How to write about Herb Drake, about time in camp, about love of good food and a good hunt and good stories.

Drake was a commercial fisherman operating out of Rye Harbor. It is one of the hardest ways to make a living, right there with farming, mining and logging.

Herb had a longtime camp up on Cedar Stream in Pittsburg. His father brought him to the North Country in 1939. Forever after, when Herb did not have to be at sea, he wanted to be up north.

He got his own camp lease in the early 1970s, southeast of Lake Francis, and his camp became a haven for hunters, politicians and anyone who loved the outdoors. Herb would arrive bearing numerous coolers full of delicacies from land and sea. There was always a seafood chowder simmering on the stove.

Herb knew where many of the old footpaths were, before the big cuts. His stories about the old days were boundless.

On the political front, Herb was familiar to all. He helped organize, and hosted, bus trips that brought legislators and other leaders to tour the North Country for a perspective many otherwise would not have had. Former Governor Steve Merrill remembers Herb hauling lobsters and bisque to the top of Cannon Mountain for a governors conference.

After several of us went to sea on an “inspection trip” aboard the huge Polish trawler Arciszewski and were spoiled by a very gracious crew, we insisted that the captain and several crewmen be allowed to visit the North Country so we could return the favor. The Cold War was still on, but Herb made it happen.

We went down to Manchester and Boston to collect captain and crew. They had been told the most outrageous lies about the quality of life here. The first thing they wanted to see was a grocery store, so we pulled in. They returned in only a few minutes, angry at what they were sure was a propaganda ploy, a setup, a sham. Okay, we said, so we pulled into another supermarket just up the road. By then they had seen all the cars and trucks driving hither and yon. A dawn of realization and betrayal spread across their faces.

We arranged for them to go to Drake’s camp. They had never been in such a wild and remote place. The captain said one of his dreams, if he ever got to America, was to go fly-fishing and catch a big fish. We drove in my truck to where Deadwater Stream flows into the lake, and he caught a big fish. He had brought a case of Champagne to camp and was a happy guy. The celebration in camp that night was something to behold.

Herb Drake made things like that happen. He died on Nov. 8 at the age of 88. A celebration of his life will be held in the spring.

John Harrigan’s column appears weekly in the New Hampshire Sunday News. His address is Box 39, Colebrook 03576. Email him at hooligan@ncia.net.