The County 2019-2020 Aroostook County Tourism | Page 9

UPTA CAMP
SPENDING TIME AT CAMP IN THE COUNTY
is a real and authentic experience; no matter where your ideas
of real or authentic come from.
So, while it’s true that heading Upta Camp lacks specific geography in Maine,
when you surround yourself with hundreds of millions of trees spread over
millions of acres, it’s just a natural fit.
“Camp is lying in bed at night and listening to the haunting cry of a loon.
It’s looking out the window as you enjoy a steaming cup of coffee in the
morning and seeing a moose amble by.
Camp is for kids of all ages, dangling worms at the end of a hook with a
grandchild hoping for a white perch, splashing in the water on hot summer
days, playing lawn games and, of course, cooking s’mores over an open fire.
Camp is the family gathering for a traditional week every summer at the lake,
or just the two of you, tucked far away from civilization. Or maybe even just
you, a time of quiet ref lection with no distractions.
Camp is an Adirondack chair, knotty pine walls, old furniture, and sitting
up late playing cards or going to bed early, as soon as the sun sets.
Camp is a wild brook trout caught on a f ly or a smallmouth bass on a spinning
lure; a hike up a mountain, a gorgeous magnolia warbler in your binoculars, or
a big black bear coming toward you in the road.
Camp is bean-hole beans, pancakes, eggs, and bacon. For some, it’s venison
from last fall’s deer. Camp may be the place you go every year to hunt or to fish.
Camp is the place where you revel in the fact that “there is nothing to do”
and where you read that stack of books you’ve been saving up. If you are lucky,
camp is no cell phone, computer, or television—often it’s no electricity.
Camp is a Maine tradition, anchored in our imaginations of the North Woods,
yet often nearby on a lake or pond, the better to access it on hot summer days.”
Excerpted and adapted with kind permission from the author and renowned Maine
outdoorsman George Smith from the original column “Upta Camp—We all need a
place where there is nothing to do.” To read the original column in its entirety,
please visit VisitAroostook.com
Visit our website for more information about visiting Aroostook County.
VisitAroostook.com
VisitAroostook.com
7