Water Bottle Dilemma
It's important to stay hydrated on our trips. Being outside in the sun and wind can be dehydrating, which can make a morning on the water less enjoyable. Many years ago, I started providing reusable water bottles with the Maine Outdoors logo. This served two purposes: helping to keep you hydrated and reducing the use of disposable plastic bottles. When you think about it guides like me are huge users of those disposable plastic bottles.
Over the years, we’ve given away metal water bottles, starting with a simple green logo and later transitioning to blue ones with a color logo. These bottles weren't cheap, but they helped reduce the number of disposable bottles we used. For a few years, we gave away over a hundred bottles each summer.
Then the pandemic hit. Early on, we didn't know how the virus spread, and one of the conditions for reopening was no reusable water bottles. I also remember spraying down the boat and all fishing gear with alcohol after each trip. Now, we're past that stage, and I'm trying to transition back to reusable bottles, providing a few alongside the disposables. The water bottles are also an option to purchase when you make a reservation or simply purchase one online here and have it shipped to you at home.
The transition has been slow. Many are reluctant to take a bottle that isn't sealed, which I understand. I’ll continue to provide both options but marvel at the long-term impacts of those times.
