I’ve really missed being on the water for the past month or so, and the two or three of you who follow my exploits will know it is with great trepidation that I launch into telling you about a motorized experience I had the other day. Read More
Whoever it was that asked for the rain, would you please send out a thank-you note and follow it up with a request for some sun on the weekend? I sure hope we’re not getting into the rain-on-the-weekend pattern again – especially this weekend, I need to attend… Read More
Sometime it would nice to turn your world upside down – introduce a little variety, some spontaneity, have dessert first, do what you want to do first rather than wait until after work – wouldn’t it? We get tied into life’s routines and forget that… Read More
So far this spring has been slow starting as far as my getting time on the water, but even at that I’ve had a half-dozen launchings. And any time on the water is better than none, right? The weather around these parts is beginning to… Read More
It may be early for you to be thinking about summer vacation (I know it is for me), but I received an e-mail this week from John Flood of Friendship that jumpstarted my thoughts of summer. Flood said he and his sister own a mile-long… Read More
It’s official, spring has sprung. I can so declare because I got out on the lake Thursday evening and was serenaded by red-winged black birds, a quartet of Canada geese, a couple of hooded mergansers and dozens of peepers. But the most official proclamation of… Read More
First off, here’s a big thanks to all of you who turned out for last Saturday’s Paddle Smart Safety Symposium at the Y on Second Street in Bangor. By all measures the evening was the best yet. Comments from some of the more than 225 attendees back that… Read More
If you’re up bright and early this Saturday morning and in the Bangor area, you may want to drive to downtown Old Town and check out the annual Old Town Canoe factory sale. If you don’t, you’ll kick yourself later. There are bargains to be had for sure… Read More
Last call! At least it’ll be the last one from me for this year. I expect I’ll see you next Saturday at the Y on Second Street in Bangor for this year’s edition of Paddle Smart. The doors open at 5 p.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but now the time’s close and I’ve got to fill you in on some of the finer points for the eighth annual Paddle Smart Safety Symposium on April 12. First off it’s free, as usual. What’s really new is… Read More
Welcome to spring, or should I say “unlocking” as Kurt Vonnegut would have us call the months of March and April. Perhaps you saw Thursday’s editorial “They Call It Spring” in which the late author’s six-season “Vonnegut Variation”was outlined. Under the novelist’s plan we’d have… Read More
It doesn’t matter what your choice of outdoor diversion is, there’s going to come a moment or two when you’re going to want to take a load off, a rest you might say. The older I get the more often that moment comes around. But… Read More
Officially and quite candidly, I’m sick of shoveling, snowblowing, scraping, raking, scooping, brushing, sweeping or otherwise moving snow. I heard someone say the other day there’d been 19 days when all of the above had to be done, sometimes more than once. I really don’t… Read More
There are many good things to be said for working for a larger company. One is the opportunity to find folks within the walls with whom to take on new adventures. Too often we get roped into our own little circle and routine and don’t… Read More
I hope you got out for a little fresh air Wednesday night and watched the lunar eclipse. I wondered how many others might be out in their backyards lying on the rock-hard snow trying to aim a camera at the fading orb. As I delicately… Read More
Feel like you’ve been on Mother Nature’s roller coaster this week? I do. Who’d have thought you’d have been skidding on ice-packed roadways one day and swimming home the next? Wednesday was a day of contrasts. Before my morning coffee I was out moving blizzard-like… Read More
I traded the fresh air of the countryside last weekend for the fume-filled finishing stages of a woodworking project I’ve been working on for my daughter Elizabeth. Woodworking is something I truly love to do (almost as much as paddling), but the finishing part wears… Read More
There’s so much more preparation to taking a winter hike than one in warmer weather, what with all the clothing decisions that have to be made. Just thinking about it tends to make me want to put it off for another day. But I’ll have… Read More
That first “major” outing after recovering from an ankle injury is intimidating, especially if you’re closer to your twilight years than your youth. Add a chunk of regained lard due to inactivity caused by said injury and throw in some friends 15 to 25 years… Read More
You’re thinking about Christmas gifts, aren’t you? I know. Every gear head worth his weight in catalogs has been drooling over something new and high-tech now for at least a month (for some of us it’s all year). But before you start putting that wish… Read More
Paddlers now seek moving water Canoeists, kayakers adjust plans due to ice formation on lakes, ponds
Have you ever skipped a small stone across a newly frozen pond? It makes a funky pinging noise, doesn’t it? And that little stone goes on forever in its journey across the slippery surface. It’s too early to take steps on that half-inch of ice,… Read More
It seems an eternity since last I plied the local waters in my kayak. I think it was sometime in early August the last time I launched at Pushaw Lake. I know the last time I paddled anywhere was on Aug. 16 when my wife, Kathy, and I… Read More
Sometime back around 1975 four of us friends ventured deep into the woods north of Millinocket, I think it was into Coffeelos Lake, in pursuit of brook trout. I remember the long, bumpy, muddy dirt road made the trip an adventure. We were testing the limits of two… Read More
My dysfunctional ankle has made some progress in the past five or so weeks, enough so that I can think about getting back in my kayak. Think is all I can do at the moment, but I’m planning on doing in the not-to-distant future. (Not being able to… Read More
Aren’t vacations the best thing since sugar tong splints and fracture boots? I mean, what an opportunity to see new places, explore new destinations, revisit old haunts. Do tomorrow what you don’t get done today – manana, baby, manana. Rather than fly off to the… Read More
It seems the weather adage for some locales in the state this summer has been: “If you don’t like the weather, drive a couple of miles up the road!” It’s the truth! Most notable is the difference between Bangor and Milbridge, and even within this… Read More
Did someone forget to turn back the thermostat? Enough already, 90-plus is fine if you live in Arizona or New Mexico, but up here we’ve got thicker blood! Besides, by turning it back to the 80s we’ll save some energy, won’t we? When it gets… Read More
Seems like work gets in the way of a good time lately. That and life’s other inconsistencies have piled up to impede my need for the solitude of an escape to nature. I got an evening last Saturday to paddle a bit on Pushaw Lake. Read More
Summer’s been a bit cantankerous, no? Can’t say as I miss 90-degree weather, but it would be nice to have a string of sunny, dry days, say in the upper 70s or low 80s, wouldn’t it? I squeezed in a day or two of kayak… Read More
I’ve seen the Penobscot Narrows Bridge now from my vehicle, by foot, from high above and way down below at water level, by day and by night, and I think it’s one awesome piece of work. Saturday evening I paddled under it after watching a… Read More
Perhaps you saw Wednesday’s story on Page 2 describing what children’s advocates, environmentalists, business executives and political leaders describe as a generation of “indoor children disconnected from nature.” If not, it’s worth going back and taking a look. As a child in the 1950s I… Read More
Woah! Summer’s here Thursday! Can you believe it? Seems like we’ve been waiting for spring for an eternity and now it’s here. I’ve gotta get some plans together or else it’ll be fall and I won’t have taken the banking off the cellar windows or stained the deck. Read More
Sometimes I wish I were a bit more organized and had more time to plan and execute outings. For the past six months, it seems, work has taken over my life, leaving precious little other time to get out and about – or even think much about it… Read More
It’s graduation season, time to reminisce over the past several years and look ahead to the next great adventure. If you’re a parent of a college graduate, you cross your fingers and hope for the best for your child — and hope that big tuition bill will somehow… Read More
Way down at the southern tip of Hancock County, out in the ocean just before Knox County begins, there’s a little island you and I own called Steves. It’s on the charts, but it may not be named on some because it’s so small. And… Read More
Is it safe to come out yet? Have the ice chunks left the lakes (not so up north) and have the streams settled back into their banks? I’m getting the itch to be on some water, any water, in my kayak, and by the time… Read More
As we await the salt-water paddling season to get into full swing, it’s a good time to take stock of our equipment and brush up on paddling etiquette. Dive into the equipment piles you’ve managed to bury over the winter. Drag out all your gear,… Read More
Late last week I dropped into Epic Sports to see owner Brad Ryder to pick up a few more raffle tickets to sell on the Old Town Cayuga kayak we gave away at Paddle Smart. Scott Finlayson of Bridgton, a manufacturer’s representative for MSR products, was in the… Read More
On behalf of the dedicated core group of planners and volunteers I would like to send out a big “Thank -You” to all who turned out for our 7th Annual Paddle Smart Safety Symposium last night at the Y on Hammond Street in Bangor. I hope it was… Read More
Sunday, the last sunny day we had this week (I was paying attention because I had to work that fine day) provided a bit of entertainment for me. April Fools’ Day brought a report of a whale in the Penobscot River in the area of the Eagle’s Nest… Read More
Compared to the forecast, Saturday turned out to be a gem, didn’t it? Last I heard the dire outlook was 90 percent chance of precipitation, maybe 80 percent. Wrong, thank you! After giving the day a good start and waiting to see if things were… Read More
Have you ever dreamed about owning a sea kayak? Stay tuned ‘cuz I’ve got a deal for you, and depending on your luck, it won’t cost you more than $3. I’ll get to the relevant details in a minute. Didn’t it rain some wicked last… Read More
Every so often you have to break out of the mold, color outside the lines, break the routine – you know what I mean. Lately I’ve felt that I’ve been driving in a small circle from home to work and work to home and once… Read More
Have you checked your internal clock lately? The days are getting longer (more than two hours, 45 minutes longer than Dec. 22) and the sun is getting warmer. You say the past few days haven’t felt much warmer? Arctic blasts, you say? Subnormal temperatures? It’s… Read More
The other evening, after taking my evening walk, I settled in with a snack and something to drink and flicked on the tube. I was feeling a little guilty about not making it to the gym, but the brisk walk was something positive, no? Anyway,… Read More
Having successfully survived yet another decade, I need to publicly thank those who’ve taken the time to point out the fact that I’ve officially entered the twilight years – or is it the Twilight Zone? In recent weeks I’ve begun to take inventory, to count… Read More
Perhaps it was the conversation I had the other day with one of the reporters who works with me covering news in Bar Harbor that provided the inspiration for a sortee last weekend to that tourist mecca. Our conversation was pretty much me saying how… Read More
Sometimes a spur-of-the-moment outing is just what the doctor ordered. It’s a great stress reliever and a walk along the ice-covered shore of the ocean around sunset can inspire awe as well as infuse some fresh air into your system. Last Sunday afternoon, after doing… Read More
Dressing for winter comfort really is an individual matter. What’s good for me may not be so great for you. After all, we’re all a little different, aren’t we? One major factor in trying to stay warm (but not too warm) is our level of… Read More
Gear heads, listen up! Even you folks who don’t consider yourselves gear junkies could tune in if you wish. When last we talked, we commiserated on the endless piles of “stuff” we have cluttering up the garage and the back porch – to say nothing… Read More
What is it about gear? What I don’t know, the owners of L.L. Bean, Cabela’s, R.E.I., Eddie Bauer, Epic Sports, or the Ski Rack know too well. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
Tragedy throws light on survival Careful preparation of gear necessary before people become stranded
In the wake of a family tragedy in Grants Pass, Ore., a sad tale that unfolded during the first few days of this month, I got to thinking about what I might have done in the same situation. In that incident, four members of a… Read More
As promised last week I’ve forced myself to get out earlier this year and pester Brad Ryder at Epic Sports for ideas to help you shop this Christmas. Based on past years’ feedback, even this weekend may be pushing the shopping envelope for some. (Me?… Read More
In keeping with the spirit of the season I have a couple of simple ideas you might consider for the hard-to-please outdoors person on your shopping list. (The annual big list will come later this month.) Actually, I have samples that I’ve been given to… Read More
“You must love that boat,” a South Blue Hill lobsterman said to me Sunday afternoon as he checked out my kayak as I was getting ready to unload it from the car. “I do,” I said, “but the shorter days and dropping temperatures are testing… Read More
Back a week or more ago, it was Election Day, I think, the weather was nice enough to take a walk. And then last Saturday the sun shone and the temperature rose into the upper 50s. That about sums up the good weather we’ve had… Read More
A little more than a month ago I walked into Burlington Coat Factory in Bangor and was greeted with the sound of Christmas music – it was a little early, I thought for “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” That was the first part of October. Read More
Talk about feeling small when you stand beside the ocean (yes, it’s a line from “I Hope You Dance,” by Lee Ann Womack). Last weekend’s big windstorm turned the Atlantic into raging sea meringue with peaks 24 or more feet tall charging ashore in suicidal fashion. Sustained winds… Read More
I feel, quite often, as if I live in a parallel universe, outside looking in, an alien to my surroundings. I live and work in an environment where the prevailing attitude, when it comes to wildlife, is, if it moves, shoot it or run over it with an… Read More
You might say that Jasper Walsh doesn’t let grass grow under his feet. The Newburgh man’s efforts to satisfy his wanderlust have taken him across country by bicycle with several friends (last year) and down the length of the Mississippi River (he just got back) with two other… Read More
Weekend time being of the essence, I’m always looking for an outing that’s close to home yet slightly different and interesting. Finding such a place without turning an outing into an expedition has always been one of my goals. I must admit that I tend… Read More
By most accounts, Sept. 11 would have been a good day to launch a kayak and do some coastal exploration. The weather forecast called for mostly sunny weather with temperatures in the 60s and northeast winds around 10-15 mph. For the family of Susan Wakelin,… Read More
Don’t ask me why, but I often look at something and wonder whether I could change it or use it for something other than its intended use. It’s not that I think I can do any better, I just have some innate curiosity that I think I got… Read More
We’re halfway to winter! Yikes! Check out the weather page today and you’ll see we’ve lost more than three hours of daylight since mid-June. Note that Friday marked the autumnal equinox (day and night each have 12 hours), when the sun crossed the equator heading south for the… Read More
While I may not be pushing the envelope anymore, I still find adventure in getting out on the water in a skinny little kayak and taking in the scenery. Part of the satisfaction is just being on the water. And since I’ll never have the… Read More
Checklists – mental or written – are handy to have. In some instances, written checklists are mandatory. One wouldn’t think it would be true for kayaking. After all, you get in your skinny little boat and paddle off into the sunset don’t you? googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Yikes! Summer is fast disappearing – gone like yesterday! I just got back from a couple of weeks of vacation. The second one I spent mostly on Warren Island off Islesboro with fantastically clear weather, crisp starry nights that were introduced by fiery sunsets and… Read More
Wasn’t last weekend a gem? I had the opportunity to spend most of it on the salt water, and I took advantage of it by paddling old familiar waters and exploring some new. Friday evening I visited paddling friend Karen Francoeur in Castine, accompanying her… Read More
I’m putting in a request early for some normal summer weather for the two weeks after next week. I figure that gives whoever is in charge of these things time enough to get all the lousy humidity, thunderstorms, and heat pushed out to sea and pull in some… Read More
As luck would have it Saturday I had the afternoon free. The weather was OK (deteriorating as has been the case this season) and I had the itch to do a little sightseeing – some paddling, actually, somewhere relatively close to home. I drew a… Read More
Enough already with this rain, lightning and thunder stuff! You know where you can put the fog that seems to have taken up permanent residency along the coast – California comes to mind. Would it be too much to ask for a week or two of warm, dry… Read More
I did my best to contribute to the economy of Washington and Hancock counties last weekend. With the weather really lousy (fog and rain) Friday and Saturday, my kayak sat on the roof of my car for a ride to South Addison via the Black Woods and back… Read More
Last Saturday I volunteered for my second Down East island cleanup with Maine Island Trail Association members, and again had the distinct displeasure of picking up another 5-gallon pail of used motor oil. A few years ago I went along with a MITA crew to… Read More
Woah! Whaaat was that bright light in the sky we saw a couple of times this week? I had a pleasant Monday evening paddle at Pushaw Lake. After work I headed out for a rendezvous with friends at Moose Island. Robert Causey and Karen Francoeur… Read More
Everyone pictured in Monday’s paper looked a little soggy, didn’t they? There were wet Maine guides in wet canoes, wet dogs, wet runners, wet Soap Box Derby contestants, wet walkers at Acadia National Park, wet walkers in Machias’ Trails Day celebration, wet kids and monster… Read More
Wonderful summer, wasn’t it? Actually, I thought it was a tad on the hot side, but at least it was dry. Last weekend I got my on-water fix, squeezing in paddles on the Bagaduce River and Pushaw Lake. My return to the Bagaduce River above… Read More
Despite a wet Friday start to last weekend, we dodged a soggy bullet, didn’t we? Most of the state languished in warm and sunny weather while parts south of the border were snorkeling. For us northerners it was a great weekend to get caught up… Read More
Why paddle? I’d counter with, why not? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Glorious summer we had last weekend, wasn’t it? Coming off a successful Friday evening Paddle Smart symposium at the YMCA in Bangor I rolled out of bed Saturday morning to sunshine and rising temperatures. Thoughts of the previous evening’s event still bounced around in my… Read More
To the little list of sure things in life add this: Vacations are always too short. I defied death by driving through Rhode Island during my vacation and mailed in my tax returns in Massachusetts on the 18th while visiting my folks near Boston. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Whitecap Mountain west of Millinocket stood out on the northern horizon just like its name last Sunday as I paddled into a mild breeze on Pushaw Lake. It was my first on-water outing of the season, and it felt good to be out in the sunshine, catching a… Read More
First off, I apologize for the return to winter. It’s my fault. I took one of my kayaks out of the garage a week ago Friday (remember how balmy and sunny it was?) to give it a good cleaning and waxing and the lousy weather landed the next… Read More
We’re all about paddling this week. The on-water season already is under way for some, and for others it’s right around the corner. Before you drag out your boat or canoe and head for the nearest ice-free water, though, take a few minutes and study… Read More
In case you were so enthralled with the tractors and ATVs at the Sportsmen’s Show at the University of Maine last Saturday that you missed our trained seal act, I’ll review it for you. As part of an ongoing effort to get people to think… Read More
If you look about next time you’re out, there are signs that winter is losing its grip; not only is the snow melting, check out the wildlife. There’s more than sunshine in the air. Last Sunday my wife and I picked up Dave and Deb… Read More
This week’s return to real winter weather kept most of us close to the hearth, tending the fire and trying to keep warm. At least one colleague’s heating pipes froze, and the smell of wood smoke in the crisp air drove home the point that we should never… Read More
Depending on what part of the state you store your kayak, you either had a chance to welcome winter back with a vengeance last Sunday or yawn at yet another near miss. Here in River City we got just enough snow to cover most of… Read More
We’re more than halfway through winter and it still looks like spring around here. What’s with all this rain? I’ve got day lilies that are convinced it’s spring and are poking up their green tops next to the deck! They’re in for a shock, though,… Read More
Guess what happens when your hydration bladder’s suction hose isn’t fully tightened? I don’t need to tell you, do I? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
Here are a couple of reminders of upcoming events you’re probably aware of because they’ve become annual celebrations. We’ll talk about awards a little later. The big chill’s coming. Next Friday, right after lunchtime, you’re invited to join some 200 other adventurous spirits for a… Read More
There it was, sitting in my mail pigeonhole at work Wednesday when I got back to work, the February issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine. Two young ladies in summer wear paddling on a clear-blue sea, the shadows of their bright yellow and red kayaks dancing on the sandy… Read More
I’m feeling a tad guilty about going on vacation and not having had the time to get out and do something adventurous to relate. It seems I’ve spent most of the time in the past few weeks just keeping my head above water, getting in some aimless wandering… Read More
I received an e-mail the other day that has the perfect excuse for all you Scrooges out there. Consider this my gift to you: Psychologist Glenn M. Johnson, who has a North Dakota telephone number, says Christmas gift-giving stress can be damaging to mental health. Read More
It’s that time of year again when the dreaded search begins for that perfect Christmas present. It’s difficult shopping for those outdoor types on your shopping list, isn’t it? Unless you’ve been paying close attention to what they’ve been accumulating over the past year or… Read More
The furnace men showed up Monday morning to do whatever they do best to make the machine ready for winter. After a mild Sunday and even milder Monday, I had second thoughts about writing a check for that amount when it was so warm. Then again, since I… Read More
The drive to Ellsworth is now better than ever, thanks in part to the nearly complete roadwork in the Green Lake/Goose Pond area and to the fact that leaf peepers and tourists have pretty much gone home. Last Friday my wife and I continued a… Read More
I did it! Again! For years I’ve performed the semiannual ritual of extricating the popup camper from the garage in the spring and re-inserting it into the garage in the fall. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
I’m still not sure I like this onset of darkness an hour earlier thanks to the return to standard time, but if it brings with it the kind of weather we woke up to Sunday morning, I’ll take it any day. Several of us who… Read More
Two years ago, four of us friends got together to celebrate one of our gang’s 42nd birthdays (it wasn’t mine, but I wish) on an island in Penobscot Bay. The busy summer season had ended, school had begun, and it was time to paddle off into the bay… Read More
Be kind to your web-footed friends For a duck may be somebody’s mother, googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if… Read More