This month, we start with our first installment of a regular series of stories getting to know Maine Guides. As most know, Registered Maine Guides can be recreation guides, hunting guides, fishing guides, sea kayak guides, tidewater fishing guides, whitewater rafting guides, or some combination of the above. Additionally, a Maine Guide can be certified as a Master Guide in one of the above classifications after documenting the required years and hours of experience. Many Guides are their own independent businesses while others work for larger businesses, and most have additional jobs outside of the guiding world. But, they all have their own stories of how they came to the world of guiding and how they utilize their guide license, as well as their own insights into the guiding industry. This month, we’ll meet Reid Anderson, a Recreation Guide who started in the summer camp world, guides for Northeast Whitewater in the summer, and teaches at Nobleboro Central School during the school year.
Name and Business: Reid Anderson, Northeast Whitewater and Guide Service
Licenses and Certifications: Registered Maine Recreation Guide, American Canoe Association (ACA) L3 Canoe Instructor, Wilderness First Aid (WFA), and NOLS Wilderness Risk Management Training for Administrators. Also ServSafe Food Protection Manager, NRA Range Safety Officer, Archery Instructor, CDL Class B with P Endorsement, and K-12 Computer Technology Instruction.
How did you find your way to the guiding industry?
I first came to Maine as a twelve year old, summer camp kid and effectively never left. I returned to that summer camp for five years as a camper, five years as a counselor and then as a summers-only director for 8 years while teaching in CT. My wife and I moved to Maine in 2010 and I started working year round for that summer camp and their school year program. As I was now in Maine working full time year round for that program and taking on additional wilderness tripping program responsibilities as the camps grew, I sought to upgrade my Youth Camp Trip Leader Permit to a Maine Guide License. I took a prep class through Northeast Whitewater to become a Guide and then took my test in the spring of 2011. I did not pass my first time around as a result of drilling my map and compass process on magnetic, true, and back bearings and then not noticing when I was asked for a true, magnetic, and back bearing and recording them on my scratch paper in the wrong order. I returned one month later and corrected my error! I continued to work for those summer camps and the year round program until 2020 when I returned to the traditional classroom. Now, instead of being a customer of Northeast Whitewater, I am able to guide for Northeast Whitewater and have become the Recreation Manager there.
How do you utilize your Guide License now?
Northeast Whitewater runs Moose Tours, both canoe based and van based, for approximately 4000 guests per year, from early May through the Sunday night before the Moose Hunt starts. I lead lots of those 4 hour trips, exploring the woods and ponds of the Moosehead Lake Region while sharing and conversing with our guests about all sorts of mammals, ducks, birds, and fish, the general history and features of the area, logging history and current operations, forest types and tree species, fire towers, land access laws, current outdoor opportunities, indigenous history, and, of course, moose! I also lead waterfall hikes, bird watches, and ice cave explorations.
Because I also have a CDL License, I can often be found driving a bus through the woods to and from the Kennebec River for whitewater rafting trips and to and from our inflatable kayaking trips on the East Outlet. Everything is a team effort for us, so sometimes I’ll drive the rafts to and from the West Branch of the Penobscot River, take photos on the river, and cook lunch for our guests as well. As the Recreation Manager, I also train and supervise our recreation guides and make the schedule each week (it helps to be good with Excel!).
Any observations to share about being a Guide or about the guiding industry?
I love it when our guests learn something they weren’t expecting. Many folks arrive focused on seeing a moose and that’s it. Over the course of our four hours together, I hope to share information about lots more than just moose. As a teacher, one of my guiding philosophies is that it doesn’t matter what “it” is, but if you are excited about it, they will be excited about it. I am often asked by my guests if I am a teacher as the excitement to share and teach about the woods and wildlife of Maine quickly becomes apparent. Even if we don’t see a moose in our travels, I routinely am told by our guests how much they enjoyed learning about and experiencing the area about which I am so passionate.
The last few years have been interesting ones for sure. There has definitely been an increase in demand for outdoor activity and, so far at least, it doesn’t appear to be receding. However, the demand for shorter experiences (half-day and whole-day) seems to have increased more than the longer, multi-day experiences. It will be interesting to see two things going forward: will this increased demand have staying power, and will the ratio of shorter-to-longer experiences continue further in favor of the shorter ones? My hope, of course, is that the demand will stay and my suspicion is that the ratio will continue to favor the shorter experiences.
What keeps you busy when you are not guiding?
During the school year, I am the Tech Integrator at Nobleboro Central School, a K-8 public elementary school in the mid-coast region. There, I teach Technology, STEAM, and Computer Science classes as well as managing all of the school’s hardware and software, troubleshooting issues, and training teachers in new technology solutions. I am currently the Vice President of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization, the Webmaster for the Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society, and a volunteer firefighter in the town of Dresden where my wife and I live with our 10 year old son Peter.
