CAMDEN — Ultra-light hiking has been embraced by the long-distance hiking community for at least a decade. But this scaled-down way of migration can be misunderstood. It’s not always about record-setting, cliff-bagging, speed or efficiency. Sometimes it simply is a question of comfort.

For the six fishermen who shared in catching some two dozen stripers in the Kennebec River recently, the outing was the chance to bond with like-minded veterans.