{"id":20225,"date":"2022-03-14T22:40:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T02:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=20225"},"modified":"2022-03-14T22:44:53","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T02:44:53","slug":"episode-551-part-two-jluy-2-to-july-22-1958-worst-job-i-ever-had-in-my-life-hated-and-loved-it-at-same-time-groundhog-river-wilderness-1958-parts-3-and-4-coming-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=20225","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 551 PART TWO JLUY 2 TO JULY 22 1958…WORST JOB I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE…HATED AND LOVED IT AT SAME TIME: GROUNDHOG RIVER WILDERNESS 1958 (parts 3 and 4 coming next)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/div>\n
EPISODE 550    PART TWO, JULY 2 to JULY 22, 1958… WORST JOB I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE…HATED AND LOVED IT AT SAME TIME: GROUNDHOG RIVER WILDERNESS  1958<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cRed, you go down to Jane and Bloor with Alan\u2026This job he has taken makes me nervous.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAwww Mom, I will be fine.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThen why are the men not picking you up at home.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t know.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd they are taking you God knows where for the whole summer\u2026Men you do not know taking<\/div>\n
you into wilderness where no one lives\u2026bears, moose and flies.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThey will  train me as a Field Man in Geophysics\u2026modern prospector.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care if they\u2019re training you as a dog catcher\u2026I want your father to meet them.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cMom, all I really want to get is my Bushman\u2019 s Thong from our 38th Rover Scout crew.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo matter, our your father is going down to meet this Floyd character anyway.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
“HOP IN THE TRUCK, ALAN, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO\u201d (Dad presided then waved good bye(<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Floyd wedged  me in between him and Bob with the floor shift gear rod in between my legs\u2026That lasted until we got<\/div>\n
about 100 miles out of Toronto when I suggested I crawl in the back on top<\/div>\n
of the tents and survey gear.  Hell of lot more comfortable as we headed north on the day <\/div>\n
long drive to South Porcupine.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE summer of 1958.  Unforgettble.  Proud I had guts enough to stand it.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
EPISODE 550     WORST JOB I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE…HATED AND LOVED IT AT SAME TIME: GROUNDHOG RIVER WILDERNESS  1958<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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LOCATION: GROUNDHOG RIVER:  SUMMER OF 1958<\/div>\n
                    WILDERNESS NORTH OF  TIMMINS AND  SOUTH OF KAPUSKASING<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
PURPOSE:  TO  CHECK OUT ANOMALOUS SIGNALS PICKED  UP BY A CANSO FLYING BOAT DRAGGING A MAGNETOMETER<\/div>\n
                     TO DO SO  AS  SECRETLY AS POSSIBLE<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
March 22, 2019<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Three men I will never forget\u2026Floyd, Bob and  Walter.  We  were  thrown together by accident in that summer of 1958.<\/div>\n
Floyd Faulkner was our crew chief.  Bob Hilkar was our instrument man.  Walter Helstein, was our soul.  I think of his sad ending often.  <\/div>\n
 Me?  AIan Skeoch, a 19 year old blank slate, just a few days out of high school.<\/div>\n
 \u201cSo you are a Boy Scout, let\u2019s see how you handle a  real  wilderness.  No badge<\/div>\n
for this job, Alan.\u201d   \u201cNo, you are wrong, there is a  badge\u2026my Bushman\u2019s Thong.\u201d  And they laughed.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Floyd Faulkner<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bob Hilkar<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Walter Helstein<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Alan Skeoch<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
DEAR DIARY\u2026.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 2 – 5, 1958<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And so the adventure begins.  I reported  to company HQ at 1950 O\u2019Coinnor Drive with my bag packed  for the summer.  Never knew how long\u2026did  not know<\/div>\n
where I was going\u2026had no idea who I was going with\u2026had no idea how we were to get there.  Did not really know why I was hired in that summer of 1958.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe needed a Boy Scout to baptize into the real  world,\u201d commented Floyd or Bob. One of them. They intended to make a man of me.  And I think they did<\/div>\n
that.  The events of that summer are still crystal clear in my mind   I was 19 back then  I am 83 now..  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 Mom and dad were a  little concerned as  the whole plan seemed<\/div>\n
sort of loosey goosey  Who were these men that called  themselves  \u2018geophysicists\u2019?   <\/div>\n
Right from the get go there were problems.  Our Land Rover had not arrived nor had the canoe which was to be strapped to the Rover\u2019s roof.   And the two way radio was<\/div>\n
still being overhauled.  If we needed a two way radio that meant we were heading into the wild unknown.  No telephone booths.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cGo back home, Alan, gear not ready quite yet.\u201d  Fine, I thought, for  I was already on the payroll.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
  Floyd Faulkner and Bob Hilker  Both seemed  nice but a little distant .<\/div>\n
They were veteran  bushmen.  I  was just a  high school kid.   First day we drove to Oshawa where the company  had a fleet of Canso double engined aircraft.<\/div>\n
Vintage World  War II submarine hunters.<\/div>\n
One of the Canso\u2019s had  already overflown our target dragging an  airborne magnetometer.  The mag readings  indicated several anomalies worth detailed  ground<\/div>\n
mapping.  We were that three man mapping team.  \u201cKeep your mouth shut about the job, others are interested.\u201d said our big boss, Dr. Norman Paterson.  He<\/div>\n
made me feel like a military hit man  being sent on a mission.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Dr. Paterson gave us a  final briefing on July  3. \u201cThis is  a  rough job, you will be  dropped  by  aircraft as  close as  we can  get to the anomalies.  Virgin forest.<\/div>\n
No people, no trails, no transport except the canoe and your feet.\u201d  Dr. Paterson was a  bit intimidating\u2026long and lean\u2026a serious  scientist who had  been<\/div>\n
a student under Dr. Tuzo Wilson\u2026the man who put the expression Plate Tectonics  in the dictionary.  I felt we were doing something important\u2026something<\/div>\n
that would change the world.  I was part of the  team… on the bottom rung of the geophysical ladder.  \u201cWhat is my role?\u201d, was  a question that I was afraid to ask.  As things turned  out I should have<\/div>\n
known when Dr. Paterson mentioned a blazing axe.  A blazing axe differs  from a  regular axe. It is smaller, lighter and is used to blaze trails  through virgin forest.<\/div>\n
the idea is simple\u2026lop a chunk  out of both sides  of trees ensuring that the line of blazes makes sense\u2026i.e. going somewhere.  Why both sides of the trees<\/div>\n
are hacked  should be obvious\u2026one way into the wilderness  and to get back out follow the alternate blazes.  That was to be my job.  It was  never fully explained.<\/div>\n
As things turned out all the jobs  were shared.  This  was to be a real learning experience.  Could I handle the job?  I thought so and  was comforted  by a line<\/div>\n
from Mr. Fred Burford, our football coach at Humberside  Collegiate Institute\u2026\u201dWhen the going gets tough, the tough get going.\u201d  That line was called  upon<\/div>\n
many times  in the following two and a half months.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 6, 1958<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAl, meet us  at the corner of Bloor and Jane\u2026bring what you need for three months\u2026but all in one bag.\u201d   Mom and dad  got a little worried.  Who were these<\/div>\n
strangers?  They were not even coming to our house but asking Alan to meet them on a street corner.  So dad  came along.  My dad is a tough customer so he<\/div>\n
planned to check \u2018these assholes out\u2019 before allowing me to crawl into the Land Rover.  Dad knew the difference between normal  assholes and  dangerous assholes.<\/div>\n
Floyd, my crew chief, was gruff but solid.  So  dad  helped  stow my rucksack in the back of the Rover and waved me off for the summer.  This was  a  rite of passage.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We headed  north to Gravenhurst where we ate a huge dinner on the expense account.  The Food was heartburn hell but was on the company tab.  Then we carried<\/div>\n
on northward to South Porcupine.  Floyd  and Bob knew  each other so they gabbed  away.   At some point Floyd gave me a nickname that stuck like a turd on a boot.<\/div>\n
\u201cFucking Al will do the blazing\u2026ever blazed a  trail Al?\u201d   Conversation ebbed and I got a little tired of straddling the gear shift.  \u201cFloyd, could you stop and let me crawl<\/div>\n
in the back on top of the gear\u2026that would be more comfortable.\u201d \u201cFucking good idea.\u201d  I learned  that Floyd  used fucking as  an adjective for just about everything including<\/div>\n
me\u2026as in Fucking Al with a grin.  It was not a term of derision\u2026sort of a term of endearment.  Sort of.   So I spent the rest of the long  long journey folded like a jackknife on our tents and rucksacks.<\/div>\n
I even slept a bit.  I was a little scared.  Wondering just what the hell I had gotten myself into.  At North Bay we got a  canoe and  strapped  it to our roof. Lots of shaking and rattling.<\/div>\n
I was determined to make the best of it\u2026something to remember.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 7<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
In Schumacker we visited our contractor, McIntyre Mines, where the geologist handed over a large sheaf of aerial photographs that pinpointed the anomalies  we were<\/div>\n
to find and map.  \u201cYou guys will be the first mining persons ever to explore the wilderness northwest of the Groundhog River.\u201d.  Was that true?  Wow\u2026real wilderness.  We rented <\/div>\n
a  Beaver float plane from Austin Airways in South Porcupine for a flight on July 9 at 8 a.m.  McIntyre Mines  did not want us to use their plane lest other mining people<\/div>\n
got wind  of our project.  Mining is super competitive.   The cloak of secrecy made the job  seem all that more important.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Floyd drove us to Timmins  where he handed  Blahey\u2019s Food  Market a grub list that was to last three weeks. After that our food  supplies would  be replenished by Blakey\u2019s and<\/div>\n
Austin Airways..  The word  \u201cgrub\u201d or to use a more familiar,  \u2018maggot\u2019.   We would se lots of them on this trip, maybe even eat a few by mistake.<\/div>\n
July 8<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today  we hired Walter Helstein to help with the line cutting.  Walter seems  a little too fat and a  little too old for what we are about to face.  I know that seems unkind.  Sorry<\/div>\n
to say that but he has  a fatherly\u2026even grandfatherly manner.  He speaks of the Great Depression and the Dirty Thirties as events  he has experienced only yesterday.<\/div>\n
  Hard to say why he was hired.  Then again I have no idea why I was hired. For the rest of the day<\/div>\n
we lounged  around South Porcupine\u2026in the bright summer sunshine.  Then in the evening we went to a  small circus in Timmins.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 9<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
In the morning We  loaded  the Beaver float plane with all our gear and our instruments.  We had  so much gear that we needed two trips as the Beaver could only<\/div>\n
carry 1100 pounds.   Walter Helstein and Bob Hilkar went with the first load. \u201cFucking Al and I will come later.\u201d  My seat for our flight was  a crate of oranges some <\/div>\n
of which got crushed since we had  a rough landing an hour or so later on the Groundhog River.  The river is tough for a float plane because it is so muddy that<\/div>\n
obstructions cannot be seen.  We bounced hard a  couple of times throwing huge chevrons of water as we powered  down.  \u201cWater\u2019s high this time of<\/div>\n
year, but water level will drop fast.  Future landings will be difficult.\u201d, said the pilot.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We  parked our Land  Rover beside the South Porcupine hotel for the summer.   Entered the bush  in early July, returned<\/div>\n
on September 10.   Naurally, The spare tire was gone as was any loose  item after all this was Timmins, a tough mining<\/div>\n
town.  I guess we should  have expected that.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Strapping our big four man canoe to the Beaver pontoon seemed  a  trifle dangerous  to me but normal to Floyd and Bob\u2026and the Austin <\/div>\n
Airways  pilot.  Bob,  Walter and the canoe would  go first . A lopsided takeoff.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Floyd  and  I were wedged in among our gear and food supplies.  Not much spare room.  I wondered  how the pilot would know<\/div>\n
we had reached the 1100 pound limit.  He had  no  scale. Just guessed.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 we began Erecting two tents even before the Beaver took off on its  return flight\u2026. first our sleeping tent and next our cook tent and then Floyd looped a  long rope over a high tree branch on which would hang our meat supply \u201cbecause otherwise the fucking bears  will get it.\u201d   We did not know that a  bear was watching us.   He gave  us the  once over and planned a visit.<\/div>\n
The little \u2018bite ums no see  ups\u2026sand  flies\u2026are  really ferocious.  I get the feeling that we will be fly bate this summer.   Later in the evening Floyd and Bob showed  me<\/div>\n
how to use stereo scope  on the aerial photographs.   Suddenly a flat surface become  three dimensional.  And our trip took on a cloak and dagger character.  We were<\/div>\n
commandoes on a mission.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 10<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We  cut trees today and lashed a dock together.  Banks are very steep and  we expect water level to drop significantly.  Currently the river is<\/div>\n
about 300 yards wide.  Seems immense.  We also erected  our radio antennae.  If anything goes wrong this will be the only way get help\u2026if the radio actually works.  Floyd and Bob took the canoe down river and were caught in a terrible storm\u2026drenched.  Then we had  our first big camp supper using our most perishable food.   As  dusk settled I wrote a  letter home.  Do not know why… the letter <\/div>\n
won\u2019t get out for at least three weeks.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 11<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Rained all  morning so survey start delayed until afternoon when we piled in the canoe\u2026four men in a single canoe is a challenge.  River current is  super fast. Drove us  at speed into a rock which <\/div>\n
ripped the canoe open but not fatally so.  Two of us bailed  while the other two frantically paddled us back to camp.  Patched the canoe with a piece of  canvas.  Then Floyd gave me a lesson<\/div>\n
on setting a  survey line.  That was going to be my job. <\/div>\n
And this, Al, is blazing axe\u2026smaller, lighter than a regular axe\u2026Don\u2019t cut your fucking hand off with it\u2026that float plane costs money, you know.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
 Flies are voracious.  Hard to say which  is the worst.  The little black flies  that crawl in our ears  or slip behind our belt bands and munch.  Or the Moose flies  land  gently and tear a piece of skin if they have time.  These moose flies  are big yet able to make silent landings on exposed skin then chew holes.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July  12<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Another day of heavy rain so we did  what we could to improve our campsite.  We  have chosen a Rough spot really quite high above the river.  Stupidly decided to test our Mae West life jackets  in the river.  That was like swimming <\/div>\n
among ice cubes\u2026noted that the Groundhog River flows north to James Bay.   In other words this river was not like the Humber or Don  or Etobicoke creek\u2026sweet and warn, We then took the canoe, hooked on the outboard <\/div>\n
engine, and  motored down  river for a  spin.  No sign of  human habitation.   Slight concern that our two way  radio was not working.  Who gives a damn?  Good to be alive and young and healthy \u2026 watching a beautiful sunset.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Some of our camps and anomalies we tried to locate\u2026last camp was Kapik Lake<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 13<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Nice sunny day\u2026motored  five miles down the Groundhog River to check out our first anomaly.   Walter Helstein and  i set and cut line while  Floyd and Bob followed with the EM\u2026principally two great hoops  of<\/div>\n
tightly worn copper wire\u2026looked like a hoop skirt without the underwear. Heavy.  And  a console with earphones to pick up the signals  sent from one to the other.  Coils had  100 foot separation each attached<\/div>\n
to a heavy cable.  Walt and I had<\/div>\n
to mark these separations  with pickets.   As mentioned earlier, this job was for the young.  Walter was about 60 or more years old and by five o\u2019clock he was exhausted.   Don\u2019t get me wrong, I really liked Walter but<\/div>\n
did not expect him to keep up.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
When  we got back to camp and made preparations for supper we found that others had  been in camp.  Blow flies had laid  their eggs in the meat a few days earlier and the maggots were hatching.  We cooked <\/div>\n
the meat anyway\u2026and  ate what we could.  Boiled  maggots tasted  okay if they were eaten unseen.    Our radio is still not operating so any crisis will not be known to the outside world.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We  cut 3,000 feet of  trail for the E.M. unit today.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Bob and Walter with loaded canoe on Groundhog River<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 14<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Hot and windy day.We motored back to the River anomaly.  Walter and  I blazed another trail for the E.M. unit\u2026North East compass reading.   Walter having a very tough time.  Blazing sounds easy but that is<\/div>\n
not the case.  There is  always  dense brush that has to be cleared so the compass shot will be straight.   Best to blaze trees that are on the compass  line but that is not always  possible.  The line must be straight.<\/div>\n
Big obstructions  must be climbed over, waded through, or slashed and thrown to the side.  Today  we cut and marked 8,000 feet of line.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 15<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today we checked out another anomaly whose  location was  confirmed  by aerial photographs.  Our base  camp is  located at the junction of a smaller creek or river where it joins the mighty Groundhog River.<\/div>\n
We travelled  by canoe westward along this tributary to get as  close to the anomaly as possible.  Not easy.  The canoe bottomed out regularly as the creek was quite shallow.   A giant bull moose startled  us<\/div>\n
as we came around a bend.  Or did we startle him?   We were more surprised I think because he just stood there for a few moments looking at us and then wandered  leisurely out of the water and into<\/div>\n
the forest.  His antlers were so large that they spanned the creek.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Really tough day blazing trail into the anomaly and then cutting formal lines for the EM (Electro Magnetic) unit.  Nothing worse than a cedar swamp with tag alder shrubs. So much slashing that the blisters on my hands are getting<\/div>\n
blisters beneath blisters.   To make matters worse we we’re unable to find the anomaly.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Our crew\u2026living together for the duration of the job.  Lunch  break in the bush with pot of tea\u2026see if  you can find the billy can.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
When we stop for lunch,  there  is a danger that few new people in the bush  know.   The danger is piles\u2026\u201dyour ass gets pulled out\u2026the  sphincter muscle bulges\u2026bloody painful\u201d  “So, Al, do<\/div>\n
not sit on those lovely soft spongy piles of moss.  Wet.  Wet underwear can cause piles.  Sit on a dry log or anything other that wet moss.” “You can also get piles from constipation so keep the greasy <\/div>\n
food coming.\u201d  What about heartburn?  “We have some  tummy pills.  Lots  of things  can go fucking wrong on these jobs, Al\u201d  Nice to be on a 2.5 month camping trip with know-alls that tell me  after the fact.<\/div>\n
Constipation and piles.  Must avoid.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 16<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Tough day.  We went back up the tributary then followed  our previous  trail and extended it in a  vain search  for the airborne anomaly.  Half of  my time was  spent working with the E.M. transmitter<\/div>\n
which was nice.  Creek is getting more shallow each day.   Canoe struck  bottom often today whereas yesterday we hit bottom only a few times.  We  startled a  family of  hell diver  ducks who submerged as <\/div>\n
we got close then popped  up some  distance away.   we blazed and traversed 18,000 feet of line criss  crossing what should be the anomaly.  The bush is  incredibly dense with cedars  and tag alders\u2026and<\/div>\n
swamps.  Cutting through cedar swamps is like trying to cut rubber bands\u2026the branches  seem to be elastic and cause the axes to bounce back\u2026must be careful.  Much of  the time we are standing in <\/div>\n
shallow  water.  Boots tend to leak.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Radio is full of dire news suggesting chance of another world war since the United  States marines have landed  in Lebanon.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Gum  Rubbers tend to leak which means wet socks which means  boiled feet which  mean white pock marked feet.  Not nice<\/div>\n
I could peel skin from my feet as they  were pomogranates. (sp?)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 17<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wildlife is sure abundant.  Just  today  we startled moose, mink, ducks, hawk, partridge and lots of little red  ground  squirrels.  These creatures  were the only nice thing about our day.  Hard cutting but<\/div>\n
no luck finding the anomaly.  The creek is so low now that we decided to give up the search for the anomaly.  We did our best.  And there were many more blips picked up by the airborne magnetometer<\/div>\n
and only so much time to confirm whether the blips were real or just a mistake.- Finding these fucubg anomalies will be no easy task. Did I use the F word?  Part of the learning curve.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I am bothered  by Heartburn often these days likely due to too much fried food.  Sickness has to just be accepted  as getting  to a doctor or even a drug store is impossible.  I dread  having a  toothache.<\/div>\n
 The black flies  seem to love crawling through my hair just to get a little blood with a bite of my flesh.  Maybe I should shave\u2026easier to crush the little devils with a  clean face.<\/div>\n
Of course  escape from the flies is impossible.  Seems  they  love tight places such as under my belt.  That\u2019s where most of my welts seem to be.  Keep clothing as loose as possible.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We spent an hour or so burning maggots in our garbage pit\u2026thousands of them infested  our rotten rolls of bologna.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We changed the position of our radio antennae in an attempt to establish  contact with Austin Airways.  Radio silence.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Even though we blazed and surveyed 20,000 feet of line we still had no luck finding the anomaly.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 18<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We followed an old  blazed trail westward from our camp re-blazing as  we went.   Mystery who blazed original trail, perhaps some mining sleuth or maybe a trapper.   When the trail petered out we blazed a new trail<\/div>\n
in North West direction for 6,000 feet.  A heavy rainstorm struck around three catching us several miles from our Base Camp. Arrived back about 6 p.m. soaked  to the skin. Depressing.  Later I skinned  a mink that<\/div>\n
had been trapped  and killed recently.   For some strange reason the trapper who spent his  winters here left all his traps set.  Killed animals for no reason.  Floyd  suggested He may have died here last winter. \u201cHis<\/div>\n
trappers  shack must be somewhere nearby.\u201d  The forest west of us seems loaded with partridge\u2026they show little fear as we approach.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today we travelled 32,500 west from base camp to a beaver  dam we spotted on the aerial photos.  Right on target proving we can pin point the anomalies.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Trappers  Cabin found  on river bank.  Very rough place with heads of small animals  nailed  to logs.  Some skinning method I guess.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 19<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Ferocious Storm all night and morning prevented trail blazing so we stayed in base camp.  It was my meal shift so I had a chance to make breakfast rather extravagant.   French toast with thick slices  of sowbelly bacon<\/div>\n
and lots of maple syrup and coffee.  Each of us has meal duty days in rotation.  In the afternoon the sun came out\u2026an  opportunity to wash clothes and sun dry them on the tent ropes.   We cut a lot more scrub brush <\/div>\n
from around camp so we now have  clear view up and down the river.  Water level is dropping rapidly\u2026down a foot since we arrived and going down each  day in spite of the rain.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Walter Helstein sunbathing in the nude.  He has the ability to ignore the blood seeking flies.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
Any notion that our campsite was built with military precision should be wiped away by this shot.   Clean dry socks are the most important<\/div>\n
item of clothing but the task to keep them so is impossible.   Wet socks help to boil our feet in wet boots.  As  mentioned earlier,Boiled feet are pock marked<\/div>\n
and peeling.   Anybody believing this job was a luxury rich man\u2019s camp has to be daft.  Many days were just constant agony.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 20<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today we trekked one hell of a long way to reach Anomaly site Number 3 and the days ahead will be even longer.  Walt and I cut lines<\/div>\n
for the E.M. unit to traverse using 100 foot stations  (see map for Sites 2 and 3).  To reach the site we had to cross a big active beaver dam<\/div>\n
about 200 feet wide and 8 feet high in places. Six feet thick.These beaver have been here for a long time.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
At lunch we found the bones of a young moose killed by a bear or hunter\u2026or perhaps a cougar if stories of their presence can be true.  Maybe<\/div>\n
it just died for the bones  have been here for some time.  Collected the teeth for what reason I do not know.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We returned to base camp very tired and went directly to bed.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Eureka!  A successful day even if tough.  We found the anomaly\u2026high readings on the magnetometer and the E. M. unit just north of<\/div>\n
the beaver dam.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Anomaly site #3:  Eureka, we confirmed the airborne anomaly.  Set up a grid pattern<\/div>\n
as indicated above.   Site #2 was less successful.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 21<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We retraced yesterdays’  trails then used compass to cut new trail North.  Very slow progress due to the damn<\/div>\n
cedar and alder swamps and their thick vegetation.  I was point man using the compass and made a terrible mistake<\/div>\n
having my heavy belt buckle too close to the compass.  We had  spent a couple of hours going in the wrong<\/div>\n
direction\u2026deflected.   When we realized our error, Floyd and Bob made fun of my stupidity.  Laughed at me.<\/div>\n
So I threw a temper tantrum and began slashing the brush and heading nowhere really.  Which made them<\/div>\n
laugh all the more.   Made me  laugh too.  Not my best day but i<\/div>\n
guess I provided  some entertainment.   The compass error may not have been my fault for there were <\/div>\n
strong indications of a body of magnetite below us.  Floyd decided we should strike directly east through unblazed <\/div>\n
bush towards  the Groundhog River \u2026 far to the east.   \u201cWalter, you go back retracing our blazed trail to Base Camp<\/div>\n
then get the canoe to meet us somewhere up river.\u201d  Well, things did not go well when sun got clouded  over<\/div>\n
and  we got lost\u2026strange how when lost in the bush we travel in circles.  Eventually we reached the<\/div>\n
Groundhog River around 8 p.m. as darkness was descending.  Walter had been on patrol and found us thankfully.<\/div>\n
Arrived  at camp dead tired.   Floyd and Bob told Walter about my temper tantrum.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
As things turned out the errors  may not have been my fault.  The anomaly upon which we stood was likely<\/div>\n
a whopping big magnetite find, confirmed by the aerial photo. Magnetite is strong enough to deflect<\/div>\n
a compase\u2026even  confuse a compass giving one false reading in one spot and another a few feet away.<\/div>\n
Were we standing on a future copper mine?   If we were it was going to be one hell of  a place for mine<\/div>\n
families to  live. Swamp\u2026swamp\u2026swamp.  I read somewhere that certain plants like magnetite.  Couldn\u2019t<\/div>\n
be  true.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today we traversed  39,500 feet finishing the beaver dam anomaly.  Distance is  a guess though due to being<\/div>\n
lost for hours.  Tomorrow Floyd decided to reconnoitre the territory east of the Groundhog River.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
July 22<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Today Floyd decreed  we would all have a day of rest.  Wonderful.  To top things off a moose appeared<\/div>\n
close to our camp at the rivers edge.  I stalked  him with the canoe in order to get within camera range.<\/div>\n
Then towards evening another moose appeared.  Floyd  and I chased him by canoe along the river bank<\/div>\n
until he found a gap to scramble up and get away.  Moose around here seem interested in us as they move<\/div>\n
away slowly if we approach.   One moose even seemed  to like music for he stuck his head out of the<\/div>\n
brush behind our camp when we had cranked up the music as loud as possible.  The moose seem almost<\/div>\n
tame.  A shame really for they are easy game for hunters.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Walter has become valuable in a totally unpredictable way.  He is our berry tester.  Lots of wild plants<\/div>\n
are bearing berries but we have been cautious about eating them lest they are poison.  Walter has no<\/div>\n
such caution.  He eats any berry he can find\u2026well not any berry but most berries.  He even has<\/div>\n
names for them.   Walter is  colour blind so all berries  look the same to him.  We even named one<\/div>\n
berry a \u2018Waltberry\u2019 as  we had no idea the true name.  If Walt could eat it, then it cannot be poison.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
END OF PART TWO\u2026PART THREE WILL BE EPISODE 552<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
(sorry if a little long\u2026will make other episodes more bite sized.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 550    PART TWO, JULY 2 to JULY 22, 1958… WORST JOB I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE…HATED AND LOVED IT AT SAME TIME: GROUNDHOG RIVER WILDERNESS  1958 \u201cRed, you go down to Jane and Bloor with Alan\u2026This job he has taken makes me nervous.\u201d \u201cAwww Mom, I will be fine.\u201d \u201cThen why are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20225\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}