PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF. 



A. Q. DONAVAN, M. D. 



I needed a vacation. Hitherto I had 

 contented myself with a week or so at 

 some summer resort, only to return unsat- 

 isfied and unrefreshed. It was plain I must 

 seek elsewhere for a nerve tonic. A friend 

 advised the Maine woods. 



"Go up somewhere back of Moosehead 

 lake," he said. "There are plenty of places 

 that will just suit you. Don't try to rough 

 it too much at first. Put up at some good 

 camp and make it the central point for 

 your fishing and tramping. If you want 

 to know all about Maine, write to the pas- 

 senger agent of the Bangor and Aroostook 

 railroad, at Bangor, Maine, for a copy of 

 'In the Maine Woods,' issued by them. You 

 can't do better than to try Roach River 

 ponds, however." 



The next day I wrote for the guide book. 

 I found it full of descriptions of attractive 

 spots, with detailed information regarding 

 all one needed to know. Following my 

 friend's advice, I decided to take a trip 

 to Roach ponds, on Roach river, a stream 

 emptying into Spencer bay in the Southeast 

 corner of Moosehead lake. 



Traveling by the Fall River line to Bos- 

 ton and thence by rail, I reached Green- 

 ville, a busy little town in the midst of the 

 wilderness. At the Moosehead Inn, stand- 

 ing on a hill at the edge of the lake and 

 almost under the shadow of Old Squaw 

 mountain, I obtained a good dinner and 

 had a refreshing night's sleep. In the 

 morning I started out to buy my equip- 

 ment. As it was close season on game, I 

 did not look for a gun, but bought a rod 

 and fishing tackle at prices as low as, if not 

 lower than, those prevailing in New York. 

 At ii a. m., I boarded the little steamer 

 which runs on the lake. An hour's de- 

 lightful sail took me to Lily bay, 'at the 

 head of navigation and on the edge of the 

 wilderness. 



On a small knoll close beside the water, 

 stands the Lily Bay house, in charming iso- 

 lation, with no neighbor nearer than 7 

 miles. Not long ago it was a mere farm 

 house, used as the center of lumbering op- 

 erations ; now it is thoroughly remodeled 

 and refitted into a comfortable abode for 

 sportsmen. 



There I spent several days pleasantly, 

 and obtained my first taste of life in the 

 open. Under the care of a skillful guide, 

 I rapidly overcame my nervous dread of 

 the ticklish, yet, to one accustomed to its 

 management, absolutely safe canoe, and 

 gained a moderate amount of dexterity in 

 the art of fly casting. For a novice I did 

 well, taking several good strings of trout 



from the waters of Moosehead. Amidst 

 the 'absolute quiet, I drank health and 

 strength with every breath of the invigo- 

 rating air. Animal life about the lake is 

 abundant. It was my good fortune to see 

 a number of deer, among them 2 stately 

 bucks, feeding at the edge of the water in 

 the dusk of early evening. 



Leaving Lily bay about September 1, I 

 journeyed by buckboard over hills steep 

 enough to be mountains and through deep 

 ravines to Roach river. Where Roach 

 river leaves First Roach pond, stands the 

 Roach River house, in a valley encom- 

 passed by the Spencer mountains and the 

 Lily bay range. That, however, was not my 

 destination, and I hastened forward to 

 Second Roach pond, where I was hospit- 

 ably welcomed at Rogers' farm, the last 

 house in the woods. This house, on the 

 shores of Second Roach pond, a beautiful 

 sheet of water 3 miles long and a mile 

 wide, was my headquarters for the next 2 

 weeks. 



Shortly after my arrival, I secured the 



services of Henry L , one of the local 



guides, and with him passed some delight- 

 ful days canoeing and fishing. Arising be- 

 tween 5 and 6 in the morning, I spent the 

 day in the open air, either on the lake or in 

 the woods, returning at dusk. Then, after 

 a welcome meal, I sat before the house and 

 watched the shadows creep over distant 

 K'atahdin, and finally turned in to bed be- 

 tween 8 and 9. 



The lake abounds in square tailed trout, 

 weighing y 2 to 2, and sometimes 3, 

 pounds, and I secured several good catches. 

 One morning Henry paddled me across the 

 pond to a small brook and there, casting 

 within a radius of 30 feet on each side of 

 the Canoe, I took 20 good trout inside of 

 i l / 2 hours. The morning was delightfully 

 cool and the fish rose well, oftentimes 2 or 

 3 leaping for the same fly. Another day 

 we paddled to the head of the pond, from 

 there carried to Third Roach pond, and 

 spent a day or 2 at Henry's log camp. 



Roach ponds, 7 or 8 in number, are 

 merely widenings of Roach river, and with 

 a little carrying one may journey in a canoe 

 through the whole chain. Besides these, 

 there are several others within easy reach 

 of Second Roach and Luford ponds, all 

 abounding in togue and square-tailed trout. 



Game is abundant about the ponds, and 

 although deer keep closely in the woods 

 after the first of September, I saw many. 

 Moose, too, are not scarce. One morning, 

 paddling quietly down the river, between 

 First and Second ponds, we came full on 2 



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