Guides Gone Wild

13/08/2024

It's not everyday that you get to see an endangered species in the wild! I'm glad.they put up the barricade.posts so no one gets too close, we don't want it to get spooked and run off or hurt some curious GenZer.

22/02/2024

Hey there hotties! Let's talk cold water!!
We are back in our virtual clubhouse next Tuesday, February 27th at 7pm to learn, share tips, and maybe finally convince ourselves to dip our proverbial (and actual!) toe in the world's of sauna and cold dipping/plunging!
🥵🥶☺️
Register at GuidesGoneWild.com/meet if you want me to send you the calendar invite, or simply grab the Zoom link there, grab your favorite beverage, and join us Tuesday night!
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P.S. I'm expecting a few EXTRA SPECIAL GUESTS, you won't want to miss it!

06/02/2024

Looking forward to catching up IRL tomorrow night - any local wild ones willing to talk adventure over a beer or sparkling lemonade and soft pretzels should join us at 7pm!💛

07/09/2023

Look who's a TV star!!🤩

Paige Emerson started “Chubby Hiker Reviews” to provide more honest and realistic reviews of trails for heavier people. Her goal is to create a safe space while encouraging body positivity.

01/06/2023

THIS COULD BE YOU!! Clear that view, prep that firewood, build that trail - and never mind waiting on someone else to do it for you, with your new Lumber Jill skills, you'll be gettin' it done!
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Join and June 10-11 for Skills4LumberJills - two days of learning and FUN!! We'll get hands-on with Stihl chainsaws, throw some axes, and show off our new skills with a volunteer trail project !
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Space still available for.on-site weekend camping - I'll have plenty of bug spray and s'mores on hand for a fun weekend!

Get in on the action - axewomenloggers . com (https://www.axewomen.com/index.html) for more info or to register!

10/02/2023

The most fun you can have on 6 legs, amiright?!!?
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Ski-what??!? SKIJOR! In Skowhegan!!
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This week's pod features the stoke behind this 🔥 - Mary Haley ( ) and Kristina Cannon ( ) - and we are talking all things skijoring AND Somerset SnowFest!
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Whether your ideal winter day involves skiing, snowshoeing, sipping some suds, hurtling down a snowy slope in a box or a kayak, or getting the p*ss startled out of you by an enthusiastic volunteer in a Yeti suit (😱), Somerset SnowFest has something for you!
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Festivities kick off Friday, February 17th and run through Sunday, February 26th - and the can't miss Skijor Skowhegan: Northeast Equestrian Skijoring Regionals takes place at Skowhegan Fairgrounds on Saturday, February 25th!
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Get all the deets at SkijorSkowhegan.org or https://somersetsnowfest.org/
..

📷: Main Street Skowhegan/Jonathan Weaver

01/12/2022

Look who blazed her own trail to the big time airwaves this week!! When Sydney Williams ( Hiking My Feelings ) and I did our episode earlier this year, this wasn't even on the radar - LOVE to see our wild guides making their wildest dreams come true! 💛 Tune in next week!

The first Wellness in the Wilderness episode with Sydney Williams aired today at 1 PM PST! Tune in to hear about Bethany Hughes and Lauren Reed's 18,221-mile expedition of hiking, bikepacking, and paddling across the Americas and their mission for Her Odyssey. Hiking My Feelings Her Odyssey - La Odisea de Ella 🥾

10/10/2022

We got our feet on the ground and we're burning it down! 🔥
With all due respect to Alicia Keys, our heads aren't in the clouds, they're focused on learning some new skills and making some epic food - outdoors!
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Join Guides Gone Wild and November 4 - 6 for our first-ever (Cast) Iron Chef Weekend!
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Head to
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/iron-chef - and let's get cooking!

28/09/2022

GGW End-of-Summer Camp Weekend is a wrap! 💛 Still processing all the goodness and inspiration and stoke that came from watching these super star campers try new things and get (WAY) out of their comfort zones on water, land, and wheels!
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Hugest of thanks to our unflappable, infinitely flexible guide of for keeping us safe and maxing out the fun in a weekend full of weather (and beaver dam!) challenges!
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So much more to say, so many lessons learned, but here are a few key takeaways to start with:
1. Yes, you CAN paddleboard in Maine at the end of September in 30mph wind gusts, it's all about location, location, location...💨
2. It sounds trite, but you CAN arrive as strangers and leave as friends 💛
3. While it will take longer, and you might use some NSFW vocabulary in the process, you CAN make a potholder on a plastic frame instead of a sturdy metal one 🤬
Thank you to all who joined me for the inaugural Guides Gone Wild in person weekend - you are all amazing women who fill me with joy, awe and inspiration, and I can't wait to do it again!

23/08/2022

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
Registration is open for the 2022 Guides Gone Wild End-of-Summer Camp Weekend!
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3 days/2 nights filled with paddling, arts & crafts, campfires, s'mores, happy hour-ing with new friends, snacks and naps and DIY adventure galore!
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Dates: September 23-25
Location: Evans Notch Lodge, Gilead, Maine
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Come on over to https://www.guidesgonewild.com/camp
for more details and to register today - space is limited!

29/07/2022

Who needs some great gear?!? Make GearME your first stop on your next stop to Freeport!

29/03/2022

And the winner is.... Kelly! was the winner of the Guides Gone Wild Community Survey drawing (which, as you can see, was a highly technical process audited by PwC after they got home from the Chris Rock/Will Smith throw down) - and this wildly generous listener wanted the proceeds to be donated to Little Bellas 💛 DONE!! And while I'm at it, I'll sweeten the pot with a 'matching ' $50 and we'll get more girls on bikes already!
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HUGE thanks to all who participated in the survey, I'm excited to start experimenting with the podcast format, inviting all your amazing referrals to be guests on the show, and expanding the GGW universe into some new areas. THANK YOU

09/03/2022

Have you taken a class or found a video series you've LOVED for learning Map & Compass skills? Share here!!

21/02/2022

Looking for directions!
Guides Gone Wild is looking for some Guide-ance 😁 Our Community Survey is linked below, I hope you'll take a few minutes to share what you like, what you don't, and what you hope to see, hear, and get from Guides Gone Wild in 2022!

https://www.guidesgonewild.com/survey

12/01/2022

It's PLAN-UARY! Make it a HELL YEAH for getting outdoors for some bucket list adventure this winter!!
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SNOWSHOE RUNNING CAMP with Sarah Canney - Feb. 18-20th, registration closes Jan. 17th! -->
https://sarahcanney.com/snowshoe-camp/
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WOMEN'S INTRO TO ICE CLIMBING with Laurie Watt of Mooney Mountain Guides -->
https://www.mooneymountainguides.com/womens-winter-programs/
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DOG SLEDDING with Polly Mahoney of Mahoosuc Guide Service -->
https://mahoosuc.com/dogsledding-2/
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Can I get a HELL YEAH?!??!
What are you dreaming of this Planuary?

26/10/2021

Lauren Humphrey's work with was already going to make her an interesting and inspiring pod-guest...then she started dropping truth bombs left and right!
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A relative late bloomer when it came to her passions for hiking, biking and climbing, Lauren built connections with activity buddies the old fashioned way - she just started showing up wherever her kind of fun was happening, and introduced herself.
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Lauren shares her tips for getting kids outside in the first place, navigating the inevitable meltdowns afflicting teens and toddlers alike, and acknowledging the need we all have for a little outdoor fun that's all our own.
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Listen in, maybe you'll change a few of your own outside perspectives!

"Keep Things in (Outside) Perspective: Lauren Humphrey of Outside Perspectives — Guides Gone Wild" https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw072-lauren-humphrey-outside-perspectives

21/09/2021

What have you talked yourself out of lately? How might you be holding yourself back?
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Erin O'Toole of Oterra Designs joins me on the pod to talk about leaving the predictable behind. Erin's passion for climbing collided with her creative energy a few years back, resulting in beautifully crafted chalk bags that were the envy of all her friends.
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Just before COVID shut down the world, Erin took a giant leap out of her comfort zone to make her functional works of art available to the masses through Oterra Designs. While Oterra has been the crux of her professional life to date, the challenges have come with a ton of personal fulfillment (and stories to share on that next long approach!)
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Come on over and listen in!
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw067-erin-otoole-oterra-designs

16/09/2021

"Community is life." Some may think this phrase is repeated so often lately that it borders on cliché. But in the case of Casting for Recovery Maine it could not be more spot on.
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Legendary Maine Guide (look it up, it's a thing!) Bonnie Holding joined me on the pod a few weeks back to talk about guiding, but also about gathering. For many years, Bonnie has been the Maine Program Coordinator for Casting for Recovery, a wonderful organization that brings together women with breast cancer experience for fly fishing retreats across the country. Participants are provided with all of the equipment, instruction, and support they need to get out on the water, but the real benefits of these weekends are much less tangible and much more important.
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Shared experience, however difficult and, frankly, hideous that experience is, can be therapeutic and life affirming. Being with others who can actually understand and relate to the horrors you've put your body through, who won't feel the need to assure you that 'everything will be ok'. Who share or appreciate the sick sense of humor that can be a line of mental health defense when facing a potentially terminal illness. Oh, and maybe learning to fish a little.
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It's a sad fact of life that breast cancer touches all of us in some way. So I hope you'll listen in and get some inspiration from Bonnie, who's spent over a decade facilitating joy and escape for women experiencing breast cancer. And who knows, maybe you can convince some of the pink ribbon warriors in your life to apply for this awesome program!

https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw065-bonnie-holding-casting-for-recovery

20/08/2021

"I feel like it's easier, as you get older, to just not do the things you like to do anymore. Like hobbies aren't allowed, basically, because you just don't have the time. Or maybe that's an excuse I made...."
Yup. Ouch.
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Good thing we have Mischa Ostberg on the pod this week to inspire us with her own story of busting through her own excuses!
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Not only has Mischa gone from 'indoorsy kid' to wilderness ranger and backpacker, she's also taken a lapsed creative hobby to a FOMO-inducing side hustle, repurposing climbing rope into gorgeous works of functional art!
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So much good stuff in this one - listen here:
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw064-mischa-ostberg-east-mountain-designs

19/07/2021

Who needs a little extra inspo on this 9000th gloomy day in a row (and a Monday to boot?!?) Cathy Piffath of H2Outfitters is bringing it!
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Her first ocean kayaking experiences featured lots of going in circles, and ended in frustrated tears. But instead of throwing in the towel (after she dried off), Cathy approached it for what it was - the beginning of a learning journey - and found the instruction and advice she needed to get more confident, proficient, and safe.
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Next thing you know, Cathy and her partner, Jeff, were running their own sea kayak tours and were instrumental in the development of the ACA: Canoe - Kayak - SUP - Raft - Rescue sea kayak instuctor certification curriculum. And they might've been VHS superstars along the way...
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Come on over to GuidesGoneWild.com and listen in (right from the website now! WOOT!) or find us on your favorite podcast player!

https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/cathy-piffath-h2outfitters-ggw059

02/07/2021

Striper fishing this long weekend? Take these steps to protect this fragile population so the next generation of anglers and surf-casters can too!:
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>> Minimize air exposure - 10 seconds or less. And for the love, DON'T hang fish vertically in the air!
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>> Eliminate contact with dry surfaces - wet your hands before you touch the fish, and avoid bringing them into boats or onto the sand (and while you're at it, always hold fish with two hands if you can)
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>> Reduce handling time - release fish quickly AND GENTLY, and only revive fish that can't swim on their own.
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Bonus points for using barbless hooks, limiting use of lip grippers, and taking your trophy selfies as quickly and close to the water as possible!
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For more tips and info, head to https://www.keepfishwet.org/stripers-in-our-hands

11/06/2021

This week we're hopping in the DeLorean, McFly! My guest, Jen Deraspe ( ) is a holistic wellness coach and eco-retreat owner whose story has more than a little 'Back to the Future' in it.
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Jen's retreat property, Nurture Through Nature - - in Denmark (ME) has the solar and micro-hydro and minimalist efficiency that most van lifers and tiny home aspirants drool over, except she designed and built it LONG before Pinterest and HGTV were a thing. And she flipped houses to get the money to finance her dream in the first place...20 years ago! OG!!
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A 'magical' women's canoe retreat convinced Jen that her purpose was to help others develop confidence, live mindfully, and achieve transformation in their lives. And I don't know about you, but a weekend spent doing yoga, qi gong, meditating, eating clean local food and sleeping in a yurt at Nurture Through Nature sounds pretty dang transformational to me!
🧘‍♀️🥬
Listen in!
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/jen-deraspe-of-nurture-through-nature-eco-retreat

04/06/2021

It's Pride Month, people. Do yourself proud and take meaningful action to undo or repair some of the damage inflicted by generations of colonialism and white supremacy and cis/heteronormativity.

It's not just a bunch of letters. It's a bunch of PEOPLE that continue to be hurt (killed!), held back, undermined by systems and institutions designed to elevate the few at the expense of the 'different'. It's got to stop.

Serena Ryan comes back to the GGW pod this week to talk about Summits In Solidarity, a racial justice initiative (quickly progressing into a movement!) that is one of the pillars of her own personal anti-racism work. I hope you'll give it a listen, get ready to hit a summit (loud and proud) later this month, and most importantly, open your wallet if you can to support the work of and Cowasuck.org!

https://www.summitsinsolidarity.org/

01/06/2021

Emily MacCabe of may have the best job in the world!
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Emily is the Director of Information and Education for ME-IFW, the first non-political-appointee to hold the position. Emily's been with the division for over a decade, and has been integral to the success and growth of my beloved Becoming an Outdoors Woman program ( ) - AND she gets to hang with The Commish ( ) on the daily - seriously, best job ever, am I right?!?!?
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Listen in! And if you haven't yet been part of the BOW experience, I dropped a little bonus audio so you can hear about it first-hand from a first-timer 😁 Thanks for riding (even if not shooting) shotgun, Trish!
https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw051-emily-maccabe-becoming-an-outdoors-woman-meifw

18/05/2021

Dive on in to the MOST FUN conversation with -aka Ebb & Flow - aka Caitlin Hopkins & Kelsy Hartley!
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During one of the longest stretches of forced solitude in modern memory, Caitlin and Kelsy have managed not only to find others who share their love of the water (under ANY conditions!) but also to nurture and grow a community that will continue to spread joy and good vibes long post-pandemic.
🏊‍♀️💛
Whether you come for the endorphins, the cookies, or to screech your head off with reckless abandon because of the 40-something-degree water temps, make sure to join the Mermaids at Willard Beach in South Portland for their Flower Full Moon dip on May 26th! 🌼
Sign up for their newsletter and Full Moon Swims here!: http://eepurl.com/hrtrlz

29/04/2021

Guides Gone Wild - Maine Guide LIVE Q&A!
Tonight (4/29) @ 7:00 PM Eastern
Grab your favorite beverage 🍻 and get your questions ready!

Join us on Zoom!:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84099038696?pwd=Ujg5VHNkVXdaYkNaV0VEdUQxUG9LUT09

14/04/2021

Wild guide Laurie Watt ( ) joined me on the pod last Thursday to remind me that middle age is NO EXCUSE!!
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Even with a life full of family and her work as a physical therapist, Laurie knew there was a piece of her craving something more... And instead of ignoring it in favor of the safe and predictable, she ignited her passion blow-torch-style and started learning technical climbing with the goal of becoming an Alpine Guide.
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Did I mention she was 48 when she STARTED?!?
😮
Laurie and I talk about mom-guilt, mountains, mentors and role modeling, (she also confirms my suspicion that, despite what I've been told, my kids CAN survive on leftovers once in a while). And I'm NOT too old to [insert activity here]...
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Have a listen!
https://guidesgonewild.buzzsprout.com/1171319/8293248-remember-you-re-capable-laurie-watt-mooney-mountain-guides-ggw044

02/04/2021

All new episode! Wendy Eliot from (and former guide with ) spreads her exuberance and empowerment-talk on the GGW pod - head over for a listen!
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And if you haven't yet visited our website, head on over to https://www.guidesgonewild.com/podcast/ggw043-wendy-eliot for links and more info about the climbing hot spots that all the cool kids are talking about! (But as we discuss, even the less cool kids like me are welcome 😁) And make sure your tutu game is strong!

30/03/2021

The infinite wisdom of Jackie Stratton of Waterways Guiding 😂 (P.S. whatever it is/was supposed to be, it'll be delicious!)

28/03/2021

I'm taking a moment.
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A year ago, a few weeks into the 'pandemic pause', this podcast started transitioning from yet another one of my crazy- ideas I did nothing about, to an actual thing with actual guests. Who started dropping actual truth bombs and virtual mics left, right and center.
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From silly to serious, from pithy one-liners to Jack Handey-esque deep thoughts (am I the only one old enough to get that reference?!?), they shared it all. And I'm taking a moment to decipher my handwritten notes and relive it all with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the wisdom, wit, and all-around bad@ssery that GGW has brought me already. Not even in my wildest dreams....
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So I hope you'll take your own moments over the next few days, and enjoy! Inspiration coming your way until we drop our next new episode on Thursday 😁