So What Is a Registered Maine Guide?

The State of Maine is one of the only states in the nation to require that wilderness guides meet certain standards of competency. Any person who is paid to guide clients in the outdoors (whether to canoe, kayak, hunt, fish, or whitewater raft) must pass a rigorous series of examinations, both oral and written, and be registered with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. It's in imperfect process, but it does enforce a certain degree of quality control since, for example, all Registered Maine Guides must complete first aid training before they can be certified. Nothing takes the place of years of experience in the field, but I shudder at the thought of a family embarking on a dangerous trip into the wild with a "guide" who's just been hired off the street and who has never heard the word "declination." This article from Wikipedia provides some more details on the testing process, as does the State of Maine's own Web site.

"Fly Rod" CrosbyFun fact: Maine's first Registered Maine Guide was a woman, Cornelia "Fly Rod" Crosby (1854-1946), who also has the dubious distinction of being the last person in the state to legally shoot a woodland caribou. While there are scattered populations of caribou on the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec, just north of the Maine border, the animal has been extirpated in the state for about a century now.

Smarter Than Your Average Bear

A black bear plays a fairly prominent role in The Poacher's Son. In fact, the book had its beginnings in a series of short features I researched about marauding bears for Down East Magazine — those stories sparked my interest in the unusual responsibilities of game wardens, and the more I learned about the lives of these little-known law enforcement officers, the more intrigued I was by them. 

I've always been intrigued by black bears, and it doesn't seem like I'm alone based upon the popularity of this article in today's New York Times. 

Warden's Creed

When Maine game wardens join the service they swear a unique oath:

Recognizing the responsibilities entrusted to me as a member of the Warden Service of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife of the State of Maine, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the fish and wildlife laws of Maine, I pledge myself to perform my duties honestly and faithfully to the best of my ability and without fear, favor or prejudice. I will wage unceasing war against violation of the fish and game law in every form and will consider no sacrifice too great in the performance of my duty. I will obey the laws of the United States of America, and of the State of Maine, and will support and defend their Constitutions against all enemies whomsoever, foreign or domestic. I will always be loyal to and uphold the honor of my organization, my state and my country.

While I was writing The Poacher's Son, I had these words posted above my desk because they defined for me the values Mike Bowditch aspires to embody (not always successfully).

Maine Streets, Mean Streets

I've always loved Raymond Chandler's famous quote about private eyes from his essay, The Simple Art of Murder:

Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor. He talks as the man of his age talks, that is, with rude wit, a lively sense of the grotesque, a disgust for sham, and a contempt for pettiness.

In The Poacher's Son I've extended Chandler's dictum to the wild paths and trails of Maine. The woods can be a scary place, but never more so than when you meet a stranger alone in some isolated spot far from help. Such is the life of the Maine Game Warden. And I think all of Chandler's character virtues apply to the wardens I most admire.

Maine Guide Tip

Every week I'll offer some wood wisdom gleaned from Registered Maine Guides I've known.

Dead Air

It isn't clothing per se that keeps your body warm. Instead it's a thin pocket of dead air between your skin and your first layer of clothing. I'm a big fan of Patagonia products—sometimes jokingly or dismissively referred to as "Patagucci" for their high price tags, but always worth every penny. Patagonia's R1 pullover has an unusual grid pattern on the inside that creates numerous tiny pockets of air close to the skin. As a result, this moisture-wicking polyester pullover is unusually warm for its weight. It's an excellent insulator. (That's the end of tonight's unpaid advertisement.) Old-time Registered Maine Guides tell stories of having to spend nights in the woods and stuffing their wool underwear with dead leaves to create the same effect. Leaves (or crumpled newspapers) won't keep you warm but they do trap body heat and keep it circulating where it will keep your skin warm.