I had been warned that this wasn’t an ideal time for seeing critters: we’d recently had freezing rain and the forest was dripping. I mean, the sun was out, but it was raining under the trees. It was also mid-morning in January and even if it did seem like fall, the Other Guide explained that the animals had done their winter preparations already and weren’t likely to be out and around. I still wanted to try. Soon after we settled in, I heard a blue jay. Then we heard some scurrying and saw a red squirrel checking us out from a distance. I figured I’d be covered in critters in no time. After what seemed like hours, I whispered to the O.G. that I guessed he was right and I was ready to pack it up. Feeling quite proud of my patience, I asked him how long had we Sat and Waited. Forty-five minutes. Seriously?

Despite my short attention span and the lack of head-sitting animals, I would do it again.
If we went in the fall or in the spring at daybreak or dusk, we would likely see much more activity. Then again, even without the animal show, it’s very nice Sitting and Waiting in the woods.

So what do you do if you meet a bear while you’re in the woods? First, it’s pretty rare to see a bear. They’re there, but they are extremely elusive. Bear paws have really soft pads and the hair that grows on the paws muffles the sound of a bear walking. Black bears have been called “black ghosts of the woods” because they move so silently. I can attest to this trait. One morning as a I started to head to the barn for chores, I saw an oh my god size bear standing about 75 feet from the house. We watched each other a bit (me from back inside the house, thank you very much). He stood up trying to figure out what the deal was with me. Then he dropped to all fours and loped back into the woods. He did not make a sound. Spooky, but beautiful.

If you do see a bear, you’ll be incredibly lucky (or incredibly un-lucky if you run screaming). Running is not recommended especially if you have a close encounter. Running triggers the chase instinct. If you’re close, say within 100 feet, you need to quickly check for cubs and carefully back away so Mama doesn’t see you as a threat to her kids. A bear who is making barking sounds, huffing, and popping its jaws is gettin’ agitated. Back away.

You must respect the bears, but don’t let fear of bears keep you from enjoying the woods. As I said, it’s rare to see a black bear in Maine. I’ve lived in this house in the woods for over 30 years and the one bear I saw was the only bear I’ve seen here. I know they populate these woods, but they do everything they can to avoid encounters with us. Just let sitting bears sit.

Disclaimer: I am not a bear expert: take my advice at your own risk.

On another fishing trip to the famous Upcountry, we were trolling on First Roach Pond, when my brother hooked a toad. Well, it didn’t look anything like a toad, so I asked what kind of a toad is that? Apparently, it was a lake toad. I just didn’t see why this trout-like creature was a toad instead of a fish. It seemed like a pretty good joke to me. I still refer to togue as lake toads because I just like it better and for some reason it conjures up an amusing image in my mind. On that same trip, my father caught a cuss. It was a kind of eel-ish fish, dark brown in color. If I’d known any cuss words then, I might have cussed, but as it turned out, it was a cusk. This fish has some humorous monikers for real: in the Great Lakes, they’re known as lawyer fish. And their scientific name is lota lota. I guess that’s actually a better name than cuss.

Surgeons. Swimming up-river from the sea. Breaking the surface of the water in long sinuous arcs. People told me that they could grow to a Really Large Size. They were very mysterious and sea monster scary to me. I never really saw a whole surgeon; just the arc, so I couldn’t get good image of them in my head, but my imagination filled in the details: 10 feet long, with scalpel sharp teeth (the reason they were called surgeons), and probably ravenously hungry all the time. So disappointing to find out they weren’t surgeons at all, but sturgeons.

I guess there are plenty of fish with names that you don’t even have to misunderstand to make them weird: Chubs, hornpout, muskies, charr, splake, crappies – just have fun with them. They probably have some weird names for us, too.

Here’s a good way to spend a fall day (if you live in Maine or New Hampshire. If not, it could be a way to spend any number of days just to get here.) Give the trees just a week, week and a half. Then drive towards Rangeley on Rt. 4. A few miles before Rangeley, you’ll see a sign for Smalls Falls picnic area. Pull in there. There is minimal walking to get to see some beautiful falls and pools. If you care to walk a little more, venture south from the main trail and very shortly you’ll see another set of falls in a small canyon. The way the water has sculpted the rocks there is picture worthy.

You could picnic at Smalls Falls or you could travel into Rangeley and have a bite at one of the local eateries. Then, take South Shore Drive (south of town) to Rt. 17. Driving south on Rt. 17, you’ll be treated to the finest kind of scenery. At Height of Land check out the view of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. (Seriously, I did not make up the name.) Take lots of pictures.

Tear yourself away from the natural eye-candy and keep going south on 17. About 9 miles further, there’s a turn on the right. Cross the bridge, and follow the Bemis Track (a dirt road passable by car) about 4 miles. There’s little turn out where you can park. The trail leaves the south side of the road. It’s marked with dark red blazes and it leads to Angel Falls, ninety feet of waterfall with a rock formation in the middle that resembles an angel’s wing. It’s a 15 to 20 minute walk one way. There are several stream crossings which can be tricky if the water is high, but that’s when the falls are most impressive.

You’ll be glad they invented digital cameras, so you’re not limited by the length of your film.

What do you do when you can’t play with your electrically powered toys? You get in your gasoline powered vehicle and drive to the coast where you see Irene’s spectacular aftermath. This posting belongs to Irene. Enjoy.

Catch and release is about putting the fish back in the water to carry on with its fishy life. If you handle it like a big ole slimy bean-bag, it might just go belly-up and you will have accomplished nothing with your good intentions.

Here’re are some ways to catch and successfully release a fish:

1.Remember the biggest thing: Time is of the Most Importance. This fish has just participated in the fish equivalent of a marathon trying to avoid being landed. When you take him out of the water, it’s like you putting your head under water: no breathing going on. If you want to take a picture, have your camera or picture taker ready to snap away. There’s no time for setting up for a full fledged photo-shoot. Measure and weigh the fish, take his portrait and send him back to WaterWorld.
2.Use “circle” hooks. These hooks are not likely to be swallowed by a fish and will hook him in the mouth only, so you can easily and kindly remove it. It’s gonna do some damage if he’s swallowed it and you yank it out. Owie. If the hook won’t come out of the fish’s mouth, cut off the leader material and leave the hook. It will eventually disintegrate. Meanwhile, the fish has a cool lip piercing he can show off to his buddies.
3.While you’re getting all the proof and bragging information, it’s a good idea to wear cotton gloves. Cotton gloves protect fish slime. I know, it doesn’t seem like something worth protecting, but to the fish it is.
4.Playing a fish to the point of exhaustion (his) is not a good idea. Remember, the fish is Not Playing, he’s in a life or death struggle as far as he knows. You need to play him just to the point that he’s tired enough not to thrash all over the boat and hurt himself.
5.Netting the fish is the best way to land him. It’s much easier on him. If you use a rubber net*, it will support him and won’t scratch his scales off.
6.When you return the fish to the water, don’t just fling him over the side. Hold him upright in the water and move him back and forth to get the water flowing through his gills. He’ll swim away when he’s ready.

Be the fish, Grasshopper. It’ll help you catch ‘em, and it’ll help you let ‘em go free. Free! Free, I tell you!!…oh…sorry.

*Check out stevensnets.com for beautiful handmade rubber fish nets

No. You are much more likely to encounter a moose when it most inconvenient. For example, once there was a Very Large (Trust me, they’re all Very Large) bull moose between me and where I was trying to go, which was into my house. I was carrying stuff and looking down, so I was able to get to within 15 feet of him before I realized my problem. At that time, I had a log foot bridge which crossed a brook in front of my house.
He was standing in the brook. Next to the bridge. Looking at me. I told him to “move along”, but he was not impressed. So I waited. Eventually, he meandered off through the woods and I could finish carrying stuff and go into the house.

Another time that is not ideal to meet moose is while riding a horse. Oh, I rode horses out west that took seeing herds of wild elk right in stride. But my horses are not so
blasé. In fact, they are very much against encountering a moose on the trail. So when my friend and I rounded a corner and found ourselves with our mounts almost muzzle to muzzle with a moose, it was Very Inconvenient.

When I was a kid, my family went camping “up-country” a lot. (We defined “up-country” as north of Moosehead Lake.) My father was an avid fisherman and he had his favorite spots out in the middle of somewhere that was up-country of up-country. To get back to the subject, one of his haunts was a little, shallow pond called Two Brothers Pond. That pond had to be the absolute best place to see moose. Not just a fleeting glimpse of one, but long leisurely viewing of 2, 3, sometimes more. Once, we saw a cow moose with twin calves and they hung around for a long time while we gawked. Nowadays, moose are so random. They are hanging around street corners, leaping through plate glass windows to crash a movie at the local cineplex, playing in traffic. Just once I’d like to see them be where I think they ought to be, grazing in the shallow water of Two Brothers Pond and being moosy.

Having fun. Outdoors. In Maine. Read this blog and learn about all sorts of things pertaining to having fun outdoors in Maine. We’ll be here twice a month to share ideas, tips, and and other fascinating bits about stuff we’ve experienced and learned in our profession – which is Being Registered Maine Guides.

Heat

Well, it’s hot outside. Hot and Humid. This is not my favorite kind of weather, although I’ve heard plenty of people say they l-l-l-l-love it. Seriously? I think those people must be
l-l-l-l-loving it in a lounge chair near a beach, not going hiking or biking or fishing, or horseback riding or moving much at all, except bringing their cold drink to their lips.

Which brings me to the subject of this blog: Staying Alive and Hydrated while playing (or working) in the heat.* For myself, if I come inside from my morning horse chores at 7am drenched in sweat, that’s my cue to 1) hurry up and get all activities done before 10:00am or 2) screw it, just join the lounge chair set.
I’ve had some run-ins with heat exhaustion. Years ago, I learned that hydrating is not the same as downing half a dozen cans of soda. At a horse riding event (which, I might mention, is one of the hottest activities a person can engage in, especially if it’s the kind requiring “Show Clothes”) when the temperature was in the high eighties, with high humidity, I made the mistake of “hydrating” with soda. It didn’t quench my thirst, and whatever they put in there to sweeten diet soda, combined with the heat made me sick and faint. Not a good way to be while driving a truck pulling a loaded horse trailer. Another time, while hiking, heat exhaustion Set In. (Have you ever noticed how some things Set In, like heat exhaustion or hypothermia, while other things you just “get”?)
Anyway, that time, I just plain didn’t drink enough water.

It was when I started bike riding (when bike riding set in?) that I really learned to take care of my body’s need for liquid replacement. I learned that it’s not enough to take a few sips of water every now and then. Even if it’s not hot or I don’t feel thirsty, I’m still losing water. I learned not to wait for thirst to…oh, I can’t resist: set in, but to drink at least every 15 minutes. And for every 15 miles or so, I try to finish my Trek Across Maine water bottle (28 ounces). When it’s very hot and I’m stupid enough to be on a long ride, I find I need something more than water to help replace the electrolytes I’m losing. I drink Gator-Ade either full strength or mixed with water. I know when I need Gator-Ade when it tastes good. If I don’t need it, it tastes sort of like flavored salt water to me.

So to sum up:
1.When it’s hot and humid, try to avoid strenuous activities after 10:00am. Better yet,     try not to move much at all.
2.Drink before you’re thirsty.
3.Drink water mostly.
4.Sometimes drink a sports drink.
5.Most of the time, things that Set In are not Good.

* Disclaimer: This is not a scientific or even a very well researched article. It’s just what I found has worked for me.