Guinea pig for home’s snow runs

loading...

When you consider buying a house that’s built into a large, semi-steep hill, a few negative thoughts are bound to run through your mind.

“Erosion may be a problem,” for instance.

Or: “I wonder if we’ll be able to get up the driveway when it snows?”

Finally, after all the practical thoughts diminish, and after you decide that sending the bank a sizeable check … for the next 30 years … is a good idea, other thoughts take precedence. At least, they do if you tend to look at life as a 16-year-old 39-year-old … as I do.

Like this: “I wonder if we could ski it?”

The answer (as of now): You could. But until we get the chair lift installed, the uphill walk in ski boots is a bit of a bear.

Which is why we have settled for sledding down our new hill. And which is why (as you might have guessed) I have been elected the official family guinea pig, and have found that I’m in charge of testing the brand-new, slightly terrifying, always-changing amateur luge run that my fiancee has decided to build (ostensibly for her daughters, but more realistically, for all of us).

To be honest, we’ve actually made about five trails on our mini-mountain. Some are short and steep. Others are longer.

All of those helped us learn the process … and got us ready for The Big One.

The Big One, which actually has another name which I won’t share here, since it’s been trademarked by a real ski mountain, is a slippery 350-foot run that snakes its way around the house, down the slope, and ends (if you’re careful) in a pile of powder just short of the road.

If you’re not careful? Well, that’s where I come in.

As the official track tester, I’m responsible for locating all the trees … dog droppings … and any other obstacles that are best to avoid.

My fiancee – a tenacious worker by any estimation (but especially tenacious when downhill recreation is concerned) – shovels, builds majestic snow walls, and takes short test runs, dragging her feet as necessary to slow her progress.

Then she calls me.

My job (as far as I’ve been able to ascertain … though she disputes this fact): Hurtle down the slope … careen off course … over the all-of-a-sudden-not-nearly-majestic-enough walls … and crash.

Then I brush the spruce needles from my face and tell her where the trees are located … and how a few more well-placed piles of snow might keep future sliders from ending up out in the puckerbrush.

When the next storm arrives, we’ll worry about the slippery driveway. When spring rains arrive, we’ll worry about erosion.

Until then? We’re sliding … and dreaming about that chair lift.

Last weekend, thousands of anglers and plenty of curious observers headed to Sebago Lake for the Windham Rotary Club’s fourth annual Lake Trout Derby.

With more than $25,000 in prizes up for grabs, organizers sold more than 2,300 entry tickets and estimated that more than 5,000 people were on the ice each day.

Sebago is known best for its landlocked salmon – the state record was hauled out of Sebago back in 1907. Nowadays, anglers often set their sights on (or, in some cases, settle for) the more plentiful lake trout, or “togue,” as we Mainers call them.

There are some who say that if the 1958 togue state record is ever broken, an angler at Sebago will be responsible.

The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reported that while Hollis Grindle’s 311/2-pound record remained safe over the weekend, some anglers did ice monster togue.

The biggest fish landed was a 36-inch, 18.75-pounder caught by Bob Curran of Bedford, N.H. Also earning prizes were Dennis Fecteau of Standish (an 18.10-pounder that measured 371/2 inches) and 14-year-old Tyler Holden of South Paris (a 38-incher that weighed 16.2 pounds).

According to fisheries biologists, three of the top four togue taken each had the same fin clipped, meaning they were stocked in either 1975 or 1980.

“This is quite old, considering most other salmonids in Maine waters rarely live beyond 3-6 years of age,” biologist Jim Pellerin wrote in his fisheries report.

And for those who attach monster suckers or jack smelts to their hooks when togue-fishing, living by the “big-bait, big-fish” creed, Pellerin has an interesting tale.

“We also heard that the 16.2-pound laker spit out a 16-inch salmon [after it was caught],” Pellerin wrote. “Now that’s a meal, and he was still trying to eat!”

A Maine truism: Tape a “FREE” sign on nearly anything (even if you don’t know exactly what it is, or if it works), put it out beside the road (or in your “dooryard,” if you’re really a Mainer), and before long, someone will stop … look … and end up tossing their newfound treasure in the back of their pickup truck.

Don’t believe me? Give it a try. We Mainers love free stuff. No matter what it is.

With that in mind, I’m happy to report that I’ve got a deal for somebody. Anybody. As long as you’re not related to me … and you don’t work here at the NEWS.

The best news? We’re not giving away a half-rusted, hard-to-recognize widget. We’re giving away something good.

In conjunction with the Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show – and thanks to Maine Guide Dan Legere of Greenville – the NEWS will be giving away a free drift-boat fishing trip on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River.

The only catch (and, I admit, it may be a deal-breaker for some): You have to share the boat with an outdoors columnist … and he’ll likely write about you.

Your first chance to enter the contest is Monday: Just fill out the coupon that will appear in the March 1 editions, mail it in … and cross your fingers.

Legere, who is one of Maine’s most knowledgeable fly-fishing guides, will treat one lucky winner to a day on some of the prettiest water you’ll find. He’ll show you where the fish are … what they want to eat … and (here’s my favorite part) he’ll feed you a delicious shore lunch.

If you miss Monday’s coupon, don’t worry: We’ll run it several times. Or, if you prefer to stop by the NEWS booth at the Sportsman’s Show on March 19, 20, or 21, that’ll be fine.

I’ll be there for much of the weekend, meeting new friends and sharing stories with old ones.

If you don’t want to chat with me, you’re welcome to spend time with Pudge, my 14-month-old springer spaniel.

We adopted Pudge on the eve of last year’s show, and he spent much of the weekend making new friends.

Pudge has indicated that he expects to spend as much time as possible at this year’s show, and since he’s cuter than me … and has a better disposition … the idea makes a lot of sense.

Coming up: Beginning Tuesday, I’ll be part of a four-reporter, two-photographer team that will head to Fort Kent for the Ruhrgas IBU World Cup biathlon.

We’ll be there all week, bringing you all the action and color as the world’s best biathletes converge on the St. John Valley.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.