Follow Your Heart (and Your Dogs): Polly Mahoney of Mahoosuc Guide Service

Polly Mahoney's calm and soft-spoken demeanor gives you zero indication of all the bad-*ss things she’s done outdoors, including living in the Yukon bush for a decade.

Polly and her partner Kevin founded Maine's Mahoosuc Guide Service 30 years ago, and have managed to keep themselves busy year-round ever since offering dog sledding and canoeing trips suitable for beginners and enthusiasts alike. 

As soon as I got Guides Gone Wild off the ground officially, I started stalking Polly and got up the nerve to ask her to be a guest. I don’t know what I was worried about, because she is one of the most gracious people I’ve ever met, and she and Kevin enthusiastically toured us around their property and let us play with their dogs before Polly and I sat down to chat. 

Polly's deep love for her dogs, reverence for indigenous cultures and nature, and wise observations about the world we live in come through loud and clear - enjoy!

Links to all the Polly Mahoney goodness:

• Mahoosuc Guide Service website, Facebook and Instagram
• Video about Mahoosuc Guide Service, their philosophy, and adorable puppy footage
• Penobscot Pony Club
• Death Hunt with Charles Bronson
• Never Cry Wolf 
• Hurricane Island Outward Bound School
• Voyager Outward Bound School
• Grafton Notch, Lake Umbagog, Allagash River
• Island Falls Canoe - Jerry Stelmok
• Reflector oven (sorry, I know this podcast is focused on womxn, but this post was the best explanation I found of what it is and how to use it - plus, a berry pie recipe!)
• Recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake in Dutch Oven

And as always, special thanks to our sponsor Evans Notch Lodge!