Adventures
This fall northern Maine was the destination for the Men Mentoring Men annual getaway. The back woods adventure was designed to give men the opportunity to connect with each other over the course of a week without the everyday pressures of life. This is a tradition that has lasted 12 years and is always a truly unnique experience. Below is the reaction of one of our members who participated on the trip.
I was very fortunate to join Jerry, Paul and Greg on the M3 fishing trip to Bradford Camps this fall and, for me, this turned out to be a healing and theraputic adventure on two very different levels. First, the realities of the trip completely surpassed my expectations. Bradford Camps is a remote, unspoiled destination located on Munsungan lake in northern Maine. We enjoyed a comfortable, water-front cabin with a wood-burning stove, gas lights and a breathtaking view of the lake and peak fall foliage. The staff and guides were friendly, knowledgeable and very attentive and every meal we had was delicious. Combine all of this along with fishing, canoeing, fly fishing, hiking, target shooting and wildlife watching in the company of three great guys and the trip was already well worth the price of admission. But this only describes the surface level of the experience. For me, there was also a very magical level to this trip. I’ll try my best to explain.
As young boys, no matter if you lived in the city, the country or somewhere in-between, we all probably had special and memorable adventures with our friends and with nature. Maybe it was exploring a park, a boy scout excursion or playing a game like tag or hide and seek. And during these times, for better or for worse, relationships were developed, self images were formed and sometimes deep connections with nature were made. Well somehow entering an environment like Bradford Camps transported me back to this earlier time in my life but this time I brought with me the knowledge and reasoning of an adult and this is where the magic can happen.
In my experience, this convergence of past and present emotion presented an unbeatable win/win opportunity of which I took full advantage. You see, if your memories as a child are happy and joyful, this presents you with a chance to relive them and, if your memories as a child were not so happy and joyful, you get a remarkable shot at a do over and this time you can get it right. This is truly magical and it is priceless.
Well this trip got it right for me. I came away with a closer bond to three fantastic men, Jerry, Paul and Greg, which means more to me than I can explain here. My sincerest wish for every member of M3 is for all to have a cathartic experience like mine at Bradford Camps. It is something I know you would treasure and could build on for life which is exactly what I plan to do.