Today we’re off to pole and fish the upper Saco river. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, and although brisk, the water will still be warm enough for a midday swim. I’m bringing my fly rod and the video camera, so hopefully we’ll shoot some footage that will make it into this week’s Bushcraft Journal. We’ll also be well-supplied to pour plaster casts of the tracks we see along the river.

Yesterday Pepe the porcupine was seen approaching some bow staves with an intent to gnaw. As a result, I chased him across the road and told him to stay in the woods. If you’re trying to picture the chase in your mind’s eye, imagine a man walking slowly behind a lumbering porcupine. It was anything but high-speed. Hopefully he’ll move on and not start chewing our projects or we could be forced to take more drastic action.