It’s been a little while since I’ve conducted an interview for UpCountry Living; I published the last one in November. It’s not like I haven’t met a veritable mob of wonderful people with which I’d like to further my acquaintance; I have! So many! Let’s just blame it on something else.
I found Jim Andrews’s story on his blog, Self-Propelled Travels in Maine, hosted on Bangor Daily News. I’d never heard of self-propelled travel over such long distances and I read through Andrews’s posts with fascination and admiration. Andrews propelled himself from Kittery to Fort Kent last summer with only the power of his limbs, a canoe, and a road bike.
No motors. No gasoline. Only mankind and his own movement through woods and river.
It’s an incredible story. Jim tells us all about it.
Tell
me about yourself (feel free to be heavy on the details – I love
details.)
I
was born and raised in Maine. Both sides of my family have lived in
the hills of Oxford County since the early 1800’s. They were farmers,
woodcutters and other independent souls. The outdoors was their
workplace, their grocery store, and their recreation spot. I grew up
in the woods of West Paris — “too far from town to learn
baseball” — as Robert Frost would say.
I
went on to Bates College in Lewiston in the early eighties and then
to law school in Portland after that. Neither of my folks went to
college — and most of my extended family never had the opportunity.
Fifteen
years ago, my wife and I moved to Farmington from the Portland area
for a job opportunity. We have two great kids, an old house that
needs work and a dog named Tucker.
What
is it about muscle-powered travel that appeals to you?
Crossing
long distances under your own power provides a sense of satisfaction
that cannot be found anywhere else in the modern world. At its best,
it allows a conversation with yourself that most people don’t get a
chance to enjoy.
I
grew up reading about Daniel Boone, Lewis & Clark, the French
Voyageurs and the mountain men of the west. The Maine snowmobile
revolution in the 1970’s passed my family by. And the ATV contagion
that has caught the state in its grasp left me cold.
I
also like to spend time alone in the outdoors. For me the true
definition of “alone” requires the absence of sight, sound
or availability of motorized vehicles. Experiencing the technology
involved in the modern internal-combustion engine, even from a
distance, is as much a conversation with society as watching
television or surfing the internet.
How
many miles did you travel on your 2012 self-propelled adventure?
The
itinerary called for almost 600 miles. There were a few changes en
route, but nothing that would have really reduced the overall
mileage.
You’re
an attorney? You work a desk job?
I
have worked for the State as a criminal prosecutor for more than 20
years.
What
did you discover on your travels? (i.e. beautiful land formations, a
great place to eat)
On
August 14, my son Ben and I left the pavement of the Elliotsville
Road near Monson. I never touched pavement again until September 2nd
in Allagash Village. Maine is perhaps the only state in the eastern
US where this is possible.
Did
you learn anything?
Dehydrated
food is universally bad. Swimming in a different lake or river every
day is a superb way to spend August in Maine. Crocs make great
paddling shoes. A wooden canoe is a paddling luxury and a portaging
curse. The sporting camp tradition is alive and well in Maine. And
the [Appalachian Mountain Club’s] lands near the 100-mile Wilderness are an under-utilized
mountain bike Mecca.
Any
mishaps on the journey?
My
body held out amazingly well, but there were some gear problems. I
dunked my camera in Flagstaff Lake just before the portage around
Long Falls Dam. I broke a series of wooden canoe poles at various
points. My son’s road bike blew a tube near Saco early in the trip.
And I lost a water bottle, with an integrated filter, somewhere on
the Wadleigh Brook trail in the northwest corner of Baxter State
Park. Dibbs on that.
When
did you start exploring Maine?
In
high school I started getting out of Oxford County for fishing,
hunting, canoeing and hiking trips. I’ve been traveling to the St.
John and Allagash rivers for about the last 15 years. Baxter State
Park trips really started when I was in college.
You
mention that your self-propulsion travels were a result of a
‘mid-life crisis.’ Do you believe that your travels helped you come
to terms with this crisis?
Within
a one year period of time I turned fifty, received a reward for 20
years as a prosecutor, celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary and
buried my dad. I felt a need to do something big — but manageable
for a guy with a wife, two kids, a mortgage and a full-time job.
The
trip was the perfect antidote.
What
would you recommend for equipment for hiking, biking and canoeing?
My
“road bike” is a 20 year-old LL Bean Acadia model. My
mountain bike was made in Belfast by the now-defunct Aegis bike
company. Neither of these bikes is a top of the line speedster. I
think the modern outdoor gear industry focuses on expensive, tiny,
incremental advances in technology that do not have much impact for
those of us who function well below the elite level. Comfort and
durability mean more than speed to most of us.
For
solo canoe travel my 17 foot, 1953 Old Town turned out to be the
perfect companion. Plenty of gear aficionados will disagree. It’s too
heavy, too slow, too delicate. OK, but I can row it, paddle it, pole
it and repair it. Versatility beats specialization every time in the
long run of real-world travel.
I
force myself to be an ultra-light hiker. I start with a small
backpack and I stop adding gear when it’s full.
You’re
a Guide, yes? How’s that work? Do you literally take folks through
the woods and keep them safe?
I
have held a Maine Guide license for about 15 years, with hunting and
recreation designations. But I am only now just beginning to accept
clients other than the friends and family I have been taking on trips
for years.
If
you could make a new law for the woods or the river, what would it
be?
The
permitted size of outboard motors should be directly proportional to
the acreage or size of the waterway. And jet skis would be banned
forever and always.
To
quote one of your blog posts regarding Maine’s connecting
long-distance trails: “This
says something about Maine’s connection to the natural world.
A public priority that is increasingly at risk as we engage in a
short-sighted and wrong-headed pull-back of environmental standards.”
What are some examples of pulling back on environmental standards?
The
recent changes to Maine’s mining regulations which will allow
large-scale extraction and processing of metal ore. And the proposed
East-West highway corridor. Those are the two biggest threats in my
view.
Any
future expeditions planned?
So
many trips to take — so little time. I’ll be on the St. John in May.
I’m hoping for some fishing trips to the Moose River west of Jackman.
I want to do some bushwhacking in Baxter this summer.
Besides outdoors recreation, do you have any other passions?
My
family.
UpCountry
Living’s philosophy is to “let it be home.” What
encouragement could you
offer those with a restless spirit?
Maine
is big enough to satisfy the most restless spirits. Travel’s biggest
reward is insight. By adjusting and slowing the mode of travel you
can stay home and reap the biggest reward.
What would you tell your 30-year-old self?
Slow
and steady doesn’t always win the race, but it lets you race another
day. Lack of financial success is only important if you keep score by
how much money you have. Don’t keep score that way.
Thank you so much, Jim, for sharing this awesome story. While I might not pursue my mind’s ambition to follow his path through the entire length of Maine, I am definitely going to propel myself all over this great state in the upcoming warmer months.
To follow Jim’s journey more closely, check out his blog Self-Propelled Travels in Maine.
UpState Maine 