{"id":5506,"date":"2020-08-20T22:06:03","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T02:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5506"},"modified":"2020-08-20T22:11:36","modified_gmt":"2020-08-21T02:11:36","slug":"episode-97-fly-camp-built-at-dusk-supper-was-a-bit-disgusting-1964","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5506","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 97   FLY CAMP BUILT AT DUSK:  SUPPER WAS A BIT DISGUSTING     1964"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>EPISODE 97 &nbsp; &nbsp;FLY CAMP BUILT AT DUSK: &nbsp;SUPPER WAS A BIT DISGUSTING &nbsp; &nbsp;SUMMER 1964 PARADISE LODGE<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">alan skeoch<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">August 2020<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">We had trouble getting a bush plane&#8230;Only available in late afternoon. &nbsp;This was &nbsp;unfortunate because it meant<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">our crew had to set up &nbsp;our fly camp as &nbsp;night approached. &nbsp;But it had to be done. &nbsp;These last few anomalies<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">were too far west of base &nbsp;camp at Paradise &nbsp;Lodge so the camp &nbsp;had to include an airborne component. &nbsp;Such<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">flights were very common on other bush &nbsp;jobs but this &nbsp;was the first for the Paradise Lodge crew who were<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">new to the business. &nbsp;The fellows were quite excited about the idea of flying in to a tiny lake and setting up a<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">campsite in &nbsp;the wilderness.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"531ED300-3E74-4FE0-95E4-B8C471EAC160\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/CkalWSEvThqkuQ2wB2d4gQ_thumb_4e0e7.jpeg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cLooks like a good spot down there\u2026where that slab of treeless granite meets the lake.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cNo problem\u2026lake is small but we can set down.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">The Cessna touched the water so gently it was hardly noticeable were it not for the huge Chevron<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">of water driven up by the pontoons.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cI &nbsp;think we can get everyone here\u2026and the canoe\u2026in two flights..before &nbsp;dusk.\u201d, the pilot had explained.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">And &nbsp;he did just that.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"A81CED55-E438-41F3-8AE4-08288BF20782\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4e09f.jpeg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">As the sun got close &nbsp;to the horizon the Cessna took off for Sault Ste Marie. &nbsp; We were&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">on our own. &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">&nbsp;Five of us were then left alone to get the camp &nbsp;constructed as &nbsp;daylight<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">faded. &nbsp;Not so easy. &nbsp;We had with canvas wall tents\u2026three of them to erect. &nbsp; First act was to saw down<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">ridge poles and de-limb them. &nbsp;Then six sets of support beams. Lashed together. &nbsp; No time to look for perfectly flat ground&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in the forest. &nbsp;each other. &nbsp;Amicably we hoped.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">It was &nbsp;not a pretty sight but it would &nbsp;do. &nbsp; The job might take three or four days and then we would<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">fly back to base camp. &nbsp;No &nbsp;need for a pretty campsite. &nbsp; Dusk became darkness before the tents<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">were lashed in place. &nbsp;We had &nbsp;not eaten but already &nbsp;had &nbsp;a nice fire going on the bare<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">granite well away from the tinder dry forest.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">All of this was &nbsp;quite standard. &nbsp;Perhaps &nbsp;boring to anyone reading this story. &nbsp;Maybe interesting to<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">real outdoorsy people whose criticism is unwanted. We were on a job not a fishing holiday.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">The main event? &nbsp; That happened in the blackness of night. &nbsp; A supper all of &nbsp;us would remember.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cHow about a big stew for supper?\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cFine.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cI have just the thing\u2026.a great stew\u2026dried in packages\u2026.just add water.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">My enthusiasm was misplaced. &nbsp; Sadly. &nbsp; The stew &nbsp;was advertised as &nbsp;a perfect meal for<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">backpackers. &nbsp;Packages rather &nbsp;than cans, therefore light in weight. &nbsp;Full of all kinds &nbsp;of good<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">things\u2026meat, potatoes, carrots, broth, onions\u2026the works. &nbsp; And no work required. &nbsp;Just<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">rip open the package and dump the dried contents &nbsp;into boiling water. &nbsp;I did so\u2026several&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">packages dumped and &nbsp;boiling on an open fire in the splendid darkness of &nbsp;a summer night<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">in the wilderness.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">We got the tents in place. &nbsp; And then dug into the stew. &nbsp;It tasted good. &nbsp;Thick with lots<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">of chunks and a spicy &nbsp;gravy. &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"ACFBF6DE-B44A-4ED0-81DB-3A3762328C68\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Wb2dyaF4S9igcgS3ZIlXsw_thumb_4e0cd.jpeg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Then we went to bed. &nbsp;Satisfied with the camp and more than satisfied &nbsp;with the stew.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">As a matter of fact we could not eat all the stew &#8230; set remainder<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">it aside for morning clean &nbsp;up.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cJesu Christ! &nbsp;Look at this!\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cThe pot if full of dead worms\u2026little dead white worms\u2026dozens of them.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cThat bastard that sold this so called &nbsp;perfect stew must have known.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cWho was he?\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cNo idea\u2026just sounded &nbsp;good in the camp outfitters advert.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cYuck!\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\u201cAnybody have a gut ache?\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Nobody was &nbsp;sick. &nbsp;The worms had &nbsp;been well cooked and must have<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">been quite edible. &nbsp; Actually we all had a good laugh.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">There was some concern about our food supply. &nbsp;How many packages<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">of dried food ? &nbsp;Too many, but we had the usual &nbsp;back up. &nbsp;As I remember<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">that back up was a case of pork and &nbsp;beans\u2026lots of bread &nbsp;and &nbsp;eggs<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">for French toast and &nbsp;a few boxes of Nielsen\u2019s &nbsp;Jersey Milk Chocolate bars.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">A good &nbsp;sized sack of rolled oats, dried &nbsp;milk powder&#8230;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">The basics. &nbsp;We would be fine. &nbsp;I do not remember any bitching. &nbsp;We just got<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">on with the job.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote type=\"cite\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" class=\"\" style=\"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" apple-inline=\"yes\" id=\"72924FC6-9B49-46E2-B730-94AE9A18B21A\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4e0e5.jpeg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">Breaking camp a few days later did not take long. &nbsp;The Cessna arrived &nbsp;in the morning<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">and that meant we were back at Paradise &nbsp;lodge by noon. &nbsp;We &nbsp;were overjoyed to<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">see our cook again.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">alan skeoch<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">August 2020<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">P.S. &nbsp;Look at the rock along the sore\u2026.the high and low &nbsp;water marks. &nbsp;The lower the lake levels<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">got as summer progressed the more dangerous takeoffs and landing became. &nbsp;Sometimes<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">log &nbsp;deadheads lurked. &nbsp; Sometimes lake bottoms, sharp rocks, &nbsp;were deceptively shrouded in<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">water weeds. &nbsp;Pilots got nervous by late August. &nbsp;For good reason as will be<\/div>\n<div class=\"\">described in Episode 99.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><br class=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EPISODE 97 &nbsp; &nbsp;FLY CAMP BUILT AT DUSK: &nbsp;SUPPER WAS A BIT DISGUSTING &nbsp; &nbsp;SUMMER 1964 PARADISE LODGE alan skeoch August 2020 We had trouble getting a bush plane&#8230;Only available in late afternoon. &nbsp;This was &nbsp;unfortunate because it meant our crew had to set up &nbsp;our fly camp as &nbsp;night approached. &nbsp;But it had to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}