Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Saturn Club, Buffalo NY

More Thanksgiving weekend fun, food and drink, with 150+ Pathfinder campers, Staff, Alumni and Parents.  We watched photos and film clips from the 96th Pathfinder Summer. This was the 11th annual Saturn gathering, bringing people from all over western New York and even Ontario.

Monday, Oct. 19
Just as this year's George Liederhaus visitors were packing bags to head up to Camp, news broke that fire had destroyed the Empire Hotel in Huntsville. Alumnus Tim Lamont keeps track of Globe and Mail articles on line, and sent this link for columnist/author Roy MacGregor's remembrance of the Empire.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/sun-sets-on-the-huntsville-empire/article1328764/

Gyro Coakley found this video news report online at the Huntsville Forester:
http://www.huntsvilleforester.com/videozone?id=49

Team Dutch Rudderers
Brent Hurley, Barrett Wadsworth
2:25:17

Team No Name
Rick Munschauer, Kris Karstedt
2:27:03

Team Ministry of Export
Brian Bissonette, Alex Hurley
2:32:47 * (broken paddle – Heart & Courage Award)

Team Someone Needs to Drive a Boat
Kyle Warren, Grif Edwards
DNF

Team T Captains
Aydin Perese, Ben Bristow
DNF

Team Crazy for Swayze
Riley Chapple, Adam Mollenberg
Masters

Team Sloth
Chris Brackley, Erik Willers
Masters

Team Inflammables
Derrick Irwin, Jon Schadt
Masters

Team Cooler on Board
Rob Gallagher, Will Hopkins
Masters

Team Poco
Mike Floyd, Corey Floyd
Masters, Photo Ops

Team Toncacoo All Stars
Ryan Arthurs, Gill Stanley
Masters, Photo Ops

Team 18% Grey
Mike Sladden, Colin Bristow
Masters, Photo Ops

Team We're Gettin' Married!
Diane Davis, Will Hopkins

Alumni - Pathfinder Needs You!
What can you do to help your old tripping camp up in Algonquin?  Three things:

Refer a new camper, Donate to the scholarship fund, Locate lost alumni.

1) New Campers: do you know a boy who would thrive at Pathfinder. Let us know!

2) Help a Camper in need: give a modest donation to the Algonquin Campership Fund. It sends needy boys to Pathfinder. Every new donor helps us attract more new donors. Our fund is strong and useful - join us!

3) Find lost Pathfinder men: guys we have lost touch with over the years. If you know them, or know where they are, please shout out and let me know!
See the list of Lost Alumni Names ...
Be sure to join the Facebook group CPI, to reconnect with your camp friends!

Email me to help out on any of these fronts. And keep watching this page!

Noonway, sladds
 

Recently I heard from both Neal Hunter and Bruce Ackert ('50s), and Bruce sent from his home in Las Vegas these recollections of his trips ...

We had a nice note from alum Mitch Derrick ('80s) recently. Fun to read ...

Mack Abbot sent me a written rationale he used to enter a university course on politics of resource management. It's always nice to see our guys heading toward professions that reflect the influence of their years in a canoe. Mack's essay ...

Brent Hurley had a wild ride from Argentina to Cape Town South Africa on his tall ship S/V Concordia. Brent is teaching aboard the ship this year as it cruises the world for ClassAfloat. Brent met Ron Irwin in Cape Town and went out on the town. After a 30-day sail full of big seas, bad weather, and huge ice bergs, landfall must have been nice.

The Swift family is the most recent in a string of generous alumni to donate a trip canoe to Pathfinder. In 2009, a new Hurley canoe will be named Wendy Swift and will take its place on the racks, and be assigned to a Pathfinder Headman. Wendy's children made the gift in observance of Camp's 95th anniversary.

Likewise in 2008, canoes were donated by Steve and Debbie Lapey, who had a nice 1988 Spencer trip canoe, and by Professor Henry 'Pete' French, who commissioned Jack to build a new edition of the Chief Norton #1. Bill Brice also donated a classic, a 1925 Peterborough canoe still in excellent condition for in-camp paddling.

In 2009, we will also be starting a new Hurley trip canoe dedicated to Bob "Guide" Coakley. It is highly appropriate that the CITs of 2009 will be building this boat with the guidance of Jack Hurley. Bravo Bob Guide, and get ready CITs!!!

Currently the Pathfinder fleet stands at 36 top-notch wood-canvas trip canoes! More on the canoe fleet soon. ms

I always get a kick out of the company logo of my first-ever Pathfinder counselor, George Hubbard. I asked him to send a copy and explain how he came up with it.

"Sladds,
The Algonquin Advisors logo was created by me and another Pathfinder brave, George Hubbard, Jr.  Using some serious artistic license, we adapted the portage sign found at every trailhead throughout the Park..." Read more ...

Henry "Pete" French, a '40s alum and college professor in Rochester has ordered a new trip canoe from Jack Hurley's shop, to give Pathfinder in her 95th season.

Pete wrote us:
I went to Pathfinder as an Ottawa in the 1940s and went through the "chairs," finally becoming a head trip man in the 1950s. Chief Norton was most generous guiding me through and into the camping tradition. As I have noted before, my first trip was with Bill Swift (my neighbor in Brighton) that used the wonderful canvas red canoes.

Bev and I would love to buy a replacement...so give me the "marching orders" and we will attend in August to see the results. I am most happy to thank Pathfinder for giving me and two of my sons a wonderful legacy in "tripping heaven".

We have two six year old and two eight year old grandchildren. I am in hopes that a third generation of Frenches will have the enjoyment of the North Woods on Source Lake. It is for this reason, that we are pleased to donate a canoe in "Chief's" honor/memory.

What a wonderful program to replace canoes and, at the same time, replace memories for generations to come! This is a legacy that we all appreciate.

Thanks for the opportunity. Cheers!
Pete

Alumni! mark your calendar and plan to attend The 95th Anniversary Reunion, to be held at Camp on Aug. 22-24, 2008. The big event will be upon us in less than 3 months!

As of May 30, reservations are rolling back into the camp office and already we have over 90 people attending.

If you are an alumnus of Pathfinder, send Sladds a message and include your updated address and email info. You can also mention other alumni friends who may be 'lost' to Pathfinder, so we may capture their info. and make sure they're invited.

Your invite will have a reply card and return envelope. Please return your family's  enrollment asap, because this event is a first-come, first-served affair. The reply card will ask you if a spouse or children are attending, if you have a sleepage preference such as a particular tent or cabin, or perhaps you are thinking of staying at a local lodge. We will inquire about any dietary preferences, etc.

Tentative schedule for this summer's reunion event includes cocktails and dinner Friday night 8/22, a full Daily Programme of optionals on Saturday, a big banquet Saturday night, and a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning. And a couple of surprises tba.

Kids: Alumni kids are welcome this year, and we have a special reduced rate for them. Children infant to age 6 are free, ages 7-6 are only $65.00, and ages 17+ are the regular adult price. A children's program and meal sittings will be offered.

Pricing: for the 95th anniversary, the Reunion weekend will be priced at $200 per adult. Half the amount covers all meals, banquet beverages, activities, staffing, boat gas, parking permits, etc. The other half is a $100 contribution to a fund that will pay for complete renovation of the Swim Dock in 2009. It's one of the hubs of camp, and a worthy project for this camp milestone year.

This year we are very interested in sharing some of the terrific photographs and films made of Camp over the last 95 summers. Sladds and Glenn have invested time and money to digitize hours of 1930s-'60s home movie footage and '80s-'90s analog video. There are some great scenes! There is much digital moving footage from the past few seasons as well. As far as photographs go, we have 15,000 digitals and counting. Some vintage pix are shown below. Please let us know if you have cool images of your time at Camp. We would like to copy and add yours to the archive!

More 95th Reunion News in coming weeks. Keep in touch with this page and send in your sign up for the event!

Early November found a few Pathfinder guys gathering at Mark T. Smith's abode down east. Pictured are Smitty, Jay, Mac and Gyro. Seated out of picture were Mitch Anderson, GT Laub, Sky Foulkes, Simon Mortimer, Sladds, Jamey Bumbalo, Pete Lang.

GLM ’07 Results

1). Zach Arem & Tim Lamont    2:01.47 (New Record)
2). Grif Edwards & Riley Chapple    2:16.21
3).Laird Robertson & Matt DK    2:25.51
4). Ryan ARthurs & Cam Quinn    2:30.44
5). Shrub Gallagher & Gavin Street    2:45.19
6). Otis Rogers & Gabe Lullo        2:47.09 (Bone)
7). Brian Bissonette & Ben Crovella    2:50.07
8). Trip Pierson & Glenn Arthurs    2:55.19
9). Brent Hurley & Norm Callaway    2:56.36
10). Derrick Irwin & Alex Thomson    3:01.09
11). Katie Rand & Karl Doench    3:03.59

A Prelude to the 94th Summer

NYC Alumni Visit
After a camp open house in Manhattan last winter, an alumni gathering at Chumley’s on the lower west side. From left: Katie Rand, Ryan Kelley, Tim Emmerick, Wyatt Arthurs, Rob Childs, Christina Hynes, Sladds.

March on Cache Lake
Well, o.k. it’s not summer, but the season started early this  year. Sladds headed north in March with Mac Rand to check on camp and meet up on a sunny Cache Lake Sunday with birthday boys Jack Hurley and Tom Pigeon. These two are behind the scenes players essential to any successful Pathfinder summer. The season ahead was the hot topic on this cool Algonquin day. Brent mayor Jake Pigeon arrived with wife Bonnie and their sons Forest and Sky.

Camp Pathfinder, 1948

My brother Manuel and I spent one of the most unforgettable summers at Camp Pathfinder in 1948.

I was 13 years of age at the time and my brother was 9. Our parents brought us from our home in Havana, Cuba for this experience. I stayed in a tent with two other boys and my staff man, Charlie Perlham, from Rochester, NY. He had attended Canisius College and he always wore the school colors with pride. My brother stayed in one of the lodges with several staff and lots of other kids.

On Sundays, we would ride the rails in a put-put to the Highland Inn Hotel on Cache Lake (now torn down) for Sunday Mass. During that summer, I learned to swim. As I progressed in my swimming skills, I qualified successively for row boating, canoeing and sailing. Once I was qualified for canoeing, I went on portaging trips with three other staff and many other kids. Once, after a turn in the trail, I walked up to a full grown stag with a huge rack! Needless to say, we pulled back slowly, until he disappeared in the woods.

I will never forget camping under the stars on cool summer nights and then waking up to harvest blueberries for a blueberry pancake breakfast at the campfire. One night, back at Camp, Charlie woke me up excitedly in the middle of the night. I got up to an unforgettable sight: the aurora borealis! It was like a bright, undulating curtain waving across the northern sky.

In 1971, while camping with my family (my wife and six children) in Algonquin Park, we visited the dock at Source Lake, but could not visit the Camp.

I recently found the Camp Pathfinder website and it brought back many happy memories of our childhood. It is good to see that Camp Pathfinder is still going strong and remains a marvelous summer experience for children.

Sincerely,
Alberto F. Hidalgo, Ph. D.
Odessa, Florida

Remembering Camp Pathfinder, 1940s

On a whim recently I stuck "Camp Pathfinder" in a Google search and found the website. First, its a very good site...

But secondly it was very satisfying to see that Pathfinder is still there.......  !!

I was a camper, Chippewa if I remember correctly, way back in 1940 and 1941and remember Chief Norton, and "Tick" very well...  I was from Buffalo back then, now live in Maine.. and also remember taking the train to camp as it stopped in Buffalo and had the Rochester campers already aboard.  We all had blue shirts with Pathfinder in red above the pockets back then.... got the clothes at Sibley, Lindsay and Curr in Rochester..

Learned to swim at Pathfinder.... my grandfather had told me he would get me a sailboat as soon as I did... great incentive.. but probably the reason I was at Pathfinder for only two summers.  The boat ended up being a 10' Peterborough sailing dinghy exactly like one of the two at Pathfinder in those days. I had that boat on Lake Erie until 1953 when I graduated from Hobart College and headed for the US Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  Sold it to a friend....

I was a dedicated fisherman even way back then, and had brought my lake trout wire line deep trolling rig to camp with me... caught quite a few  lakers in Source Lake while there.  I remember that the camp cook was only too glad to serve them, too, along with batches of frogs legs we managed to catch on the old floating brush pile.

The one trip I most remember included Opeongo, Burnt Island, and I seem to remember a lake off the western upper end of Opeongo that might have been called Green? At any rate, the color of the water was close to that and perfectly clear.  Didn't know what fish there might be in it but quickly found lots of smallmouth bass.  Had a good supper that night...

Enjoyed reading through the reports, comments etc. and glad you are still going strong.  I had lots of outdoor exposure and experience before getting to Pathfinder as a result of spending time from four years of age on up at my grandfathers camp on Pythonga Lake in Quebec (that's why I knew how to catch lake trout) but learned a great deal there, and look back on that time with fondness.

I went on to the world of work, and ended up the Orvis Company in Manchester, VT for about 12 years which was great for a fly fisherman, and ended up going back to school at age 60 and getting a Masters in Counseling at the University of New Hampshire, where I worked as a career counselor until 2002 when I retired.

I'm doing a bit of woodworking these days, and of course fishing, and at going on 74 years and in pretty good health expect at least a few more good years. I keep a web site going that you might enjoy looking at, its at:

http://home.comcast.net/~grizzly01/index.html

That old brush pile was something....  If it is long gone or no one else remembers it, it was along the south shore of the island and consisted of three at least, maybe four huge logs hooked together at their ends to make a floating frame.  If memory serves me well, boards had been laid on top of the logs to serve as a walkway. Into this was dumped all the cuttings and clearings of brush  and wood, to allow them to deteriorate and sink to the bottom. The frame logs were plenty big enough for 9 and 10 year old boys to step on and still stay afloat.  The bullfrog population was huge, both in numbers and in size of each frog. While the food in the mess hall was excellent, there were a couple of us who had tasted frogs legs in the past, which is what prompted the foraging on the brush pile once the frogs were discovered.  I am sure that this was not officially viewed as a desirable or encouraged use of camper's spare time, but we sure learned how to catch bullfrogs.

Hard to believe that was 63 years ago or thereabouts...

Anyway, enough of an old man's ramblings, just wanted to let you know how glad I was to find that Pathfinder's still there and looking good.....

Bill Cass, Eliot, Maine