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Page Updated:
July 16, 2006
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Adventure
in the
Wilds of Haliburton
Recounted
from Country Life - August 29, 1995.
“Be Prepared” is the motto
of Boy Scouts the world over. However living up to this expectation can
often be a daunting challenge to even the most resourceful individuals.
Two troops, one Canadian and one American discovered this harsh reality
as they camped in the wilds of Haliburton in the summer of 1947. In 1947
the Haliburton Scout Reserve officially opened and among its first visitors
was a mixed troop consisting of boys from the 101st Scout troop from Windermere
United Church in Toronto and a troop from Barrington, Rhode Island. Together
they drove up the bumpy, winding trail to a large property east of Haliburton
village that was recently purchased by the Toronto District Scout Council.
The Canadian boys had invited
the Americans in appreciation of a camp held the previous summer in Rhode
Island. The camp turned out to be quite a shock for the visiting Americans
as well as the host Canadians. At Camp Yowgoog, in Rhode Island all the
roads were paved, all toilets were flushable and the buildings resembled
something straight out of an architectural magazine. The Scout Reserve
by contrast boasted a dirt road “straight from heck” and “dig your own
toilets”. Their visit started with a trip down the camp’s dirt road after
which they were greeted with their next form of transportation - a lifeboat
from an ocean liner. Their gear was piled into the “Queen Boat” and they
slowly made their way across the lake to an isolated location. Bill Hare
remembers the trip well. “They took us to this point of land, abandoned
us there and said ‘Go to it.’” This would be their first introduction to
what was later dubbed “Big Bear Point”. There they found nothing except
what Mother Nature provided.
“The contrast was quite dramatic,”
notes another of the original campers, Reg Perkin. “The Americans weren’t
used to roughing it in the bush.” However the Canadians were far from camping
experts. The weekend camps and hikes in Toronto and the surrounding area
had hardly prepared them for this type of wilderness camping. The two troops
however were equal to the challenge. They forged a campsite out of the
rocks and trees, one which has lasted to this day.
The ties of friendship formed
on that weekend have also lasted the test of time. Recently a group of
those original campers gathered at the Kennisis Lake cottage of one of
their former leaders, Owen Cliff. During the last 50 years they’ve gathered
quite frequently. Initially these meetings were at their children’s weddings.
Then 10 years ago, when they realized all their children had been married
off they decided to meet at their cottages. These meetings have continued
every two years, each being hosted in turn by one of the original campers.
Gathered at Mr. Cliff’s cottage
are the following former Boy Scouts: Mr. Cliff, Mr. Hare, Mr. Perkin, Ross
Partridge, John Howard, Dick Day, Dick Brown and Ian Bett. Two of their
original group, Allan Sproule and Graeme King, have passed away. Also absent
in person but not in spirit is Jack King, the man who inspired them as
Scouts and as men. Bill Hare fondly remembers Jack. “He had the gift of
coming up with the impossible dream and working with the Scouts to make
it happen.” Back in the days before cartoons and Nintendo it was much easier
to interest the boys in nature and hiking. On Saturdays they would all
gather at the church with their knapsacks and head off for the wilds of
Toronto.
One day, Mr. King asked “How
many of you have seen the ocean?” No hands went up. He continued on by
saying that if they worked hard and raised the money they could accept
the invitation of the Barrington Scouts to visit their camp in Rhode Island.
The boys took Mr. King’s challenge and earned the needed money by collecting
papers, baby-sitting, selling Christmas cards and trees, delivering flyers
and even putting on a concert. After the money was raised they boarded
the train at Sunnyside and went to Rhode Island. This experience however
did little to prepare them for what awaited in the Haliburton Highlands.
Mr. Cliff remembers that initial drive. “We had one fellow with a Hudson
car. He “bottomed-out” in so many places. The road was almost impossible.
Luckily, Jim Moore had put up all these signs - such as Streetcar Crossing
- to make it more interesting.” After crossing the lake in the “Queen Boat”,
the boys were dropped off and told to make camp. This meant digging fire
pits (to cook meals) and finding spots for kybos. All this work really
brought the two troops together and helped develop a sense of teamwork
and character in the boys.
Their adventurous spirit
was bolstered by a casual indifference to the potentially dangerous elements.
Mr. Partridge recalls the Canadian boys’ attitude. “We hadn’t seen a bear
outside a zoo but we’d never let that on, of course.” No one had ever seen
a snipe either and probably none have seen one of the elusive creatures
to this day. This however didn’t stop them from going snipe hunting at
night. The boys encounter with the wildlife did not end with the timid
snipe. One day two American Scouts came running down a hill, yelling at
the top of their voices. Apparently they had gone to visit the kybo only
to find it already occupied by a bear. Later, with each retelling, the
boys were closer to the bear before “running away” and the bear kept getting
growing in size.
Despite the momentary fears,
the boys all delighted in their Haliburton experience. Years later many
of them would pass their knowledge on to the next generation of Scouts.
All of the them today feel indebted to their years in Scouting and look
back fondly on their unique chance to be camping pioneers in Haliburton.
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