Solo - I don't even know where to start.  I'm an Eagle Scout, just turned 60, and a lot of the reason I got hooked on scouting was the canoe trips we took annually from Buffalo to Algonquin Park.  The driving force behind me getting into scouts was my dad (I wasn't given much of a choice!) and a good friend of his, Mr. K.  Between the two of them, they knew I'd love it, so they conspired to get me involved (I didn't figure it out until it was too late to discuss with either of them).  Mr. K. had visited Algonquin since forever, and he never missed a canoe trip with our troop.  The two great loves in life he had were Mrs. K. and his canvas Chestnut canoe.  He had spent the summers of his formative years in Algonquin helping a doctor with chores, which expanded to teaching woodcraft to an all girls' camp, which expanded to delivering mail to the rangers by canoe.  I developed my love of canoeing and of that park based on my scouting experiences there, and I attribute it to the two men I most admired in this world.  Some of us got together after Mr. K. died to have one of those plaques put up in the visitor center.  

All that to tell you that what you're doing with those scouts is very impactful.  Of the scouts I went through with (and a lot of us became Eagles), I'm the only one who still takes trips, but on those rare occasions when we see each other, the recollection of our experiences there are fondly remembered.  The hard days, the light-hearted moments...the occasional skirmish...I wouldn't trade any of it, and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity.  The day I carried that 78-pound Grumman aluminum wilderness battleship over the Dickson-Bonfield portage using paddles for a yoke, cushioned by one of those old-style orange life jackets...that was a proud, proud day for 16-year old me. (today it would be a heart attack on steroids...)   

So on behalf of those scouts who may not have voiced it to you yet, I thank you, and I encourage you to stick with it.  Thanks for sharing your trip report!!!      

Last edited by MooseWhizzer Dave (7/16/2025 10:55 am)