MaineGuiding

Guided Maine Wilderness Canoe Trips

Who is Dan?
Dan Pelletier - Master Maine Guide

Dan loves the beauty, richness and adventure of the Maine woods and waters, having experienced them from a young age. He fondly recalls summers at the family’s camp on the lake where he spent countless hours on the water and in the woods. He remembers many spring and fall hunting and fishing expeditions with his great uncle at his uncle’s camp, where he now resides. The camp is also home base for his guide business. It was built in the 1950s, after his uncle returned from the Korean War. Dan acquired the camp in the mid-1990s and began his Maine Guiding business after many years of solo adventures in the wilderness.

Dan is independent and motivated, with many skills honed by his wilderness experiences. His adventures include several summer-long cross country motorcycle trips, taken before settling into his love of canoeing. Following this passion Dan enjoys extended canoe trips, venturing further off the roads and deeper into the wilderness. Dan’s journeys have taken him from Maine to Alaska, Northern Canada and the American Southwest. Being in the woods and on the water is not a job but the way of life for Dan. On Dan’s days off from guiding, it is not uncommon for him to be in the woods, training his dog in Search and Rescue, helping with safety at a canoe race, on a personal canoe trip, or paddling and playing bigger white water with friends. Finding joy, serenity and connection to the deep wilderness, Dan seeks to share a portion of what he has learned and discovered in the woods and on the waters by offering wilderness adventures in Maine.

Dan Pelletier's Skills and Certifications

Maine Master Guide License - includes hunting, fishing, and recreational licenses

Licensed white water raft guide

Certified American Canoe Association White Water Instructor

Wilderness first responder

Adult/child CPR

In-depth courses/training with certifications in swift water rescue, avalanche awareness, and lifeguard

Over twenty-five years of canoe and camping experience, including solo long distance wilderness trips and guiding various commercial trips in the southwestern U.S., Alaska, Canada, Arctic, and many areas of Maine

30 years hunting and fishing

Independent reading and studying on wilderness survival and skills, environmental issues and weather

Extensive skills and working knowledge of inland waters

Poling, proficient with maneuvering a canoe up, down, and around rivers and streams

Assisted, as a volunteer, with safety at numerous canoe races in Maine over the years, most typically from a canoe. Races include the Machias, the Souadabscook, and the National White Water Canoe Race held on the Dead River

Involved with search and rescue and assisting warden service, as a volunteer, in finding and recovering lost persons on land and water for over fifteen years

Ten plus years experience as a K-9 handler with a certified search dog

Training and study on subjects associated with search and rescue and wilderness preparations, including but not limited to:

Map and compass

GPS usage

Hypothermia/hyperthermia

Lost person behaviors

Wilderness survival

Radio usage

Helicopter safety

Crime scene preservation

Debriefings

Incident command system

Ropes and high angle rescues

Litter packaging

Clothing systems

Large animal rescue

Averaging two symposiums on search and rescue per year for nearly fifteen years