e tI WHEN IT announced that 1 was going to head out into the northern Ontario bush for a winter camping trip, my wife said: “That's the last thing in the world 1 would want to do. You are crazy.” “Gotta do it,” [told her. Back in the Fifties, i spent sev- eral years in Boy Scouts. At the peak of my career — that is, prior to throwing the bean bag at the Scout Master — 1 was Patrol ' Leader of the Coyote Pack, We used (o go winter camping as often as we could, The question now was, whether to go alone or with company. Alonc would be my preference, dut then a young cameraman named Mike McArthur asked at work one day: “Have you ever winter camped, Bob?'t want to do it,” Mike had just returned trom -Somalia, where he'd endured a har- rowing three months as a famine relief volunteer. So 1 had a partner. A mere $500 worth of. snowshoes and fancy high-tech survival gear _later, } was hea‘ling for Algonquin Park with Mike: It. was the end ‘of February. Temperature around 10 below. expected to drop to 15. Awwwright! Give us your best shot, Nature! We left the four-wheel drive ata : designated parking spot in the mid- dle of the park and struggied into our gear. I loaded up a plastic kid’s sled with most of my stuff, while Mike hoisted his whole Joad onto his back. ? We thought we could make out a trail through the forest, but had jadvanced no more than 100 feet ‘when Mike’s snowshoes sank | ‘| through dry snow, and I had to pull ~ him out. * In the process, my showshoes * sank, and he in turn had to help me -;back up on my feet. And then, a iy few awkward steps later, we both sank in up to our hips. After much ‘cursing and thrashing about; w2 decided the snow was too soft i+, the shelter of the trees, so we sct out across a hard-packed open field, . thankfully with the wind to our backs, towards a distant river. It was coming back: in Scouts, we always showsiioed on the river where it was casiest to shuffle along. MODEL: Beltone* Standard Trio - STRICTLY PERSONAL I had been expecting to be enjoying the view by then. Unfortunately, the steam com- ing up from my balaclava was fog- ging my sunglasses. Al! ] could do was stagger along squinting down at tne trail Mike had broken. We were hallway across the field when } looked back to see that the bungee cords I'd strapped my gear onto the sled with had snapped, spilling half my load. This meant going back against the wind. By that time we finally made it to the river, | was alceady sweating. [ was wearing my faithful oid fluo- rescent vrange Mustang Floater sur- vival suit. Excellent gear if you're ona boat in winter weather. But not designed for showshocing. We'd clumped barely a quarter ofa mile along the river when Mike noticed the crust of snow beneath his showshoes turning into aquama~ rine blue slush. We both swiftly executed 190- degree.turns and went back the way we'd come. Somewhere in the middle of the field, head down against the wind, squalls of snow being whipped from the crests of stippled ice dunes around me, I began to hurt. Thigh and back muscles. Shortness of breath. My arms were beginning to lengthen from pulling the sled. J had to zip open the front of the Mustang Floater suit to let some of the steam building up inside escape. My long johns were soaked with sweat: . We eventually found a trail that was hard-packed enough so we could plunge into woods and make Save $ Hundreds $ up until March 29th Call 988-4477 for an appointment COMPLIMENTARY HEARING TEST FOR SENIORS We do provide you with our exclusive Certified Hearing Service Plan. Beltone is the only company with over 3,000 locations across North America that honour this plan. No charge for follow-up visits. Retubing and cleaning of aids free. Battery discounts! GENUINE BEI-TONE HEARING SYSTEMS ARE ONLY FOUND AT BELTONE HEARING CENTRES. ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES This Location Only: ‘Call 988-4477 feotaesatrine THESOVUHOE OF tist (Gu #304 — 1124 Lonsdale (across from North Shore News) T. Ashton, L. Zhang, Audiologist and Hearing Instrument Specialists. ; Ragistered under the Hearing Aid Act B.C. TRAC ’ what the thrill had been when I was camp. But it took three hours, at the end of which your agent was expe- riencing new and interesting fornis of physical pain, Mike had brought 4 two-o1an tent. and had rented a sleeping bag that was supposed to be good to 50 below. Thad two siceping bags, one inside the other, a blanket, a jacket and a parka to wrap around myself with a self-inflating air mattress underneath. He'd read somewhere it was a good idea to put boiled water in your spare water boule and put the bottle in your sleeping bag half an hour before climbing in. The bag, by then, would be toasty warm. Alas, I didn’t serew my tid on tight enough. When | went to climb into the bag, it was warm, inuced, but also wet. A miserable night ensued. {t “ . CUSTOM went down te 25 below, Mike's air BEDSPREADS, mattress deflated in che wee hours, ; vad so when he awoke in the morning ni TRACKS AND light he found he was numb from VALANCES the knees down, My Mustang suit : was sitting stiffly by the dead fire, aaa crane as though there was an invisible as though there was an invisible $9.50 lined. min inside. { had to jump up and \ down on it to fold it up and pack it Cc U STO Mi DRAPER ES & B Li NDS onto the sled. But, hey, we were alive! We had At low, low prices, For FREE éstimates call 987-2966 endured. We had survived. We (Ask about Seniors’ Discounts) were giddy all the way back into the city. Serving the North Shore for.23 years And then [ finally remembered in Scouts. It was gerting home. START THINKING NOW! © Business Owners ° Retirees e Professionals * investors * Sales Professionals © Landlords C. Fred Whittaker . “3151 WOODBINE DR, 988-7832 Cha rtered Accountant (Edgemont Village) yal. LAS as. 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