Northwest Maine - what's up with it? (Augusta, Farmington: houses, subdivision)

[arctichomesteader]

It is heavy on the conifers up there (ME is the Pine Tree State) but maples will grow up there if given a chance and on good sites. It's not so far North they won't grow. Even in Southern Alaska norway maples can be grown.

The big problem when you get away from the roads, is it's just so thick. It's easy to get turned around and lost, you run into boggy spots and then you don't have real solid ground to walk on. You really need a map, a compass, and a GPS doesn't hurt either. Extra gas cans for vehicles doesn't even need to be mentioned. It makes for some fun. It truly is the closest thing to a big wilderness area in New England (some parts of VT's Northeast Kingdom are that way, but it's a much smaller area than Maine), which is why I compared it to Alaska. The wilderness isn't hairy to those who are more comfortable there than in civilization, but if you're ill prepared and lack some important skills it's not the place to go.

[maine4.us]

It's the BIG EMPTY....why, because it's big (for the lower 48) and it's mostly empty.

[RomaniGypsy]

Originally Posted by Snowball7

There's a lot of hunting grounds and hiking trails, places to camp in Maine
that really are just better than the extreme Northwest. So there's just not
much of a reason to get far up there extensively.. nobody I know of strays
very far from the logging roads if they venture up there. Canoeing the
Allagash and St. John's is a pass-thru.. fishing the ponds, but there's
nothing up the other way into the moutains but a few campsites which
may or may not have anyone there, have you downloaded google earth ?
once you get about halfway through the state things really get coniferous
with the trees, basically cross the line no longer in a deciduous forest at all.
Vermont makes over 3x the maple syrup that Maine does..
My friend all I can say is I'm no expert, I've been up there a couple times
and it's no man's land, trailing and canoeing is one thing but living up there
too far in the wilderness I would think gets hairy very fast.

The point of my question was to investigate these "no man's lands". Frankly, after living around lots of people for a long time, it sounds wonderful to be able to live in a no-man's land. Of course, I lack the basic survival skills to live up there... that's a major problem. I'm hoping to learn this stuff in the not too distant future.

Originally Posted by Maineah

It's a nice place to visit but you have to be a pioneering type to live there year round. The majority of the area has no electricity so you need to make your own which requires fuel of some type. You can heat with wood, lug water, grow a modest garden etc. but life is pretty tough unless you have some kind of income, pension or what have you. Most people prefer to live in more populated areas with a few amenities like electricity, running water and grocery stores. If you're living in Aroostook county Maine you can easily visit the North Maine Woods and many people do. Just buy the seasons pass for the gate for $117 and you're good for the year!

I think I am a pioneering type. Going back as far as I can recall, I've always explored different places and pushed the envelope of where I could go. My mom tells a story of when I was 4 years old and my family was on vacation in Vermont... they lost track of where I was and eventually found me in the middle of the road in front of the bed & breakfast, poking around with a stick. As a young teenager, I always wanted to explore different roads around town on my bike... and I got lost more than once. Once I had my license and my own car, the roads became my frontier... discovered some pretty nifty routes especially when I was in college. (Figure this out. Make a right turn out of my college, and keep driving straight. Never make any turns... straight the whole way. 55 miles later, you're right back in the same town where you started, a mere mile or so from the college.) After college, I went to Oregon, driving over roads I'd only seen on maps, through the Rocky Mountains in the middle of winter, in a 30-year-old car that was loaded to the top with stuff, without a cell phone. Later on, I got a van with a bed in the back... now I had a hotel with me, so I could explore a whole bunch more places! Yadda yadda yadda yadda.

As for income, I don't know what I'd do. I could always do a tour of the places where I know I can perform... that'd net some dough if I ever needed it, because I have contacts out the yingyang up in the Northeast... or I could do tutoring and music lessons online, as long as I had a reliable Internet connection. Beyond that, who knows. If I got good at living a primitive life, I could do historical re-enactments at festivals, living history museums, and the like. Maybe I could sell what I grow on my property. Right now, I'm so tired of living a poor-quality life just to make a few bucks... I'd much rather live somewhere where I could live off the land, even if I hardly made any money. Figure it this way. The less money I make, the less tax I have to pay. I might even get money back from the government, to reimburse me for all that they've stolen from me over the years. I don't imagine it'd be so bad, living with little money, if I were producing most / all of my food and I didn't have monthly payments to make on the place where I lived.

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

It is heavy on the conifers up there (ME is the Pine Tree State) but maples will grow up there if given a chance and on good sites. It's not so far North they won't grow. Even in Southern Alaska norway maples can be grown.

The big problem when you get away from the roads, is it's just so thick. It's easy to get turned around and lost, you run into boggy spots and then you don't have real solid ground to walk on. You really need a map, a compass, and a GPS doesn't hurt either. Extra gas cans for vehicles doesn't even need to be mentioned. It makes for some fun. It truly is the closest thing to a big wilderness area in New England (some parts of VT's Northeast Kingdom are that way, but it's a much smaller area than Maine), which is why I compared it to Alaska. The wilderness isn't hairy to those who are more comfortable there than in civilization, but if you're ill prepared and lack some important skills it's not the place to go.

I wish I had these skills. Is there a good way to learn them, aside from reading about them in a book (which only goes so far) and spending lots of time practicing them (which takes time away from my present need to generate income, and could require me to spend money on classes)?

Honestly, wherever I go, I would want there to be nice, supportive people relatively nearby... whom I could ask for advice if need be... people who might be willing to help out a newbie who's trying to get himself into the same kind of life they live. As in, I wouldn't want to try to set up a farm in an area where there were no farmers.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Two years ago we had a lady on this forum named "suchaturist" who had two young daughters and she wanted to come to Maine, build a log cabin and live in the woods. She had no such skills. She did come to Maine and bought an existing home on a river, well above any potential flood level. It is up to those of who do have experience not to ruin the dreams of newcomers, but to guide them back toward a possible course.

[maine4.us]

I know I certainly received so much help here when I moved to Maine. I did not make a lot of mistakes because of great advice from everyone. I still come here when I have a question that I just can't seem to get a good answer for.

I was guided throughout the purchase of a home, and awakened to the way things are done in Maine. I admire the OP for his love of the open spaces, and doesn't seem to be discouraged. It's this kind of spunk that makes me feel that he will do well here in Maine.

Good post NMLM, and spot on, no one tried to ruin my dream, they only tried to help me fulfill it. If mountain men lived in these parts 200 years ago, I don't see a reason why someone couldn't do it today. A good plan is what always creates success, no matter what the task.

[Snowball7]

Romani, the average farm laborer makes $10-$12 per hour
and if you have a strong back you could probably do that

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by maine4.us

I know I certainly received so much help here when I moved to Maine. I did not make a lot of mistakes because of great advice from everyone. I still come here when I have a question that I just can't seem to get a good answer for.

I was guided throughout the purchase of a home, and awakened to the way things are done in Maine. I admire the OP for his love of the open spaces, and doesn't seem to be discouraged. It's this kind of spunk that makes me feel that he will do well here in Maine.

Good post NMLM, and spot on, no one tried to ruin my dream, they only tried to help me fulfill it. If mountain men lived in these parts 200 years ago, I don't see a reason why someone couldn't do it today. A good plan is what always creates success, no matter what the task.

years ago, there was a show about mountain men up in alaska- I was so enamored by that- thought id like to do that..I would love the solitude and peacefulness......but ironically , not to go squirrelly, id want to have the internet...just to keep in contact with civilization..

I loved the movie jeremiah johnson....he had the life,,a pretty squaw, a log cabin by a river and a son(not his, but still a boy to raise)
he should have never went over the indian burial grounds-tho he had good intentions to help

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

years ago, there was a show about mountain men up in alaska- I was so enamored by that- thought id like to do that..I would love the solitude and peacefulness......but ironically , not to go squirrelly, id want to have the internet...just to keep in contact with civilization..

I loved the movie jeremiah johnson....he had the life,,a pretty squaw, a log cabin by a river and a son(not his, but still a boy to raise) he should have never went over the indian burial grounds-tho he had good intentions to help

Had you ever considered working underwater?

Spending 7 months each year under water/ice [no mail, no phone, no out-going radio comms] can certainly give you a sense of being isolated from society.

There have been a great many cultural events/happenings, movies and popular songs that I only learned of months later [in a few cases years later]. For example I never heard of 'Seinfeld' until after it had been canceled.

[maineguy8888]

I live in town (alas), but it's nice just to know that the Big Woods are only a fifteen minute drive west. I don't get into them nearly as much these days, but sometimes I just find myself driving around in there, an hour from civilization, just to get in there. And it's a bit of heaven for me. (We also take a shortcut through them on the way to camp, on a nice logging road).
I'd recommend maybe living right on the edge of the Big Woods, there are many people who do that, often on a dirt road. You kind of get the best of both worlds.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by RomaniGypsy

The point of my question was to investigate these "no man's lands". Frankly, after living around lots of people for a long time, it sounds wonderful to be able to live in a no-man's land. Of course, I lack the basic survival skills to live up there... that's a major problem. I'm hoping to learn this stuff in the not too distant future.

I wish I had these skills. Is there a good way to learn them, aside from reading about them in a book (which only goes so far) and spending lots of time practicing them (which takes time away from my present need to generate income, and could require me to spend money on classes)?

Join the Army, become an Airborne Ranger or Green Beret (or other SF). They'll get you started on your survival skills, get you in the shape you need to be and pay you to do it.