It’s a bit unusual to see Shannon LeRoy without something in her hands—whether binoculars, a camera, a canoe paddle, or a fly rod. An avid birder, photographer, and angler, this outdoorswoman is rarely idle. That’s a good quality, given her many responsibilities as the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine camps and programs manager.
She came on board following the August 2006 sale to AMC of Medawisla Wilderness Camps, which she and her husband, Larry, had owned and operated since 1992. “We sold Medawisla to the AMC because we wanted it to remain open to the public and not turned into a private compound,” she said of the traditional Maine sporting camp on the shore of the pristine, 3-1/2-mile-long Second Roach Pond in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region. “We are very happy with our decision.”
Shannon still works at Medawisla (a native American word for “loon”), as well as at Little Lyford Pond Camps, coordinating operations with other camp staff members. When not out at the camps, she can often be found at AMC’s new office location on Washington Street in Greenville.
Shannon and Larry married in 1985, at the little church in Chesuncook Village. A Wyoming native, it was her first time East, and, she said, she fell in love with Maine. The couple still lived in Wyoming at the time. But it wasn’t long before the opportunity came to relocate to the Pine Tree State for good, and they purchased Medawisla, a seven-cabin sporting camp about 27 miles outside of Greenville.
There they catered to guests at the camps, home-schooled three children, and spent lots of time in the woods and on the water, enjoying their wild surroundings.
The area around the aptly named Medawisla Wilderness Camps continues to host loons, as well as bald eagles, a multitude of moose, and many other species of wildlife. The eagles and moose are particular draws for visitors, Shannon said.
Given her interest in helping visitors enjoy the outdoors, Shannon has helped to design fly-fishing packages, birding workshops, paddling opportunities, and multi-day camp-to-camp itineraries for guests. Just right for those accustomed to spending time outdoors with binoculars, a paddle, or a fly rod in hand.
--Rob Burbank
