The rate of societal, technological and ecological evolution on planet Earth is accelerating at the speed of a cheetah bearing down on a hapless gazelle. At its best, this evolution brings with it some very nice things, such as life-saving advancements in the medical field. At its worst, the overwhelming pace has us feeling like, well, a hapless gazelle. Whatever the euphemism, most folks agree that the world is changing too quickly, resulting in a sense of craziness that has us wishing for a rewind button that will take us back to a calmer, less-stressful era. For wingshooters, at least, there is such a button in the form of a trip to Leen’s Lodge, in Grand Lake Stream, Maine, where a stay in 2024 is practically identical to what someone would have experienced in 1969.
The Land
For starters, the drive through the North Woods forest to Grand Lake Stream winds through some of the least-developed land in New England, giving the impression of leaving modern-day civilization behind. The Leen’s experience begins at the entrance of Bonny Brook Road, which serves the same sole purpose today as it did when it was created: Guide guests to the beautiful lodge compound on the banks of West Grand Lake. Situated at the end of a peninsula studded with 100-year-old sentinel pines, the Leen’s property is practically surrounded by water, which induces the same “remote getaway” feeling as being on an island. One would be extremely hard-pressed to find a piece of real estate that is more conducive to taking a step back in time than this one.


The Facilities
The Leen’s layout consists of a main lodge, guest cabins, a grand deck and lakeside dock. Most of the buildings are the original structures that were made from the timber that has grown in the area for millennia. They are of the same straightforward, handsome design of the classic Northeastern sporting camps that were built more than a century ago. Each edifice is painted in the same brown-shingle-with-red-trim color scheme so common with vintage North Woods camps, and the interiors boast rustic wood finishes. Both the main lodge and cabins are decorated in the same charming rustic fashion as they were from the beginning. Regional sporting art, fish-and-game taxidermy, and old black & white Grand Lake Stream sporting photographs (some dating to the 1930s) abound. On the occasion that a piece of furniture or a decoration has reached the end of its lifespan, it is replaced with something from the same period. Put all of this together, and you have an archetypal Golden Era hunting lodge—a place that brings its guests back to a slower, simpler time.


The Hunting
Similarly, the wingshooting in the Grand Lake Stream area is much the same as it was generations ago. Sportsmen follow pointing dogs through remote grouse and woodcock coverts as they have since the 1800s. In fact, some of the logging roads leading to the coverts are so old that they were originally traveled by horse and mule, because they predate the use of motorized vehicles. Similarly, the apple trees from which grouse flush are likely descended from trees planted by some of America’s earliest settlers. And the view of a primordial bog from the edge of a woodcock covert has likely changed little, if at all, from what someone would have seen four generations ago. The thrill of hunting truly wild birds is the greatest that the sport of wingshooting has to offer. This is exactly what Leen’s offers—along with the bonus of doing it in one of the most vast and unspoiled settings in the country.


The Leen’s Mindset
Leen’s owners Scott and Kris Weeks are acutely aware of the “time capsule” aspect that makes a wingshooting trip to their lodge unique. The Grand Lake Stream-area experience is truly unlike any other, and Scott and Kris work hard to preserve it. If a new cabin is erected, every means necessary is employed to ensure it looks identical to the original cabins. In addition, the dining program always includes many of the classic crowd-pleasers from the days of yore, and enough fires are kept burning to ensure that the trademark sporting-camp aroma of woodsmoke is ever present. These things promote an environment that has enabled guests to escape the contemporary world and lose themselves in a pristine place as they’ve done for the past 100 years—and if the Weekses have their way, for another hundred.



Leen’s Lodge is a full-service Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Lodge. To learn more or make a reservation, call 207-796-2929, email info@leenslodge.com or visit leenslodge.com.
Photographs courtesy of Leen’s Lodge.
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