Guides Gone Wild

Spirals of Wellbeing
Women’s School for Spiritual Warriors - starting in January, one spot left!
Swan’s Island Vision Quest
Canoe Coaching in a gorgeous wooden canoe (treat that bum right!)
Jen Deraspe's first visit with Guides Gone Wild

It’s the Jen Team - Guides Gone Wild Jen and Jen Deraspe of Spirals of Wellbeing, née Nurture Through Nature - dropping into your ear buds at the end of a long work week to give you something to smile and dream about: your very own vision quest.

(And don’t worry, no danger of a Madonna cameo in this one. Except I might be the only one old enough to get that reference…)

Since our last podcast meetup, Jen has been a busy, bicoastal woman - selling a business, taking care of business, and now getting back to business again here in Maine with Spirals of Wellbeing.

If 2023 is going to be the year you connect with your whole self, figure out what’s really important and bring new perspective to your life’s next chapter, you’re going to want to head to SpiralsOfWellbeing.com and connect with Jen D. for more info - but let’s have her fill you in right now!

Send us Fan Mail

Mahoosuc Guide Service (Newry, ME)
@mahoosucguideservice - on Facebook too
Polly receives the 2022 Legendary Maine Guide Award!

Today we’re bringing back the legend, that’s right, the 2022 Legendary Maine Guide Award Winner Polly Mahoney of Mahoosuc Guide Service in Newry, Maine.

Polly and her partner Kevin guide single and multi-day dog sledding trips in the winter, and canoe trips in the summer. Many of their paddling adventures are co-led by Penobscot guides, they make their own wood canvas canoes and paddles, they practice and teach canoe poling, they are really second to none when it comes to crafting memorable outdoor experiences.

And they haven’t even built a guided adventure around their motorless ATV pre-season dog training (you’ll know what I’m talking about soon enough), just imagine how bonkers THAT would be!

Not only has Polly come back to fill us in on her upcoming offerings, she’s also on the lookout for an additional intern for the winter season - if you love the outdoors and love dogs, this is THE most amazing opportunity you will ever have to get some incredible hands-on experience with the best in the Maine guide business. So get over to Mahoosuc.com and hit Polly up for more information about a tour, or a tour of duty!

Send us Fan Mail

Two Maine Mermaids - Winter Solstice Double Dip on December 21st!
@twomainemermaids
Ebb and Flow on Guides Gone Wild (May, 2021)

Help Ebb and Flow fill Willard Beach with 381 cold water bathing beauties in honor of International Women’s Day - Saturday, March 4th!

We are exactly one week away from the shortest, darkest day of the year, also known as Winter Solstice, so what better time to check in with our favorite double dippers, Kelsy Hartley and Caitlin Hopkins of Two Maine Mermaids.... because don’t you know it, they’ll be hosting TWO dips in honor of the Solstice on December 21st, at 7am and again at 4pm, sunrise and sunset - who will be brave enough to join them?!?

Like a lot of other Stoke Squadders we’ve talked to so far this month, the Two Maine Mermaids have seen a lot of changes in the year or so since we last spoke - their cold water community continues to grow like crazy, and both Kelsy and Caitlin have dipped their toes into exciting new endeavors in and around the water as well.

Check out some amazing drone footage of last year’s International Women’s Day dip on the Two Maine Mermaids website, where you can sign up for their newsletter updates, and stay abreast (stroke) of @twomainemermaids goings-on to jump the gun on any of the new, fun events they post in the new year.

Oh, the places they go (and ebb and flow!):

• Willard Beach (South Portland, ME)
• Kettle Cove (Cape Elizabeth, ME)
• Kingdom Games Swim in February at Lake Memphremagog

Send us Fan Mail

Leadership Rising 2023 Retreat
Northstar Adventures
Adriana Bellerose & Associates
Mystica Costa Rica

Nancy Zane on Guides Gone Wild (first time)
Nancy Zane talks Leave No Trace on Guides Gone Wild

OG listeners will probably remember NancyZane from Northstar Adventures, she first graced our airwaves way back around episode 3, and then we invited her back for a deeper dive on Leave No Trace principles in early 2021.

As we’ll hear today, just before Covid struck and messed up everyone’s everything, Nancy was working with her friend Adriana Bellerose to develop a week-long retreat program in Costa Rica of all places, to combine outdoor movement and adventure with the internal focus and nurturing of their authentic selves that many women crave.

Today they take us behind the scenes of what it was like to try to build up a retreat business during the uncertainty and chaos of a global pandemic, and fill us in on all the good stuff they have on tap for 2023!

Send us Fan Mail

Great Mountain Guide Service
Check out fun photos from 2022 trips with Great Mountain Guide Service on Instagram or Facebook
Great Mountain Guide Service on Guides Gone Wild

Today we’re getting our great mountain stoke on with Jes Lucarelli, the founder of Great Mountain Guide Service in Millinocket.

If a Katahdin ascent is on your 2023 to do list, Great Mountain Guide Service might be the partner you need to ensure a safe and successful day, whether you manage to summit or not!

Jes also fills us in on the epic double-dip Guides Gone Wild experience coming up in February, when Great Mountain Guide Service hosts their annual women’s weekend at Carters XC Ski Center in Bethel, Maine.

Send us Fan Mail

DoryWoman Rowing
Nicolle’s Jingle Rows start today!
Solstice Row on December 21st
DoryWoman Rowing calendar or note cards are the perfect stocking stuffers for that friend who’s always daydreaming about being out on the water!
Join Nicolle for her next rowing live stream on Instagram or Facebook

Today we’re catching up with Nicolle Littrell of DoryWoman Rowing, who has had an absolutely action packed first year in business for herself, which I was so so thrilled to hear about!

Listen in and check out all the links for the special offerings she has on deck - get it, on deck?!? - for the holiday season and new year!

A few more fun links:

• Nicolle Littrell on Guides Gone Wild - three times fast!
• Passagassawakeag River (yup, that’s how you spell it)
• Cross for LifeFlight
• Nicolle in DownEast Magazine - Editor’s pick as best boat excursion in Maine!
• DoryWoman Rowing on 207

Send us Fan Mail

Peaks and Poses - @PeaksandPoses on Instagram
Living in Rhythm
Sētu Retreat Center (VT)
Nancy Wind on Guides Gone Wild (February, 2021)

Another pandemic rebound stoke story today, hooray!!

Nancy Wind is the owner of Peaks and Poses based in Massachusetts. Nancy originally founded Peaks and Poses to combine her loves of yoga and hiking into something she could share with the world, and over time, even more of her curiosity and love of travel have been folded into the company, to the point that it’s now hosting retreats and getaways all over the country!

Whether adventure to you means backpacking in Glacier National Park, car camping locally or simply sampling from a huge plate of delicious vegetarian Middle-Eastern food, Nancy and Peaks and Poses has something to scratch that itch.

Send us Fan Mail

Axe Women Loggers of Maine - 2023 Show Schedule
Axe-Kickin’ Sauces and Merch for the holidays!
Alissa Wetherbee on Guides Gone Wild (August, 2021)

I love myself a good post-pandemic redemption story, and Alissa Wetherbee of Axe Women Loggers of Maine is delivering an epic one today!

(And yes, in case you’re left wondering, I DID order my shirt, along with some axe-kickin’ surprise gifts for my adventure homies - I'll be spreading some spicy cheer AND looking good this holiday season!)

All joking aside, but still on the axe-throwing vein, Alissa and I are cooking up something SUPER DUPER fun for this June, so all aspiring Lumber Jills are encouraged to head on over to GuidesGoneWild.com right this second to sign up for our VERY sporadic newsletter, so you will be in the know when the dates and deets are released in the new year! 

Send us Fan Mail

ConfluenceCollective.org
Community Building for Guides - Join Bri & Serene on Zoom December 7th to share ideas around inclusive practices for experience facilitation
Storytelling with Confluence Collective - join other fishy folks on December 14th!

Today we get a double dose of stoke from dynamic duo Bri Dostie and Serene Cusack of Confluence Collective. If you’ve been toying with the idea of picking up fly-fishing next spring, these ladies have got you covered. And if you just can’t wait, and want to find your new fishy people over the winter, they can help you with that, too!

Bri and Serene have created a couple of online community-building events coming up this December. If you’re a guide looking to connect with other like-minded fishing guides, you should join Bri and Serene Wednesday Dec 7th for a Zoom meet-up to talk about ways to create safe, supportive and inclusive spaces on the water. Confluence Collective is also hosting a storytelling-focused event for the entire fishing community on Wednesday, December 14th. Sign-up links above!

Bri and Serene coming together for this one makes my Guides Gone Wild self very happy - Bri is a member of the Guides Gone Wild OG club, she was interview #7 I published WAAAY back in the summer of 2020, when she mentioned working with Serene on her Fatty on the Fly initiative. From that point, Serene had been squarely in my internet stalking crosshairs, but I didn’t manage to interview her until just a few months ago, after I met her in person at the Outcast Campout that Confluence Collective hosted in Maine.

Lucky you, you all don’t have to wait any longer - tune in now to hear about all the cool things Confluence Collective has cooking in 2023!

@confluence.collective on Instagram
@fattyonthefly on Instagram - Facebook
BriDostie.com
Bri Dostie’s first visit with Guides Gone Wild (July, 2020)
Serene Cusack on Guides Gone Wild (September, 2022)

Send us Fan Mail

Notch Hostel
Summits in Solidarity
Fireside Chats - don’t miss the first one with Lyla Harrod, this Saturday, December 10th at 7:30pm!! (Can’t be there in person? You can sign up to sit by the virtual fire via Zoom!)
Me and White Supremacy 28-Day Challenge

Hey, it’s Jen coming back at you with another week filled with stoke!

Today we catch up with Serena Ryan, owner extraordinaire of the Notch Hostel in North Woodstock, NH, as well as the founder of Summits in Solidarity. Serena has been a frequent flyer on the Guides Gone Wild pod, because I love supporting her racial justice hiking initiative each summer - and this year I’m looking forward to kicking my involvement up a notch or two (no pun intended) by joining the Me and White Supremacy 28 Day Challenge in February!

Lots of awesome stuff on the calendar over at NotchHostel.com, including the phenomenal Fireside Chat series kicking off this weekend, so let’s hear all about it from Serena!

A few more links for fun:

• White Mountain Direttissima - Lyla Harrod
• Hayduke Trail
• @findingphilip (Philip Carcia)
• Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
• Serena Ryan on Guides Gone Wild (round 1)
• Serena Ryan on Guides Gone Wild (round 2)

Send us Fan Mail