| Author |
Message |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 84
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 3:22 pm: | 
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Last week while going through a box of things my parents had stored away up in their attic I came across all the letters I had written to them from the North when I was just a lad and on my first 9 month canoe trip in '63.
Being aboutmy life, I am extremely interested in the letters and what I had written.
To write about oneself can often be boring and to write about someone else is interesting but I was wondering if others have old time memiors [ not memories but something actually written down a short to long time ago when lived ] and if any of you would be interested in posting them.
Best
Paul |
tess
Member
Post Number: 32
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 7:56 am: |
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Wow Paul...first, that is amazing that you went on a 9 month canoe trip as a boy!!! 9 months is a very long time, and you say it was your first, which I assume means you had other extended trips.
Where does a trip of that length take you?
Second, I'd be interested in reading some of your memiors. I did spend a couple of years writing voraciously to my grandparents...great lengths of "drivel" at the time I am sure... but if I were able to look back on those letters I bet they'd be interesting and possibly like the writings of a stranger. I doubt they kept them. |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 85
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 26, 2004 - 8:42 am: |
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OK Tess...neat!
I will share one of the letters I wrote my folks from Lake Waswanapi back when I was a sophomore/junior in High School.
Best
Paul |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 86
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - 12:59 pm: |
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Hey Tess...until someone asks me to stop, I am going to post ALL of the letters I sent home from the bush during the 1963 Keewaydin Exploratory trip.
I can hardly believe they have survived and reading them has sparked so many memories!
As I post them, I will fill in some background information about the trip etc. that might be of interest to someone reading the letters.
I hope I can post the first letter before we go away. [ We leave for points North on Sunday for a week. ]
Anyone...please...don't hesitate to jump in when I post the letters with thougts, reactions, background info etc.
I will start a new topic when I begin with the heading - LETTERS HOME.
Best
Paul |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 88
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 1, 2004 - 2:38 pm: |
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Well...I will not be able to get started on my LETTERS HOME posts until after we get back from Maine.
Anyone know of a ' Dictionary of the North ' or an ' Encyclopedia of the North ' ?
A source that give short clear definition of northern terms [ historical and contemporary ] and subjects such as HBC, northern lights, etc.?
Best
Paul |
tess
Member
Post Number: 33
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 2, 2004 - 8:46 am: |
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Hey Paul, have a good trip. Look forward to your return. |
blackfox_dave
Member
Post Number: 55
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 2, 2004 - 10:55 pm: |
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Hay Paul cant wait to read some of your letters you are so lucky to have them.
We had a fire in a house that we had about 14 years
ago we had let the house out to rent and lost so many little things, photos and letters that I still get upset about to this day.
Thank God for the internet as I now scan and up load anything like that now so I have a copy to look back on...
Blackfox |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 91
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 3, 2004 - 11:41 am: |
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My friend Blackfox...I am happy to share my letters. [ Would you believe I even found the end of trip letter one of the trip leaders sent my parents! ] I also have a very complete journel of the entire trip and will post appropriate parts to amplify the letters.
With old photos, a map of the trip route, some good added input and additions from a few otterheads...well...we might even have a good book here to leave for those voyageurs who follow in our wake!
Off to Maine at 4:30 AM...catch you all online in about a week.
Best
Paul |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 72
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 4, 2004 - 12:49 pm: |
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"Maine-Land of tha NE"
Voyagers of might & main, off to
Maine's Northwoods forests of
aspen, white river birch, oaks, all
sorts of Canadian Maples & tall evergreen pines.
Round mountain tops surround pristine wild rivers,
long wind-blown lake narrows, with those winden creeks interconnected to marsh ponds, which be
loaded-up with big moose & fat flat-tail beavers.
Exporers tend to forget tha Bearen to tha
"Maine-Land" be, head way-up-north into
much waters & woods than, turn tha hall east, to ya see tha sea. When ya see tha wales in tha bays & Blackest of Bears walken on rocked filled wave splashed high sea shores, only then 1 feels tha
physical power force strength with might & main,
of "Maine".
Hey Paul, hope ya packed yar red/green wool plaid
shirts into yar basket weave which hope will fit nicely into yar Old Town 17' Penobscot lake/river portage canoe.
I'll just keep fires go-en in tha dang rain
till U & hillbilly canoe voyage journey ends.
Off-agin, Heya!
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hillbilly
Member
Post Number: 72
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 12, 2004 - 9:58 pm: |
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canoebear,
We got back at home at 6:30 Sunday. You mentioned,
I'll just keep fires go-en in tha dang rain. You could of at least talked to the rain gods and asked for less rain on us. Went in on Sat. 3rd. it rained at 11:00pm. That was the start. It sprinkled rain twice in the early afternoon on Sun. while at Spirit Rock. When we got back to camp on Obabika it started Raining about 3pm, was able to fix dinner between rain showers. It stopped around 8pm. The skys threatened rained so we decided to stay at camp for a day off and maybe Tue. would be better. It rained some in the evening. Tue. morn left camp for Diamond Lake. Walked around the old logging camp in the afternoon and camped across for it. Went to bed around 10pm it started raining hard around 11pm.
Wed. it was raining at 5am stopped around 6:30am, was able to eat breakfast. Left camp at 8:55am to see pictographs on Diamond and it started raining around 9:15am and raind steady until 3:30pm. Needed fire to dry clothes, all were wet. Left camp for Obabika River got to campsite on river at 5:30pm. Set camp and it started drizzling around 6:15pm and drizzled almost all evening. Fri. Morn. up at 6am. I wote in trip log partly cloudy/sunny, NO RAIN TODAY. Made it to Obabika Lake 6:10pm set camp and hung all clothes on line to dry. Sat. got up 6:17am Sunny Morn. Moved camp closer to take-out and camped and had a relaxing afternoon reading, and loafing. No rain Today. Trip had six days of rain two days and a morning with no rain. Still had a great time and a good trip. Even a bad trip is better than a good day at work and this was not a bad trip.
Bill |
tess
Member
Post Number: 36
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 - 7:38 am: |
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Hi Bill,
So glad to hear you had a good trip. I thought of you everyday and checked the Temagami weather network often.
I too have canoed in five straight days of rain...but no breaks to cook or dry out. Every single thing was done in the rain.
It's fine when you are with someone who loves to be out no matter what the conditions. Smiles all week.
However, one time I lead a canoe trip of 6 people, and by day 4 they were so miserable, so full of anger and *blame*, I almost left them on an Island without a map.
I hope your group enjoyed the rain spirits!!!! I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait...to read your stories |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 77
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 - 4:52 pm: |
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Hay hillbilly,
Glade yar expedition was safe 1. Just nother notch
of experience carved to yar belt. If ya can do it in tha wind wave rain, ya can do any dang time.
I feel yar pain. Hall, now looken back, we've
only had 2 full sun days since April showers started. I only no how to canoe in cold wind rain.
I hav'nt figured it out yat, how to move tha canoe
in calm sun-up weather. As we speak, severe storms
R knocken at our front door.
Wild Bill, how bout sum show & tell of
"friends of tha forest". Seen much
Bears, moose, wolves, eagles/or beavers?
Pal Paul still in tha Northwoods of Maine.
He probably eaten sum Maine lobster fer dinner &
fer sweet dessert, a hugh bowl of good vanilla ice-cream topped with 100% pure maple syrup.
I hope he does'nt hurt himself.
Clear tha table, hey Paul!
Bill learn us tha does & doen'ts fer our up-cummen
paddle portage trips. Maybe we can all learn from yar simple mistakes, if any.
What wood ya done different?
Wooda, cooda & shooda done?
Ya can't beat "Mothers Nature", ya can only go along with what moods She hands out. If ya make it to tha yar destination take-out, in-tact, than ya survived tha day, Heya hillbilly.
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hillbilly
Member
Post Number: 73
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 - 5:46 pm: |
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Tess & canoebear,
The group of 5 got along great. We share all camp duties except cooking. Everyone had decided in advance that we would bring our own food. The husband and wife couple cooked, the soloest cooked for himself and me and my bowman cooked for ourselves. We also shared soom of tastes with each other and did some recipe swaping. Everyone was experienced and did not like all the rain but we all took it in stride. Not an angry word or even any grumpiness for the whole trip. I was in heaven, I wish my family was like that. The lone female among 4 male was the most positive of the group. Who could get angry with the weather when you have someone along that is so cheerful and positive about everything. It was a great trip and I hope when I get another group together it goes as great as this one. Eventhough we did not keep to the exact schedule that I had made we did do the whole route as planned. I am working on my trip log and when I am finished I will send it to the group members for any input and then will post it, soon. Canoebear, I will think on the wooda, cooda & shoodas and post sonn
Bill |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 132
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, November 5, 2004 - 1:32 pm: |
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Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm sure you are all as anxious to hear from me as I am from you. As I sit here, on a bench in an Indian campsite on Waswanipi Lake, I can clearly see all of the important episodes which I want to tell you that happened since I saw you last.
As I told you in my last letter the plane was about to arrive on Comencho Lake. Well, it did, although it was windy, rainly, and cold. The days went along smoothly until we had a mile and three quarter portage from Dessault Bay of Lake la ?reve into Elixer Lake then into Chibougamau River. On the Chibaugamau River we hit very few portages and lots of rapids - about 25 rapids in all.
While paddling down one of the lakes Jim Bossum our Cree guide pointed to a dark object in the water about 1/4 a mile away. At first most of us thought it was a moose but we soon found out that it was a rather large bear. We encircled the bear and then after we had seen enough of him we let him swim to shore and ramble off into the bush.
Today we are having a rest day on Waswanipi Lake. On the lake, across from our campsite point is a Hudson Bay store and an Indian settlement. Two people have already eaten too many candy bars and have been sick. Who knows how many will be sick tomorrow or tonight?!!!
This afternoon we all took a walk through the settlement. It was certainly poverty stricken. Tomorrow if the weather is right we will paddle down the lake and pick up mail and supplies at the railroad station of Miquelon.....[ August 10,1963 ]
Well, we almost had a tragedy in the rapids before entering Lake Waswanipi.
That will be the topic of the story I will write for Doug McKown .
Hey canoebear...off to the lands of gentle Waban to look for panther in Florida tomorrow morning before first light...and to write the story.
Best
Paul
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canoebear
Member
Post Number: 141
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, November 11, 2004 - 2:16 pm: |
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Hey Paul,
On yer trek back, pick canoebear up & take me
to that same portage lake so to paddle along-side
that large swimmen Bear so I can whisper in his
small ear, to keep watchen over tha forest woods,
Heya! |
paul_hammersten
Member
Post Number: 133
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, November 12, 2004 - 9:26 am: |
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We watched an alligator almost take the foot off a sand hill crane the other day. The crane's two buddies stayed close until the dangling foot fell off and they could fly with much honking!
Budddies look after one another, Heya canoebear!
Looking forward to our piney woods home on the hill with our deer,fox,sow and fire.
We should start a thread just about the lessons and joys of an open fire.
canoebear, I think we will too high in the sky for bears tomorrow.
But turtles can fly if they burn sweet grass before and after.
Best
Paul |
canoebear
Member
Post Number: 142
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Friday, November 12, 2004 - 1:20 pm: |
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Turtles that grow/or live in or habitual use ther
preformed pre-flight early on, in/or on top of lakes, rivers & swamps hav freedom of flight, by-way of ther paddle wing shaped limbs.
'Tis fresh-water "Fly River Turtle"
certainly can flipper fly, hover & hav confidence to navigate wher safe grounden may-be, Hey Paul! |
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