Meet Gil

I hope you find a book here on my web site that you can use and enjoy. They are all the product of my three careers which all occurred more or less simultaneously.

For 28 years I was a vocational instructor at the Skowhegan (Maine) Regional Vocational Center where I taught a course called Outdoor Resources. It was here that many of the projects in my books were first conceived and built. They were originally designed as projects to appeal to vocational students who were interested in the out-of-doors and outdoor activities and careers. Adults in surrounding towns soon learned of the projects and I found myself teaching adult education classes two or three nights a week. My first books evolved from written instructions l made up for the benefit of my students, both undergraduate and adult.

Since teaching left my summers free, and I had been a Master Maine Guide since 1962, I entered into my second career of guiding canoe trips in Maine's wilderness areas, especially the Allagash region. I found that the rough treatment my equipment received on commercial trips was a very good indication of its durability. Any deficiencies I discovered during a summer's work would be corrected in the following school year and then the improved version tried out again in the following canoeing season. As a result I had great confidence in the equipment we developed and so I turned to writing about it. Also, while guiding canoe trips l felt the obligation to learn as much as possible about the areas we were visiting. So I dug into references and historical data about the region, especially the Allagash. This precipitated even more writing.

My writing career, that was kicked off-by project descriptions, has evolved into book publishing as well as writing a regular column for one of Maine's outdoor magazines. My columns and books have given me the opportunity to meet hundreds of outdoors men and women from all across the country. It gives me great pleasure to communicate with outdoor people who have read and used my books in one way or another. If you would prefer not to order on line, or if you just have a question, give me a call - I'll be pleased to talk with you.