning" the lodge on the first day of spring - he washed all the logs in the dining room and living room - I could tell as soon as I pulled in after work - I could see the shine on the logs from outdoors! He mopped floors, vacuumed and dusted. He spent a few afternoons ice fishing as the season came to a close and caught some nice salmon and brook trout.

On the 22nd Dave Despres and Cliff Fletcher (www.overthecliffproductions.com) came to spend a few days at Fish River Lodge to shoot an episode for their "Sporting Camps: Comfort and Cuisine" series. They were refered to us by Eldon Jandreau who is a dear friend, fellow guide, and taxidermist from Portage. They are also working on a documentary about moose and bear with Eldon.

That afternoon we took them out to ice fish. The day before Wayne had caught 5 brook trout and a salmon so we knew just the right spot to set our traps. While Cliff and Dave filmed we set out five traps. The wind drove us in to the comfort of Ron Toussaint's ice shack to keep warm. We watched and waited and checked each trap after the flag would go up but each time only our bait was stolen. Later they filmed an otter on the ice shelf at the mouth of the river. Had it been stealing our bait, or was there a large brookie under the ice? We would never know for sure. For dinner Wayne prepared a traditional chicken stew and ployes. He expertly played the role of "chef" explaining the recipe, preparation tips, and tradition as he was filmed. I made a "depression era" chocolate cake from a recipe handed down by my great grandmother Effie. It contains no eggs or milk and is a delicious and moist cake recipe. Finally at 9:00 we sat down to enjoy our creations with our new friends. Dave shared stories of his adventures around the globe and many stories from closer to home. His mother was born in Eagle Lake and he now owns a camp on Portage Lake.

On the 23rd they filmed the ice road which connects the two sides of town in winter. It cuts a 45 minute trip down to 5 minutes! While venturing off the ice road Wayne broke through the snow and got stuck - Cliff and Dave enjoyed another adventure filming Wayne and Ron Toussaint as they unstuck the truck. Later Wayne, Cliff, and Dave met me at work and we drove over to Larry Murphy's "Valley View Kennels" so they could film Larry and his dog team. We have teamed up with Larry to offer dog sledding adventures and figured the show would give us both excellent exposure when the series aires. That night for dinner they filmed Wayne making his scrumptious rosemary roast pork loin, oven roasted Aroostook potatoes, and maple glazed carrots. I made an apple crisp for dessert. The next morning we bid Dave and Cliff well with their show and made plans for a reunion in the summer, with Eldon, Dave, and Larry along with their families.

On the 26th I attended an Aroostook County Tourism meeting and learned that we have mapped 1,100 miles of ATV trails! This is exciting and we're hopeful will put Aroostook County "on the map" bringing ATV riders in from far and wide.

The weekend of the 28th we exhibited at the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club's sportsman show. We always look forward to seeing friends old and new, especially after the show on Saturday when Lila and Carroll Ware and the Club host a social and dinner at the Northeastland Hotel. This year we had dinner with Yvan and his partner from Domaine Pipmuacan, a hunting and fishing lodge located on Lac Richard, 100 miles north of Chicoutimi , Quebec. Another thing we enjoy about going to and from the show is seeing the deer in Ashland and Portage. We counted more than two dozen each day during our commute. I also saw my first robin in Eagle Lake on Sunday morning. While we were at the show, Dave Kelso, a local friend, caught a 37", 17 lb. togue! He brough over pictures and video to show us on Tuesday.

We got another storm and 8" of snow on the 30th. We still have about 18" of snow on the ground although it is melting fast and at least two feet of ice on the lake. The last day of the month Rocky Bard (friend from Wallagrass) presented us with a gorgeous, handcrafted shelf with moose antler hooks for hanging coats and caps. He tells us he made the shelves all winter and is now giving them to family and friends. We were honored to be counted as a friend and proud to hang his shelf in the lodge.

March is like having a favorite uncle come to visit - the kind that makes us laugh with his antics. We look forward to his arrival, enjoy his visit, but by the time he leaves we are weary and glad to see him go... It rained all weekend and April showers are a good sign that warmer weather is on its way! By the end of April we will be counting the days (or hours!) until Eagle Lake is free of ice and we can begin welcoming our first spring fishermen!

The Best is Yet to Come

2009-03-08T18:32:00.000-04:00

Where have you been? Too cold for ya? As I re-read my January entry I realized all that talk of cold probably scared some of our winter friends away. Although it was cold in the lodge, our cabins are better insulated and are warm in winter. Only Wayne and I, in an old log lodge not at all "winterized", tough out the coldest days huddled near the woodstove. But we've gotten used to the cold and it is only when temperatures plunge well below zero that things get chilly indoors. That's why we always greet the arrival of February with open arms and welcome the warmer, longer days she brings. Early in the month I was very busy working at Paper Signs Ink, helping design and print brochures and banners for Joel Guimond's Track Down Kennels and Sean Lizotte's Allagash Guide Service. They headed down to Harrisburg, PA for a 10 day sportsman show. They returned with reports of lots of interest in our region. Scott Cyr (who helped us guide bear hunters in September) brought some friends over to ice fish on the 6th. While the fishing was slow they did hook on to several brook trout over the weekend. Between cooking at the nursing home and snow storms Wayne continued shoveling roofs. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI - my sister turned 46 in Colorado on the 10th. Wendy Beaulieu (Lewiston, ME) and a friend spent a long weekend with us, arriving on the 13th. Wendy was born in England where her dad had married and decided to raise a family after the war. Wendy moved to the States 17 years ago and decided to come to "The County" to see the land her father loved so much. They took a day-trip to Grand Isle, the town he grew up in. Wendy seemed to love the area too - I guess Aroostook blood runs in her veins too. Long-time guests Steve and Barb Ellis (Windham, ME) were back this year to snowmobile. The riding was excellent although Barb came down with a "bug" and rested in bed a few days. We enjoyed meeting a group of four couples who rode in from the Limestone area over the long Valentines/President's Day weekend. Larry and Tina Huckins, Larry and Gayle Rector, Laurin and Sandra Peers, and Craig & Christa. The ladies choose a destination every winter where they ride in on snowmobiles but don't have to cook. We were fortunate they chose Fish River Lodge this year. We had a great time meeting them and enjoyed their stories and good humor. To give you an idea of the humor we enjoyed, Larry Huckins wrote in the guest book "my wife ran over me with her sled this morning!" True story - apparently they hadn't gone 1/4 mile from home when Larry rolled his sled and right behind him came Tina, who drove right over him as he wallowed in the deep snow! Later in the ride her saddle bag popped open and she left a trail of underpants. No one was injured and they all made it here in one piece.

Throughout the month Wayne used the ice shack after work and caught lots of smelts. On the 21st we got to go ice fishing together. Wayne packed lunch and we decided to drive the truck out to the shack rather than take the snowmobiles. It was 15 degrees with gusty wind. We started up the ice road to the camp and had only gone about 1/2 mile when we were stopped by a stuck truck. It seems the ice road had turned to slush in several stretches along the road and the more it was driven over the worse it got. Coincidentally, the slush spots were in the same places some people had chosen to ice fish in the days before. Folks drive on to Eagle Lake from "away" and use their vehicles to keep warm while they fish. No problem, except they drill their ice fishing holes in and right next to the ice road. They enjoy a day of fishing, go home, and leave us with a ruined section of ice road as lake water floods up through their holes and soaks the surrounding area, turning snow to slush and ice road to mush. So, we returned to the lodge, packed our lunch in to the tote and took the sleds down to the shack. We caught smelts for bait and fished for brookies. By nightfall we had caught three brook trout, the largest 14". We helped Jim and Cheryl Jandreau move to their new house on the 22nd as a big storm rolled in. I enjoyed an unexpected day off on the 23rd when the storm hit. Steve called to tell me to stay off the roads and take it easy at home. No problem, although I didn't stay off the roads. I took Gracie and Allie for a ride through Quimby Village to see how much snow had fallen. It was an interesting trip - the road hadn't been plowed and there was about 8" of snow on it! Back at the lodge I stoked the woodstove and enjoyed the relaxed pace of the day, read some, and took care of Wayne while he was sick with that stomach bug.

Sometime in the night on the 25th Rita and Bill Whesler (Tofte, MN) and Jim VanHouton Alamogordo, NM) arrived. I saw straw from their dog truck in the parking lot on my way to work. We weren't expecting them until later in the day! They must have made good time driving out from Minnesota for the CanAm sled dog races. Rita is a perennial favorite for the race. She is the first woman to complete the grueling 250 race course, finished 2nd in 2007, 7th in 2008, and is expected to win it one of these years. Her mentor, Jim VanHouton, is a legend in his own right. He trained the winning 1966 Fur Rondy team driven by Joee Reddington and owned by US Army General Carver; he raced famed New England musher Doc Lombard in Alaska and beat him; was a friend of legendary Alaskan dog musher George Attla; and helped establish the 1st Iditarod by coordinating efforts with the US Army to assist in putting in trail and building bridges for the race. He is also a “retired” sled builder and built the sled Bill will drive in the 60 mile race. Wayne got them settled in cabin 3 and shoveled more roofs. After dinner Rita, Bill, and Jim came down to the lodge to visit. Rita presented us with a pair of beautiful pottery bowls decorated with moose.

With another mid-week day off on the 26th and nothing planned. Rita invited me to run dogs with her - an offer I couldn't turn down! It was Thursday before the race and Rita wanted to give the dogs a chance to "stretch" after their long ride and loosen their muscles before the race. We drove over to Lonesome Pines Ski Area to run the dogs on the Heritage Trail (a railroad bed turned multi-use trail). We got Bill's team on the trail first then proceeded to hook up all 12 of Rita's racing dogs. They barked and banged in their harnesses, anxious to get going. They were definitely the strongest team Rita's brought to Maine! About a mile from the ski slopes the dogs remembered where the trail came up from the route 161 crossing and surprised us by taking a quick "gee" turn and ending up in someone's back yard and on their woodpile before we could get them stopped in all the confusion! We had all we could do to turn them around and get them back on the trail - they wanted to run! The rest of the trip went well and we saw Jason Barron (Iditarod veteran from Montana) running his team; they looked good too. Being a former sled dog racer is like being a recovering addict! Racing gets in your blood and given an opportunity, I can't say "no" to the offer of a sled ride behind a team of dogs. I am definitely a recovering dog addict! That night we had dessert and a beer with Jim, Rita and Bill in their cabin and "talked dogs". We're all excited for race weekend, anticipating a good showing by Rita though none of us discussed it.

Friday before the race was MISERABLE! Temps warmed to 46 degrees and it rained. While the sun still shined I volunteered to wash windows outside at the print shop - any excuse to enjoy the warm temps, even if it was ruining all our good snow! It was 40 degrees when Wayne and I went to bed at midnight. We woke Saturday morning to a stiff breeze and temp of 20, by midnight it would drop to -11, a 50 degree temperature change in 24 hours! Everything that had been plowed was a sheet of ice! At the race start we helped Rita get her team ready - Jim had the stomach bug and was so sick he could hardly get out of the truck. Rita gave me the honor of riding her sled to the starting line as she helped lead the team, assisted by CanAm volunteers and an ATV attached to her sled to hold the dogs back. ...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...off they ran down Main Street in Fort Kent, taking the first of many steps down the 250 mile race trail. After packing the truck and wishing Jim well, we returned to the lodge. Jim headed to Lonesome Pines to wait for Bill to finish his 60 mile race. By 1:00 that afternoon we were loading our ATV and I hit the road, headed to Portage to help John Kalaeta and Gee Landry at the Portage check point. It is always a busy check point being the first one in the race. Teams are still relatively bunched up and somewhat running as a pack with only hours separating the first and last teams. This year it was a particularly busy check point. We had 9 teams parked before sun set and all of them in by 7:00 p.m.! By 8:00 p.m. we began guiding the first teams out, using our ATVs to control the speed of the teams and keeping them to a walking pace to the checkpoint exit. There they were counted down and released to run to Rocky Brook logging camps, the next check point roughly 50 miles away. I had a chance to visit with Rita after she fed her team and learned Bill placed 18th in his race after loosing his team and walking 5 miles to catch up to them! While he snacked them on the trail and was returning to the sled he stepped off the edge of the trail and went to his waist in snow! The dogs lunged, pulled the snow hook and off they went! At least Bill has an interesting story to tell of his first race! All teams were out of the Portage checkpoint by 1:00 a.m. except one. I was relieved of my duties but chose to stay and watch the CanAm video with other volunteers working the "late shift". When I got home at 2:30 the temperature had dropped to -11. We woke early the next morning to check race progress on the internet. Rita was expected at Maibec check point any minute! When she arrived she was proclaimed the race leader and projected winner! Calls came in to the lodge and we called friends in Minnesota to discuss the race and Rita’s progress. Bill came down to the lodge to check her progress and we shared the good news with him. Then we learned Jim had been admitted to the hospital. He'd become dehydrated and required 3 bags of IV fluids! He would be fine but they wanted to keep him for observation. Being in the hospital must be torture for Jim - he's a dog addict too!

Throughout the weekend we enjoyed visiting with four adventuresome ladies from The County who stayed with us for a mid-winter "get away". They shared stories of their travels around northern Maine camping and canoeing together. Karen Umphrey (trip leader and registered Maine guide) is from Masardis, Carole Wilson, Sharon Lester, and Debbie Adams are all from Presque Isle. Sunday night they invited me to cabin 1 for and extended Happy Hour. It started daily at 4:00 p.m. at the lodge, Sunday it spilled over to 6:00 p.m. The sporting camp business is mostly a man's world. I welcomed the opportunity to have some "girl time" and laugh and share stories with my new friends while Wayne played basketball - a Sunday evening ritual for him through the winter months.

The race continued through Sunday, the 1st of March and in to the wee hours of Monday morning. Rita departed the Allagash check point at 10:45 p.m. Sunday and ran through the night. Her team slowed and she ended up placing 3rd, just hours behind race winner Matt Carstens of Whitefield NH and Jason Barron of Montana. Rita was thrilled with her finish and knows what to do next year to improve. She has attained "elite musher" status and earned the respect of her fellow mushers, although we have known for a long time that she is capable of winning too! Monday night we celebrated at the lodge and then Tuesday night attended the awards banquet at Lonesome Pines. I always enjoy race weekend as it gives me an opportunity to renew friendships with fellow mushers. I've not raced dogs since 2003 when I finished the 250 then sold my team in 2004. But in my heart I will always be a dog musher. I am able to give back to the mushing community by coordinating our Eagle Lake race in January and volunteering at the CanAm. Someday, since I still own all my mushing gear - sleds, harnesses, ganglines, snow hooks, the works - I hope to have a team again, someday. If not for racing, for the sheer joy of running dogs! Rita, Bill, and Jim packed up, said "so long", and headed back to Minnesota Wednesday morning. We were sad to see them go but look forward to next year when they will return for another shot at winning the CanAm 250!

It's March 8th. Today Wayne and I took advantage of the unseasonable warmth and went snow shoeing. The phone is ringing when we return - we answer hoping the call is from snowmobilers, ice fishers, cross country skiers, or snowshoers looking for winter lodging. Dog mushers welcome too! Rather, the phone has been ringing a lot in the past few weeks with calls from spring fishermen and summer vacationers but that's okay too. I guess everyone has cabin fever and is looking forward to the longer, warmer days to come. But winter isn't over yet. Some of the best days of winter occur in March. Snowmobiling will continue in to April and the month of March offers excellent off-trail riding opportunities. We can ice fish on Eagle Lake right through the end of the month - imagine ice fishing with temps in the 40s, or snow shoeing and cross country skiing in your shirt sleeves! C'mon up - the best is yet to come!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2009-02-07T15:52:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We woke the first morning of 2009 with a wind chill of -30 and a "ground blizzard" blowing across the lake all day. A few hearty souls were out ice fishing. Wayne cooked at the nursing home; I stayed home and caught up on 4th quarter accounting. We celebrated our New Year quietly around the woodstove. On January 2, I began working exclusively for Steve Daigle at Paper Signs Ink. It is a print shop in Fort Kent. We produce everything from business cards and forms, to wedding invitations, banners of all sorts, booklets, brochures, vinyl signs, memorial candles and book marks, CD covers, and even photo reprints. Steve has begun teaching me the finer points of Adobe Photoshop - the design software he uses. In addition to FedEx shipping and helping maintain his accounts, I am now learning the art of design. I enjoy the challenge of learning new software and the creative outlet it provides. I'm finding my work fills the huge void left now that the lodge is not busy. The down-turn in the economy is really hurting those of us i the tourism industry this far north. If you think the economy is bad where you live, it is worse up here for sure. We had no overnight guests in January.

We hosted our last holiday dinner of the season on the 3rd when the Roy family joined us. Earlier in the day brought in the door to the ice shack so I could repaint and lettered it with Wayne's name - it is officially ours. After installing the freshly painted door we hauled our shack to the mouth of the Fish River on the 4th and set it up among our "neighbors", there are nine of us in the "Shack Village" now. Most of the snow on the lake had blown off so it was quite slippery as we worked to position the shack in just the right spot. We used ice blocks from the hole Wayne cut in the ice with his chain saw to build a wind break under the ice shack then we used our pack basket to haul snow from a drift and dump it around and on top of the ice blocks to keep the cold and wind from coming up through the hole in the floor. We fished for a few hours and caught about a dozen smelt. There was 18" of ice at the mouth of the river.

On the 9th we hosted a "Woodchuck Bash" and invited all who helped us bring in our wood. With lots of food, drink, laughter, stories, and card games we were up until 2:30 a.m.! We all obviously had a case of cabin fever and enjoyed the opportunity to get together, cut loose and have fun. Then the next night we hosted the ATV club for a pot luck supper and annual meeting. About 40 members came. First we celebrated a small vistory - the Town of Eagle Lake now allows ATVs on ALL town roads! That's right - you can ride throughout the community on your ATV to access trail heads and in-town services. We all agreed we must ride responsibly and monitor ourselves and others so we can retain this privilege. After our business meeting we all enjoyed sampling the variety of foods brought for supper.

I "undressed" the Christmas tree on the 12th while Wayne took Pat Deignan (St. Francis, ME) and Jim Lortz (NJ) ice fishing. I visited with Jim's wife Sandy until they returned just before dark. They left with a 17" brook trout. The tree stood naked in the dining room for several days until Wayne hauled it outdoors awaiting our annual tree-burning in February.

"Rush Hour" in Eagle Lake occurs around 6:30 a.m. as trucks and snowmachines head up the lake seeking the best ice fishing spots. Later in the morning, on my way to work I marvel at the new moose tracks left from the night before. Trails are draped across the hillsides like garlands, strung from one group of saplings to another, showing where moose have been feeding.

Off and on it snowed during January with each storm leaving 8-12". And the cold continued. For a week straight temps hovered at -10 and below with the coldest reading on the 16th when the thermometer dipped to -45 (I have a picture of a thermometer reading -45!) Many in town could not get an accurate reading as their thermometers only registered to -20! We learned how to tell the temperature outside by the amount of frost inside...when the nail heads on the wooden lodge doors frosted to a height of 2 feet or so it was around -20. When they frosted half way up the door or more the temp was -30 or below; the translation: 1 foot of frost for every 10 degree drop in temperature below zero. We woke to skim ice in the shower and dog water bowl in the kitchen several mornings. Our water froze and each morning we'd wake early enough to get it thawed for showers or laundry. The refrigerator was no colder, nor warmer, than the kitchen itself for a few days and the woodstove struggled to close the 90 degree gap between the the temperature outside (-35) and the temperature inside (55). At night the old lodge would bang and pop as the ground heaved with the deepening frost. Wayne and I slept on the futon in the living room where we could be nearer the woodstove. We contempleted building a temporary loft in the living room for our mattress and sleeping up there until spring. The cold just wouldn't break. I was so glad our sled dog race would be held the following weekend when we hoped temps would be milder.

Finally, the cold broke on the 19th. Its amazing how easily the lodge heats when outside temps are above 0! Sled dog race preparations continued...on the 22nd Wayne and I were hanging the 16' x 4' race banner - comical sight watching us struggle as it flapped in the breeze until it was secured - when we were approached by a friend requesting we try to call Mike Michaud on our MURS radio. Mike had been "missing" since 11 a.m. It was almost 9 p.m.! Since Mike has a history of malfunctioning vehicles while in the back country we became concerned. It was cold and windy with a windchill around 15 below. I tried Mike on the radio but got no response so we went over to check with his wife, Geneva. She told us Mike left the house with his snowmachine in the back of his truck and was assumed to have gone looking for moose antlers. While Mike is quite capable of taking care of himslef and getting out of any jam, we still worried. We told Geneva we would drive to Portage and try to call Mike on the radio from there, then it occured to us that Mike was probably sitting at Dean's in Portage enjoying a glass of wine! We all agreed we'd wait a bit longer before sending out a search party. At 9:30 our phone rang...it was Geneva...Mike was safely at home...he'd never been in any danger, he'd gone to his ice shack on the lake and didn't tell anyone!

We never got the loft built - we were too busy! With us both working "real jobs" and maintaining the lodge in winter, and me running the snowmobile club and orgainzing the Irving Woodlands Mad Bomber sled dog races, we were left with little if any time for ourselves. Wayne has shoveled the lodge roof three times already this winter - we've received about 100" of snow.

January 23rd - race weekend. I took the day off from work to run last minute errands for the race. I was able to stay on schedule right through the day. Roay Roalf, Buck, and Roger Fournier had worked all week putting in the 50 mile race trail to Moose Point Camps. Dick Devoe had organized work crews for the Friday night driver's dinner and Sunday awards breakfast, Mark Berube had his Search & Rescue teams trained, mushers were arriving in town with their teams, our sponsors were also in town and as they say, "the train was leaving the station." With all preparations behind us, the race and all its associated activities were about to begin! The sponsors enjoyed dinner at the Tamarack Inn while the ATV club hosted a public spaghetti supper at the elementary school with a driver's meeting following. After the meeting many of us went to a social at Tamarack Inn to meet the sponsors. Race day dawned sunny, windy, and chilly. The local Wesget Sipu blessed the teams with a drumming ceremony and prayer before the start of the race as many spectators gathered around. By noon all teams were on the trail. Wayne and I helped at route 11 - the only road crossing of the race. Then we drove our snowmobiles out to Hewes Brook Road to monitor the distance teams and make sure 30 mile race teams made the turn around to head back to Eagle Lake. From there we rode in to Moose Point Camps to await the arrival of the first teams. Brent Reynolds, the owner of Mad Bomber hats (one of our race sponsors) entertained us with stories of his adventures traveling the world and zanny excapades with boyhood freind Scott Reihl. Visit http://www.madbomber.com/ to read of Brent's exploits. Brent is a character - we all enjoyed sharing the evening at Moose Point with him. He also generously donated hats to each musher, and mittens and special leather Mad Bomber hats as prizes for the race. He outfitted the Drake sisters (all 6 of them!) with gorgeous white Mad Bomber Hats and bestowed on them the title "Mad Bomber Girls". We left Moose Point just ahead of the last team to leave the check point at 9:30 p.m., stopping along the way to visit with each Search & Rescue team. It was -20 and a long, cold ride back to Eagle Lake. We arrived just in time to see first place musher (and CanAm champion/Yukon Quest finisher) Martin Massicotte of St. Tite, Quebec cross the line with his strong team of Alaskan huskies. Visit http://www.eaglelake100.com/ for more information about the race...All teams finished by 4:30 a.m. - the earliest finish in the race's 5 year history! By the way. I too have a Mad Bomber hat. I wore it as I checked in finishing teams and was impressed with the warmth of the hat and the comfort of the rabbit fur lining. If you don't already have a Mad Bomber hat, get one!

Sunday morning was the awards breakfast. Before handing out trophies, prizes, and purse checks I did my best to recognize each and every volunteer who had helped make the race a huge success! We're already looking forward to next year and agreed ours is "The Biggest Little Sled Dog Race in America".

The cold returned on the 26th with temps plummeting to -35 and below. Oh, the cold is getting old! It only took 15 minutes to thaw pipes the morning of the 27th (versus 40 minutes the morning before!) On the 28th we woke to -15, by 2 p.m. it was zero and at nightfall it was a balmy 18 degrees. Warmer temps brought snow on 29th, we woke to 10" of fluff. Wayne bought a new snow scoop on the 30th to replace the broken ones. We were lucky to get it, one of only three remaining at Quigley's in Fort Kent. Joyce Jandreau drove to Presque Isle to buy a few necessities and a new snow scoop but Walmart and Lowes were all sold out. She did manage to get one (of five remaining from a shipment of eight) in Caribou. "Word on the street" is there are no shipments of snow scoops to northern Aroostook for the rest of the season. Bummer. Given how easily they break, someone could make a small fortune selling well constructed snow scoops in February and March! As the month came to a close friends came together again. On the 31st the guys got together to shovel each others roofs. It seems it was a big weekend for roof shoveling. Everyone we talked to the following week told of clearing snow from their roof too! While Wayne shoveled roofs I designed our summer brochure. I sure enjoyed reviewing photos we'd taken over the years of big fish, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, riding ATVs, camping, kids swimming, and all of us around the camp fire. That night we attended Geneva Michaud's 50th birthday party at the American Legion. On a cold January night we ate, drank, and were merry!

I'm glad January is behind us. I used to love winter, when I lived in southern Maine. Our first season in Eagle Lake I would excitedly ask when we'd get our first snowfall. Always the response was the same and spoken with dread..."Oh, it'll come." Now I understand. Maine winters are long and cold. Northern Maine winters are longer and colder. It makes us appreciate the warmer days of February even more. On my way to work the other day I listened to the weather radio and learned the average HIGH temperature for the month of January had been zero. Baby it's cold outside!

In a winter wonderland

2009-01-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

Our last clients of 2008 (Joe and Cindy Fitzpatrick, RI) left on December 6. Read "Oh Deer" for our adventures hunting big bucks the last few days of muzzleloader season... Since then our pace has slowed, a bit. Wayne is cooking for Northern Maine General and I too work part time for NMG, in an adult day program in the morning and for Steve Daigle (Paper Signs, Ink in Fort Kent) in the afternoon. Wayne and I meet back at the lodge in the evening around 6:30 for dinner and to return the day's calls and emails (which explains why it may take a few hours or a whole day for me to get back to you!) Shippeng FedEx packages for Steve, scanning photos for various Christmas printing projects, and putting together calendars kept me busy right through Christmas eve. When we're not "working" I'm helping organize the Irving Woodlands Mad Bomber 100 sled dog race (http://www.eaglelake100.com/) and doing my best to keep the Eagle Lake Winter Riders snowmobile club operating. We rely on volunteers to work on trails and run grooming equipment but the bulk of the work falls to a handful of individuals, all so we can enjoy safe and scenicly beautiful winter travel through the woodlands

It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't host annual company Christmas dinners. This year groups form Norstate Credit Union, Ricky Saucier's, and Chopper One (Raynold Blair) enjoyed the lodge and Wayne's excellent cooking for their gatherings. We hosted the Fish River Rural Health board's strategic planning meeting and dinner too. We take great pride in all the positive feedback we receive from guests visiting the lodge and dining with us - I don't know who gets more pleasure from dining at Fish River Lodge, our guests or us for hosting them!

On the 9th I picked out our Christmas tree, which was easy. It was the tallest one Bruce Dube had on the lot. That night Wayne strung lights on it as I set up other Christmas decor in the lodge then we both decorated the tree, which is only slightly smaller than the one at Rockefeller Center! It is all of 8 feet tall, perfectly shaped, and all lit up adds a festive glow to the dining room. On the 10th I woke to find it layed out across the floor. It seems "Trouble" (really is his name!) the lodge cat tried to climb the tree as we slept. The floor was littered with broken ornaments, all can be replaced, except the very special one that has hung at the top of every tree I've decorated...a blue-tinted glass bell ornament that once hung on my great grandfather Carl Smith's trees. Seeing that broken ornament broke my heart. I alerted Wayne to the mess he'd find when he got up and then I went to work with a heavy heart. Wayne righted the tree and redecorated it and securely fastened it with string to the wall so it would not topple over again.

The spirit of giving was strong at Fish River Lodge in December. I believe a bunch of elves fell off Santa's sleigh during a training run on December 12. I came home from work to find Grant Shook, Tony Dube and his tractor, Lucien Dube, and Cheryl and Jim Jandreau cutting and splitting wood with Wayne. They'd surprised him by organizing a work-day. What they didn't plan on was sleet and freezing rain that day but despite the miserable weather they turned out and made a HUGE dent in the 4 1/2 cords of wood piled on the hill. While some bucked up the 4 foot logs others split it on the wood spliter then loaded it in the bucket of Tony's tractor so Tony could deliver it to the lodge deck where he gently dumped it under the eves. With brief breaks to dry clothes and gloves, the crew worked steadily until dark. Jim, Tony, and Lucien returned on Saturday and were joined by Roy Roalf and son Buck. They finished off the pile by 12:30, just in time for me to return from Fort Kent with sandwiches and beer. We had a small celebration but planned a bigger "thank you" party for after the holidays.

Bill Beecher (TX bear hunter) surprised us with a very generous gift. He sent two Cuddyback trail cameras! Wayne and I have wanted to buy trail cameras but always our money gets spent on some other unexpected expense. Bill even included "bear proof" boxes! We can hardly wait to get them out to experiment photographing wildlife - THANK YOU Santa Bill!

On December 19th we hosted NMG day program participants at the lodge. Some halped make stew and ployes for lunch while others enjoyed our taxidermy, playing cards and board games, and making puzzles. They made me promise they could come back in the summer to swim and fish...I promised!

On the first day of winter, baby it was cold outside! Thermometers in Eagle Lake registered between -33 and -38! We woke to a COLD lodge and could see our breath in every room. Wayne and I stoked the woodstove and huddled around it drinking coffee until we could no longer see our breath then headed to Presque Isle to do our Christmas shopping. The truck started hard! Then, as we drove out to route 11 we wondered if the truck might fall apart! The seats were hard, the springs and shocks stiff, the chasis and frame rattled. All along Old Main Street and Route 11, all the way to Presque Isle, we saw dozens of vehicles with hoods up and jumper cables attached. It was a rough morning for anyone or anything to get started.

On Christmas eve Wayne and I played cards next to the woodstove until a light snow began falling. We put on our coats and boots and gloves and with Gracie and Alli bounding up the road ahead of us we walked to the public beach. Across the street from the beach we quietly enjoyed Rella Pelletier's lighted nativity and remembered why we celebrate Christmas, then we walked out on to the lake to play fetch with the dogs before returning to the warmth of the lodge.

Christmas morning the wind howled outside under unsettled skies but it was mild with temps topping out around 25 degrees. We liesurley enjoyed our coffee before opening gifts sent from Ed and Julie Dallas (MN). They sent us "Welcome to Fish River Lodge" pillow cases - Wayne and I will buy new bedspreads to compliment them and use them in cabin 3. In the Dallas package we also found moose and bear dice games, survival cards, and a donation toward our "thick balogna, bear bait, LP gas, firewood, winter fishing tackle, bird seed, new lodge pool table, beer fund". We made calls to thank them and wish family and friends a Merry Christmas. After breakfast we lost power due to the wind. Wayne spent much of the day shoveling the lodge roof while I got caught up on laundry and visited with Santa Bob Macomber - he brought over a load of homemade fudge and candies! At nightfall we packed our bags; after I got out of work on Friday we headed downstate to visit mom and dad, Miranda and Acadia, Kaitlyn, nana Pat and grandpa Armand. Ron and Mim Webber stopped by mom and dad's while we were there to pay us a visit! Our stay was way too short. I miss my family SO much, especially during the holidays! Waving so-long to grandpa brought a tear to my eye. He's 96 years old and I never know when my visit will be the last. But he sure looked handsome in his new forest green Fish River Lodge cap!

Throughout the month of December we've enjoyed several snowfalls and have received about 50" so far with 24" of hardpacked snow still on the ground. Every December I marvel at the beauty of the landscape here in northern Aroostook. Trees are often draped in fresh snow, the mountains wrapped in their own white blankets. Animal tracks ring the landscape like a string of pearls. On the coldest mornings everything near open water is covered in ice crystals. The snow and ice sparkle like a million diamonds! Never have I enjoyed such winter beauty as I have since moving to "The County".

As the month began to wind to a close, ice shacks lined up in formation at the public beach. Soon the procession will move in single file, escourted by snowmobiles and ATVs, to assemble loosly at the mouth of the river. The age-old tradition of ice fishing is long anticipated as soon as the first ice forms on the lake. This year we get to start January 1, two full weeks earlier than years past. Wayne and I bought our own ice shack, a Christmas present of sorts to each other. We're looking for an appropriate name for our tiny, but tidy, shack...I like "Hole-in-the-lake Lounge" Send us your ideas... The ice shack chess match begins on December 31 as they are jockeyed for position. When ice thickens at the mouth of Fish River shacks are "leapfrogged" closer and closer to the river currents..."Play-by-play" goes something like this...Lucien Dube boldly places his shack on the edge first, then Mike and Clayton make a gutsy move closer, and Ron Tousiant sneaks in a middle-of-a-weeknight surprise. Friday morning his shack perches closest to the advancing ice shelf!" The game goes on until the mouth of the river is buttoned up and stops all strategic shack shifting.

On the last day of the year, Wayne and I renewed our guide licenses, registered our snowmobiles, and bought our combination hunting and fishing licenses for 2009. With my wallet completely empty we'll call our licenses and registrations purchases a belated Christmas present AND birthday presents for 2009!

January will bring longer days for us to to enjoy this winter wonderland. We'll ice fish, snow shoe, and snowmobile, then lug wood, shovel and plow. We'll endure the coldest temperatures of the season and the most beautiful landscapes and count our blessings from 2008 and look forward to our hopes and dreams for 2009. HAPPY NEW YEAR from this Winter Wonderland!

Oh Deer!

2008-12-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

Opening day of resident firearms season for deer began November 1. After several calls from “well wishers” the night before, Wayne and I headed out while it was still dark. We drove over to Little Goddard Ridge to hunt a familiar piece of woods where we had found deer sign earlier in this fall. As the sun brightened the sky the wind picked up and blew gusts over 30 m.p.h. It was a miserable morning to hunt. Deer hunker down in the wind and the few we were hunting would have to be kicked out of bed if we were going to have any luck at all. Hunting an area of hundreds of acres when deer aren’t moving is futile so at 10:00 we met for coffee and resorted to plan B – scout other areas and maybe get a chance at a deer. We found two other promising areas off Beaver Brook Road and met Henry Jolly (Woodland, ME). Henry shot a 258 lb. 8 point buck last year in that area and we were hopeful when we found fresh sign of some does and bucks. We hunted behind the lodge the following week and found very little evidence of deer. The small herd that normally lives back there dwindled to just a few deer after last year’s tough winter. We decided to leave them be.

We put deer season on hold for a few days to re-shingle cabin 8. It took a couple of afternoons to complete since we both work through mid day. A day of rain delayed it’s completion but we had it all done before Mary Ann Bergeron and Eric Fancy (Addison, ME) arrived for a few days of late season grouse hunting. Mary Ann has been to Fish River Lodge before as an instructor for the Becoming an Outdoors Woman Fly Fishing Weekend. The rainy weekend they were here to hunt didn’t dampen their spirits. We enjoyed nightly visits with them during their stay. Mary Ann tied and brought with her some beautiful Gray Ghost streamer flies and Heather Es from and an old recipe. She presented them to Wayne to try next spring. Joe and Tony Fiala (brothers) and son-in-law Jeff Wagner (all from PA) arrived for a week of deer hunting before Mary Ann and Eric departed. Joe and Tony used to stay here when Fish River Lodge was named Camps of Acadia and Virgil and Jayne Bogard owned it. We were thrilled they returned and shared many stories of the good ol’ days of hunting deer in The County. Mike Saucier and Doug Wing (Caribou, ME) were in for a half week semi-guided hunt. By week’s end only a few deer had been seen but Mike and Doug had honed their deer hunting skills. Wayne, Mike, and Doug watched a huge buck cross the road as they were eating lunch one afternoon – with their mouths full of sandwich all they could do was watch as the buck tracked a doe Wayne had seen cross three hours earlier! The buck never looked up and ambled across the road and disappeared before they could get to their guns. Moral of the story: eat sandwiches outside the truck no matter how cold it is, with sandwich in one hand and gun in the other!

We received our first tracking snow on Veterans Day. We were all hopeful and try as we might to cut a fresh track, NONE were found in Pennington. Wayne cut a track off Beaver Brook Road but gave up after he found where two coyotes were in pursuit of the buck and had chased it all of 300 yards before Wayne quit tracking. Although there were no deer hung after two weeks of effort, we made many memories of the “one’s that got away” and shared many laughs and stories together. We had cabins to clean for our next week’s hunters on the 15th so we didn’t get out. The Jalbert family (MA) arrived first followed soon after by Charlie Sayers, Smitty, and Bob. Charlie brought us some of his apples - I'll turn them in to dessert later in the week! We got the arriving hunting parties settled in to their cabins just before the Bombara family arrived. Charlie Sayers and the Bombaras had hunted here many years ago too and have recently returned as loyal clients. The Jalberts also hunted here many years ago, this is their first year back since the Bogards turned over ownership. It seems Fish River Lodge had lost many loyal clients over the years after the name changed from Camps of Acadia. Finally, they are returning and that makes us feel very grateful, honored, and proud to have them back. The Jalberts are a family of hockey players, thus we watched the Bruins in the evening and got to know the family better (there were five generations of Jalberts staying with us passing along "the tradition"), we listened intently to their stories of the old days. The week presented tough conditions – more windy days than not with gusts of 25-35 m.p.h. for three days straight! Gloria Curtis (with her husband Nick were former owners of Crooked Tree Lodge; Gloria now cooks for Mike Brophy at Red River Camps) and Diane Chouinard (current cook at Crooked Tree) were our honored guests for dinner. Vinny, Sal, and John Bombara as well as the Sayer party used to hunt at Crooked Tree until Nick passed away and Gloria had to sell. Last year we started a tradition where Gloria and Diane join us and our hunters for dinner. It is a time to reminisce. This year Gloria and Diane brought dessert – cream puffs they’d made and they were scrumptious! They topped them with caramel and chocolate sauce. The conversation and dessert almost made up for the dismal week of hunting. Vinny and his brothers Sal and John, and nephew Matt are like family to Wayne and I. Each year it is as if “Uncle Vinny” has arrived with cousins Sal, John and Matt!

Rather than hunt, Wayne started bucking up and splitting the 5 cords of wood delivered on the 9th. Progress is slow after working all day and then coming home to bake desserts, bread, and cooking dinner before serving our guests in the evening. Not to worry though, we will pick away at it and get it cut and stacked in due time. Our hunters enjoy our efforts when they sit down to dine. Wayne cooks up delicious meals including Swiss stuffed chicken cutlets in white wine sauce, New England boiled dinner, chargrilled sirloin steak, rosemary encrusted roast pork loin, and his famous meatloaf and gravy. They enjoy my homemade desserts too! In the mean time we cut and split enough wood to keep the woodstove going and lodge toasty warm!

On the 26th it snowed about 6” before turning to sleet and freezing rain. The wind was wicked! We guessed this would be the snowfall that lasts until spring. Wayne made good progress on the wood pile Thanksgiving week. Miranda, Acadia, and friend Dave McLaughlin (Topsham, ME) joined us for the Thanksgiving holiday. Wayne hunted in the morning. Acadia and I baked pies and we all pitched in to prepare the big feast in the afternoon. We made cranberry sauce from the berries sent out from Minnesota by Ed and Julie Dallas. A funny turkey story…I didn’t have time to shop until Wednesday afternoon. All I could find were frozen turkeys – the label says 3-4 DAYS to thaw! I need mine thawed TOMORROW! I left it on the counter for an hour while I put away groceries and got Miranda, Acadia and Dave settled in "Guide Camp" then we soaked it in the sink in cold water until bed time. We stored it in the refrigerator until noon on Thursday, then ran cold water on it until 1:30 when it went in the oven in time to cook for dinner at 6:00. I hadn’t read the cranberry sauce recipe before preparing it. Another funny story…the sauce had to chill for 8 HOURS after cooking to set! We would be serving in less than 3 hours! We put the cooked berries in a large bowl in the freezer and stirred it every 15 minutes or so and, like the turkey, it was done just in time to serve! Tyler Gagnon, Grant Shook, Paula Pelletier, and Tristan joined the rest of us for dinner. Acadia had us all making snowflakes out of coffee filters. Every one who visited the lodge over Thanksgiving now has their own snowflake hanging in the dining room.

The last day of firearms season fell on the 29th. Wayne and I left our Thanksgiving guests to spend the day on their own. We were hopeful the ½ inch of fresh snow and calm air would present at least one of us an opportunity for a deer. After trying to cut a track on the branch road we were hunting, and finding none, we sat watching crossings all morning, from dawn until late afternoon. Nothing. We were surprised and disappointed to have nothing cross in front of us. Back at the lodge we made turkey stew and ploys for dinner then Miranda, Acadia, Dave, and I headed to Fort Kent for the annual tree-lighting and visit from Santa. Acadia thinks Santa lives in Fort Kent! For the past four years we have had snow on the ground for this event. It really gets us in the Christmas spirit watching children play in the snow while carols play on the PA system until the tall fir tree outside the town library is lit. Children gather around the tree and gaze wide-eyed at the colorful lights until sirens announce the arrival and Santa and Mrs. Claus on the town fire truck! Children line up for a visit with Santa and each are given a small gift. The sights and sounds fill hearts with joy!

Saturday before muzzle loader season opened Joe and Cindy Fitzpatrick returned for their second year of hunting with us. Joe hunts, Cindy loves the snow. She faithfully trudges along with him each day he hunts. They are a delightful couple and enjoyed dinner in the lodge each night of their week-long stay. We got to hunt with them Friday, the next to last day of muzzle loader season.

We woke to snow that accumulated about 2 inches. A stiff breeze blew all day and the temperature was a chilly 20 degrees. Joe and Cindy went in the woods to hunt. Wayne sat in his tree stand and I sat on my stool (built by Darren Page, Dexter, ME). I love the stool! Darren designed it for the still-hunter. It has a built-in pack for sandwiches, a drink, and miscellaneous hunting gear. It folds open and has a comfortable cushioned seat attached. It has a shoulder harness and can be worn on your back while walking and then taken off and unfolded to sit on. I set up next to a fir tree along side the road overlooking a crossing at 35 yards and another crossing at 70 yards. I’d sat about 2 hours and was nearly frozen trying to keep my fingers warm and control my shivers. I was contemplating getting up to take a walk when I heard a faint grunt which caught my attention. Moments later I hear a rustle and looked up just as a buck poked his head beyond the small firs lining the road in front of me. All I could see was his head and neck, he dared not proceed beyond the ditch. As he stepped in to the ditch he looked down wind, right at me. I didn’t move and hoped I blended in well enough behind the fir to conceal my identity. The buck was tense and continued to stare, trying to figure out the shape behind the tree he’d passed so many times. Rather than raising the gun and surely spooking him, I waited, long enough to count his points (8), admire his handsome face with the white-ringed eyes, and his tawny neck with the large, white throat patch. I tried to relax my muscles and control my breathing. I waited and watched, hoping he too would relax and step out or look away. He didn’t. He pushed himself backward out of the ditch and disappeared. I heard him wheel around and that was it. Knowing he would move down-wind of me I turned to face the opposite direction, hoping he wanted to cross the road badly enough to make a move below where I now stood. I heard him blow. I was busted! Since he busted me I figured he would work back in to the wind so I grabbed my stool and hoofed up the road about ¼ mile and set up on a knoll at the edge of the road down wind of another crossing. At 10:00 Jim Dumond, a friend from Portage, drove in. I told him what happened earlier and he graciously backed up, turned his truck around and drove out. At 11:30 I was froze again and walked back to the truck to tell Wayne my story. After eating lunch and warming up I went in the woods to track the buck, thinking he may have bedded down and my only hope would be to jump him out of his bed. He did just what I expected, including working back in to the wind. I jumped him and another deer out of a ticket. I didn’t get a shot but I learned a bit about him. I went back out to the road side and sat until dark. We met Joe and Cindy at home and quickly prepared dinner for them. After dinner we said “so long until next year” – they will leave in the morning and we will be hunting.

The last day of muzzle loader deer season was even chillier, 15 degrees, but thankfully no wind. We went right back in to hunt the same area. We saw where deer had crossed out of the piece they were in yesterday afternoon so I sat hoping to catch them coming back in. Fifteen minutes after I sat down I heard a buck grunt. The sound came from not 50 yards across the road and in to the woods from where I sat! Knowing Wayne was on foot, I wondered why he would walk in my direction but I figured the grunts were his quirky way of saying “good morning” as he passed by. I just shook my head. I sat shivering until 8:30 and looked longingly at a little mound across the road from where I sat. The sun was shining on it, it was surrounded by a few small firs and saplings…rather than shivering in the shadows behind a frosted fir I chose to move across the road to enjoy a little warmth from the sun. But before setting up I had to satisfy my curiosity from earlier. Was it Wayne, or was it a buck that had grunted? I found where a buck walked in a skidder trail toward the road, stopped, then turned and went back the way he came. I didn’t find any Wayne prints. I figure the buck heard my foot steps squeaking in the cold snow as I came up the road. He stopped, listened, then social grunted and after getting no response, turned and went away. I should have grunted or bleated back! I heard a distant shot at 10:00 but that was it. I met Wayne at the truck for lunch at 11:30 and told him of the shot I heard. We decided to drive in that direction as we warmed up to see if there was a hunter needing help hauling or loading a deer. We found no vehicles or evidence a deer had been dragged out so we headed back for our afternoon hunt. Just as we turned in the branch road Wayne spotted a deer at the crossing I sat on yesterday! I got out of the truck, tucked a cap in my muzzle loader and snuck in front of the truck, sat down, steadied the cross-hairs on the bucks shoulder and squeezed…the gun “popped” and fizzled but didn’t fire! I got up to take Wayne’s gun but the buck turned and went back in. We were dumbfounded! The powder must have had moisture in it! We drove on and there he was again! He’d run up the hill and crossed on the rise! I went in and tracked him through and over and under some hellaciously thick stuff not fit for man or beast! Off the road about 200 yards I heard a deer break and run. I didn’t see it but I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face either! I let him go. Everything happens for a reason…I had two chances on the same buck in two days. I guess the reason I was not to take that buck was he had business to attend to. He had a few more does to breed and some growing to do before next fall. I made a date to meet him at the same crossing next year!

Deer season ended yesterday. Wayne and I are completely beat. We’ve been hosting hunters since the end of August and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. We’ve forged wonderful friendships with our clients, witnessed some beautiful moments in the woods, and created some amazing memories. As darkness and snow fall outside my window this afternoon it is like the stage lights are being dimmed. Another hunting season comes to a close, the curtain drops - the lake froze over last night. Winter is nearly upon us. The remaining month of December is a time for celebration. We’ll decorate the lodge for Christmas, host a few dinner parties, and get caught up on all that has gone undone since hunting season began. Then, like black bears, we will do our best to slow our pace, sleep more, and endure another long winter. Until I write again Wayne and I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas! May the beauty of nature and spirit of Christmas bring you joy that lasts throughout the New Year! …and may your days be merry and bright…

Of Moose and Grouse

2008-11-03T17:36:00.000-05:00

Bear season was behind us as we quickly turned our attention to moose. While Bill and Kathy Bernier (Bradley, ME) were wrapping up their two-week vacation, Kathy helped us “turn cabins over” in anticipation of our soon-to-arrive moose hunters. We had a brief visit with my daughter Miranda, and grand-daughter Acadia at the end of bear season. Miranda sighted in my trusty .30-.30 before her one night sit over a bait; she didn’t see a bear but looks forward to putting in more time next year. Acadia and I scouted moose and found several cows as the sun was setting. Emery Deabay (Bucksport, ME) and friends got in some late-season fishing.

Friday before the moose hunt (September 19th) Wayne and I drove over to zone 5 for one last look. A very large bull left foot prints for us to find, confirming “plan A” for the Webber party opening day. Saturday We had a surprise visit from long-time friend Vlad Vladimiroff (former owner of Bulldog Camps) and Jack McDonald (who I hadn’t seen since high school!). As we visited I realized it was probably all those wonderful memories of time spent at Bulldog that planted the seed of owning sporting camps in my head. The Philbrick party (Thorndike, ME) were our first moose hunters to check in on Saturday. Jack and Helen Ruby (Bowdoinham, ME) surprised us with a visit on their way to Allagash on Sunday morning. They presented us with a “conversation piece” – an old leather shotgun shell belt once belonging to Slovakian rum-runner George Soloski of Lisbon, ME. The belt was complete with an assortment of old and colorful cardboard shotgun shells. We hung it proudly in the lodge. Jack and Helen hunted moose with us in 2005 and had a zone 1 permit this year. Ron and Mim Webber (Cundy’s Harbor, ME) arrived with their son Duane, grand-son Tom, and friends Henry and Colby Barnes. Colby successfully hunted a cow moose with us last year. The John Sibley party (Bradley, ME) and Burgess party (Hermon, ME) were all in camp by Sunday afternoon.

Ron and Mim and “the boys” joined me in the lodge Sunday night to review “plan A” for Monday morning. Wayne would be guiding brothers Gene and Earl Burgess under the watchful eye of Earl’s son-in-law Doug Bean. We were still waiting for Mark Power to arrive for his hunt. He was drawn from the alternate list at the last minute and didn’t arrive until Monday night.

With introductions complete, let’s go moose hunting!

Wayne and I were up early, as we are every morning of “moose week”, to cook breakfast and pack lunches for our hunters. The morning was PERFECT! The air was crisp and calm. Predawn stars twinkled and frost glazed the landscape as we headed out of camp. We raced south to Ashland to beat the crowds at the 6 mile gate. On the way in I passed, then met at the gate house, an old friend from my time at Bowdoin…Art Korandanis! He had a zone 5 permit too. We wished each other well and as I exited the gate house I realized we were lucky to be the first in the group to check in. By the time we were back on the dusty road there were at least six other vehicles behind us waiting to get through the gate! We were right on schedule, ahead of rush hour traffic. My heart sank when we turned down the pre-selected branch road to hunt only to find a pick-up truck parked in the middle of the road and a bunch of hunters walking up the road well ahead of the vehicle. Expecting the worse (they were blocking the road), I waited. One very kind gentleman returned to tell us his 12 year old grand-son had a bull permit and they’d just seen two young bulls in the road. They were hoping for a shot. I told them of my plans and asked if, when the scenario played out, I might pass them and get quickly in to place at the end of the branch road and minimize any interruption to their hunt and mine. It was exciting watching in anticipation as their hunt unfolded. It was soon clear the young bulls got away, but there were many more days and moose ahead. The sky was quickly brightening. We parked the truck and Mim loaded her .30-.06. We walked up the road and in to the clear cut where I planned to call. We were located on a slight rise overlooking the cut with the road behind us and rising sun on our right shoulder. Foliage was peak – the glow of the rising sun on the mountains in the distance and frosty leaves around us provided a picturesque backdrop for what would unfold. It was chilly standing on that knoll. I shared my fingerless mittens with Ron as the sun drove the night’s cold down on us. Between making occasional calls and listening for a response we shivered and waited…after 40 minutes of calling with no reply my mind toyed with turning to “plan B” but I hated to leave the area with such a nice bull hanging around. Then a very faint “uuurf”, and another, and…we had a bull coming! Ron and Mim could hear him coming too. As he neared the cut he walked straight toward the sound of my call which brought him to the edge of the cut, directly across from us. The woods he stood in were thick with a tangle of firs, nearly impenetrable to a bull moose. As predicted, he turned down wind of us and moved through the trees. We had not yet seen him but his calls marked his location and movement. I figured he would appear from a peninsula of birches where the woods opened up a bit and he could work from down wind about 180 yards below us. Mim saw him first. I asked “Is he a good one?” She said “yes, he’s a good one.” Then I saw him. He wasn’t the big one I hoped to call but he was a good moose. I asked her if she would like to enjoy watching this one and try for another later. She decided this was the bull she wanted. I called again and he came right toward us, our breath rising. He stopped and looked, trying to discern the shapes on the knoll, to him we were moose. He continued toward us and once stopped to thrash some maple saplings. He kept coming. I told Mim, “If this is the moose you want take a shot when you’re ready.” She whispered, “I’m shaking too much to shoot.” I reassured her that she had time to settle down and to enjoy the moment, take a deep breath, and then take the shot when it presented. With the moose now 70 yards away and closing in on us she fired a single shot with her .30-.06 that dropped the bull in his tracks. We watched his breath rise from the raspberry bushes that hid his body. At about 7:20 a.m. on opening day Mim’s moose hunt was over. She was SO excited! The hunt had been picture perfect. In our minds it plays like a scripted piece of cinematography. Although the hunt unfolded “dream-like”, it was real and we had witnessed and enjoyed the moment, the memory now already etched in our brains. With her rifle ready in case he should get up and run, we approached the moose. Ron placed the coup de grace as we stood over the bull. I made an offering to the moose, thanking him for all his gifts –the nourishment he would provide, the memory of the hunt, and time shared with friends. We expected “the boys” to arrive at any moment, figuring they’d heard Mim’s shot, then Ron’s. We began walking back up to the road to meet them but they didn’t come. Back at my truck we radioed them and learned they’d missed a turn in the early morning darkness but were on their way toward us. We met them and showed them the way to Mim’s bull. With Henry rigging lines and blocks, Duane insisted on gutting his mother’s moose – I obliged. Tom and Colby captured the event in pictures. By 9:30 we had the bull loaded on my truck and were headed to the tagging station in Ashland. Arriving at Gate-Way Market confirmed what those who have hunted moose already know…it is an “event”. There were spectators, news crews, other hunters and guides, trucks pulling in and out from under the scales. There was a certain festive feel as we milled around sharing our stories and admiring some of the largest racks as they came in. Mim’s moose weighed 763 lbs. with a 44” spread and 9 points. Compared to the others, it was a respectable moose and sure to be excellent table fare. We dropped the moose off with Windham Butchers in Ashland for cutting and headed back to the lodge, wondering what kind of morning Wayne and his hunters had. Meanwhile, Duane, Tom, Colby and I took a drive over to the state property across the lake to look for bear. Duane hunted while I took Tom and Colby for a drive on the woods roads looking for game. I did my best to set a good example and promised I wouldn’t get Duane’s big red Dodge pick up stuck. Henry was cooking dinner when we got home. Wayne arrived soon after; we had our own hungry hunters to feed. Wayne gave me a run-down of his day…to start, he was calling in a bull when a truck load of cow hunters drove in to ask if they’d seen anything and spooked the bull they were calling! They moved to another location and called in a small bull but couldn’t get him to step in to view for a good shot. You see Gene was hunting with a traditional Hawken .50 cal. shooting “punkin’ balls”. Wayne had to get the bull inside 50 yards for a clean kill shot. It would be a challenge but Wayne was up for it. The Sibley party called to say they got a bull that morning, similar in size to Mim’s.

Tuesday Wayne and his party were up and out of camp early; another frosty morning, perfect for hunting moose. I got “the boys” out of bed to go call moose. We ended up talking to a bull that answered our call but was trailing a cow. He wouldn’t leave her so we never got a look at him. On our way back to the lodge we passed Ron and Mim headed south. The boys loaded their gear and were on the road soon after. Their departure was bittersweet. They are more like family than friends. I relish the time spent together and am always sad to see them go, but we all shared the excitement of Mim’s hunt and the memories created along the way. No more moose today.

Wednesday brought milder temps with a high of 70 degrees. Fall foliage was peak. I spent the morning cleaning cabins. Wayne’s party hunted a 2 mile branch road in the evening, calling all the way. I scouted and found two different large bulls while they were out, still no moose.

Thursday morning Wayne, Gene, Earl, and Doug were back trying to call one of those large bulls. As morning temps rose and they decided to quit and walk out to the truck, two loggers stopped to tell them they’d just seen a large bull cross the road! They went back in to call but the bull never came. That evening the Philbrick and Power parties were down to the lodge. Things had gotten pretty quiet after Tuesday, few were seeing moose. At this point the thrill and excitement of moose hunting begins to fade. Hunters arrive full of anticipation but as the week wears on the enjoyment of the hunt becomes more like work. They start wondering if they will become a statistic, one of the 25% or so that go home with an empty tag. To be honest, getting up at 3:30, hunting all day, eating dinner at 9:00, and doing it all again and again is exhausting. The guide becomes “coach” and works to keep his sports “in the game”, maintaining their enthusiasm. Another warm day challenged our hunters.

Friday brought another mild day. The Philbrick party got a small bull in the morning. They were happy to have found success and were ready to go home after a week of hard hunting. Wayne’s clients and Mark Power still had unfilled tags. The clock was ticking, time was running out. This was Gene’s fourth moose hunt and he’d yet to fill a tag. He was feeling rather unlucky. But, Wayne and I have learned we NEVER give up and that everything happens for a reason (although the “reason” is not always clear). Dinner was quiet but our hopes were high that tomorrow would be “the day” and Gene’s luck would change.

We woke to rain Saturday morning with mild temps; miserable weather for hunting moose. Wayne and I decided to “double team” ‘em. We resorted to road hunting at day break. Wayne and Gene, Earl, and Dean loaded in one truck; me in another. With our radios we could keep in close communication as we checked each branch road, leap-frogging our way cross country. At times I would stop and call and around 11:00 I got a response. I ran back to the truck, radioed Wayne and he brought Gene down. We stood in the rain calling and listening to a reply but it turned out to be just another bull trailing a cow – he just wouldn’t leave her. We had lunch and it was obvious we were all feeling a little defeated. Wayne had tried everything he could think of all week and time was slipping away. We drove back toward Eagle Lake and had one or two other locations to try before dark and the end of Gene’s hunt…I put my medicine bag around my neck and asked for a moose for Gene. At 78 years of age and after three other unsuccessful moose hunts, he deserved to take one with his trusty Hawken. We drove on… As we crowned a hill on Blackstone, I couldn’t believe what stood in the valley. The dark form might be our sacrificial moose. It was too far away to tell for sure if it was a bull or cow. I watched as Wayne pulled over, got out with his binoculars and confirmed antlers. He motioned for Gene and instructed him to follow directly behind. They walked slowly down the hill, grunting to the bull. The bull turned and began walking up the hill toward them, closing the distance from over 150 yds, to more than 100 yds, then 70, 50, Wayne knelt down and later told us that he asked Gene to take the shot. Gene wanted the moose closer, Wayne grunted again, the moose walked stiff legged, rocking his head from side to side. I was starting to think this would all end in self defense! At 30 yards Gene fired his .50 cal. “punkin’ ball” and the moose fell. It was 3:00 p.m. and shouts of relief and jubilation filled the muggy air. Dean turned toward us with a very wide grin. We all joined together to admire the moose and I quietly gave my thanks to this beautiful bull who had given himself to a very grateful hunter. The 41” rack with 14 points was impressive to those of us who watched Gene and his traditional muzzle loader end his 6-day hunt. Back at the lodge that night we enjoyed Earl’s “Moose Gitin’ Pie” (an apple pie baked especially to celebrate a successful hunt – I asked Earl what they would have done with the pie if they’d not gotten a moose. Earl replied. “We would have eaten it alone in the cabin.”)

More rain Sunday, which means its skinning day – it always seems to rain when we have a deer or moose hanging on the game pole to be skinned. We delivered the skinned moose to Jim Albert in Fort Kent for cutting. Gene, Earl, and Dean will return to pick up the meat after we’ve frozen it for them. We said “so long” to our new friends. They will return in the spring. Their hope had been to get the moose early in the week and spend the rest of their time fishing for salmon and trout. But everything happens for a reason and we think this time it was because Gene and Earl deserve another trip for some fantastic spring fishing!

With two weeks between moose hunts we had some work to do! We spent the rest of the next week cleaning cabins, doing laundry, and making beds. Wayne and Grant shingled the roof on cabin 3. Where did September go?

Kelly and Aaron Landry joined us for a week of grouse and duck hunting. Aaron did quite well “collecting” an assortment of duck species. Dave and Mary Kressner (So. West Harbor) spent a few days with us and shared a bottle of their home made “Quiet Side” merlot. We enjoyed their company and hope they return for another stay. Lou Gagnon (Henniker, NH) and Brian Boucher (Hubbardston, MA) came up to hunt grouse for a few days – come to find out, our Alli descends from Lou's line of GSPs. Russ and Carole Dyer (Bowdoinham, ME) with their setters and Barb and Cary Haupt (Tenants Harbor, ME) with their cockers made their annual trip north to hunt grouse. Linda and Wayne Testa (CT) paid us a visit. They used to stay here years ago – we hope they will return for a summer vacation next season. Vicky Foster (Brimfield, MA) brought friends Sally and Mark Snyder (Salem, CT) and Mike and Sue O’Donnell (Stafford Springs, CT) up for a week of bird hunting. They hunted over griffons and GSPs. We’ve had quite an assortment of bird dogs hunting our northern Maine coverts! Birds have been spotty and we’ve found few woodcock. Some days you find good numbers of birds and other days not so much. But always we enjoy working our dogs on grouse!

Scott Cyr loaned us his trophy mounts to display in the lodge until he gets settled in his new home. We hung them in the dining room, on “Scott Cyr’s Wall-of-Fame”. Stop by and see his beautiful 55” bull moose rack!

One morning we woke to find a bull moose “chasing” a cow across the lake! At times his entire head was underwater! This got us excited for the start of the second week of moose hunting which began October 13. Malcolm Charles (Rome, ME) was up to hunt with his three sons and their friends. Deanna and Steve Brown were also up to hunt moose with their daughters Nicole and Megan. Steve showed up with a bad back and after Monday morning’s hunt he ended up in the emergency room in Fort Kent with a ruptured disc. The family went home late Monday night and never really got to hunt. The good news is their cow permit will be reissued for 2009 and they will return next year. Malcolm’s hunt lasted through Wednesday. They enjoyed a very exciting hunt and were extended invitations by locals who wanted them to hunt moose in their fields! We woke to rain on the 16th, moose skinning day! Wayne helped Malc and Co. skin their moose and bring it to Jim Albert for cutting. They dropped the moose off around 8:30 and had it back here in Malc’s freezer before I got home from work at 1:00!

More cabin cleaning, Wayne hauled up our docks and the boats. We managed to squeeze in some bird hunting and have been lucky to bring home at least two grouse each time we hunt. We’ve enjoyed grouse alfredo, sautéed grouse, and grouse pizza (pizza dough topped with barbecue sauce, sautéed grouse, green peppers and onions, and topped with pizza cheese – YUM!) One day I got my chores done by 11:00 and headed out with Gracie and Alli (our German shorthaired pointers) to “go get dinner” is what I told Wayne. It was a slow day of hunting, sort of. It would have been more productive if my shooting had been better. Anyway, I missed 5 birds in one covert but picked up a bag of “new” potatoes left in a farm field after a recent harvest. It was 2:30 and I should have had dinner by then, but I didn’t – I only had potatoes and I still needed grouse. On to another covert, and another, and finally, just before dark I had two birds! I was determined to come home with dinner and I did!

We’ve gotten out on a couple ATV rides. One ride took us to Second Wallagrass Lake and a stand of cedar trees where Mike Michaud showed us the 7th largest tree in Maine – an ancient cedar with a girth measured by four of us standing finger tip to finger tip to get our arms around it! The cedar is old, its bark peeling and many braches twisted. It is not very tall and is slowly dying. I am glad to have stood in its shadow. The hardwoods have been naked for a month now, only beech leaves shiver in the crisp breezes. We got our first snow on the 22nd and have had many frosts before and since. Sun rises are always colorful this time of year. I enjoy watching the sun peak over Pennington Mountain and the geese fly down from the river each morning. We made a batch of moose jerky from left over meat scraps. There's nothing better to carry while deer hunting!

The month ends as we looked forward to another “opening day” – this time it is November and deer season! Carole Dyer sent me Leon Gorman's book _L.L Bean, an American Icon_; I'm anxious to start reading it when things settle down and I can relax next to the wood stove. Ed Dallas called from Minnesota, Shawn Pelletier called from Washington, and Duane Webber called from “some where” on I95 on his way to Dixmont – all called to wish us luck on the last day of the month, the day before deer season starts.. We’ll need it. The deer herd took a beating last winter and spring. We’ve found little sign and where there were good numbers of deer to hunt last year we are now finding evidence of only a few.

Looking ahead to another hard winter and back at that old cedar I am reminded of a quote from Douglas Wood’s book _Things Trees Know_: “Sometimes all there is to do is endure.”

Bear Season

2008-09-14T19:25:00.000-04:00

There was a theme to the first week of bear season but we didn't realize it until mid week...Bob Watkins (Millbury, MA), Stephen Mudgett (Lancaster, MA), and Scott LeBlanc (Baldwinville, MA) joined Rod Lebrecque and Mary for the first week of bear season; all were in camp for introductions and orientation on Sunday. We enjoyed a lobster dinner on the lodge deck as the sun set - yup sun! The sun returned and we took full advantage! Bill and Laura Carlson were also here for a long weekend - normally they hunt the first week of bear with Eldon Jandruea; this year they will return the 3rd week to hunt with Eldon. They made the trip from Epping, NH, to visit with the hunters they'd gotten to know over the years at Eldon's in Portage. We were glad to have the opportunity to meet them!

A full moon, warm temperatures and a bumper raspberry crop combined to make bear hunting over bait a challenge this year. As much as we welcomed summer-like weather we'd rather cooler temperatures, it is hunting season after all. August 25th, opening day jitters...Wayne and I gathered together our gear after some tense moments looking for a few misplaced items. Wayne got a boiled dinner ready in crock pots in anticipation of a late night. I baked cookies and peach cobbler. We had every one in their stands by 3:00 and all the baits had been licked clean! We began the long wait...darkeness fell and no bears. Wayne did see a juvenile cross the road as he hid in the bushes. As legal shooting ended the score was Bears 4, Hunters 0.

Day two was much like day one...I ran baits in the morning to the sites we weren't hunting, did more baking, and Wayne got dinner prepped before heading out to hunt. Bears 4, Hunters 0.

Day three lunch was interupted when Alli paraded through the dining room reeking of skunk! All morning she'd been trying to root "something" out from under the shed, now we know it was a skunk! She was quickly herded back out doors. On the way in to hunt we met Warden Jeff Spencer coming out of the woods. He was releasing a nuisance skunk - what is it with skunks today?! We dropped off our hunters and waited, and waited, and as darkenss fell I realized we'd truly been SKUNKED! Three nights in a row and no bear! Tomorrow we'll try Plan B. To add insult to injury, when we got back to the lodge for dinner the yard reeked of skunk - yeah, we got the joke - we're getting skunked, bad!

Day four we tried something different. If the bears were feeding after dark then MAYBE we could catch them on the baits later in the morning. I took Scott and Stephen out to their sites across the lake, but nothing, although the baits had been hit hard. Tonight we'll change stands and move to Pennington...First I had to get Bob to his new site early to set up his "clamp-on" stand so he could get in range for his long bow. His hunt began at 3:30. I watched a cow moose graze in and out of the edge of the road while I waited. Wayne radioed me at 7:15, Scott had shot at a bear! He was hunting with a bow but had shot with the .357? I can hardly wait to hear THAT story! Wayne was going in to look for the bear...at dark I drove in to wait for Bob but he didn't come out. I walked in to get him. At orientation he'd made it clear he would not get out of his tree stand if there was a bear at the site. As I approached all was eerily quiet. I entered the site and spoke "Bob." No answer. Bob's hard of hearing, but then again, maaybe he'd fallen out of his tree stand! I didn't bring a flash light fully expecting to meet Bob walking out. Now I was faced with looking for a dead guy in the dark who'd fallen out of his stand or walking back to the truck for a flash light. My heart quickened..."Bob?" I saw his headlamp come on. Relief..Fortunately it was only that a bear had come in right at dark and he'd waited in the tree so as not to spook it. We picked up Stephen and hurried back to the lodge to wait for Wayne to return with the others, hopeful Scott had shot a bear. On the way out Wayne radioed that Rod had a bear down and they'd loaded it in the truck and were coming out. Mary had been in the stand with Rod and got to experience it all. Next year SHE wants to hunt - we welcome another hunter to the fold. I inquired about Scott's bear - we were told we had to wait for Scott to tell the story at dinner... Apparently a large boar approached the bait site via a little used trail next to the ground blind. Scott saw the bear coming but had no idea it was approaching the bait and would be arriving first next to his blind. Scott panicked and grabbed the .357. He drew down on the bear as it "charged" him and in the excitement fired a round at about 6 feet that completely missed the bear. Scott is proficient with a bow, not so with a handgun. We'll call it a warning shot and not a miss. Tonight bears 1, Hunters 1 for 3. Stephen had been eluded again buth the others had all had encounters with bear, some had close encounters with bear!

Thursday night Stephen got a bear. I met him at the pick-up point and as he approached the truck he asked us to help load his bear. We thought he was joking. "No, really, I got a bear." Stephen replied as he walked to the edge of the road and pulled a bear in to view! He said "the bear came to the site, I shot, it ran off, I got out of my stand and grabbed it by the foot and pulled it out." I asked, "How far did it run?" Since we instruct our hunters not to go off tracking bears alone - we don't want them to become lost. Stephen replied, "You didn't listen to my story. I got down from my stand, grabbed it by the foot and pulled it out." "But how far did it go?" I asked again. "I got down from my stand, grabbed it by the foot..." "Oh!" I exclaimed, "Now I get it! You got down from your stand! It had run right at the stand where it went down!"

Friday night Scott was back in his ground blind - he LOVES that ground blind! More drama...the bear came back but didn't use the same route past the ground blind. Hmmm, I wonder why! This time it came to the site then walked DIRECTLY toward the ground blind but this time Scott was ready and reached for his bow. When he looked up the bear was very close so he put the bow down and picked up the .357 again and began firing. We figure the first shot went over the bear's head, along with the next four shots! Scott came home and changed his underwear. We suggested he spend some time at the shooting range.

Week one was a success. Everyone had seen a bear, two went home with bears. Bob Watkins is not only an accomplished bow hunter but also a well-known taxidermist. He did all the skinning and took both bears back to Massachusetts to be mounted. Stephen is especially excited to have Bob mount his Maine black bear with his Sascatchewan blond bear shot this spring. That will be a beautiful and unusual mount for sure!

On the 31st We said so-long to Rod, Mary, Bob, Scott, and Stephen. We look forward to their return next season. Then we got busy cleaning cabins, headed to Allagash for more bait and stopped in Fort Kent for groceries. Our week two hunters had arrived before we got home. Julie Mogenis (Huntin' with the Judge/Tird Eye Guides and Outfitters of Hunt, Texas) had arranged for 9 hunters and two camera guys to film this hunt. The "cast of characters" included:

Kevin Bernard, president and Ryan Pyle,VP both of of A&B Valve and Piping, Houston, TX. They sponsor Huntin' with the Judge and also Armed Forces Federation hunts - they provided much comic relief. Kevin is a bow hunter. Bill Beecher, Allied Fitting, Houston TX; bow hunter and all 'round great guy who loves to hunt. Hershel Rhodes, Southeast Texas Industries, Buna, TX; bow hunter and typical laid back Texan. Jace Baddock, project manager for off-shore drilling rigs and bad-ass little Texan. Tim Bennett, Army infantry, blown up in Iraq a year ago. He was badly burned and lost his left arm. He is a big guy and has an awesome attitude. He is pumped to hunt bears and is a champion varmint and predator caller. Tim is originally from Utah but now lives in Houston, TX. He lives to hunt. Terry Hanson, also a great varmint caller and originally from Idaho assisted with trophy care (T's Taxidermy, Kerrville, TX) and running second camera. The Commander of the Hoover Post of the American Legion in Washington, DC, stood in for Julie; Bron Mogenis is Julie's dad. Clint Freeman, will be the lead camera and is also a competitive varmit caller and former marine. Joining the boys from Taxas were California Dan Spangler and Gary Pollock.

Where to begin? I guess, suffice it to say that right from the start we knew we'd have a good week. Sunday night orientation and lobster dinner was followed by a raucus social gathering in the lodge. Bron and Gary started their nightly tradition of a "night cap" after dinner and quiet political discussions while the rest of the crew cut loose. Although there were many late nights, all were ready to hunt each afternoon.

Also joining us was Scott Cyr, registered Maine guide from Fort Fairfield, ME. We are very lucky to have found Scott to assist with this large hunting group. Scott was a huge assett in the lodge pitching in with serving, dish washing, running baits, and keeping our hunters happy. While we take the hunt very seriously, we had an opportunity to cut loose ourselves and had an outraguously awesome week with our freinds from Texas.

Always a challenge is to get our hunters to their stands with only their bow and arrows or gun and ammo with nothing else more but a pee-bottle, flash light, and thermacell. First night out the guys loaded their packs in the truck but when we went to the stands we had to negotiate over what could go to the stands with them. See the "short list"...

Highlights of the week include Ryan's first bear. After picking up Bill and driving on to pick up Ryan we found Ryan laying in ambush on the side of the road in the darkness. We thought he was just being funny since Ryan and Kevin are always being funny. Actually, we woke Ryan up. He was napping after he shot a bear at 4:30. He said "I shot and waited for 10 minutes. I knew Tenley would be right along. She said at orientation she'd come in after I shot. I waited another 10 minutes expecting Tenley. After an hour and no Tenley I walked out to the road and fired another shot and waited..." I asked Ryan if he knew where the bear went, to which he responded "I heard a death moan, but I don't know where the bear is, Tenley told me not to go look for it." I love my hunters who do what they're told! We collected up Kevin and all three of us went in to look for the bear. We found it not 10 yards in. It was a young boar, Ryan offered to carry it out in his pocket. Bill and I carried it out. Ryan had a close encounter with a bull moose. It walked in right under his tree stand, stood there and "went poo." Ryan says he could have reached down and touched its antlers!

I had the good fortune of spending Wednesday afternoon with Ryan as the others hunted. Ryan imparted much wisdom as we traveled the bumpy, dusty back roads. We tried calling coyotes a couple times and think we called a bear. We became good friends as we shared the afternoon and evening telling our life stories. Unfortunately Ryan had to leave on Wednesday - we wish he could have spent the week with the rest of us.

Hershel got a bear on Wednesday so I got to spend Wednesday's hunting hours with him. More stories and good times. Remember, Hershel is the laid-back Texan. An afternoon with Ryan was like drinking too much coffee, Hershel was like taking a Valium (I guess, I've never taken one) but we had a completely relaxing afternoon.

Thursday nigth we all sat around the fire swapping hunting stories and listening to Clint and Tim vent off Iraq experiences. At one point Tim tossed his hand to Kevin and chipped his tooth and gave him a fat lip - careful when you ask someone to "give you a hand"!

By now Gary, Jace, Ryan, Hershel, Kevin, and Bill had all seen bears. Terry was with Bron to catch his hunt on film. Clint was hunting with Tim. We were running out of time and no bears had been filmed. We moved guys around to different stands trying to make something happen...Lucky me, I had Kevin AND Hershel to entertain Friday night. Actually, you don't entertain Kevin, you keep him on a short leash and he entertains you if he doesn't get everyone in trouble first! Kevin had too much fun talking on the radio - enough said!

Finally, Tim got a bear! He was SO excited and the best part, Clint filmed the WHOLE thing! Congrats to Tim - we want everyone to go home with a bear but this week, our hearts were with Tim. He had served our country, fought for freedom, and damned if no one deserved a bear more this week than Tim. His patience and persistence paid off with a nice Maine black bear to take home to Texas. We were blessed again to have a taxidermist "in the house". Every morning we had bear Terry was out skinning, cutting meat, and packaging everything for the freezer so we could freeze if for the trip back to Texas.

California Dan got turned around one night on his way out in the dark. Wayne and Terry heard him yelling "Help!" off in the distance when they went to pick him up. Back at the lodge flagging tape ran from his cabin to the lodge so he could find his way to the dining room for dinner. We presented him with a compass so he could find his way back to Maine again.

Scott, Wayne and I had a fantastic week with our friends from Texas. We are looking forward to next year's hunt and hope some, or all, can come back to Fish River Lodge before next fall! Thank you Julie for sending us this zany group - we hope you can join us next year too! If you get "Huntin' with the Judge" on the Sportsman's Channel, look for the bear hunt to aire some time in October.

We no more than got cleaned up from week two when our week tree hunters arrived...Kenny Williamson (Staten Island, NY), John Finn (Andes, NY), and Vinny Maggi (South Amboy, NJ). We pulled out all the stops, changed stands, tried calling, but to no avail. Vinny had a chance to shoot Monday but other than that, no bears all week. It was an extremely frustrating hunt for us. We try so hard to set up good sites and bait bears early so they are coming regularly. It seems this year we were up against amny nocturnal bears and nothing would lure them to our sites during legal shooting hours. Vinny, John and Kenny were good sports and hunted hard all week. When all else fails we fish! Kenny was excited to have caught his first land-locked salmon, so all was not lost. They enjoyed a relaxing week, saw some wildlife and caught a few fish. As always seems to happen at Fish River Lodge, we made more good friends.

Wayne and I are "regrouping" and recharging our batteries until the 20th when our moose hunters arrive. Another bear season is behind us and although we would have liked to see more bears on the game pole, by all other accounts our bear season was a huge success! Check back for our adventures moose hunting...

Fall arrives early at Fish River Lodge

2008-09-14T18:25:00.000-04:00

Last time I wrote it was raining. It rained all day or we woke to rain or went to bed with rain right through the 20th of August. The gray days are indivcative of the troubling news we received from mom on dad's birthday (August 2nd). She has been diagnosed with breast cancer. This is when living so far from family is difficult. I wish I could be with her to lend support. All I can do from here is pray and keep a positive outlook because I know that half the battle is remaining positive. We ask those who read this do the same. I've learned the only way to confront adversity or fear is to look it in the eye and forge ahead. As I say, adversity is a "speed bump" that may slow you down for a bit but always look forward and never back...I know mom will kick her cancer in the ass - I didn't inherit the will to fight and win by accident! UPDATE: mom she started her chemotherapy on September 12th, radiation will follow. Say your prayers and count your blessings...

So heeding my own advice we made the best of an otherwise damp summer. We continued to fish, set up bait sites, and enjoy the warm weather even on wet days. I took lots of interesting photos of mushrooms, some varieties I'd never seen before, but then I'd never experienced such a prolonged stretch of wet weather either! We had to relocate some of our bear sites as they stood ankle-deep in water. Many of the roads we drive on in the woods and trails to our sites were nothing more than stream beds. But looking ahead we are hopeful for an exciting bear season.

When you run a hunting and fishing lodge summer comes to a fast end but we saw the same positive outlook from our guests who made the most of their summer vacations while dealing with adverse weather. On nights it didn't rain we had some camp fires at the beach, although the beach was quite a bit narrower than normal with the lake being so high from run-off. While families continued vacationing in August we were baiting bears and hosting moose hunters who were up scouting for the September hunt. John Murphy and Darren Page were up for a weekend to look for moose. John is a long-time North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) friend and Darren is an experienced hunter so there were many stories to share during their brief visit. Gloria Lebrecque and her parents Lou and Germaine Levesque vactioned right through the 14th. Germaine ended up in the hospital with stomach troubles and had shorten their vacation when she was diagnosed with a tumor and required emergency surgery. Again, we saw Gloria find the silver lining in her dark cloud when she reflected on the timing of her vacation with her parents and the "quality time" they were able to share during the past month. Last report Germaine's surgery was a sucess and she was recovering nicely...more prayers and positive thoughts...

We had a visitor on the 12th, not exactly an invited lodge guest, but a weasle! We've had a weasle in the lodge in the past but normally it comes in from the cold in the dead of winter. This time I think the wet weather drove it in, so like the ark, animals were arrving at he lodge but fortunately not two-by-two! I first noticed dirt and fir needles on the counter, like you would find after someone set down a cooler that had been picked up off the ground. After further inspection I found little muddly foot prints. They were left by that pesky weasle! It must have slipped in through the screen door in the night.

Wayne went fishing with Les Titcomb (Bowdoinham, ME) on the 12th and while the fishing was slow (as it often is this time of year) they had a very enjoyable visit, and boat ride.

On the 15th we adopted a new cat. He is gray and white and goes by the name "Trouble". He belonged to Laurie Jandreau who lives up the road. She had to find a home for him when she learned he was the cause of her allergies. At the same time we were looking for a lodge-cat to put to work keeping the mice population down, only because the weasle is not yet ready to become a permanent resident. "Trouble" is an excellent mouse hunter and is earning his keep. He is very freindly and likes to "help" me at in the office, I blame my "typos" on him.

Walter and Martha Leland returned for their month-long vacation, and Kathy Bednarz (Hopatchong, NJ) and Melissa Smey (Brooklyn, NY) brought family and friends to share the Fish River Lodge experience. The Bednarz family enjoyed the region's ATV trails and the Smey party enjoyed taking day-trips to explore the St. John Valley and look for wildlife. Suddenly it was 23rd of the month and summer for us was truly over! Our first-week bear hunters began arriving! Rod Lebrecque and Mary arrived first on Saturday. We took advantage of a gorgeous evening and sat by the fire with Rod and Mary and friends Dave Kelso and Linda Engelhardt. We had a cook out and watched the constant parade of boats until senset. We realized it was the first good weekend we'd had in over a month! While sitting around the fire, out of the darkness we heard a series of moose calls, we called back, and it called back, and we called back, and the calling continued...for a good 10-15 minutes! We couldn't imagine who was out on the lake at that hour making moose calls. A boat emerged at the edge of our fire light...it was Ron and Margaret Soucie, Mike and Geneva Michaud, Rocky, Peggy, and Jessica Bard! They'd been out on the lake, saw our fire, and decided to have some fun with us!

As the fire burned down and we all drifted off to bed Wayne and I couldn't help but reflect on the summer that had slipped by so quickly. It seemed like just last week we were celebrating the 4th of July and yet tomorrow our bear hunters will all be in camp and we will begin our fall season.

Fleeting Moments of Summer

2008-08-02T16:53:00.000-04:00

Summer is fleeting in the north country - after a very long winter, wet spring, slow start to summer, and finally sun and warm temps at the start of the month, we realize summer is short-lived. We enjoyed nearly two decent weeks of weather through July 11th. It has basically rained ever since. The silver lining to that "dark cloud" is that temps have been in the upper 60s and 70s - very comfortable and much cooler than what the rest of New England is experiencing.

The week of July 4th was quieter than normal. Some of our "regulars" were unable to return due to "the money squeeze" affecting all of us. John and Sue Chasse (cabin 7 regulars) returned with their grand daughter for two weeks - Savanah and Kaitlyn spent many hours together swimming at the beach, giggling in the Chasse's cabin, making s'mores at the campfire, and tubing behind John's boat. The Calvert girls joined in - it was much like a girl's summer camp experience for all!

Shawn Pelletier was home on leave from Fort Lewis, WA. He helped us celebrate Independence Day along with John Chasse who made his famous (infamous?) "trash-can-turkey". It has become a July 4th tradition at Fish River Lodge. John roasts the turkey under a small metal trash can and the rest of us contribute to a pot-luck meal at the lodge. We did our best to gather 'round the fire pit after dinner but with the lake so unusually high this year we didn't have much room. We did a "21 gun salute" of sorts off the deck with my trusty 20 ga.. the girls had sparklers, and Wayne's zombie mask came in handy for a prank on the girls...we saw them wander up to the Calvert's cabin...I put on the zombie mask, camo jacket, and black ball cap then hid behind a fir tree in the darkness...finally, the girls came wandering back toward the fire pit...I stepped out of the shadows...and the quiet night was pierced by their screams - so loud my ears were ringing! After I pulled off the mask we all had a good laugh. Next up, the parents...I hid in the shadows of cabin 7 when the adults were returning to their cabins and stepped out in front of them - more screams, then "damned you Tenley!" They recognized my short legs and boots! More belly laughs from all!

Cory and Maureen Lathrop (Hallowell, ME) and Harold and Claire Dyer let us host their dinner party at the lodge on the 5th. They were joined by the Calvert and Chasse families. We served rosemary roast pork loin and herb marinated grilled chicken breasts, oven roasted Aroostook potatoes, and sauteed summer squash; dessert was cheese cake topped with wild berries. The Lathrops have a camp on Eagle Lake, just up the road from us. They have been dinner guests several times, most recently when they were up snowmobiling in the winter. On the same day we hid the very decrepit fox mount in the woods across from the lodge. We've tricked many in to believing it is a real fox lurking in the bushes. Tony Dube was so "duped" he exclaimed, "Wayne, look at that fox! He doesn't look too good, you better get your gun!" More belly laughs as the joke was on Tony!

The Clapps (Addison, ME) arrived on the 6th. Wayne accidentally moved them in to the wrong cabin but we soon had them settled in cabin 8 for a two-night stay before Jim and Charmain Vogt (Hallowell, ME and Chicago, IL) arrived to stay in cabin 6. Wayne took the Vogts fishing on the 9th. They hooked many fish and landed three - one of which was Charmain's first land-locked salmon. They had a fantastic time entertained by Wayne's good humor! Our neighbor, Mike Michaud, caught a beautiful 4 1/2 lb. brook trout on the 6th - it was HUGE!
I've accepted the position of president for the Eagle Lake Trail Blazers ATV club. Membership is growing and we have some very active members, especially Fred Michaud and Wayne Pelletier of Eagle Lake. We're excited about the trail system the various clubs are coordinating to give riders access to the entire northern tier of The County. You can ride from Eagle Lake north to Fort Kent, west to Allagash, north east to Madawaska, and south east to Caribou and Presque Isle.

John Chasse made another trash-can-turkey on the 11th. Wayne and Shawn fished Blake Lake in the evening but those fussy trout wouldn't take anything they threw but the guys had a great time trying. Steve Daigle (Paper Signs, Ink of Fort Kent) has designed and will print and mail our 2008 moose hunt brochure. It is beautiful with the many photos of moose, salmon, grouse, and the lodge dining room. We hope it will attract zone 2, 3, and 6 moose hunters to our lodge.

Rod Lebrecque, Mary and their children and grandchildren (cabin 7); and Eldon and Sue Devoe and their children (cabin 8) returned for their vacations on the 12th We always look forward to "old friends" returning year after year. Larry Gilman and son Greg stayed with us for the weekend too - they have been here before, first to celebrate grandson Ethan's birth and this weekend his 4th birthday. We hosted the Plourde family dinner party in the evening. Shawn stopped by to show us his limit of trout from Pelletier Lake - nice fish! Then Wayne and Shawn played show-and-tell with all their fishing gear and Wayne's recent purchases from Alvin Theriault's "Fly Shop" in Patten.

Steve and Peggy Rollins (Union, ME) spent a week here in cabin 6 the week of the 13th. Wayne and I fished here on Eagle Lake the evening of the 14th and are STILL catching salmon! Wayne landed a decent 18" fish and I caught a little 14" salmon for the smoker. These fish pale in comparison the the one Chris Parent (Eagle Lake, ME) caught while fishing with Tony Dube on July 14th...they landed a 6 1/2 lb, 26 1/2" landlocked salmon - what a gorgeous fish with a hooked jaw and fat belly. We all celebrated Chris' fish then put our catch from the night before on the smoker for dinner.

By this time we have had several days of rain but we never let it dampen our spirits. We keep doing whatever is planned...I took a lovely picture of the Devoe girls swimming in the reflection of a rainbow on the lake. We went "moose hunting" (actually moose watching) on the evening of the 16th. We watched a cow and calf for quite some time then enjoyed a spectacular lightning show and peeks of the moon during our ride back to the lodge.

Lou and Germaine Levesque and their daughter Gloria arrived for a month-long stay on the 17th. On the 19th I met Linda Englehardt and Dave Kelso in Allagash to make the long trek over to St. Pamphile to pick up a load of bear bait. We enjoyed a leisurely day under partly sunny skies, had lunch at Dick Thayer's cabin on the Big Black, then got caught in a thunder storm, complete with pea-size hail, on the way out. I stopped at Two Rivers in Allagash and picked up more bear bait from Wade Kelly. We have plenty to get started! While I was gone Mike and Sharon Bolduc arrived with their party boat. They are from Fairfield, ME ; The Schoonmakers (New Britain, CT) also arrived for a wek-long stay.

On the 20th we went on an "adventure" with Shawn...first priority to set out moose licks in preparation for a September zone 5 hunt planned with Ron and Mim Webber (Cundy's Harbor, ME). After setting out the licks the day was ours! We fished several streams and ponds and came home with a couple of 14-16" trout each. We saw several moose and a couple very nice bulls in velvet. Spectacular "fiery" sunset on way home after leaving the Oxbow check point.

Sherri Roberts (Labrador, Canada) was here for a week-long stay beginning July 22. Steve Davis and his bride Deb (Cundy's Harbor, ME) spent their honeymoon with us. They enjoyed some decent fishing on the lake and look forward to returning in the winter to ice fish. Steve Davis and Sharon Bolduc know each other from working at Bath Iron Works - small world! We fished Third Lake Wallagrass the evening of the 22nd. We all caught a bunch of trout and kept only one each. We had a feast of venison, moose, fiddleheads, and potatoes for dinner after a nice afternoon of fishing. Did I mention the rain? Well, it's been raining since the 11th...if not all day, part of the day, but still we fish or whatever! We enjoyed the lobsters Steve and Deb brought up with them - it was a taste of "home". We don't get lobster very often up here so it was a real treat!

On the 25th torrential rain washed out the driveway, again. Wayne did his best to repair it but we'll probably need more gravel. Shawn stopped by to say "so long" - he's headed back to Fort Lewis in Washington state, the Bolducs and Davises headed back down-state. We look forward to the Bolducs' and Schoonmakers' return next summer. We hosted Pat Labbe's (Fort Kent, ME) family dinner party on the 26th. We always enjoy the Labbe family dinners - they arrived and departed on their party boat, Cajun music and all! The Sharp family (Georgetown, DE) Was here for a week to explore the region. They're thinking of relocating to the area. The Koepniks (Dublin, OH) spent a few days with us as they were touring Maine. We thanked them for making the effort to travel this far north to see the "Real Maine". The Dulacs also spent a few days with us while in the area for business. And the Alice Gove family (Winthrop, ME) was here for a week. We enjoyed their camaraderie and friendship - they sure know how to have a good time, even in the rain - it rained ALL week!

Suddenly it's the end of the month and we wonder, where did it go? Our part-time jobs eat up much of the week, then there's laundry to do, cabins to clean, calls and emails to return, grocery shopping and cooking and clean-up for our dinner parties, marketing projects and monthly accounting and bill-paying, not to mention visiting with our guests and squeezing in a few afternoons of fishing, and getting ready for fall hunting season! It's all in a day's work...we started our bear baits on the 25th and already they're getting hit. It's August 2nd and we've just returned from checking our bait sites across the lake. I figured I better get caught up on this July entry now, tomorrow we'll spend the morning cleaning more cabins then setting up bait sites off the Pennington and Chain Bridge Roads, then another week begins.

Summer is fleeting and as we say, if it happens to fall on a sunny day we have a cookout (or trash-can-turkey)! Once August arrives we add running bear baits and scouting for moose to our list of things to do. The maple tree in front of the lodge is fading to yellow as we turn our attention to hunting season...

Summer arrived - TODAY!

2008-06-30T19:49:00.000-04:00

We woke to rain, but by midmorning the sun broke through the clouds and the temperature soared to 76 degrees; there are fire flies outside the window tonight. June brought lots of overcast skies, temps in the 60s, wind and rain. We either woke to rain, went to bed with rain, or it rained all day. At least the June breezes kept black flies at bay and the cooler temps and rain meant we were able to enjoy "spring fishing" right through the month.

Joe Decker (Point Pleasant, NJ) and Wayne got up with the sun to fish on June 1st. They caught 10 landlocked salmon for their efforts. Wayne kept one 18 incher for the smoker - there's nothing sweeter than smoked salmon for dinner! Lengths seem to be increasing on our landlocked salmon - it used to be we'd see lots of 12-14 inch fish, this season we're seeing lots of 14-18 inch fish. Vinny Grosso (No. Yarmouth, ME) and friends arrived on the 4th. That evening Wayne and I took a jaunt over to Blake Lake. We caught 12 brookies, all "keeper length" in 2 1/2 hours of fishing. We brought home 2 each for the smoker. By now you know we enjoy our fish best when smoked! Local anglers have landed several 4 - 4 1/2 pound salmon this spring, most recently a 4 1/2 pounder caught by Ross Gatcomb of Eagle Lake.

I made a quick visit "down state" to visit mom and dad, daughter Miranda, Nana Pat and Grandpa Armand in Brunswick and also to celebrate Acadia's (my grand daughter) 6th birthday on the weekend of the 7th and 8th. Visiting them makes me realize just how much I miss my family and how little time we are able to spend together. Oh, how I wish they could enjoy this lodge life with us!

Harold Hutchins returned with his fishing buddy Ernie for a week of fishing the 8th-15th. We enjoyed our first decent weather of the month on the 14th. Harold and Ernie had a surprisingly slow week of fishing until we learned they'd been trolling lots of lead-core. Next year they'll land that elusive trophy!

Congratulations Mrs. Miriam Webber (Cundy's Harbor, ME) - she was drawn for a zone 5 bull moose permit. On the 15th Wayne and I began scouting zone 5 for Mim and found some promising areas we will be keeping an eye on as well as searching for additional options for her September hunt. That same day we stopped by Munsungan Hunting and Fishing Club to visit with friend and camp owner Jim Carter. Jim gave us a tour of his operation and we got to see his raised vegetable beds - I am so envious of his gardens and ability to offer his guests fresh produce. I might be able to find a spot at our place to plant a few things next spring...We brough Jim's "flooded" Ski-Doo out of the woods. He was planning on making a special trip out to Fort Kent to have it serviced after it got stuck in over-flow and then the flood back in April. Since Wayne and I were headed to Fort Kent the next day anyway we offered to take it out and deliver it to Fort Kent Ski-Doo. We told Gary Dumond to give us a call when it was fixed because we will be making other trips in to the Munsungan region in the coming weeks and would be happy to deliver it back to Jim to save him a trip out. Plus, it would be a good excuse to pay Jim another visit!

I finally got our freezer defrosted - it took all of one day to do it. With much of the moose meat eaten it was real easy to organize what was left when I put everything back. We've hosted several dinner parties this spring and always enjoy sharing our facilities with others. Our dinner guests seem to love Wayne's cooking and the unique and relaxing atmosphere of dining at the lodge.

I'm helping get an ATV club organized in Eagle Lake to facilitate identifying a trail system and obtaining land-owner permissions. A new state law requires written land-owner permission prior to riding ATVs. Since clubs obtain the written permissions, club members may legally use the trails, thus we must organize a club if we are to offer ATV riding in the area. The trails we have proposed connect with other club trails to offer riders many options.

On the 21st Linda Engelhardt and I teamed up to paddle in Fort Kent's "Riverfest" canoe race from St. Francis to Fort Kent on the St. John River. While we didn't set any speed records, I am happy to report we took first place in the "Chamber Members" class - we were the first-place team representing Fort Kent Chamber of Commerce members. A plaque etched with our names and commemorating this honor will hang in the chamber office - check it out when you're in Fort Kent!

Wayne and I scraped and repainted cabins 2 and 3. It seems the snow piled around them all winter caused the paint to peel. It was a fairly simple job but took over two weeks to complete due to wet weather. The cabins looked horrible all scraped "naked" and awaiting their new coats! We provided those new coats on the 22nd and don't they look nice!

Miranda, Acadia, and their freind Tyler Bruce arrived on the 22nd for a visit. Acadia and I started each morning with a bowl of hot oatmeal - her favorite. On the morning of the 24th Tyler and Acadia caught 4 salmon and a brook trout. Acadia surprised me by announcing she wanted to show me "something" in the refrigerator when I returned home from work. I was so tickled to learn she had caught two of the salmon herself! She exclaimed, "We're having fish for dinner!" Which we did, properly smoked, of course. We went "moose hunting" one night and got to watch a cow and her small calf for about 10 minutes before they wandered off. We picked some lupine to brighten the lodge and I also transplanted some in my flower bed and along the hill next to the lodge.

The cabins are beginning to fill for the summer. Wayne's neice Tasha and her husband Pete Hudson (Bath, ME) brought friends Jay and Bethany up for a visit on the 27th. My friend Donna Loring made the trek north from Bradley, ME with her friend Jane Peasley. I enjoyed spending time with Donna again and forging a new freindship with Jane. Donna's quiet demeanor is in stark contrast to Jane's zany humor. We shared many stories and laughs with a glass of wine or beer in hand! They are two inspiring women indeed - Donna as Penobscot Nation's representative to the legislature and author of _In the Shadow of the Eagle_ (a must-read about the Maine legislative process and Maine/Indian relations) and Jane for her work in neorology. Jane also built her own log cabin in the woods. We've planned to team up and offer a program for women next spring. We want to empower and inspire women to challenge themselves - watch for details!

Rachel and Albert Hanson (Topsham, ME) are our former neighbors. They surprised us with a visit on the 28th. Rachel drew a zone 3 moose permit and they were up scouting - moose and places to stay - I hope they will join us in October. Larry Converse (Bolton, CT) stopped by for a visit with his grand daughter and Mike brought his daughter by to meet us. They were here a month ago and are staying down in Portage this time for a weekend of fishing with their girls. Zip Kelloge (Portland, ME) was up scouting streams and lesser rivers to run in his canoe. The high water offered opportunities not normally available this time of year. He hopes to return in September with friends to do some back country paddling. The Chasses (Portsmouth, NH), and Calverts (Waterboro, ME) have returned for another stay at Fish River Lodge over the 4th of July week. One of the things we most enjoy about running the lodge is welcoming guests back for another stay. We like to say people first arrive at Fish River Lodge as strangers but they leave our friends...

Me missed many of our "spring fisher-friends" this season. I know gas prices and the economy are keeping many people at home. It has certainly affected our business. We missed you guys this spring and you missed some fantastic fishing! In fact, Wayne just came in to tell me that Bill, grandson of Stephen Bragdon (Searsmont, ME), just came in with a 19", 2 lb. salmon he caught while paddling at the mouth of the Fish River tonight. It's not too late to plan a vacation at Fish River Lodge this year!

The snow is all gone, we think!

2008-05-31T11:13:00.000-04:00

In the three years we've been running Fish River Lodge, we've learned a simple lesson: lodge owners never lack for something to do! Other lodge owners warned us of this. My goal was to publish a journal entry every few weeks but a more realistic goal has become to publish monthly.

Gas prices are hurting all of us. When I wrote last month we were paying $3.67 a gallon. Today it is $4.09. But don't let the price of gas discourage you from discovering our secret! The St. John Valley is a wonderful destination for those looking to get away from the hectic pace of life and allows visitors to take a step back in time to enjoy the hopitality found only in Aroostook County. Come discover scenic vistas, bountiful wildlife, no crowds and no long lines, no traffic and in many cases no traffic lights, and the peace and tranquility that we have found no place else.

4/30-5/10 Record snowfall brought record floods to the region. On April 30, we woke to a washed out driveway (all the way down to the sewer line!) and rising lake. Overnight we had received over 3" of rain which quickly melted much of the remaining snow, resulting is record flooding. All over The County roads were washed out and closed. A portion of the town of Fort Kent was evacuated. We began receiving calls from our Guide School participants at 7:00 a.m. Billy Doughty called first seeking an open route for his drive over from Greenville. We gave him an alternate through route 212 but by the time he got there it was closed. Others called with similar reports. For several days the only way to get in and out of northern Aroostook was via route 1 at Presque Isle, to Ashland, and up route 11 toward Fort Kent. Eagle Lake rose up to the driveway in front of cabins 7 & 8 nearly blocking access. All Guide School participants had arrived safely by 6:00 p.m.: Robert & Sandra Beske (Castine), Peter Cesary (Millinocket), Daniel Chiekering (Patten), Paul Corliss (Proctor, VT), Mike D'Angelis and Dana Dolson (Patten), Billy Doughty (greeville Jct.), Robert Morrill, Sr. (Monticello), and John Richardson (Augusta). Like a rising tide the lake crept closer to our cabins leaving a narrow passage open so the Beskes could maneuver around the snow and rising lake to go back and forth between cabin 8 and the lodge for class. We watched floatsam pass back and forth, with the will of the wind, all weekend. Helicopters flew over frequently deliverying supplies and medications to residents from Fort Kent to Allagash. The Irving Woodlands helicopter flew over their 2000+ mile road system estimating at least $1 million in damages. Bruce Labbe took his boat out to round-up the town's picnic tables as they were floating away. He tied them to their shelters which were swallwed up by the lake...the water crept to the edge of Old Main Street. Through it all we did our best to keep "business as usual" as we surveyed the local damage and read reports from the newspapers and internet. Instructors Carrol Ware and Adam Cates conducted another excellent guide school, preparing students well for their written and oral exams. Phil Corriveau delivered a load of gravel, Wayne bulldozed it and repaired our driveway. One May 6th, we had dinner at China Garden in Fort Kent with Bill and Alison Smythe and Jean LeBlanc to celebrate the completion of our first three years at Fish River Lodge! On the 8th we went for a drive in the back country to look for moose sheds but didn't get far due to washed out culverts and roads. Also on the 8th we announced "official" ICE OUT on Eagle Lake (this means we can get a boat to the Square Lake thorofare). On the 10th we found a "new" truck. We'd been looking at private-sale trucks and checked dealer lots for something to replace our "retired" plow truck. We found a well-kept, 1999 Chevy Z71 extended cab at Brother's Auto Sales in Caribou while "touring" the northeastern portion of The County. We saw several "ribby" deer on the way home. Those deer had survived a very long and hard winter.

5/11-5/17 Started raking the yard although it is very wet, still some snow banks remain. Mike Michaud stopped by to invite us to see his collection of 40 moose antler sheds he'd picked up this spring - VERY impressive assortment! After raking all day we called our moms on Mother's Day, then Wayne and I went for a walk in the woods to look for sheds. I gathered a bunch of fir cones and we saw two cows and two bull moose. One bull I jumped out of his bed - he was bedded in the snow. I guess 55 degrees is warm if you're a moose! We still have one little snow bank left on the 14th...more raking...Wayne is working part-time mowing lawns for Northern Maine General. We're both working about 25 hours a week for the corporation now. This week Wayne got ready for mowing season by replacing sod which had been plowed up over the winter. We finished much of our own yard work this week. On the 16th Wayne and Grant put the dock in. Our fire pit is still submerged beneath the lake. On the 17th Wayne removed the deck in front of old #9. The neglected cabin is beyond repair so we use it to store life jackets, paddles, and lawn chairs. The waterfront is looking very tidy now! Dick Keegan and his fishing buddy Cliff arrived for a week of spring fishing. Their motor was acting up so Wayne loaned one of ours.

5/18-5/24 Larry Converse party arrived to stay in cabin 1. Larry is familiar with the region because his dad was a sheriff in Portage for many years. Larry's dad became dear friends with warden (now retired) John Robertson. John is guiding Larry this week. The fishing has been slow due to high and cold water. Surface temp at 48 degrees. On the 24th Wayne repaired the carrying beam on the porch of cabin 6. That night John Robertson joined us for dinner and lots of fish stories! Wayne prepared appetizers of tout and salmon, moose, cheese and crackers. The weather has been unsettled with rain and wind daily, high temps in the 50s, if we're lucky. Although the fishing has been slow, every one has caught fish every day. Some have caught more than others. Jeff Love (Dover/Foxcroft) and his brothers and friend Scott arrived for the Memorial Day weekend. On the 23rd I came home to find the lodge deck rails and rocking chairs lined with song birds waiting out a passing thunder storm. There were juncos, house finches, white throated sparrows, chickadees and a pair of rose breasted grossbeaks trying to keep out of the wind and rain. We're looking forward to hosting Lou Gagnon (Henniker, NH) for an October bird hunt - summer hasn't yet begun and we're already making plans for fall! I met with Steve Daigle at Paper Signs, Ink in Fort Kent to begin design work for our "moose mailer" to go out to all zone 2 and 3 moose permitees.

5/25-5/31 Up early to meet Mike Michaud and his grandson Kaleb for our annual "back country fishing expedition". We loaded our gear on to ATVs and began the journey to "Secret Lake". We had to make several detours around trees that had come down after Saturday's wind and rain. We stopped at "the worm hole" to dig earth worms and I picked a few fiddleheads..."There's nothing better on a May morning than a fist full of fiddleheads and a coffee cup full of worms, except a cooler full of brook trout in the evening! " We found snow deep in the woods, I took a picture of my fiddleheads on the snow. We enjoyed a sunny, if not breezy, day on the water. By 3:00 p.m. we had all caught our limit of 8-12" brook trout. Back at the lodge we filleted and smoked the fish and grilled moose steaks to go with Mike's fiddleheads and locally grown potatoes. It was a hearty meal shared with freinds. The Jeff Love party joined us and we relaxed late in to the evening around the bon fire (which was so hot we needed a heat shield!) Memorial Day we burried Victor "Mouse Trap" (our beloved lodge cat). We will miss he and Alli's antics and his abilities as a mouse hunter. That afternoon we took the ATV out among the rain drops to explore more back county. We watched a HUGE beaver (35+ lbs.) working on his massive dam, and we located some potental bear hunting areas. Between mornings at work we cleaned cabins and caught up on laundry. On the 28th Wayne took Bill and Alison Smythe fishing. Alison caught a FAT 3 lb. salmon, Bill's fish were "racey". Today's the last day of the month. It is windy and rainy again. Joe Decker just drifted by - his motor quit on his way in. He's paddling wildly trying to make headway, got his motor started by replacing a spark plug and got ALMOST to shore and it quit again! He drifted by in the wind, again, paddling wildly, then switched to the trolling motor as Wayne was preparing to go out and get him in our boat. Joe floated by again in the wind when the trolling motor ran out of gas. He finally made it back to shore. Joe Decker is from Point Pleasant, NJ. This is his 40th season at Fish River Lodge. We will celebrate his many trips to the lodge tonight when he is our guest for dinner. Joe's struggle to get to shore when the wind and motors would not cooperate reminded me of another quote from Douglas Wood's "The Thing with Feathers": "The optimist's secret? Act as if you cannot fail." And the snow we saw on Sunday is all gone today, we think.

Time Flies as We Wait for Snow to Melt - April 28, 2008

2008-04-28T18:19:00.000-04:00

Where has the month gone? Our Minnesota friend, Ed "Seagull" Dallas, is looking for more news from Fish River Lodge...

April 3rd we "retired" the old dog truck I used to haul my dog team a few years ago. The long story is: I was headed to Caribou to attend an Aroostook County Tourism Board meeting and discovered my "new" truck had a flat tire soon after leaving the lodge. I backed home to retrieve the "dog truck" (a.k.a. "plow truck") and struck off again for Caribou. In New Sweden I was stopped by trooper Espling (I thought for speeding, he tells me my inspection sticker had expired) and then said, "Did you know your truck is overheating?" I glanced across the hood to see steam billowing and the temp guage maxed out! He kindly offered to meet me at Northland Variety so I could safely park the truck and then deliver me to my meeting in Caribou. After the meeting I announced I needed a ride north. Allain Ouellette of Fort Kent came to my rescue and delivered me to my truck and offered to follow me home. The truck overheated again in New Canada so Allain came to my rescue again and delivered me at my next stop...Paper Signs, Ink so I could pick up the World's Largest Snow Plow Parade posters. I called Wayne and he picked me up there; we returned to the truck (which had cooled off) and limped it back to Eagle Lake so Ricky Saucier could inspect it and fix the overheating problem. We learned that the cab mounts and frame were too rusted and too costly to fix. We will now use the truck on the property only.

April 4-6: Presque Isle Sportsman Show weekend. Alli and Grace met us at the top of the driveway with faces full of porcupine quills on the 4th, as we returned from putting up parade posters and before setting up our show booth in Presque Isle. I pulled the quills as quickly as possible and we struck off. Drizzly weekend, "snow eating" fog, good show attendance. Saw deer in Portage and a dozen or so robins! We enjoyed the annual "social" in Lila and Carroll Ware's suite after the show on Saturday. Carroll made a touching toast in memory of Maine's legendary Wiggy Robinson.

4/7-11: Wayne installed new dining room light fixtures; I returned lots of calls and emails, and sent out guide school confirmation letters. We're cleaning out the freezer (which means we're eating lots of moose meat!) We unpacked and stored our show gear for another season. Robins have arrived in Eagle Lake, and sun streams through the living room window in to the lodge - in the winter the sun never clears the hill so we only receive indirect light. Still about 3' of snow on the ground, but it is melting...Wayne chipped the ice dams off the roof, for the last time we hope. My dear friend, Linda Engelhardt, returned from Texas and is staying in cabin 2 until she finds a place to settle down.

4/12: Wayne and I drove down to Brewer for the annual Maine Professional Guides banquet. It was snowing when we left; we had a "white knuckle" ride to Ashland before snow changed to sleet and rain. We had a chance to visit with many friends in the industry at the banquet and were treated to a key note address by Doug Painter of the National Shooting Sports Federation. His message in a nutshell: kids who hunt and fish become adults who hunt and fish - they are our legacy so get them out hunting and fishing! I was presented a Marlin .45-.70 guide model gun for selling $1500 worth of raffle tickets. It is a beautiful lever-action with the MPGA logo and "2007" engraved on the stock. I will proudly display it at the lodge and someday present it to my grandaughter, Acadia.

4/13-18: Filed state's quarterly lodging and meal taxes. Revenue down 40% this winter - OUCH! Gas prices and snow throughout New England really hurt our winter business. More "spring cleaning" in the lodge and cabins. Wayne stacked "lost" wood that has surfaced as snow continues melting. Stored winter stuff that accumulated on lodge deck...ice auger, pack baskets, ice fishing traps, snow scoops and shovels, snow blower, snowmobile oil, etc. Time to remove the plastic from windows and wash away grime. Wayne plowed back the snow banks to open up the driveway now that the snow has softened. Spent a few afternoons on the deck in shirt sleeves as temps climbed in to the 60s! Song birds feeding on the mountains of seeds under the feeders. We have juncos, red-breasted nuthatches, chickadees, red winged black birds, starlings, grackles, blue jays, mouring doves and house finches. We hosted a very nice dinner party for Dr. Karen Roberts, arranged by Kate Mulrenen, on Friday. Guests enjoyed a liesurely dinner that lasted until 10:00 p.m. Dave and Linda helped us out with serving and doing dishes.

4/19: The World's Largest Snow Plow Parade!!! Started shuttling 150 balloons from Paradis' (Hannaford) to the court house on Market Street. Entrants arrived as early as 11:00 a.m.! They kept streaming in as Darlene Kelly-Dumond and I watched in amazement. We had NO idea what to expect. We could have a dozen entries, or none, or many more. We had 85 entries ready to parade at 2:00 p.m. There were graders, plow trucks of all sizes, snow blowers (both large commercial trucks and the kind you push - one by a guy wearing snow shoes!) We had a Harley Davidson motorcycle with a plow, a peddle-bike with a plow, "Brotherly Society of Beer Swigging, Big Snow Bank Shovelers" from Sly Brook (snow shovel drill team!), kids driving their battery operated "Jeeps" with plows, and trucks full of snow and decorated for the occasion. Ron, Travis, and Casey Toussaint (Eagle Lake) brought three plows - Ron's father's truck (which sank in Eagle Lake while plowing in 1969), Ron's truck (which sank in the lake in 2007), and Ron's restored Oliver tractor. We even had a "Plow Queen" (Kim Paradis of Fort Kent). The Sly Brook Shovelers and Quigley's "Fun by the Ton" took top honors. Darlene and I lead the parade - she dressed as a trapper, me dressed as a porcupine. The significance of our costumes is known only to the Acadians - I hope to learn what it is! Wayne and Tony Dube ("The Burger Boys") served burgers and hot dogs at the end of the parade route where spectators were able to view many of the entries. We were overwhelmed with the success of the parade, the joy and smiles shared along the parade route, and the spirit of the people of the St. John Valley who came together on a gray April day to celebrate winter! Thank you one-and-all who made the parade a success. We WILL do it again next year!

4/20-27: More spring clean up. We're able to rake the spots of bare ground that grow bigger every day. There's still about 1 1/2 feet of snow in the woods. The lake is very slushy and on 4/22 we could see open water at the mouth of the river. Kaitlyn and her friend Brittany were up for a visit this week. Wayne finished spring-cleaning the cabins in preparation for our guide school which begins 4/30. Tony Dube plowed away the snow in front of the cabins so the ground can start to dry out (wishful thinking?) I received a copy of "In the Shadow of the Eagle" from my friend Donna Loring. It is her account, in journal form, of her experiences serving as Penobscot Nation Representative during the 119-121 legislative sessions. I hightly recommend this excellent look at Tribal issues and Maine Tribal relations. We've enjoyed mild temps for the past two weeks. Wayne and I drove to Allagash and on to Dickey to see the remnants of last weekend's ice jams. I bought two beautifully handcrafted log chairs from Armand Scott of St. Francis. They have become a welcome addition to our "library" seating area in the lodge.

By 4/28 the river was opening up in front of the lodge (thanks to a stiff breeze all day). Ed Dallas has given me a collection of books (The Wisdom of Nature Series) written and illustrated by Douglas Wood. Doug is a naturalist and wilderness guide who has written a collection of inspirational books containing quotes that can mean different things to different people. Some of my favorite quotes: "Accomplish things the way an apple tree accomplishes apples", "save time with forgetting about saving time", and "tie strong knots". Two more of Doug's books arrived today from Ed: How Does Your Garden Grow and The Thing with Feathers.

I continue working part-time for Northern Maine General. It helps us make ends meet. I wish I could spend more time at the lodge helping Wayne. He has certainly carried much of the load himself lately. But we do what we have to. No matter how busy we are trying to keep up with runing the lodge, and no matter how tough times get, we both agree that this lifestyle suits us just fine...we are trying to "accomplish apples"! We will spend the next couple of days preparing for the arrival of our guide school students, and wating for the ice to go out and last of the snow to melt. It truly is spring time in the Valley! Until next time, I leave you with one last Douglas Wood quote, I think it is especailly appropriate for the season..."When the earth wants to smile, it grows a flower."

APRIL FOOLS?

2008-04-01T17:44:00.000-04:00

It's spring in The County, and it's SNOWING! April Fools Joke? Nope, just more of the "same old, same old" this morning. The good news is, by mid morning it changed to drizzle, then rain, and our high temp was nearly 40, so spring really is coming to us here in the north. You might think we're all tired of the snow, but no, we are celebrating - we have SHATTERED the old snowfall record of 180" and have now received over 220" of snow this season! To celebrate and officially say good-bye to winter I am working with Darlene Kelly-Dumond (Bee Jay's, and Fort Kent Muskie Derby) to plan The World's Largest Snow Plow Parade. It will feature every kind of snow removal equipment imaginable from as far away as Allagash, Portage, Madawaska, and points in between. The Fort Kent Lions Club is sponsoring a cookout following the parade. Between now and then, who knows what other whacky fun stuff will be planned! The parade will begin at 2:00 p.m. on April 19th, on Market Street in Fort Kent.

So, what does one do to celebrate spring when there's 5' of snow on the ground? Start getting ready for another season! We got a great deal on dining room chairs at Mardens; the price was too good to pass up so we bought 25; they're cushioned with red "pleather" on a black metal frame. I've ordered new tablecloths to compliment the red chairs, green plaid curtains mom made, and "honey toned" logs of the lodge. I painted the bar "barn red". Wayne will be installing new globe light fixtures soon - we'll cover the brass finish with flat black paint to compliment our wrought iron lamps and other metal elements (we've been watching too many home decorating shows!) Finally, we'll replace the bartop with a slab of heavily urethaned wood and remove the old carpet. We hope we can simply sand the floor boards beneath and urethane them for a fresh, new look in the dining room!

We spent all last weekend cleaning the kitchen, from top to bottom! It's an annual event we look forward to...we scrubbed, swept, vacuumed, mopped, weeded out junk, and orgainzed shelves. A winter's-worth of dullness has been washed away. The kitchen is now sparkling clean for us to prepare meals for our spring fishermen...next up...the living room...

Another sign of spring are the various sportsman shows being held throughout New England. We attended the Pine Tree State show in Wilton, ME over Easter weekend. We had a ball visiting with friends and clients from "down state": Northwoods Sporting Journal staff; NAVHDA Sebasticook Chapter members; Arnold Rice and "the boys" from the Phippsburg Sportsmans Club; Dave Paquet (Allagash Sporting Camps); Jim Carter (Munsungan Hunting and Fishing Club); Lila and Carroll Ware (Fins and Furs Adventures); Bill Saiff and his crew members Larry and Dave (Bill Saiff Charters, NY); "Max Trap" family; Russ and Carole Dyer (Ruffed Grouse Society, Bowdoinham, ME); Glen Rodgers and Gerald York (Bailey and Great Islands, ME); Don and Janice McPherson (Mexico, ME); and many more! We were blessed with a booth directly across the aisle from the Phippsburg Sportsmans Club - the guys made perfect moving targets when Wayne returned to our booth with a "blow gun" that shoots marshmallows! Arnold, DUCK! I gave a presentation on hunting bears over bait. We celebrated Larry's "156th" birthday, or something like that. He is often selected (embarressed) by fellow diners when we request waitstaff sing him "happy birthday" - it's an annual event after a day at the show. The weekend of April 5th and 6th we will be exhibiting at the Presque Isle show.

Wayne has shoveled all the snow off all the roofs again in anticipation of rain. Of course this is the 5th or 6th time he's done it this winter! But rain is a sign of spring so he happily completes the chore, hopefully for the last time.

Alli (our German shorthaired pointer) had lost weight over the last few weeks of winter. We were concerned...until we snowshoed up the hill, following her well-worn path, to discover she's been up there chasing rabbits! She's run herself ragged for hours at a time in hot pursuit. We almost missed the fir trees in the meadow; they are burried. All we could see as reminders of their presence were little clusters of buds sticking out of the snow. I'm looking forward to walking up there with Acadia this summer to show her how high the snow was.

Squirrels have exhausted their winter cache and crows are more active now. Daily, we watch a pair of crows carring twigs for a nest. Last week the dogs chased a red squirrel in to the lodge when they spotted it feeding on bird seed! They chased the squirrel across the deck outside just as Wayne opened the door from inside...the squrrel ducked in, between Wayne's legs. He shut the door just in time to close the squirrel in and dogs out. He "hunted" it down in the lodge for 20 minutes...under furniture, behind the TV, up the logs, across the beams...before cornering it in my office (which explains why I came home to find pictures down and papers scattered!)

We're looking forward to hosting another Guide School, beginning April 30. We contract with Lila and Carroll Ware to instruct the course. We provide meals and lodging. Every year we make new friends and watch as another group strive to become Maine Guides and hopefully wear "the patch" with pride.

As I update the journal this evening, the lodge is shrouded in fog. We can't see much beyond the windows and it is much like being in a blizzard. But tonight it is not blinding winter snow obscuring the far shore and Oak Point from view... The days are longer, our snow is wet and heavy now, icicles drip in the mid-day sun...These things all mean "spring" to us, and a dwindling supply of wood...

Record Snow

2008-03-09T12:17:00.000-04:00

Snow, snow, and more snow...It's Sunday, March 9th and we've received nearly 180" of snow (the old record of 180" was set back in 1955).

Our adventures since mid February: Ric and Kim Pau-Preto and Joe DeMoura enjoyed a wonderful week of riding through 2/16. Joe hit a deer with his snowmobile on the trail to Portage on 2/12. He tracked the deer, called a warden, and got to take it home for dinner!

The Eagle Lake Winter Rider's snowmoblie trail groomer got stuck off the trail south of the Carter Brook warming hut - in the middle of "now where", in the wee hours of the morning of 2/16. Also on 2/16, the Fort Kent cub scouts joined us for their 3rd annual ice fishing derby. A beautiful 17" salmon was caught while moms and dads made chicken stew and French fries for lunch. Wayne shoveled roofs, again. Cory Lathrop (Pittston, ME) and friends here for a dinner party. We were surprised when the Westons (W. Gardiner and old 4-H family friends) were part of their party! In addition to rib eye steaks, we served samples of Joe's deer.

The Webber family (Ron and Mim, their son Duane and daughter Dee, grandsons Tom Webber and Kyle MacPherson, and friend Colby Barnes) arrived for a week of riding on 2/16; Barb and Steve Ellis returned this year to ride too! Area trails in EXECELLENT shape at t he start of the week. Tom and Colby had a grand time...sledding in the rain, snowmobiling, recliner rides (old chair pulled by snowmo.), visits, and the first annual wreath burning. We finally took down our HUGE wreath that had hung in the lodge dining room since Thanksgiving - it made a fantastic "fire ring". I enjoyed spending time with all of the Webber family, especially filling the wood box with "uncle" Ron, dinner at the lodge on 2/21, and accompanying them on a ride to Madawaska on 2/22. They are dear friends (or rather more like family).

On 2/20 we watched a total lunar eclipse under crystal-clear skies!

Wayne attended the Springfield (MA) sportsmen's show 2/20-2/25. Rod Lebrecque helped him cover the booth for the 4-day show. A snow storm kept attendance down on Friday although there was lots of interest in our operation and he even booked a coulpe bear hunts :-) Wayne got home on 2/25.

Musher Rita Wehsler (Minnesota) arrived on 2/26 with her husband Bill and professional handler - Ed "Seagull" Dallas - to run the CanAm 250. We always look forward to CanAm week and seeing our mushing friends. Ed also stood as our Best Man when Wayne and I were married in Allagash during the 2006 sled dog races. Rita took her 12-dog team for a training run from Allagash to Fort Kent on 2/28 but missed a turn and ended up "misplaced" for a few hours out side of Eagle Lake. Snowmobilers went out to find her and sent her back in the right direction. Never a dull moment when running dogs! Kelly Cotiaux and John Lord stayed in cabin #3 with springer spaniels "Jibber", "Huntress" and "Sam." Kel is an annual spectator and one of the most enthusiastic. As a hunter and dog trainer herself she truly appreciates the athleticism of racing sled dogs. Another of the 250 teams stayed with us, Jaye Foucher (Ashland, NH) and her beautiful team of purebred Siberians.

Gail Swank (of W. Virgina and wife of race vet Steve Swank) and I helped head veterinarian, Nick Pesut of Presque Isle on 2/29. We varified vaccination paper work of the racing dogs during a mandatory vet examination. On the way home from Fort Kent Wayne and I saw our groomer fueling up at Bald Eagle - it's "unstuck"!

The CanAm races started on a snowy morning on 3/1 when nearly 90 teams left the starting line in Fort Kent competing in 30, 60, and 250 mile races through the northern wilderness. That night Ed, Bill, and I drove down to Portage to wait for Rita to arrive at the 1st check point. Teams began arriving in near white-out conditions. They rested in Portage for a few hours then headed off to Rocky Brook logging camps while we enjoyed a "white knuckle" ride back to Eagle Lake as 12" of snow fell. The race progressed toward Maibec logging camps and Two Rivers at Allagash on 3/2. Maine musher, Don Hibbs led much of the race but stalled outside Fort Kent Monday (3/3) afternoon when his team decided to take their own break. While Don rested with his team just miles from the finish line, Quebec musher Martin Massicotte passed him to take first place at 1:31 p.m., followed just 10 minutes minutes later by another Quebec team driven by Andre Longchamps. New Hampshire musher and 2006 CanAm champion Matt Carstens finished 3rd. Don arrived in 4th place, Mario Racine 5th, and our favorite musher - Rita Wehsler and her strong team wound up 6th. Her 6th place fisish did not accurately reflect the quality of her team - they were slowed when she had to haul two tired dogs in her sled early in the race and turned around to drop off another after leaving Maibec. If you've never experienced the thrill of the CanAm races, why not mark your calendar and plan a visit next year! Main Street in Fort Kent looks much like Anchorage, Alaska at the start of the Iditarod! For more information about the CanAm races visit their web site at http://can-am.sjv.net/ .

Wayne and I spent the next few days visiting with our mushing friends and attended the CanAm 250 banquet on 3/4. Jaye Foucher and her Siberian team hit a milestone in the racing world when they were awarded prize money for one of the fastest legs between Maibec and Allagash. Jaye finished 12th - CONGRATS JAYE! Rita and her Stoney Creek Kennels crew were scheduled to depart on 3/5 but a winter storm held them up - roads were closed in Quebec so they waited another day before heading back to Minnesota on 3/6.

We enjoyed a "taste" of spring on 3/6 and 3/7 under sunny skies and temps in the upper 30s. I took pictures of our cabins and lodge with snow up to the eves! We celebrated our 2nd anniversary on 3/6 with pizza from 4-Way Quik Stop, reading our anniversary cards, and enjoying a quiet evening at home. On 3/7 I attended a snowmobile club meeting of the Sly Brook Snow Riders. Bruce Labbe (trail master), Earl Labbe (groomer operator), and I (club president) went to present them with a check from the Eagle Lake Winter Riders and thank them for their assitance "rescuing" our groomer when the track broke and it slid off the trail in to 4' of snow. After attempting rescues with a grapple skidder (which bogged down in the snow just out of town and 16 miles from the groomer) and Ricky Saucier's unsuccessfully attempt to clear an access road with his giant snow thrower, the Sly Brook groomer operators came to our rescue!

Finally, after two months of early mornings and many late nights we caught a break; we got to sleep past 5:30 a.m.! Wayne and I enjoyed a couple liesurely mornings and the opportunity to catch up on calls, emails, bills, and correspondence on 3/8 and 3/9. Oh yeah, and more plowing and shoveling.

Today (3/9) we are digging out from yet another storm. We've gotten another 12+ inches of snow (it's hard to tell exactly how much fell because of blowing and drifting). I just pulled Wayne out of a snow bank after he got stuck trying to push snow banks back. We have finally run out of room to plow. The driveway is barely the width of a vehicle, the big rose bushes in front of the lodge are completely burried, snow covers many of the cabin and lodge windows, our propane tanks are completely burried, the dogs can climb on snow to the roof of the lodge, and I wonder if we've broken the old snowfall record yet?

If you LOVE winter, c'mon up and see us. We'll surely be riding snowmobiles through the month of April and in to May!

Welcome!

2008-02-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

Greetings from a VERY snowy Fish River Lodge! This is the first of a series of "journal entries" from the lodge. It is our goal to keep you updated with what's going on up here: weather and seasonal changes, fishing and hunting reports, recognition of our most loyal clients and their adventures, and what not.

It's mid-February and we have received over 10 FEET of snow already! It started snowing in Mid-November and hasn't stopped! We've survived two January thaws and the snow settled a lot during cold spells (when temps bottomed out at -30) yet we still have 4 feet of snow on the ground to play in!

We had a very successful sled dog race January 25-26 - visit the race site at www.eaglelake100.com for all the details! The weekend of February 2 and 3, we hosted "the boys" (Steven Cox and Jason Leighton parties) from Down East during the Long Lake Fishing Derby. While no winning fish were caught from Fish River Lodge - the fishing on Eagle Lake was decent with several good sized salmon, togue, and brook trout caught through the ice. Snowmobiling is EXCELLENT - the best we've seen in the three winters we've spent in Eagle Lake. Ric and Kim Paupreto returned for their SECOND week of riding this season, February 8-17. They report that the riding is GREAT on "beautifully groomed and wide open trails, awesome scenery, and warm hospitality." They averaged about 120 miles of riding a day, saw lots of deer, enjoyed some amazing sunsets, and weathered two snow storms.

Wayne will be exhibiting our Fish River Lodge booth at the sportsmen's show in Springfield MA, the weekend of February 21-24. Rod Lebrecque, a long-time client, will help Wayne staff the booth - thank you Rod! If you're in the Springfield area the weekend of the show stop by and say hello to Wayne and meet Rod! You will find the Fish River Lodge booth in the Better Living Center, booth #720. While Wayne's away I'll be making sure things run smoothly at the lodge during a busy school vacation week. We're looking forward to the return of the Webber Family and Barb and Steve Ellis; both parties will be up snowmobiling for a second season. The weekend of March 1-4, is the CanAm Crown sled dog races. C'mon up race weekend - we will have several teams staying with us. You'll have an opportunity to meet the mushers and their teams!

We're looking forward to a very long snowmobiling season. We should be riding well in to April so it's not too late to plan a winter get-away! Check back regulary to read more journal entries from Fish River Lodge...