On the pages of these true bush flying stories, a floatplane races toward the shore and crashes in front of the lodge, Jake’s plane engine quits twice, a forest fire threatens Hardscrabble, a gale flies the plane minus a pilot, Jake searches for lost guests at night, firefighters are trapped between walls of flames and a boy must be airlifted after suffering a compound leg fracture.
With so many stories to tell, Folsom’s friend and fellow pilot Jake Morrell sat down with the legend in 1996 to record some of the history on tape, and preserve the memories of an icon in Maine bush flying. They talked about a variety of topics, including woods hermits, early pilots, mail delivery and his time in the war. And now, we can listen in on the conversation.
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The allure of backcountry flying in Maine has long been irresistible to certain pilots, some of whom go on to become its storytellers, writing of the lifestyle in works of fiction and nonfiction. The nonfiction genre is the realm of Jake Morrel, an engineering school graduate turned math teacher turned bush pilot and Maine lodge operator, who captures the Maine aviation scene in selected anecdotes from the 20,000 flight hours of Gary Dumond, a Maine Warden Service pilot who learned his craft from legends of the Maine flying scene.
Read MoreIn “Gary Dumond Remembers: Maine Warden Pilots”, fellow pilot Jake Morrel interviews Gary about his experiences during a twenty year career as a pilot, as well as stories both men have been told over the years. They talk about a wide range of topics, from deep woods crash landings, working beaver trappers on the Canadian border, finding lost hunters, recovering bodies, stocking fish, and keeping planes running in the brutal weather conditions and remote setting of the Maine woods.
Read MoreThese are genuine stories of real experiences in the northern Maine woods. They represent real people who had the courage to follow their dreams. It is an authentic account of northern Maine culture unspoiled by modern conveniences and advertising billboards. It is about the adventures of a man and family who lived these experiences, right here in Maine. It is well written with a dash of humor, colorful language, and depicts reality with its strengths and weaknesses but most of all its great beauty. It also has an extensive glossary explaining sportsman terms, plane vocabulary, and Maine forest terms. In addition, the book has a wonderful selection of photographs of the old 1941 Taylorcraft plane he learned on, and many photos in color of camp sites and activities surrounded by the natural beauty of Maine. I loved the book and found it refreshing and uplifting. It gave me new energy. I recommend it highly.
Read MoreJake Morrel's follow-up to his wonderful personal memoir of starting a lodge in northwest Maine is titled Gary Dumond Remembers: Maine Warden Pilots. The book is essentially a conversation with Gary Dumond, who after returning home from Vietnam with 1,410 hours flown as a helicopter pilot, logged roughly 20,000 hours as a Maine Warden Service pilot in the Maine North Woods, and his tales are as numerous and entertaining as one could expect from an old aviator.
Read MoreA great review of Hardscrabble Lodge from SEAPLANEMAGAZINE.COM
Read MoreJake Morrel is such a man. A high-time Maine bush flyer, who ran Hardscrabble Lodge at Spencer Lake with his wife, Beth, Morrell has a new book titled “Hardscrabble Lodge.” The book is full of true Maine bush flying stories. It is well done. I liked it a lot. You will, too.
Read MoreJake loved flying, and most of the stories feature his flying adventures and challenges. And yes, some were scary. Glad I wasn’t in the plane that time his engine quit – twice! His story of a trip to northern Quebec brought back my memories of fishing in that same region.
Read MoreMainers love to write memoirs about their lives, work, hobbies and careers. Most are pretty ordinary, some are quite interesting and a few are even extraordinary. Jake Morrel’s is one of those last few.
Read MorePilot and author Jake Morrel has released Hardscrabble Lodge: True Maine Bush Flying Stories, a vivacious and colorful tale of his pursuit of a life in the wilderness of northwest Maine.
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