A Big Hole in the Water into Which is Poured Money

In the summer of 2019, I acquired a new to me 16 foot Lund with a 30 hp Honda 4 stroke. This was of course a huge upgrade from my previous boat, a 14 foot “Portaboat” propelled by a 3.5 hp Nissan. What I soon came to find out about owning a big boat is that with it comes big problems. Now I am not saying that I don’t enjoy the new boat, but whenever more complexity is added to any situation, the higher the degree of chance that something will ultimately go wrong. 

Plan for the Worst

When I inherited this boat, I also inherited a sizeable trailer. For those unaccustomed to towing a long trailer with a heavy boat, this is not a task that should be entered into lightly. Backing up such a rig and navigating around town is enough to make a novice queasy. I attempted to address my many and varied worst case scenarios and in the end, determined that I needed a spare tire. I had after all seen through the years many a boat owner stranded on the side of the road, an unfortunate victim of the “flat tire”. 

Hope for the Best

It was weeks before I finally managed to get all of the boat’s critical parts operational but ultimately, the day came when I was prepared to take it out on its maiden voyage. I make sure I didn’t encounter any issues, that I couldn’t effectively handle, I even invited along two friends to make sure that if I need additional horsepower (help paddling home) I would be ready. Unfortunately, the boat didn’t even make it to the water before I encountered my first issue. Remember, my innate fear of towing a trailer. As my friends and I motored into the boat launch, I have to admit I was excited. In moments I would be enjoying a relaxing day of fishing, in my new boat with my good friends. In my brief few seconds of inattention, I neglected to properly negotiate the sharp turn into the landing and the trailer tire tapped the edge of a large granite boulder. After the large “bang”, the next sound I heard was the rapid high pitch squeal of air escaping through the tires sidewall. Thankfully, the day was saved due to my forethought at having purchased a spare, but the tire was a total loss. 

Get Back on that Horse

I determined that this little set back wasn’t going to ruin my excitement about being a new boat owner and through the course of the summer, my boating experiences were relatively free of drama. Sometimes you can’t sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff. 

Great Pond, Belgrade

Great Pond is the largest body of water in the famed Belgrade Chain of Lakes. For a new boat owner its grand size can be intimidating. On my first outing on the lake, however, all of these initial fears were dispelled. The boat launch located on Boat Way Lane off of Sahagian Road in Belgrade is fantastic. The launch has ample parking, a beautiful dock and a great place to launch a boat. The launch can get very busy during the summer but most of the traffic can be avoided if anglers get an early start. What also impressed me about Great Pond is that almost every single rock, submerged point and potential boating hazard is well labeled with buoys. As long as even a novice boater, new to the pond, navigates with caution, it would be very difficult to encounter issues. 

Three Mile Pond, Vassalboro

Three Mile Pond is another of my favorite drama free boating destinations. The Pond’s boat launch, located off Route 202 in South Vassalboro is well maintained, has a large concrete launch, ample parking and a sizeable dock. Though the pond’s hazards are not quite as well marked as Great Pond, as long as the lake is edging is navigated at slow speeds, boaters shouldn’t have any rocky encounters. The center of the lake has between 25-37 feet of water so if you feel the need to “open’r up”, go right ahead. 

Sheepscot Pond, Palermo

Sheepscot Pond in Palermo is an expansive (1,193 acre) pond situated among the rolling, wooded hills of southeastern Waldo County. A moderately developed lake (unusual for Central Maine!) it remains an attractive setting for anglers and boaters alike. A state-owned boat ramp, located off Rt. 3 on the lake's north shore, provides access for anglers and other recreational users. For the angler who believes that variety is the spice of life, they will find no better thrill than a day spent fishing Sheepscot Pond. On previous trips to the lake I managed to pull up 7 different species of fish including, salmon, largemouth bass, pickerel, white perch, yellow perch, lake trout and brook trout. According to the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the lake additionally contains, brown trout, smallmouth bass and even splake, which were originally introduced to the lake in 1993. While we were unsuccessful in catching any of these additional species, the possibility of going to a lake and catching 10 different species of fish is exciting!

Other Suggestions for New Boaters

Something that helped me immensely in increasing my confidence in navigating new bodies of water was a good quality depth finder. I also carry a lake/pond survey map (available through the maine.gov website) of the bodies of water I am navigating. As long as I am always sure of my position, these simple maps can really take the guess work out of navigating unfamiliar bodies of water. 

Katahdin 2019

In 2019, I succeeded in climbing the Hunt trail on Mt. Katahdin, reaching the summit with my eldest son, the Wildman, on what can only be described as a truly epic day. On that same hike, my younger son was forced to retreat at tree line due to feelings of acrophobia. Having his brother reach the summit and not him, only ignited my younger son’s desire to hike to the Mt. Katahdin summit and a year later he had his second chance. 

Calculated Risk

After not reaching the summit, I understood that I had one year to help my younger son gain more control over his fear of heights. Having also been afraid of heights as a child, I well understood his trepidation. I also understood that in order for him to conquer his fears, he would need to hike in progressively more challenging situations so that he was capable of seeing heights as a calculated risk. Meaning that in life there are thousands of things that can potentially kill you everyday . . . car crashes, ticks, crossing the road, riding a bike but it is unhealthy to live in a constant state of fear of what “could” be. Instead by managing and rationalizing your fears you can learn to overcome them. Except fear of spiders, of course, nothing can help with that. 

Progressive Hike 1: Ragged Mountain (1,300 ft.)

Maine has some truly great hikes for beginners, looking to train for bigger mountains. One of my favorites is Ragged Mountain which is accessible through the Camden Snowbowl, small community-owned ski area in Camden. The two primary trailheads are on the right side of the A-frame lodge, and at the pond end of the main parking lot, beyond the double chairlift. There is also a set of kiosks with information and maps available near the boat launch, just before entering the main parking lot. The Ragged Mountain trails have no real “height” exposure, only the summit has a steep edge where hikers should exhibit caution. 

Progressive Hike 2: French Mountain (716 ft.)

A short climb leads hikers up French Mountain which provides gorgeous, expansive view over small Whittier Pond. The trailhead is off Watson Pond Road, which leaves from the west side of ME Route 27 about a mile north of the intersection of ME Routes 27 and 225 in Rome. Continue down Watson Pond road 0.7 miles from ME route 27 and look for a paved pullout for parking on the eastern (left) side of the road.

Progressive Hike 3: Mt. Phillip (755 ft.)

The Mount Phillip Trail is a loop trail. The trail, marked with blue blazes, leaves from the northeast corner of the parking lot heading east and in less than 0.1 miles splits. Bear right to follow the trail counterclockwise. The trail passes through a grove of tall mature pines then heads northwest gently climbing upward through a mixed forest of hardwoods and evergreens. It continues up to a rocky ledge on Mount Phillip’s eastern side at 0.6 miles and crosses the ledge westward to a rocky, partial summit clearing (755'). After enjoying views of Great Pond to the south and the Kennebec Highlands to the west, continue the loop trail by descending to the west, then turning in a southerly direction and dropping down into a stand of mature hemlock and back to the junction and parking lot. The trailhead and parking lot for the trail are located on the north side of Route 225, directly across from Starbird Lane, 1.5 miles east of the Rome Corner (the junction of Routes 27 and 225).

Three Mountain Overview

All three mountains each have cliffs and overlooks that could be potentially dangerous if conditions were slippery or a hiker was not attentive to their footing. These areas were mostly located on the mountain summits and overlooks. A hiker, like my son, was able to only get as close to the edge as he felt comfortable and so was able to see drops and hazards without having to be immersed in them like during our 2018 Katahdin hike. We spent a good part of the spring and early summer hiking and by August I felt my younger son was ready for his second Katahdin attempt.  

A Better Plan for Katahdin Success

In 2018 my younger so had attempted the Hunt trail, which I would classify as “airy”. In several spots, a single misstep would leave a hiker severely injured or dead. Knowing that my younger son had not yet completely overcome his fear of heights, in 2019 we decided to hike the Saddle Trail to the summit. Additionally to get a super early start, we also reserved a spot at Roaring Brook. I have to admit the training and planning worked out perfect and by 10:00 AM (about 5.5 hours of hiking) the four of us, my brother, his daughter and my two sons were at the summit of Katahdin. Only at one spot on the Saddle trail, did I see that my youngest son was getting “sketched” but a quick pep talk got his head back in the game and he never had any other problems. We ended the hike back at Roaring Brook campground at about 2:30 PM a total of about 11 miles which we covered in 10 hours. I have hiked Mt. Katahdin, in every season, via every trail and touched the summit over 30 times. During all those hikes, I have on many occasions seen adults not perform as well as my 11 and 13 year old sons and my 12 year old niece. Upon settling into our campsite, my brother and I collapsed into our zero G lounge chairs and watched the kid play tag, hide and seek and swim in the stream until it was time for bed. To be that young again and have just an ounce of that vigor! 

Canadian Bear Hunt Spring 2019

One of my favorite hunts is the spring bear hunt in Canada. This past season makes my third consecutive year chasing the elusive black bruins of St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Bear densities here are high, in 2019, my guide had his clients shoot 18 bears, 4 shy of his highest total season of 22. This year, that translated to a success rate of over 90%. This of course excludes the clients (like me), who passed on smaller bears that could have been shot.

Spring Bear vs Fall Bear Weights

Spring bears will be 30% heavier come fall, meaning a bear weighing 150 pounds in the spring will be close to 200 pounds come fall. Because of this, spring bears, fresh out of hibernation, are notoriously hard to judge weigh. Two hunting seasons ago, I pulled the trigger on a 170 pound bear that’s back was even with the top of a 55 gallon drum. I was positive the bruin would be over 200 pounds, I was wrong. The bear had the apparent high, gait, nose and ears that lead me to believe he was bigger, of course by fall that same bear would have weighed close to 220 pounds.

Crossing the Border

While some my cringe at the prospect of making the border crossing with a firearm, I have found that with a passport and proper paperwork, this to be an extremely simple endeavor. Local guides provide licenses and provide the single page of paperwork required to bring a firearm into Canada. Upon return to the US, the American customs will require you to have a declaration form, so before entering Canada be sure to stop by the U.S. customs office and get one. Hunters who wish to hunt with crossbow have an even easier entry into Canada as crossbows require no declaration paperwork. Clients have the option of staying in Canada throughout the entirety of the hunt to eliminate the necessity of crossing the border each day. Personally, I stayed with family in Calais and crossed the border everyday with my firearm and never encountered any issue.
Picking the Right Guide Service

What I like best about the guide service I used for my hunt was the meticulous care he employs in prepping bait sites, monitoring bear activity and especially the comfortable wooden blinds he has constructed to better hide hunters and protect them from the elements. While tree stands are available, I always request a blind as they are extremely comfortable. As a matter of fact, I am sitting here in the blind writing this story!

Bait Sites

Sites are baited with a huge assortment of goodies (not just doughnuts) that seem to appeal to the tastes of hunger roaming bears fresh out of hibernation. The food stuffs include, mixed nuts, confectionary sugar, fry oil, candy and yes, even Tim Horton doughnuts. The guide also sprays down the site every night with Liquid Smoke. This strong smelling product seems to serve the dual purpose of attracting bears and also covering up any human odors.

Cameras

The guide has cameras on every bait site and when I arrive he asks me, “Do you want to shoot “a” bear or “the” bear?” What he means to say, is he has sites where he is seeing smaller bears (110-130 lbs) almost every evening and other sites where larger bears (175-300) are being seen occasionally. This really blew my mind, the guide had such close tabs on the bear population, he could practically tailor a hunt to each hunter. I opted for the “the” bear hunt and saw a massive bruin creep in from the shadows on Tuesday night about 5 minutes past legal but offer no ethical shot.

Have a Seat

When picking out a guide service for a bear hunt it is important to ask a lot of questions. I have been on multiple bear hunts over the years and seen it all. Perhaps the worst was in two occasions, when I went with outfitters who sat me in a chair 20 yards from the bait site in minimal cover and told me not to move a muscle for 5 hours. Now, I’m sure there are some amazingly talented hunters out there who could accomplish this feat but not me. I always have a tickle in my throat and need a drink, have to pee or just get plain bored and fidgety. If an outfitter puts a sport in a blind or tree stand with minimal cover and their answer to this inadequacy is “don’t move”, you are with the wrong guide service.

I’m sitting here writing this story on my cell phone, in a high back plastic lawn chair with a padded seat, my gun hangs from a piece of string from the ceiling and all I need to do to shoot is lean forward, aim, turn off the safety and pull the trigger. The front window is covered in a screen, to partially protect me from the ravenous hordes of mosquitoes (thought I also have brought a Thermacell). It’s currently raining buckets, but inside the blind I am warm and dry. In the 10 bear hunts I have been on, with 7 different guides, this is certainly the most enjoyable.

Meat Processing

Another important consideration when choosing a guide is how will the best be processed after the shot? A majority of guided simply quarter or debone the animal and leave everything else up to the hunter. Are you prepared with coolers, vacuum packing supplies, knives, ice, etc. to make sure your meat doesn’t go to waste? Make sure you understand in very clear terms what the guide provides and cannot provide. Local butchers maybe available, if hunters are looking for an easier alternative, it pays to ask ahead and even call them to make sure they are operating.

Care for that Hide

When skinning, the guide will ask the hunter what he/she is planning to do with the hide as the skinning cuts will be determined by the choice. What about that beautiful bear hide? Will it become a piece of taxidermy? If yes, what specifically? Rug? Shoulder mount? Full body mount? The hunter should be aware if the costs associated with each and plan accordingly.