Many years ago, I fashioned myself as a pretty serious athlete (if, that is, you define “serious” as “getting mad whenever you lose”). It didn’t take long before I realized, however, that my chances of making it to the Olympics were pretty slim (If, that is, you define “slim” as …
John Holyoke
Outdoors Editor
- 207.990.8214
- jholyoke@bangordailynews.com
Come join us at the 77th Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show this weekend
Signs of spring have been in short supply in these parts lately — I nearly started cheering when I drove through an actual puddle on one of our recent 30-degree days — but a real harbinger of that season is approaching quickly. This weekend thousands of outdoor enthusiasts will flock …
Word from the Woods: Remember the time we slept in a snowbank?
After weeks of waffling (I like to call it “rescheduling”), BDN visuals editor Brian Feulner and I finally headed to Unity College to sleep in a snow cave late last week. The results: Both of us emerged from our snowy abode on Friday morning, a bit chilled, but relatively unscathed. …
How we survived a subzero night in a snow shelter
UNITY | Our night in a snow cave hadn’t even begun — heck, the cave itself hadn’t yet been shoveled out — when the first potential snag became apparent. “The snow is so fluffy, it’s got me a little worried,” adjunct instructor Dianne Kopec told me and my BDN …
They’re not just for ice fishing any more: Orrington pack basket company takes off
When Kurt and Kathy Cressey began manufacturing pack baskets in the small general store they owned in the middle of the Maine woods, they faced a couple of pretty significant obstacles. The first came before the first basket was ever crafted about 16 years ago. Neither of them knew what …
Officials trying to trap, relocate cat-eating Orono bobcat
A hungry bobcat that’s eaten at least one neighborhood pet has drawn the attention of state wildlife officials, who are trying to trap and relocate it to a more suitable location. Maine Game Warden Jim Fahey said he heard reports of a bobcat in the area of …
Follow our quinzhee adventure as it happens: #BDNsnowcave
on Feb. 26, 2015, at 10:56 a.m.
Later today, BDN visuals editor Brian Feulner and I are heading to Unity College, where we’ll try to avoid freezing to death while sleeping in a snowbank. Actually, our adventure isn’t quite that death-defying: We’re going to help build a snow shelter — a quinzhee — with Unity College students. …
Word from the Woods: Fight cabin fever with us
It’s a busy time of year for BDN Outdoors editor John Holyoke and I. As winter tapers off (or so we hope), organizations throughout Maine organize outdoor shows to help people through the last snowstorms and look ahead to spring. John and I enjoy being a part of that. This …
Show season is back! Come visit us in Brewer this weekend
on Feb. 24, 2015, at 2:19 p.m.
It was nearly 20 degrees below zero in Bangor this morning, and my lawn is covered with thigh-deep snow. Tonight, meteorologists tell us, we’ll add a few more inches to our frigid winter blanket. And on Thursday, I’m going to sleep in a snowbank. Ignore the fact that I might …
Farewell to 491 Main St.
on Feb. 20, 2015, at 11:16 a.m.
For more than two decades, I’ve been working side-by-side with talented, committed journalists who have called 491 Main St. home. Starting Monday, the home headquarters of the BDN will change: As you’ve likely heard, we’re moving downtown. So long, Paul Bunyan. Adios, Buck Street. Hello, One Merchants Plaza. Already, some …
Word from the Woods: Mmm. Crickets. Tasty
Some days, a cheeseburger just doesn’t hit the spot. A salad won’t suffice. A cookie or piece of cake? Not appealing. On days like that (or on days when you want to be much more adventurous, it’s time to reach for a handful of … crickets. Yes, I said crickets. …
Herd of 25 deer surrounds Jeep in snowy Eastport
on Feb. 17, 2015, at 10:41 a.m.
With yet another winter storm approaching, Dan Daley and his wife, Shannon, woke up Saturday and decided to hit the road for a day trip. “My wife and I love taking rides in the Jeep,” he explained. “Some people forget to be tourists in their own backyard. Eastport is just …
Three wars and a lasting love story: Cambridge couple’s romance endures
Ben Willard gazes at a photo more than a half century old, smiles, and shakes his head. “She was gorgeous,” he says, softly, describing the picture that accompanies the newspaper wedding announcement of Dorothea Pratt. “Just gorgeous.” Nearby, the girl in the photo — now Dottie Willard, …
A winter wonderland just outside the door … but the first step is the toughest
on Feb. 13, 2015, at 11:40 a.m.
It’s been quite a winter thus far, and cities and towns across the region have piled up feet of snow. Luckily, we’re Mainers and we’re tough. Or foolish. Or too darned stubborn to move to Florida. Fact is, there are plenty of things to do outside when the weather turns …
Computer dating love: A case of momentarily mistaken identity
My wife is a newspaper reader. Let’s get that out of the way right off the bat. Most of the time that’s a great thing because I write for a newspaper. But there was one time, at the very beginning of our courtship, when her appreciation of the craft didn’t …
Holden store prepping for bigger, better ice fishing derby
on Feb. 11, 2015, at 1:30 p.m.
At some point next Sunday, Greg Hawes may find time to curse his ice fishing buddies. It was that group, after all, that helped hatch the plan that spawned the G&M Family Market Hancock County Ice Fishing Derby several years ago. And it’s that derby, which Hawes stages and runs …
Word from the Woods: Help on the way for Maine Winter Sports Center
A couple of months back, officials from the Maine Winter Sports Center announced that they were launching a major funding drive, in collaboration with an attempt to more clearly define their mission. That effort is now underway, and earlier this week the group announced that a key donor had pitched …
Biologists propose reduction to 2,815 moose permits for this year in Maine
on Feb. 06, 2015, at 10:47 a.m.
Moose permit levels in most of the state’s Wildlife Management Districts will remain static this year, but slight tinkering in other districts will result in an overall decrease in permits, according to a plan being considered by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Biologists have proposed an allotment …
Readers respond with winter camping hints
on Feb. 04, 2015, at 2:06 p.m.
A week ago, I may have hinted (or begged) for help from BDN readers. If you missed that column, here’s the short version: My bosses decided that they were going to send me out into the cold, cruel world, and expected me to sleep in a snow shelter that I’d …
Word from the Woods: Grab your toboggan! The races are on!
Again this year, the BDN will be sending two teams the U.S. National Toboggan Championships in Camden this weekend. I’m the captain of the four-person “News Ninjas” team, and yes, we will be dressed as ninjas — with weapons constructed out of newspaper. BDN photographer Troy Bennett is leading the …
Widow files lawsuit over death of husband in Bangor July 4 parade
Maine mom accused of kidnapping children arrested in Louisiana
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Business Insider sinks Maine’s economic rating to next-to-last in US
NH man charged after crushed vehicles fall onto I-295
Bonfire of the Hypocrisies
Don’t jeopardize Maine outdoor recreation with parks and lands reshuffle
LePage poses a taxing matter: Is Maine headed for a consumption tax?
Could negotiations, Canadian-style, have prevented Maine’s drug import pickle?
Vince Wilfork says Patriots won’t pick up his option
Curt Schilling fought back against cyberbullies attacking his daughter
Mayweather-Pacquiao fight won’t halt sport’s decline
International cast re-establishes UMaine women’s basketball team as title contender
Maine hockey team looks to erase forgettable regular season with playoff opener at Vermont
‘My children are not data’: Maine lawmakers, parent question standardized testing
Anthropologie debuts first Maine store Friday
Pink toolbox raffle raising funds in Houlton teen’s memory
5 Things To Do This Weekend, March 6-8: Spring ahead, fall out of hibernation