The 61-Acre Field School Is No More. Behold The 82 Acre Field School!

After 12 years of scheming to do so, I finally purchased the remaining 19 acres in the block of land at the field school. This gives us a block of 80 acres and about a half a mile of riverfront on the Aroostook river. Although this area is not being developed and is losing population, not gaining, I have wanted to future-proof the field school so that it was a contiguous block of land where all of the parcels in the block were safe from development. As I’m writing this we’re finalizing the agreement to make that a reality.

The other bit of news is that I have purchased a house directly across the road from the field school. This is the new headquarters of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft School as well as my new residence.

One of the things I loved about the house in New Hampshire was that it backed up to a large swath of woods and that I could walk out the door and hike for miles without having to get in a car. The new place has that as well, except that the backyard is a bit bigger. From the back door, it is about 88 miles to the Canadian border and the town of Daaquam, Quebec, through the North Maine Woods. According to the North Maine Woods website, the entire region consists of about 3.5 million acres. In this space there is no pavement, towns, businesses or permanent residents. And it’s literally right out the back door. Here’s a link to a map of the NMW: North Maine Woods map.

So life looks a little different than it did a few months ago. Or at least the vantage point has changed. I’m excited and enjoying the change. The view from here is pretty sweet.