Chapter 29
Camping - In Old Lumber Camp
There often is good hunting and fishing in the vicinity of abandoned lumber camps, and if the camps are in fair condition a little time and labor is all that is necessary to make at least one of the camps habitable.
Choose one of the smaller buildings for your abode — it probably will be the office because it usually is in the best condition.
As the roofs of the camps are often poor, it is advisable to take along a heavy tarpaulin or a tent fly so that you will have a makeshift roof.
You may be lucky and find an old box stove in one of the camps, but the chances are you won’t, so it is a good idea to carry along a small folding stove and telescoping stovepipe.
Take along a handful of nails of assorted sizes, plus a small roll of stovepipe wire, because you will always find such items useful in making an old lumber camp habitable.
You will find good drinking water in the vicinity due to the fact that all lumber camps are constructed near a spring, stream or lake.
BILL GORMAN > Maine was among the world’s biggest suppliers of lumber in the 1800s, and the log buildings that comprised logging camps were scattered throughout the northern woods. By the early- to mid-twentieth century, the abandoned camps had fallen into disrepair, but not so much that they couldn’t provide shelter for a hunting party. Most of these camps are gone now, and the ones that are left are private property.