We recently were given the opportunity to demonstrate the durability of the pack baskets produced by Loring Pack Basket, and put their claim of “Worlds strongest and toughest hand made pack baskets” to the test.

As you’ll see in the video, these packs really do live up to their reputation. If you’re an outdoors person, or just need a rugged pack to haul stuff around in, look no further than Loring Pack Baskets.

Visit their website to learn more at www.loringpackbasket.com

Hey everyone.  Luke here.  This year I, along with my wife and the rest of my team, participated in the the American Lung Association’s 25th annual Trek Across Maine. The Trek is a 180 mile long bike ride starting at Sunday River ski resort in Bethel and finishing in Belfast on the coast of Maine.  It traverses all types of landscapes, weaving a path through Maine towns and country settings, up mountains and alongside rivers. There were over 2,500 riders this year, who raised over 1.5 million dollars.

I’d like to thank those who pledged donations to help me reach my fundraising goal!

Jerry York – From Yorks of Houlton
Michael Levesque – From Perfect Fit USA
Tanya Pereira – From the City of Brewer
Brian Rahill – From Rainstorm Consulting Inc.
Judy Hill – From Mixed Media Artist
Charles Washburn – Zeta Nu Fraternity Alumni

Thank you again for your contributions!

The Trek was long, hard and tiring but also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. To be able to complete it alongside my wife and my team made it that much more of an accomplishment.  Rain or shine, I’ll certainly be riding again next year.

*Couple small notes about this video. My approach to filming was drastically changed the weekend before the trek.  I had a bad wipeout on a practice ride, went over my handle bars and really messed up my left arm.  I couldn’t confidently or comfortably bike with one hand and film with the other, so there’s not as much “action” footage as I was hoping for.  Second, there isn’t a lot of footage from Day 1.  It rained a lot all day and digging the camera out to film seemed like less of a priority than staying warm and finishing the day.

ENJOY!  Share with your friends! If you want to learn more about the Trek Across Maine, visit their website: http://www.lungme.org/

We recently attended the Maine State Sportsman’s Show and had the opportunity to talk with several Maine companies about the products and the services they offer. We also took a look at some of the seminars and other great offerings that you can only find at the Sportsman’s Show.

Thank you to all the people that took the time to talk with us.  We had to take 2 hours of video and edit it down to 10 minutes, so not everyone made the final cut.  If we talked to you and you didn’t make it in, contact us and we’ll work out doing an episode featuring you or your business.

Enjoy, and as always, be sure to leave your comments!

(This video is a little longer than our usual, and as a result it might “skip” a little during playback , if this happens pause the video and let it load before watching.  If you continue to have problems, click here.)

Featured in this Episode:

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine
www.samcef.org

Delorme Map Company
www.delorme.com

Kennebec Lure Company
In-Line Spinner and Trolling Spoons
www.klcme.com

Seaspray Kayaking
Paddling Midcoast Maine Guided Tours, Hourly Rentals, Instruction, Kayak Fishing, Sunrise Sunset Paddles, Private Trips, Kayak Sales
1-888-349-SPRAY (7772)
www.seaspraykayaking.com

Silverton Sporting Ranch
Upland Hunting Preserve
Cabin Rental, Shooting Sports, Gun Dog Training & Boarding, ATV & Snowmobile Trails, Deer, Duck and Goose Hunts
www.silvertonsportingranch.com

David Footer
Wilderness and Wildlife Artist
www.davidfooter.com

A day to remember….. Shinning sun, warm breezes, blue waters and a ton of fun! A perfect day for the 37th Annual Piscatiquis River Canoe Race.  This is one of over 30 races that go on between March and September in the State of Maine. The Piscatiquis river race consists of Class II White water, 9 miles of winding banks, and some great views.  The Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis have put this race on for the last 37 years. There was a great turnout, over 90 participants and many different classes of boats.  We took two canoes down, Luke and Jess in their new Old Town Canoe and Matt and myself in my twice overhauled fiberglass canoe (from my understanding, this canoe was split clean in half at one point in time).  Even though we finished towards the end, we had a fantastic time!  You do not need to be an expert to compete in this river race.  I would highly recommend it to even to the most novice individuals.  Now, keeping to the true nature of Flip Outdoors, our outdoor adventures for this day did not end after the race.  Luke and I met up in Orrington, at Rocky Knoll golf course, to squeeze in an evening round of 9 holes.  FOUR!!!!!!!  Enjoy the episode.

What a time….. Check out the episode on flipoutdoors.com. Some great white water footage…

These are some photos of the race taken by Matt’s fiance Becky.  Thanks Becky!

Having playback issues?  Watch this and read below.

About HD Video on FlipOutdoors.com from Flip Outdoors on Vimeo.

All the videos on Flip Outdoors are filmed and presented in HD. This let’s us show you the Maine outdoors in much greater detail than has been done in the past. It can also make some older computers have a harder time with playback. Watch this video and try the links in the blog if you’re getting jagged or intermittent playback.

Learn more about watching HD video online

http://vimeo.com/help/faq/hd

Here are some tips on speeding up your computer.

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/05/top-12-ways-to-speed-up-your-computer.html

See all of our videos on Vimeo >

Jimmy and I recently visited a local archery range to learn a little about traditional archery and recurve-bow shooting from Dick and Lee of the Maine Bow Hunters Association.

In this episode we take you through the Old Town Archery Center and talk about some of the differences between shooting with a compound bow vs. a traditional bow. Then we step up to try our hands at target shooting… and we actually do pretty well.

There’s some pretty cool footage in this episode from a camera mounted on top of a target. We let Dick from Maine Bow Association shoot less than a foot from the camera! Check it out!

Recurve Bow Shooting at Old Town Archery Center from Flip Outdoors on Vimeo.

To learn more about the Old Town Archery Center visit their website www.oldtownarcheryshop.com

Question:

Can you spot in the video, a good example of the difference in speed between drawing, aiming, and firing a compound bow vs. a traditional bow?

Every year in winter and spring people fall through unsafe ice on lakes, ponds and streams. All to often these accidents are fatal. Whether on foot, snowmobile or other vehicle, know the ice conditions before venturing out.

In spring when warmer days lead to melting and runoff ice can become unpredictable and unsafe, especially in areas with a current and moving water. Don’t venture out onto ice that you’re unfamiliar with or that looks unsafe. Even though the days are getting warmer, icy ponds and streams are still dangerous.

Flip Outdoors presents Spring Ice Safety from Flip Outdoors on Vimeo.

One thing that is always fun to do in Maine is to go smelting. What an experience! You can bring all your friends and family, kids and grandparents alike.  This was one of the last weekends that most of the smelt shacks were going to be open due to the fast melting ice on the river.  So the four of us (Willy,  Zane,  Wayne and myself) hopped in to the truck and headed to Jim Worhting’s Smelt Shacks in Randolph, Maine.  Worthing’s sustains about 50 to 75 shacks during the peak season and supplies everything you would need to catch these delicious fish.  The shacks were warm and the people were great!  Enjoy the video….

Smelting on the Kennebec River from Flip Outdoors on Vimeo.

One of the many things that you can do in the middle of winter in Maine is to go rabbit hunting. We slap on the snowshoes and grabbed the guns. This was an area that I haven’t hunted rabbits in a very long time. So Melissa and I put the snowshoes to the test and did some walking to find out where these cottontails are hanging. It was a gorgeous day….

Flip Outdoors Rabbit Hunting in Charleston Maine from Flip Outdoors on Vimeo.

In this episode, I have tagged along with the Shina family (my girl friends family) in this episode to go ice fishing up to Alligator Lake. Alligator Lake is a scenic, relatively undeveloped lake located in central Hancock County. Slot size limits are used and it’s closely managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. So be sure to check the fishing regulations before venturing out to this first rate fishing hole. Having slot size limits on this watershed for many years now, have given this lake the opportunity to grow some trophy size salmon and brook trout. It was a gorgeous day and we had a fantastic time attempting to catch some of these trophy fish. Enjoy the video…..

Flip Outdoors Ice Fishing Alligator Lake from Flip Outdoors on Vimeo.