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8/12/2019 2:13 pm  #1


Part of a trip log by Mark Rubino of an AA gathering in 2007 on Booth

I have re-posted some of Mark's words about this memorable gathering of around 15? AAers who wanted to be part of this event.    So, here are some small tidbits of Mark's lengthy trip log.  The entire trip log is contained in the site Markinthepark.com under Shall Lake access and is from Sept 3-9, 2007.  I sincerely hope I do not embarrass anyone mentioned below.

DAY 6

Misty, overcast, bleh. That's what it was like Saturday morning, I thought perhaps it was going to rain. Despite the gloomy looking weather, it was quite cheerful with all the fellow AA'ers around. By 10:30 am, Swede was busy making his late breakfast. Where Master Bo is a master fisherman, Swede was a master cook. In Later years I've had the opportunity to be treated by Swede to one of the tastiest meals I've ever had in Algonquin Park, but I'll save that story for another trip-log. Suffice it to say, that morning was no exception, Swede cooked fresh bacon, sausages, and all kinds of food. I had already eaten, but watching Swede cook made others hungry, and he ended up sharing his food to the delight of other campers. I think even Kermit the frog had some, I found him sitting on a log, with a satisfied look on his face. Kermit was a mascot of Phil and his website, Kermit Adventures. By 11:00 am, Dogbyte and his girlfriend Siobhan showed up. I directed then to Mike's site, but they decided to head back and take a vacant site, on the other side of our site. Within an hour or so, they both showed up, settled in and shaking hands and exchanging greetings with everyone. We had 3 sites all next to each other, all occupied and within the mandated maximmum number of persons. Everything was going according to plan.

Just after lunch, more AA'ers showed, Barbara and her mate Joe arrived, they had camped on one of the island campsites in the South end of the lake. Wow, this was really getting good. Barbara was a personal favourite of not only myself, but a great deal many other AA'ers. She has been on Barry's site for years, and is also a major contributor and moderator on the massive outdoor website, Canadian Canoe Routes. Her reputation was well known in the online world and appreciated by many, it was fun to finally meet her and to put a face to the name, her humorous nature was infectious in person as well, as it was felt by many around camp. Barbara had also brought along the "Paddle", that she had agreed to pick up for me, from Randy Mitson of Algonquin Outfitters. It lay on the ground nearby, wrapped in a blanket, hidden from view for the time being, more on this in a bit. Stainless and Phil returned from fishing, they had caught a several Bass over the last few days, and in fact a fish got a prize this time around as well. Phil's fishing rod, now a memory, a relic if you will on the bottom of Booth Lake. I can't remember if he mentioned it was a fish or a rock that took his rod. It had cleared up considerably, and by 2:00 pm, Barry had decided to get geared up and go for a walk in the bush, following an old road that ran west along the lake. During this time, it was decided to make our presentation to Barry upon his return. The whole purpose of the trip, was threefold; 1) Bo & I wanted a week to camp together in early September, enjoying the solitude and the fishing, 2) To at last meet Barry Bridgeford. 3) to gather as many as possible, fellow AA'ers interested in meeting Barry, and to show our appreciation for his hard work.

For months in advance I had emailed a number of AA'ers inviting them to participate in this day. I also petitioned those I contacted to donate some funds towards the purchase of gifts for Barry. Before Barry returned, Bo handed everyone a sheet of paper, with a song that he wrote, that we were to sing in Barry's honour. By 3:00 pm, everyone was ready, and Barry returned, out of breath, and relaxed looking, the walk through the forest having refeshed his soul. We picked a spot for Barry, someone handed him a chair and told Barry to make himself comfortable. Bo brought out his guitar, and we began to sing to Barry. Our combined voices were pretty bad I think, but I give us an "AA" for effort. Despite the discordant serenade, Barry seemed pleased, if not surprised. Next came my short speech and presentation. I don't remember what I said, I was very nervous, public speaking not being my cup 'o tea really. My speech concluded I presented to Barry a certificate for four nights stay at the "Wolf Den": A hostel for visiting outdoor enthusiasts, located just a few kilometres west of The Park's west gate, just outside The Park. I have been there a few times now, and would recommend The Wolf Den to anyone, it is a very cozy and accommodating establishment, run by a very dedicated and friendly fellow by the name of "Ben". I had managed to raise $$$, of which I gave to $$$ to Ben (In which Ben had contributed too), to make up a certificate for me to present to Barry, with which he could use to stay for four nights at the Wolf Den. I knew Barry liked to do trails in Algonquin and thought this the perfect gift for him. Barry had stayed at the Wolf Den before and wrote a nice review about his stay there, so I knew he would like the gift. Next came the Algonquin Outfitters gift cards. I had contacted Randy Mitson of Algonquin Outfitters and asked if he could help us out, with respects to getting Barry a gift. Randy suggested a gift card, thus enabling Barry to pick out the right gear for himself. With the remaining $$$ in hand, Randy chipped in some additional $$$, for a total of $$$ dollars in gift certificates!!

Barry was astonished when presented with this...it all seemed too much for him! There was more. We had wanted to get Barry a commemorative paddle, but had no idea who or where to get one done up. Once again I enlisted Randy Mitson's help. I gotta say Randy and the folks at Algonquin Outfitters did a wonderful job on getting the paddle ready for me. At no cost, they provided me with a beautiful walnut paddle complete with a mounted plaque with Barry's Website Logo(A big "A") engraved on to it. Below this was a short message I had been asked to include, to make the plaque complete, which reads, "In appreciation of your continued dedication to Algonquin Adventures enriching 'The Park' experience for so many." I can say without a doubt that Barry had no idea what was coming and he was very surprised, and he enjoyed every minute of it, as did everyone that was present.  (END OF TIDBITS FROM MARK'S TRIP LOG)

To get the full story of what happened during those 7 days on Booth Lake, you have to read Mark's trip log of this memorable event that, in my opinion, should go down in AA history.
 

Last edited by boknows (8/12/2019 2:37 pm)


CAMPING IS WHEN YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO LIVE LIKE A HOMELESS PERSON!
 

8/20/2019 9:27 pm  #2


Re: Part of a trip log by Mark Rubino of an AA gathering in 2007 on Booth

Ah yes, I remember it well.

What people don't realize now is that there was very little in the way of pictures/photos of the people in the online community. In fact, many trip logs were just text.  So upon meeting people for the first time that you've corresponded with, you got to see what they looked like!  Sometimes you saw what you were expecting, at other times, not so much :-)

 

Board footera

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