What’s in a Name?  #29

The first couple of days of deer hunting season are really important to me. That doesn’t mean that the rest is not, however, those first couple of days are when I pack my bags and make the trip over to the western Maine area, and in particular, Rangeley. Now, I have been going there this first week for many years and have come to really enjoy what Rangeley has to offer in terms of the area to hunt and the people that live there.  My friend owns a camp on Rangeley Lake and that is the staging area for our hunting activities. I have had very good luck there over the years, and not only that, but I get to spend time with some guys I don’t generally get to see that often.

Now, Rangeley is an interesting town. I have come to know some of the inhabitants of the community and look forward to seeing them during my visit. You can be sure that most of them will come through the doors of the local pub there called Sarge’s at some point while I am there.  The interesting thing about that is I have never been told what their real names are. Yes, some folks around the Rangeley area have very interesting names that appear to have been given to them a long time ago. I must say, in most cases, they fit the part to a tee.

Take for example, Batman. He is the local driver there that you call upon when you want to make sure that you can have a good time at the local pub and not have to drive back to camp. During the winter, he works at Saddleback Mountain. If you want to know what is shaking in Rangeley, Batman can tell you. He has the up to the minute news scoop and is not afraid to color it in a way that will have the tears coming down your cheeks from laughter. Once, Batman had the door handle taken off his Toyota Camray. When he was asked if he was going to replace it, he said, heck no, a piece of rawhide works just as well and costs a whole lot less. While he was taking us back to camp one night this year, he turned around to us in the back seat and said, turn the tunes on. Apparently, the car does not have a working radio, so to provide a calm enjoyable atmosphere while you ride; he has a boom box with tapes. We finally figured out how to turn it on, and he kept asking for us to turn it up which we did. The songs were right out of the 60’s and we laughed all the way to the camp. If you recall the old Batman days, he always had music going when he was riding in the bat mobile. Need I say more?

The next character is Rooster. Now Rooster is a nice young man just scratching to get by and during his travels, got off the track. He did come through the doors at Sarge’s one night and came right over to our table. He told us that he was just out for a ride on his Harley and was living the good life. From talking to him, it seemed that he was really trying to keep the bus on the road and not let it drive off the embankment.

Duck would be the next character. Now if you were to see him, you would know why he is called Duck. He is the cook at Sarge’s and is very dedicated to his work. This year, Duck was so busy that he did not get a chance to come over and talk with us other than to say Hi as he passed. And as he passed, he kind of waddled by. Not to mention he kind of has the profile down pat.

There are a number of other characters in that area, and we hear and see them just about every time we are over there. They include Hoggie, Rum Belly and a new one I met this year, Hobbit. Now, I just met Hobbit this year for the first time and I have to say, he looks just like a Hobbit right down to his sneakers, that by the way don’t have any laces.

To make this even more intriguing, while hunting, we came across a blue haired troll sitting on a stump. At first, we looked at it and wondered how it had gotten there. Then our imagination got the best of us and we remembered we were in Rangeley and anything can happen….

I am sure there are more folks that I have not met and some interesting names I have not heard. The resounding theme that keeps coming back every time I visit is that of a group of people proud of where they live and working hard to make ends meet. Rangeley is truly a beautiful place to visit both from the hunting and fishing aspect, as well as the winter sports it has to offer. As I leave each year, I think to myself how lucky I am to have been able to spend time there, and I can’t wait until hunting season the next year and the chance to get caught up with all the folks. It is truly an adventure right out of a fairy tale novel. Oh, and did I say that the hunting is great too…