July 2008 Kennebec Journal Story on Tyler Heinrich

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By CRAIG CROSBY

Staff Writer

 

Tyler Heinrich’s soul is far too old for its its 18 year old body. His face, which has yet to shed its youthful shine, would have wrinkles of wisdom if it matched his experience paddling up and down the rivers. Heinrich’s is the kind of knowledge of confidence that convinces a panel of experts, all looking for the slightest glitch in the armor, that Heinrich already has the stuff of a Registered Maine Guide.

Some 18 year olds get distracted baby sitting a younger brother for an hour, Heinrich has proven he can lead a group of people deep into the woods for a week and safely get them out again.

“I just love being out there, away from everything else,” Heinrich says. “The more remote it is, the more I like it.”

Heinrich has a freshly minted diploma from Lawrence High School, where the Albion teen was a high school high honors student, but the biggest thrill of his life came when he received his certification as a Maine Guide for recreation activities, such as boating, snowmobiling and camping.

For Heinrich, it was the culmination of years spent learning about the outdoors. He traces his passion to a hiking trip up Mt. Katahdin with his family when he was a young boy. By the time he was old enough to hunt he was the one dragging his father Bob Heinrich, out into the woods each season.

He’d be up at three in the morning standing by my bed in  a full camo outfit saying,’ “Lets go,” Bob recalls.

Tyler spent every summer at Living Waters camp on East Grand Lake  in Danforth, a Christian camp located in a remote section of Washington County. As friends spent the summers at home, watching television or playing video games, Tyler was in the woods, watching the sparks fly upward.

“I’m kind of technologically challenged.” he laughs.

If was at Living Waters that Heinrich met Dave Conley, a Registered Maine Guide and director of Living Waters wilderness adventures program for the past 20 years. “Dave has been a fantastic mentor,” says Nate Saunders of Fairfield, a Registered Maine Guide and friend of the Heinrich family. “Dave is a consummate Maine Guide. He’s living his life doing it.”

When he was 15, Heinrich, as a leader-in-training in the wilderness program, began spending his summers  assisting

on paddles and hikes lasting up to two weeks. Leaders-in-training are involved in all phases of the planning and packing and learn to master skills such as map and compass reading. “Its really foundational stuff for guiding,” Conley said. “He’s really received in-depth training and experience through his last three summers up here.”

That is far as Conley is concerned is what makes Heinrich so unusual. There have been others as young as Heinrich to earn certification as a registered Maine Guide, but few do with as much time logged in the woods and on the water.

Tyler will but studying at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. He is undecided what he will study, but will probably dabble in engineering. He is unsure what he wants to do when he leaves Liberty. He may become a game warden or get involved with forestry, anything to keep off the beaten path.

 

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