nature trips

It is hot this week to be sure with temperatures near 90 and a west wind that keeps the sea breeze from cooling us off in the afternoon. The signs of the coming fall are all around though. A few leaves have changed on the trees that are under stress, like those growing in wet areas. Goldenrod is in full bloom and the sumac is magnificent with its bright red berries. For me though it was driven home this morning when I walked out to get the newspaper and shuffled through fallen leaves in the driveway.

This blog post was extensively quoted by George Smith on Downeast’s web site. My original post was about how my nature trips simply do not sell very well when compared with my fishing trips.

The family fishing trip this morning started off with a sighting of a flock of eleven loons working over a school of perch on Megunticook Lake in Camden. As autumn gets going the loons gather where the fishing is the best so that we are often in the same places. There were other loons in other parts of the lake.

Yesterday afternoon I was about to start a family fishing trip on Seven Tree Pond here in Union, when I cut the motor and was about to lower the anchor over the side of the boat I heard lots of eagle cries. I looked across the cove and could see an adult eagle in a tree with a young eagle perched right below it.

This week I have been on a variety of trips from fishing with families for perch and mackerel to fishing on the Saint George out of the Grand Lake Canoe and the Lund Alaskan. None though was as pleasant as the sunset canoe trip on Tuesday evening.

One of the best parts of my summer is being on several bodies of water each week. Over the course of the season I am usually on at least a dozen different ponds (most of you call them lakes), the Saint George River on both the freshwater and saltwater sections and at least one other coastal river. Over the last 25 years I have watched the loon population rise to the point where I am expecting to see at least a couple on every trip. In fact on today’s family fishing trip we saw several including a couple that let me get quite close with the Lund.

I always send a hand written thank you note my clients. But today I got this thank you. I really enjoy being part of outdoor experiences that provide so many great memories. That really is what Maine Outdoors is all about.

Hi Don,
Just wanted to say thank you for the terrific two days fishing/canoeing with you. The smiles in the pictures say it all!

Last weekend was filled with family trips and lots of firsts. A couple of three year old twins were a total blast for two mornings as they took in their first fishing trips. One trip on saltwater where we saw lots of new sights and caught mackerel the second on freshwater where we caught bass, perch and pickerel. Another family with older boys fished for the first time and caught a tank full of mackerel.

As the Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association I frequently talk with writers and reporters exploring some aspect of Maine guiding. As a result I am occasionally quoted in some publication or another. When we are discussing the industry and the future; the question of “nature tourism” or “eco tourism” always comes up.

Last week I guided my neighbor Keith Bodine the winemaker at Sweetgrass Farm and Winery on a nature exploration trip as a birthday present from his family. One of the requirements of the trip was that Keith not paddle due to a recent injury.