Beginning in the mid-1800s and lasting for more than a century, Maine boasted a large number of lodges and sporting camps that catered to the pursuit of outdoor activities. While the primary interests of guests were fishing and hunting, many of the larger, more expensive resorts offered a variety of opportunities, including golf, horseback riding, tennis, boating, archery, and hiking, and some boasted gourmet dining and elegant parties. While some of these establishments survive, many have been demolished, existing only in memory and in photographs. Maine Lodges and Sporting Camps tells the story of the most prominent destinations, featuring nearly two hundred historic images that depict the life that existed when Maine was a sportsman's paradise, abounding in trophy game and fish.

Maine has a long and rich history of involvement with outdoorsmen and women. The Great North Woods have long been the destination of choice for residents and visitors alike looking to bag a trophy buck or land a record brook trout. And there have always been sporting camps to cater to the "sports" and guide them on their excursions. However, trends come and go and the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing have had decreasing numbers of participants. As fewer and fewer people have sought game in the north woods, the sporting camps have had to adapt in order to survive. Now people head to the wilderness for biking, hiking, bird watching, kayaking, or simply to experience the tranquility. And Maine sporting camps have met the challenge, offering a wide array of services, from animal and bird watching excursions to wild flower and native plant guided walks. And the services have changed too. Today camps offer everything from gourmet meals and the finest amenities to unheated, unplumbed cabins to give you the true wilderness experience. In this guide, George Smith profiles the 50 or so sporting camps that are still in operation in Maine. He includes interviews with the staff and owners and gives his own experiences staying at each camp. Each entry also includes pertinent information on amenities, services offered, seasons and times of operation, as well as directions. If you're looking to get away from it all in Maine, this guide will help you find the road less traveled.

"On behalf of Maine's Department of Conservation, a master Maine guide introduces the free amenities of the nearly one million acres of Maine's public lands, including hunting and fishing, with advice on how to prepare for a visit to the North Maine Woods"--Provided by publisher.

The author of the successful Maine Sporting Camps collects here classic and favorite recipes from the proprietors of 47 of Maine's most popular traditional backwoods retreats. The folks who cook at these camps know that tasty, satisfying food is an important part of their clients' backwoods experience, and they have perfected many recipes to fill the bill. Organized by season, the recipes also include quotes from the owners.

Part of a 150-year tradition, Maine sporting camps are typically family-owned affairs with a central dining lodge serving home-cooked meals, and individual rental cabins set along a lake shore. Scattered throughout the state, no two camps are exactly alike: some are easily accessible and offer a full range of outdoor activities for families; others are deep in the Maine woods, ideal for a fishing retreat. This reference, containing factual details and stories, is a guide to these increasingly popular wilderness hideaways. At-a-glance headings describe how to get to each camp, what to bring, rates, and a description of the facilities and accommodations. The book also features interviews with camp owners.

Maine has a long and rich history of involvement with outdoorsmen and women. The Great North Woods have long been the destination of choice for residents and visitors alike looking to bag a trophy buck or land a record brook trout. And there have always been sporting camps to cater to the "sports" and guide them on their excursions. However, trends come and go and the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing have had decreasing numbers of participants. As fewer and fewer people have sought game in the north woods, the sporting camps have had to adapt in order to survive. Now people head to the wilderness for biking, hiking, bird watching, kayaking, or simply to experience the tranquility. And Maine sporting camps have met the challenge, offering a wide array of services, from animal and bird watching excursions to wild flower and native plant guided walks. And the services have changed too. Today camps offer everything from gourmet meals and the finest amenities to unheated, unplumbed cabins to give you the true wilderness experience. In this guide, George Smith profiles the 50 or so sporting camps that are still in operation in Maine. He includes interviews with the staff and owners and gives his own experiences staying at each camp. Each entry also includes pertinent information on amenities, services offered, seasons and times of operation, as well as directions. If you're looking to get away from it all in Maine, this guide will help you find the road less traveled.

From his phenomenal collection of over 22,000 articles and stories of the Maine Woods, Steve Pinkham has selected many of the most exciting and old hunting and fishing tales, as well as stories of animal encounters, lumbering, canoe trips, and even a few ghost stories for this book. Ranging from 1849 to 1913, the book covers the Maine Woods from Magalloway to Moosehead, and Mopang to Madawaska. Most people know that Thoreau went to Maine several times, wrote eloquently about his travels and coined the phrase "Maine Woods." Now for the first time the reader will get to read stories by many of the other known and unknown men and women who also travelled to northern Maine and wrote about their experiences or penned fictional stories set in the backwoods. Included are brief biographies and portraits of the known writers. For the many anonymous authors, Pinkham has included appropriate pictures of the region where the story took place and other pertinent information from his vast sources. Visit the website at: www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com Steve Pinkham grew up in western Maine, hearing old stories of hunting and fishing, and has spent much of his life hiking, paddling and discovering the many wonderful places in the backwoods of Maine. Having spent the past ten years searching for articles and books, following up on clues, and spending a vast amount of hours in libraries and historical societies, he published his first book, Mountains of Maine in 2009. Selecting from his vast collection for this book, he now spends his time writing and publishing articles and books about the Maine Woods from his home in Quincy, Massachusetts.

IN THE MAINE WOODS is the first book ever published on Maine wilderness sporting camps where one can fish, hunt, hike, canoe or just commune with nature. The book features 48 currently operating camps which are 40-140 years old. Arlen covered 6,500 miles to visit, photograph & tape camp owners, staff, guides & guests. The result is a personal, entertaining, informative look at what it means to work, live & play in the Maine woods. What is a "hookeroon"? Which is the oldest sporting camp in the United States? What does a bear do about bodily functions during hibernation? Where can you find landlocked Arctic char? How do you make a Tunnel of Fudge cake, Bass chowder or a snow cave? Where is the oldest man-made structure in the new world? Curious? Get the highly readable IN THE MAINE WOODS. HALF A MIND: Hashing, The Outrageous New Running Sport (Illus., 152 pgs., softbound, $9.95 US). HALF A MIND, the one & only book on the worldwide phenomenon "hashing": a fun & funny noncompetitive cross-country run through varied terrain following a devious pre-set course marked by "checks," false trails & other challenges. How-to, plus worldwide directory of hash clubs. Order from AJ & Co. Publishing, 25 Warren St., Hallowell, ME 04347; 207-622-9745.