Mountain Men show on History Channel & Charlie... (Ashland, Monticello: unemployed, to live in)

[CT2MEwoodnutt]

Hi Group,
Has anyone been watching the very cool show on History Channel, now in it's second year, called 'Mountain Men'?
It's a show about folks who live Waayy out in the bush/wilderness, and shows what their average day consists of.
There is a family in Northern Montana, a hunter/trapper in Southern Montana, a couple of guys in the mountains of North Carolina, another hunter/trapper in Alaska, and lastly CHARLIE up in Aroostook County, somewhere near Ashland.
The show last night showed him and a buddy ice fishing on Rowe Lake.
I had to look that one up, but found the lake, which is 20 miles or so to the West of Ashland, north of Baxter State Park.

(Does anybody reading this KNOW Charlie???)?

How about Rowe Lake?

It sure looks like a beautiful, desolate/wilderness area!
Just what I would Love to live in!

I just thought that I would 'throw this out there', to see what people have to say about it!

Catch the show on History, Sunday nights if you can!

Irv, stuck in CT

[Maine Writer]

Poor Charlie. I suppose driving a snowmobile through open water instead of around it is good tv but the writers aren't doing the him any justice. A few weeks ago they had him walking on "thin ice" rather than on the snowmobile trail a 20' away.

[kellysmith]

Don't know Charlie, but I do know there was a guy in Monticello the show talked to concerning being a Mountain Man. He had to grow a beard if chosen. Only thing I could see that the guy in Monticello had going for him was he was unemployed so would have had plenty of time to do the show. I'm assuming Charlie is the same. Just a local approached by the show and he was the one chosen to act like a Mountain Man, whatever that is! There are people around that live solely off the land, but I don't think Charlie has ever been one of them.

[MountainBiking]

I watch the show. I watch mainly because of the beautiful scenery in all the states that the characters are in (especially Idaho). I wouldn't doubt if some of the 'scenes' are scripted. I question the stuck snow mobile in the melted ice.

-Cheers.

[Submariner]

Over 90% of Maine is forest.

Most of Maine is rural [10 people per sq mile, or less].

Nearly all of Maine is scenic [with exception of places where people are].



On another forum, there was recently a discussion about a 'reality' TV show about a guy who in theory lived off-grid and hunts feral hogs. To film each 30-minute segment requires 2-weeks. A film crew [dozens of people] setup a film stage in the woods. As the film starts rolling they release 'feral' pigs that are trained to respond to the actor. So he can 'catch' them. After editing, and narration, a 'story' is shown where the actor catches wild pigs.

Set within the proper context, as programming to entertain an audience and calm the masses, it is an inexpensive piece of theatrics.



To the OP, the 'History Channel', is I think a part of the programming available on cable. There is no cable available in my township. I do not have the 'bread and circus' entertainment available here that is normally available in metropolitan cities. I have not been programmed with this 'programming'.

There are many hungry people in Maine, who would be willing to be filmed acting in such a role. I do not doubt for a second that such could be filmed in Maine.

There are many people here who live off-grid.

Maine is very scenic.

If you are interested in Maine, I suggest that you come up and visit

[Yuptag]

Sadly, the History channel is now reality show heavy.

Originally Posted by Submariner

Over 90% of Maine is forest.

Most of Maine is rural [10 people per sq mile, or less].

Nearly all of Maine is scenic [with exception of places where people are].



On another forum, there was recently a discussion about a 'reality' TV show about a guy who in theory lived off-grid and hunts feral hogs. To film each 30-minute segment requires 2-weeks. A film crew [dozens of people] setup a film stage in the woods. As the film starts rolling they release 'feral' pigs that are trained to respond to the actor. So he can 'catch' them. After editing, and narration, a 'story' is shown where the actor catches wild pigs.

Set within the proper context, as programming to entertain an audience and calm the masses, it is an inexpensive piece of theatrics.



To the OP, the 'History Channel', is I think a part of the programming available on cable. There is no cable available in my township. I do not have the 'bread and circus' entertainment available here that is normally available in metropolitan cities. I have not been programmed with this 'programming'.

There are many hungry people in Maine, who would be willing to be filmed acting in such a role. I do not doubt for a second that such could be filmed in Maine.

There are many people here who live off-grid.

Maine is very scenic.

If you are interested in Maine, I suggest that you come up and visit

[namder1]

I am a fan but it is definitely scripted. Don't care for Charlie much. Good thing he has that retired warden around. I like Eustis in N. Carolina, the old guy in Montana and his wife and the trapper up in Alaska.
I am more into regular series like SOA, The Walking Dead, Longmire, Copper and The Bridge.
I used to be a "Doomsday Prepper" fan when it first started. They featured "regular" folks and had some interesting ideas, but then they got into the million dollar people and companies and lost me. I think Mainers are the original preppers.....everybody canned and prepared for the long winters and unknown storms.....lots still do out of necessity I think.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by namder1

I used to be a "Doomsday Prepper" fan when it first started. They featured "regular" folks and had some interesting ideas, but then they got into the million dollar people and companies and lost me. I think Mainers are the original preppers.....everybody canned and prepared for the long winters and unknown storms.....lots still do out of necessity I think.

Lots still do to have better food than most grocery stores offer. I bought a package of hamburger at Hannaford last week for a family get together. $4.59/lb for 80%. I paid $4.50/lb for a side of locally raised beef last year. I've picked a lot of chanterelle mushrooms this summer. I couldn't pay the going local rate of $20/lb for them but I can pick $200 worth for $5 in the gas tank. I'll be picking raspberries later this morning. We hunt, fish, wild harvest, garden, can, freeze, dehydrate, cold cellar and raise poultry. I grow strawberries and raspberries and have peach, apple and pear trees. (No script required. )

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Lots still do to have better food than most grocery stores offer. I bought a package of hamburger at Hannaford last week for a family get together. $4.59/lb for 80%. I paid $4.50/lb for a side of locally raised beef last year. I've picked a lot of chanterelle mushrooms this summer. I couldn't pay the going local rate of $20/lb for them but I can pick $200 worth for $5 in the gas tank. I'll be picking raspberries later this morning. We hunt, fish, wild harvest, garden, can, freeze, dehydrate, cold cellar and raise poultry. I grow strawberries and raspberries and have peach, apple and pear trees. (No script required. )

I need to find some chanterelles

We had lots of fiddleheads this spring. We froze 50 pounds [as usual] so we can eat 1-pound every week until the next year's harvest.

We had a real strong early lettuce, kale and spinach production, but succession planting has been a flop.

Our blueberries have already finished for the season. We picked a couple bushels of elderberries yesterday. Our peas, beans, squashes and cucumbers have been producing real good this year. Our apples are looking good.

Our turkeys just had a late clutch of chicks hatch out.

We have a couple dozen poultry to 'put-up' [some will be canned, and some frozen]. Then four hogs to butcher. Our piglet litters sold quickly, I sold the last piglet a week ago.

Last year we got a dozen figs off our fig trees, but this year it looks like I am only going to get one fig. I have four pomegranate trees, they are trying to produce, I just do not know if summer will be long enough for them to reach ripeness this year.

This year we have only marketed fiddleheads, honey and basil.

[Maine Writer]

I was surprised at how many raspberries there are this late in August. We picked 4.5 lbs of blackberries and ate a lot of raspberries.

It's a little dry for chanterelles, boletes, etc. but a few showers would turn it around. The short blog I wrote at BDN about picking chanterelles has more views than any other I've written there. I was asked if it's because the economy is so bad people are excited about free food in the woods. mmm....kinda.