Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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- .Jif adverse nor pleasant. If one of the members of the patrol had been asked, he would have probably replied that the con- ditions were tolerable at present. The point of departure and the terminus of the group were obscured by surrounding curtains of snow. Three days earlier, a trail had been made in the very direction the group was now headed. By feeling his way along the hard packed ridge, the remains of an obliterated path, the instructor attempted to lessen the burden of breaking trail. It also serves to keep a correct course with limited use of the compass. The trying march is reaching a conclusion. Some one hundred yards up the lake and to the west is a bay. At the extreme end of this bay and hid- den back away from the exposed shoreline ' is a base camp with heat and shelter. Visibility in- creases and the patrol fans out across the ice by order of the in- structor. This is done to minimize the pressure on any one section of ice. The danger of thin ice, especially in such bays, can never be taken too lightly. Much snow had accumulated on the evergreens surrounding the camp. This confirmed the hopes of the patrol that had situated the Base Camp. It is always best to select a spot with dense forest surrounding the camp, thus en- suring adequate shelter. Becoming acquainted with the situation again leaves the boys gazing in all directions while the instructor formulates an efficient method of setting up camp. With enough wood for meals, a tent, and more appealing, a wood bur- ning stove inside that tent, the procedure is reasonably easy. It is still day but a penetrating chill warns us all that night is ap- proaching. Food must be prepared while the sun still per- mits the chef enough light to ob- serve his masterpiece. All huddle around an assuring fire in readiness for the meal. An entree of hot soup followed by a meaty stew satisfies the campers. Nightime has come and as the burning logs become a bed of embers it is noticed by one of the boys that the wind has died. This scene, unknown to the urban man, becomes a catalyst for thought as everyone heads to the comfort of the tent. One boy, awaiting his turn to en- ter, glances to the heavens and wonders what adventures tomorrow will bring. J.W.

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- r— Is it not a milestone in the evolution of man when he no longer appreciates nature ' s ar- tistry which in fact created him- self? Cutting through the peaceful waters of a Northern Lake gives one an opportunity to experience a multitude of sounds and sights. They impress man as permanent awarenesses of con- ciousness. What in the drudgery of daily routine can be forgotten suddenly becomes so very im- portant. It is, however, un- fortunate that those who often determine the fate of nature are the victims of the city life, who blindly put a price on the early morning welcome of the whiskey-jack. It is inevitable that what will come of this exploitation shall not be favourable. Just as the chemical balance of the human body is both intricate and sen- sitive, so is the balance of the human body is both intricate and sensitive, so is the balance in nature most complex and delicate. The beauty in the randomness of Nature has never ceased to inspire me. Like seven innocent ducklings following in the wake of an ex- perienced mother, the patrol followed their instructor into the swirl of blowing and falling snow. Breaking trail at the front of the defensive unit is hard work for the unaccustomed legs. The novelty and satisfaction of being the leader soon gives way to fatigue. Each stride reveals two sensations, uniquely different. Firstly, the shoe sinks into the powdery upper lay er and then, when the full weight of the body is upon the shoe, a crusty layer gives way. The jolt of breaking the crust makes it hard to create a rhythm. The patrol is now half-way to their destination. The conditions could neither be described as ' j w V IK Bl m 1 M '

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Of the four weeks spent at Nor- thward Bound, the incident that is most memorable is our group solo, which happened in the last week of the winter session. In the group solo we were sent out to find shelter and warm ourselves for twenty-four hours, without our instructors. The site we picked was the mid- dle of Witches ' Point. We set out at 10:30, having been un- necessarily reminded to be back for lunch and arrived at the site at 12:00. Once we had rested, we set about our pre- arranged duties. I was called upon to collect firewood enough to fuel two fires, (one for lunch, and one for dinner) as well as wood for the reflector. Fred Reid and Segundo Mariz began to dig a pit in the snow drifts, while Paul Manifould and Michael Kent collected pine boughs for the floor of the pit. All went well for an hour, then Fred and Segundo began to have trouble digging. Unfortunately, our site was direc; tly on top of a small evergreen forest, with the result that digging, which at best was like shovelling ■ sugar with a sieve, now became next to impossible. Utilizing the axe, we cleared the pit and then everyone set to work to clear the debris left on the ground. When we finished, we were standing on a trench four feet deep and ten feet square. Satisfied, we sat down to eat lunch. I made the reflector and began to cook our soup and sardines. One hour later, we began again. As I mentioned before, our site was on top of a thatch of evergreen trees. Anyone who ventured forth without snowshoes would immediately vanish up to shoulder height. This was extremely annoying for Fred, who is rather small, as he vanished completely. When Knobby and Rob visited later on, they too discovered this problem, with the result that we spent some time digging them out of the snow. Once they had left we set to work, involving the fi J f -x - cutting of eight poles, which were placed so as to make a sturdy frame for our tents. More firewood was cut and we unravelled the tents. I heard what sounded like a thun- derclap, and after climbing out of the pit and looking towards Rab- bit Nose, I saw a large fog en- velop the island. A few minutes later, a violent wind began to whip through the trees above us. It was then that I saw that what I had thought to be a fog bank, was actually an absolute barrage of snow barreling down on our unsuspecting little band. I jumped back into the pit, shouting at people to take cover. Seconds after, we were inun- dated by a wall of snow that doused the fire and covered us and our belongings in a matter of minutes. We quickly threw everything (including ourselves) into the hastily assembled tents. In twenty minutes the storm had passed, leaving no sign of its coming save a two inch covering of snow over everything. We shook the snow off the tents and then put them up properly. The firewood was soaked so we cut some more.