Mahoosuc Guide Services
I stumbled upon all these books while sitting in the lodge of Mahoosuc Guide Services. It was amazing to see the library of all of these dog sledding stories and to learn the history. I had no idea that dog sledding even existed here in Maine, I always thought of it as being really an excursion offered in Alaska, but it’s so much more - it’s a sport. It’s a part of people's culture. It's well known in the Arctic, but here in Maine, I had no clue.
Polly and Kevin have been in business for over 30 years now. And really, these dogs brought their relationship together. And it's amazing to see the connection between each of those dogs and Polly and Kevin. What I loved about the whole experience, is that I didn’t only learn about the people behind these wonderful creatures, but I learned about each of the creatures and their different personalities.
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
“We guide dog sledding trips in the winter and canoeing trips in the summer. It's our 31st year in business, so we've been doing it for a while. We have 26 dogs at the moment, we often have 40 to 45. They're called Yukon Huskies. I grew up in Maine, but I lived up in Alaska and the Yukon Territory for 10 years, all of my 20s. That’s where I got into dog sledding.” - Polly
One dog that I learned about was blind and no idea. The way that I noticed it was just with his different eye color. And Polly told me that, yes, he was blind and he is a fabulous runner. I mean, he's part of Kevin's team. I was just astounded by seeing that dog do his thing and to have its brothers and sisters help him along. I mean, it's remarkable to see that.
I had Francis Mahoney, one of my good friends, come along with me on this trip. We wanted to have sort of a girls trip and enjoy this new experience together. We left on a Wednesday to make it up to Newry, Maine. Mahoosuc Guide Services is located right near Sunday River. We drove a 2021 Nissan Rogue on the snowy backroads to get there, thanks to Berlin City Nissan.
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
After staying one night in a cabin, Polly made sure we had the right gear to go out on our dog sledding adventure. Next, we went and saw where the dogs live on the property, which was beautiful. Right when you walk up to the gated area where the dogs are, you see all these signs, maybe over 50 of them for the dogs that have passed away. It was a way to remember their journey and their life. Each of them had a name and a different story.
Polly has such a deep connection with these dogs. It was amazing to see her petting them, really hugging them and giving them that moment of like “Hey, I'm here and we're gonna go explore with these new people.” The dogs can't be super excited so Polly and Kevin do a great job of training guests with how to act before going out on the dog sled.
So they got each individual dog into their vehicles, and it was quite a sight to see. They looked so cozy and like they were so excited just to get out on the trails. We drove to a trailhead 20 to 30 minutes away off of a bug lake. I had no idea that you could even do dog sledding on a lake. I chose to sit down on the sled and had the chance to ride with both Polly and Kevin. The most challenging part of the journey was hanging on while going through the slushy snow.
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
Using Brant & Cochran Axes
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
Wearing: Mainely Wool Mittens, Knit Ware Co Hat, Basket Pack from Gabriel Frey Baskets
We mushed all the way to the camp. The camp was just remarkable with its canvas tents and the wooden structures above those tents. There were wooden stoves that kept the tents fairly warm throughout the day and into the night. Each of the dogs had its own hay bale and area to relax and rest before the next day of mushing.
Kevin and Polly have been doing this for such a long time, they started crafting their own equipment, such as , the dog sleds and canoes for the summertime. I learned so much from them in terms of the joys of life, the joys of the wildlife, appreciating other people's cultures.
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
Wearing: Mainely Wool Mittens, Hat from Knit Ware Co, Leather Handbag and Sash from Kennedy & Company
I had the chance to interview both Polly & Kevin on this episode after discussing my experience. We talked about them meeting, starting a business together and really dug into their craft. One question I really wanted to ask was, how do you become a dog sledding guide?
“I think it's safe to say both Polly and I feel that guiding is an occupation that is best learned by doing. Doing an apprenticeship with an experienced guide that does the type of guiding that you're interested in and also has a good reputation. So we've had apprentices now for almost as long as we've had the business. We also offer guide training opportunities, like a winter guide training, and a river guide training.”
-Kevin
Photographed by Frances Mahoney
Lastly, I knew both Polly and Kevin had lived in Alaska for a portion of their lives, so why Maine for starting a business?
“Well, to do what we do, which is primarily extended fly fishing canoe and dog sledding trips, you really need to be in Maine. There are places out west you could do it, but western states don't have the same guiding tradition of canoes, dog teams, and whatnot. So if you're going to be in the lower 48, Maine is the place to be. Polly, when I met her, she had just come back from 10 years in Yukon. And the main reason she came back was to be closer to family. There's no way we're going to pull up roots and move back up way up north and start the business there. It's worked out fine being here in Maine, we both know Maine and love Maine, a lot. We feel we owe it to future generations to fight to protect the remote backcountry, that we have to keep it that way so that future generations can make their living the way we have by guiding extended canoes, fishing, and dog sledding trips.” - Kevin
Thank you to the sponsors of this episode, Town & Country Federal Credit Union & Berlin City Auto Group.