Guide's Test- the Whole Shebang

I'm one of those people for whom early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.  So I left Camp in time to get to Augusta well before 3:00 for my 4:00 test.  I was below Sherman when I got a call from Gloria; IF&W had just called to say that the tests were going quickly today, and that if I could get there at 3, there'd be a good chance they could test me then.  Sweet.

I arrived at the IF&W headquarters a little after 2:00.  My alter ego took care of a couple of calls to Virginia, and I (we?) headed in.  I checked in and apologized for being early for even the earlier testing slot, and the lady behind the counter (Marianne, I believe her name was) said, "That's ok.  Would you like to take your written test while you're waiting?"

I had no idea that was an option- I was expecting to wait a few days or weeks and then take the test up in Ashland.  I had studied for the oral exam, but there were plenty of things I still needed to review for the written.  Still, I could always re-take it if I bombed...  Sure, why not?  She handed me the two test booklets (recreational and fishing), and I sat down at one of their little desk cubicles.  I had finished the recreational test and had gotten about 9 questions in on the fishing test when they came to get me for my oral exam.

I was ushered into the testing room and greeted by two very nice gentlemen (whose names I've already forgotten- I apologize).  Introductions were made, and the two examiners began organizing the testing papers and topo maps.  I caught a glimpse of the map that I'd be using for the map and compass and lost person scenario.

No way...  Couldn't be...

The papers shuffled some more, and the examiners wrote my name on the top of the exam sheets.

It was.  I had to ask.  "Are the exam maps generic for all of the tests, or are they specifically chosen for each test candidate?"

He gave me a funny look.  Fair enough- it was a funny question.  "We pull from a group of general maps.  Why do you ask?"

Home sweet home.  I was staring at a topo map of the Deboullie Township.

I told you serendipity ran in the waters of Red River.  *grin*  I explained exactly where on the map I live, and we all had a good chuckle.  They decided not to switch maps on me, and I tried to calm my nerves.  Map and compass was up first and got me off to a rocky start.

Unless you do something often enough that it becomes second nature, there are two ways to remember things- rote memorization and understanding.  Rote memorization is faster to pull from the ol' filing cabinet in the brain, but it'll also fail you more often, especially when you're counting on it not to.  Foolishly, my brain jumped right to it as I began the map and compass portion of the test.  I first had to pull a true and magnetic bearing from the outlet of Gardner to the inlet of Fifth Pelletier.  The true bearing was simple.  Then I started shaking- do I subtract the declination from the true bearing to get the magnetic, or from the magnetic to get to the true??

I was sweating bullets.  I had no idea where the line was drawn between fumbling because of nerves and fumbling because of incompetence.  I had to avoid that line.  Think, think, think.

My mind went blank, blank, blank.  Numbers, options, and basic high school geometry jumbled in my head like cars on the DC Beltway.  I couldn't get away from the rote memorization to the understanding!

Breathe.

On the Gardner quadrangle topo map, the declination is 18 degrees west; that means that a magnetic bearing of 360 (or zero) degrees equates to a true bearing of 342.  Hence, to get from true to magnetic, you add the declination.  I can't believe how long it took me to get back to that simple knowledge in a high-pressure situation.  I'm still shaking a little because of it.

Comparatively, the lost person scenario went very well.  (In fact, I think I can say that the lost person scenario went pretty well in general.)  My lost person had accidentally taken a spur off of a decent approximation of the Ridge Loop trail and then sprained her ankle when she got down to the small pondlet between Galilee and Gardner.

On my wildlife and pfd identification exam, I missed the lake trout and almost called a bobcat a lynx, but otherwise, it was uneventful.  I was amused to see that one of the "what type of pfd is this" flash cards showed the pfd's label- including the fact that it was a Type II (in small print).  Always the honest one, I pointed it out to them.  Sorry, future test-takers!

I do need to hone up on water rescues- I just don't deal with them a lot. I guess I'll be heading out into the pond this summer to flip some canoes over! That used to be a fun pastime when we were kids, and I bet it's still fun now that I'm an adult.

When everything came out in the wash, I passed the oral exam, nerves and all.  My examiners were very kind and said that they would both be comfortable with me guiding their families, which I take as a high compliment.

I wasn't done, though.  I went back out to the front desk, where Marianne told me that I'd passed the recreational portion of the written exam.  That was pretty darn exciting- no matter what happened with the fishing portion of the exam, I was licensed.  I sat back down and hammered out the remainder of the fishing exam.  I'll admit that I didn't do nearly as well on the fishing written exam as I would have liked, but I guess it wasn't too bad for a spur-of-the-moment situation.  I passed that as well, and I left IF&W with my two-category license and my spiffy patch.

Today was another good day.  Thanks a million to all of the guides who took the time to chat about the test with me!  I couldn't have done it without you guys.

Four Days and Counting

Wow- it's the middle of July already.  I say that not because this summer is going so fast, which it is, but because July 21st is this Thursday.  I have to be in Augusta at 4:00 that afternoon to take the oral half of my guide's exam.

I'm still waffling between happy thoughts and sheer terror.  I've picked the brain of every guide that will let me, and they've given me some good advice and some things to study/research/remember.  Based on all of those conversations, I should do fine, but part of me still feels brutally unprepared.

Most of the problem, I know, is in my head.  For instance: by all accounts, the map-and-compass portion will want to find out if I can orient a line to both true north and magnetic north, do a back-sight, and maybe a couple of other minor things.  In my head, though, the testing panel will want me to plot the best course from one point to another, and then back to the starting point, for multiple groups of varying ability.  (Sure, the college kids can go over that 30% incline, but if you don't avoid that mountain and that swamp with the Elderhostel group, points will be docked.)

(And if you cheekily refer to them as Hostile Elders instead, points will also be docked.)

So I'll take a few minutes each day to do a little last-minute cramming, but I'm just going to go for it.  I do need to brush up on my coastal birds/ducks and a few other things that I never deal with, but I think I'll be able to at least make a worthy effort on the inland questions.

Which just leaves one matter to be resolved...  What in the world do I wear?

The Island Renovation, and a Confession

More pictures of the Island ceiling, fireplace, and loft.  I can't tell you how much I'm in love with how this brightens up the inside of the cabin.  I'm itching to get the mantle installed and to lay the hardwood in the loft, but this is such a great, great start to bringing the cabin back to its former glory.  (I have no plans to use it as the dance hall it once was, but it would be a nice one!)  The end wall in the loft isn't finished yet, but once it is, I have a feeling it's going to be just like a tree fort up there; the lighter ceiling really helps draw your eye out to the windows.  The bathroom renovation will probably have to wait for next year, since we have some important mainland upgrades to do this year as well.  One step at a time.

And now, the confession.  I was trying to figure out last night why I'm so stressed about my guide's test to the point where I fear it more than I feared the 8-hour, 40% failure-rate Professional Engineer's exam, and I think I finally landed on the answer.

I'm terrified of being a fraud.

I grew up right here every summer, about as deep in the middle of the woods as you can get.  I vividly remember one day when I was four or five, I was walking up to the laundry room on the top of the hill in a little blue-and-white striped dress, and I was thinking to myself how I lived the most amazing life of anyone I knew, and that I had better well appreciate each day that I was so lucky to spend here.  That four or five year old gave me better advice in that one day than several other years of my life gave me combined, and I have indeed remembered to stop every now and then to just appreciate what my life has been graced with.  That being said, the wise child turned into a fairly normal teenager who turned into a very busy adult. I didn't use every teaching experience I could have as I grew up; I didn't turn every question into an answer; I didn't identify every bird I heard singing; and I didn't focus on being the person that I now think I should be.

In July, I'm going to be tested on those unanswered questions, those birdsongs, and those experiences I had but may not have recognized.  As foolish as it is, I've turned this one test into an affirmation of my entire life in the woods: whether I deserve to be here at Red River or whether I'm just playing house while my parents are away.  Unlike the PE exam, this test isn't just for work.  It's for everyone who, if I fail, will look at me and wonder what I've done with that sage advice I gave myself all those years ago.  And it's for me, who will ask the same question.

Guide License, Part II (So Close!)

(Also see Part I)

When you apply for your Maine Guide license, they warn you that the process for new applicants can take 6 months to a year.  So I made sure to send in my application in January to give myself the best chance of testing during the summer when it's most convenient for me.

I'm heading up to Maine over Presidents' Day weekend to check on the roofs and get a few other things done.  (Bear with me.)  I can only get a few days away from the office at this point since I'm taking a Wilderness First Responder course during the second week of March, so I had to decide between a few days before Presidents' Day and a few days after.  I finally decided to fly up on February 19th and stay a few days after Presidents' Day.  I ordered my tickets a week or so ago.

I got a letter in the mail today from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.  "Oh good," I thought.  "They're letting me know they received my application."  Unfortunately, that was only part of the truth.  The letter requested my presence in Augusta to take my oral exam on February 16.

Nooooooo!!!!!

I can't believe the timing.  Had I gotten the letter a week earlier or been able to book my tickets a week later, I could have gotten the oral exam over with.  As it was, I was able to contact the State and request that my test date be held off until May or June.  I guess, if nothing else, it gives me an extra couple of months to study.  Guess I should probably use them wisely!

Guide License, Part I

For the past two years, I've been trying to check "Get Maine Guide License" off my list.  It's one of those things that's just slipped under the rug for one reason or another, but I finally took the first steps, and the process is in motion.  I dropped the application and testing fee in the mail this morning.

Now the fun begins.  I'll have six months to a year to prepare for the oral and written exams.  The oral test, from what I understand, includes Map and Compass, the Lost Person scenario, and questions on client care and general outdoors stuff.  The written test goes into rules and regulations, wildlife identification, and topics specialized to your license class.  I may take a specialized Guide License course closer to the test date, but I'll start with just studying on my own.

I hope to do pretty well on the map and compass portion of the oral exam since I've taken courses on orienteering, underwater navigation, and coastal/ocean navigation over the past several years.  I did pick up a couple of map and compass books as a refresher; they'll make good additions to the RRC library.

The lost person scenario does worry me, just because it's not something I've ever formally studied.  I downloaded the State's "You Alone in the Maine Woods" lost hunter guide and found it to be fairly common-sense.  I also purchased the NASAR Fundamentals of Search and Rescue coursebook, but after reading it, I don't know how much help it was.  (The book had some good information, but I swear they told me to eat properly and get enough sleep at least once per chapter.)  I'm considering taking a SAR fundamentals course between now and the test, but I'll have to see how much time I have.

I also picked up the AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership, which I really enjoyed, and I've registered for a Wilderness First Responder course in March.  Regardless of my being a registered guide or not, I think WFR is a good idea.  More on that in later posts.

So anyway, wish me luck on studying!  I'll let you know how it goes.