Maine Peg Camp

"Ya can't get there from here" is an old saying in Maine. But we certainly can get you were you need to be. Where's that? Why pegmatites of course. Maine is the premier pegmatite region on the East coast. And of course, there's only one thing better than pegmatites in Maine and that's Lobsters! A glass of wine, a lobster roll and blueberries for dessert while sitting on pegmatite. What a way to spend a summer. PegCamp-East is located in the sleepy little town of Poland in rural western Maine. Poland is about 45 minutes northwest of Portland International Airport. Our base camp is at the Poland Mining Camp...the site were PegCamp was conceived in 1992. Home of the first official PegCamp in 1994, the Poland Mining Camp is run by the best hosts any pegmatologist could meet...Mary and Dudy Groves. They help make PegCamp-East a truly memorable experience.

Our sleeping arrangements are dormitory-style in beautiful rustic cabins, made by the old man (Dudy) himself. We also have access to a large meeting/dining area again built by Dudy. Mary prepares such wonderful meals that some PegCampers have been known to gain weight during our week's stay.

The weather in Maine is generally nice, but it can be humid. Rain is always a possibility. The area is mountainous, but the hike to the pegmatites is worth it.

Maine...the way pegmatites ought to be!

Western Maine is well-known for its abundance of granitic pegmatites. Interest in Maine pegmatites was initiated by the first discovery of tourmaline in North America at Mt. Mica in 1820. Other classic localities such as Newry, Mt. Apatite and Black Mountain have helped contribute to Maine's reputation as a "collectors paradise". Green tourmaline, pink beryl, columbite, spodumene, petalite, purple apatite...the list goes on and on. Maine pegmatites show extremely variable mineralization. Add to that excellent exposures of granite and numerous pegmatites that display varying degrees of chemical evolution and you have the makings of a perfect field trip. Its no wonder we chose Maine as the first site of PegCamp.