Float Planes, Off-Grid Cabins, Rugged Gear, and Maine Wilderness

On adventures, mornings should always include the bright-and-early highlight of darkly roasted coffee. Lighting the fire and having a few cups while the early day puts on its show is one of the small details that makes life outdoors so special. After a (lengthy) breakfast of eggs and bacon, we strapped on our backpacks, loaded our shotguns, and got underway with the day.

Today we wanted to “get lost,” to roam the forests without a plan and see where we ended up. But we did have one mission: We were after an appetizer for dinner and a local grouse would do the trick to complete the menu. With the density and crookedness of these forests, stalking these birds proved to be more difficult than we’d imagined. Up and down, under and over logs, hooking our skis to branches, and stumbling into creeks, we made our way around.

As it’d been with fishing, it’s when you least expect or believe anything might happen that it suddenly does—a grouse took off from a log just to our left and we took the shot. We only got one, but it was the one we needed. Back at the cabin, we butchered the bird before grilling it to medium rare and enjoying it by the fire with a sip of beer. Another day completed with hours spent in nature—friluftsliv—where the quantity of harvest doesn’t matter; it’s all about the quality.

Source: https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/amundsen-product-test-maine-backcountry