When I started writing for the Northwoods Sporting Journal, I had people reach out and share their stories and experiences in the woods. I would mark the emails and tuck them away to go back to every once in a while.  A couple of those stories have stuck with me since they first popped into my email years ago.

Camp in Rangeley

The first was following an article about fishing that I had written. I can’t remember if I commented about wanting to own a camp or not, but I received an email from a man who reached out on behalf of his grandfather.

The family had a cabin outside of Rangeley.  They lived in Connecticut and were at a point where family members were busy with kid’s sports schedules and work and just did not have the time to come up to Maine and use the cabin as much as it should be.  I ended up on the phone with this gentleman and he told me amazing stories of when the cabin was built, the history that it held and some of his fishing adventures while there.  He offered me the camp for a steal and I wish I had taken him up on it! At the time, I was beginning my career. I was recently married and I am not sure if I had my oldest child or not. I wonder what happened to that camp and that family.  Hopefully, there are people enjoying it and appreciating having a camp in such a beautiful place.

Grandma’s hunt

Another story that sticks with me is one that was sent to me by another man who recalled a hunting story about his grandmother.  It was a wonderful story and I know my synopsis won’t do it justice but here is the basic premise of it. The family relied on deer meat for food throughout the winter. It was not uncommon to see women hunting so, his grandmother put on her wool hunting clothes and headed into the woods, alone, to fill the freezer. She was able to find a buck and shoot it.  She tracked it through the snow but as she crested a hill, she saw someone gutting the deer.  He saw her and she saw him. There were no words exchanged but she knew he needed it more than her so she turned around and continued to hunt. I can’t remember if she ended up shooting a deer that season or not.

Learning a small piece of these families’ stories have stuck with me and reminded me how connected we are in our love of the outdoors and our appreciation for the woods and waters here in Maine.  Hopefully, you are able to enjoy the summer months and all of the great outdoor activities that are available.  Soak it up… hunting season kicks off soon!