Spring is arriving here in Bear River Valley!
We have had a very busy winter here at Mahoosuc with back to back dog sledding trips since late December.
We have had a very busy winter here at Mahoosuc with back to back dog sledding trips since late December.
It is time to transition to spring, end of the winter clean up and the beginning of mud season. The dogs are basking in the warmer weather happy to be “hanging out” in the dog yard and soon will be romping in their summer pastures!
Thank you Jarrod from Little Outdoor Giants for putting together this nice video which is a cumulation of some very vintage photos of Polly & Kevin & many canoe trips with Mahoosuc Guide Service and 32 years of the operation of our guide service!
Brandon has passed on and leaves a big hole in Polly’s dog yard. He was a very hard working dog, unassuming, quiet, easy going guy, who ran mostly in wheel position. Brandon was 9 years old. He is missed here at Mahoosuc…
Here is a very nice video put together from one of our clients from our last overnight dog sledding trip ending last weekend on March 20th, click here to view it. Despite the foreboding weather forecast, it really wasn’t that wet and everyone had a great time!
We are looking for a summer apprentice who would like to help with care of our 23 sled dogs and to accompany us on canoe trips this summer. This is a good opportunity to learn about traditional canoe guiding!
A recap of some of our canoe trips being offered this spring, summer, fall, click here for a full schedule:
May: Wolastoq River (St John River), Allagash River
June: Allagash River
July: West Branch of the Penobscot River, Lodge Based Wildlife Watching, Grand Lakes Region Women’s Canoe Trip, Women’s Canoe & Yoga weekend
August: Way of the Wabanaki, Allagash River, West Branch of the Penobscot River
September: Way of the Wabanaki, Allagash River Fall Foliage
Here is a blog written for Natural Resources Council of Maine with some suggestions about going on a guided trip rather than on your own.
We are hosting another Wilderness First Aid course here in our lodge April 30 – May 1st and an Open Recertification course April 30 – May 2nd taught by Jon Tierney of Wilderness Medical Associates.
On May 3rd Polly will be guiding a canoeing day trip to Umbagog Lake area, contact us if interested in more information.
Hope you are all enjoying the change of seasons!
Polly, Kevin & all the doggies
Guided Allagash river trips are one of the most pleasant and relaxing canoe trips in Maine. You can see Moose, Eagles, and all the wildlife.
I have been guiding on the Allagash river since 1974 and over the years I’ve seen a distinct pattern in terms of usage. Canoeists must use designated campsites on the waterway and there is no reservation system. In peak periods if paddlers don’t secure a campsite by mid-day or shortly thereafter, they may end up […]
For many avid canoeists, the Allagash River Canoe Trip is on their bucket list, and for good reason. Protected by the citizens of Maine through a referendum in 1966, the mandate was to preserve its “forever wild” state. It truly is some of the wildest areas left in the east. In this article, we’ll help […]
Since I was a teenager it was always on my bucket list to paddle the Allagash. In 2018 I retired from a burdensome career and signed up to paddle the river with Mahoosuc guide service (mgs). It was better than wonderful. All I had to do was show up. They provided all the gear and it was good stuff. The river was beautiful, the sights, smells, scenery, distant mountain views were gorgeous. Polly and associate guides were wonderful and fun to be with. They were attentive, careful, observant and caring and brought campfire cooking to an epicurean level. In March 2019 I went on a dog sled winter camping trip with Kevin and Polly and several other guides. It also was great. Safety was paramount. The dogs were eager, energetic, focused and affectionate. The camp was something out of a Jack London novel. Each tent had a small wood stove and was roasty toasty warm. Food was great and plentiful. Kevin and Polly are so much fun to be with. They always made sure I was warm, well fed and happy;
Then in May 2019 I went on a two night canoe trip with my wife and another couple and they are not campers. We had a great time. The four of us, two lady guides (Polly and Jean) and we saw loons and moose and beaver and sunsets.
And then in August I went with MGS to paddle 170 miles on the Yukon river in Alaska. I am getting older, if I don’t do this stuff now, when will I?? It was better than wonderful. I reminisce about all these trips every day. Time is short, life is short, I need to pack it in. Once this pandemic is over, Polly and Kevin will not be able to get rid of me. Polly and Kevin are the models of Maine Master Guides against whom all others should be compared.