A fascinating 1800’s trip through the Maine woods

I must thank Tommy Carbone for republishing Lucius Hubbard’s book, Woods and Lakes of Maine, which was originally published in 1884. I think Tommy must have put a lot of effort into this book, which includes fascinating drawings and lots of maps.

Hubbard’s amazing journey took him 160 miles through the Maine woods from Moosehead Lake to Canada. Along on his journey was a friend plus two Indian guides. And this story is particularly good because he goes into great detail about everything along the way, including the waters, forests, and wildlife, which at that time included caribou. You will feel like you’re right there traveling with him.

I’ve spent time in many of the places they traveled through, and it was fascinating to learn what those places were like in the 1800s. Actually, a lot of the places haven’t changed that much. Okay, the caribou are gone.

Their journey is not easy. They had a lot of bad weather including blizzards of snow. And they did a lot of exploring on side trips. They also shot and trapped a lot of their meals. Yes, there were no critters in the woods and waters that they would not eat.

I guarantee that you will enjoy this journey through Maine’s beautiful north woods. And once you finish reading the book, you’ll want to visit some of those wonderful places.

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.