We are continuing our regular series of stories getting to know Maine Guides and this month we’ll meet Jeanne Christie, a Registered Maine Recreation Guide, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Maine Master Naturalist, Certified Interpretive Guide, and Certified Outdoor Leader… and of course also a former President and current Vice President of MWGO! Jeanne says, “spending time in the outdoors is part of who I am. It always has been.” Through her guiding, she encourages others to find the same joy, beauty, and sense of connection that she feels when she is outdoors.

Name and Business: Jeanne Christie, Connect to Wilderness, LLC

Licenses and Certifications: Registered Maine Recreation Guide, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Maine Master Naturalist, Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified Outdoor Leader Wilderness Education Association, Wilderness First Aid Certification

How did you find your way to the guiding industry: Spending time in the outdoors is part of who I am. It always has been.  I became a guide to encourage others to find the joy, beauty and deep sense of connection I feel outside.  

Time spent outdoors has been part of my life from an early age. I was one of three girls and my parents were often asked if they ever wished they had a boy too. Their answer was simple, “girls can do anything boys can do.” I was a kid a long time ago and that answer was nothing short of revolutionary.  But in my family, that’s just how it was.  My father taught experiential outdoor education so I was able to learn to camp, canoe, hike, spelunk, and rope climb before I left grade school.  My mother taught me to backpack.  We learned to ride, and care for horses, cross country ski, cycle, fish and hunt.  I went to summer camp and years later became a camp counselor.  I managed a horse stable. I owned and lived on a boat for nine years.  I became an ultra-runner.  I didn’t spend time outside one way; I found many.

But while the outdoors was a source of refuge, inspiration and enjoyment, it was not a career until I experienced a whole new way of being in nature that didn’t make any sense. I’d head out on my daily trail runs and found myself pausing, drifting off the trail, staring into the distance and just being.  When I discovered there was a thing called ‘forest therapy’, I decided if I took the certification training, I’d figure out why I was wandering aimlessly through the woods. 

So maybe it was a little impulsive, but sometimes the best decisions are.  In forest therapy training I learned there is a sense called ‘earth dreaming’.  The earth has many dreams and sometimes people dream one of them.  I like to think an earth dream is what led me to getting my forest therapy certification. Along the way I became a registered Maine guide too. 

How do you utilize your guide license now: I run my own guiding business, Connect to Wilderness and mostly lead low-key half day and evening walks for couples, families and groups.  The purpose is  to help them connect in a way that is meaningful to them with the natural world.

I started guiding with forest therapy walks, but clients wanted more choices so other activities have been added; nature walks, night walks, nature photography, basic hiking skills, star walks and more.  The list keeps growing based on demand.

My goal is to provide easy access to an immersive, personally meaningful outdoor experience that requires no special equipment, no physical conditioning–just a desire to understand and connect with the natural world.  Many people are searching for ways to reconnect with nature.  

I often tell people that my walks were created to remind them of an intrinsic nature-centered part of themselves.  I hope that time spent with me is just the start and they will spend more time outside – maybe hire other Maine Guides for more and different experiences.  I believe every visitor to Maine should have a chance to eat lobster and spend a day (or more) with a Maine Guide.

Any observations to share about being a Guide or about the guiding industry: I was a “Friend of MWGO” for many years before I became a guide. I believe this is an important organization that fills an important niche.  We’re business people who support both protection and access to the wild and wonderful landscapes in Maine.  MWGO was formed around advocating for protection of these areas.  

Being a new guide is scary and lonely and working with the rest of the board and members I hope we can also provide a community and resources for both new and experienced guides.

Professionalism matters.  Last year, MWGO hosted training on canoe poling and fly fish guiding and  this year we are planning to increase  training opportunities.  The goal is to support guides across the state and to ensure that people who hire guides have high quality experiences.   

The guiding industry is changing. There seem to be more people interested in half-day to two-day experiences and fewer taking the multi-day trips. Younger people are interested in unique, curated experiences and supporting local businesses when on vacation.  In addition, many of us are seeking ways to support accessibility.  That concept has many dimensions including, but not limited to: race, religion, sexual orientation, physical conditioning, age and access to gear.  These trends create both challenges and opportunities.  It’s an exciting time to be a guide!