By Curt Garfield - NEWS OUTDOOR EDITOR
Middlesex Daily News, Thursday, January 1, 1998
Unless you've been connected with the Department of Defense
Equipment Testing Laboratory (better known around these parts as
Natick Labs), or worked in the High Adventure Program of the Boy
Scouts of America, you've probably never heard of Sandy Bridges.
But if you've done any camping, hiking, canoeing or boating, he's
had an impact on your life. In some cases, equipment he designed
may have saved your life.
Clyde Sanders Bridges was born in Arkansas in 1939, but his real
love was the wilderness canoe country of northern Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Michigan. He came to the Charles L. Sommers Canoe
Base as a Scout in the late 50s, signed on as a guide in 1960, and
never went home. He wound up serving 30 years on the National Staff
of the Boy Scouts of America, much of it as Director of the
Northern Tier High Adventure Program which trains and outfits crews
of Scouts and Explorers for trips into the Boundary Waters
wilderness areas.
Sandy discovered very quickly that running an outfitting base was a
lot different from running a Scout camp. When you're 60 miles from
the nearest road, a simple axe or knife cut or an upset canoe in
white water can be deadly. While waiting to recover a submerged
body along the Falls Chain in Quetico Provincal Park in Canada, he
designed the three-piece Stearns personal flotation device (PFD)
that is now the standard of the industry.
He noted that the PFDs available at the time were uncomfortable and
that the kids, especially the one sitting in the middle of the
canoe, wouldn't wear them. The three-piece model was not only more
comfortable, but could be worn as an extra pad when portaging
canoes and packs from lake to lake.
Sandy's relationship with the scientists at Natick Labs was a
symbionic one. He was designing a national winter camping program
for the Boy Scouts of America and needed sophisticated cold weather
survival gear. Natick needed a place to test its prototype
equipment and an expert in winter survival to do the actual
testing.
Consequently much of the equipment that is worn by our military
troops today first saw the light of day on the backs of Scouts and
Explorers spending a week in minus-40-degree temperatures on the
Minnesota-Canada border. Sandy called the program Okpik, the Inuit
word for the snowy owl.
Tents, packs, sleeping systems, winter clothing, stoves and
innovative food packaging all fell under his critical eye.
Manufacturers and the military both sought his advice. He was a
frequent visitor at Natick, generally returning to Minnesota with
crates of prototype gear to be tested. Many of his suggestions were
incorporated into the final designs. In 1985, he travelled to
Swedish Lapland where he worked with members of the Swedish Army's
survival program in the first of many international collaborations.
His most recent trip was to St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1995.
Sandy expanded the Northern Tier high adventure program by adding
satellite bases at Bissett, Manitoba, and Atikoken, Ontario, which
were made available to Canadian as well as American Scouts. He
engineered a land swap between the Boy Scouts of America and the
U.S. Forest Service so that, for the first time, Sommers Canoe Base
was protected by a quitclaim deed.
Sandy Bridges died the day after Christmas after a year-long bout
with lung cancer. His material assets were modest, but his real
legacy was the tens of thousands of lives he touched through the
development of outdoor equipment and the training programs at the
many bases along the Northern Tier. He will be missed.
C. Sandy Bridges as photographed by Kathy Strauss of the Duluth
News-Tribune in 1997, after the decision to retire, when he learned
he had cancer
by Dave Greenlee
Get ready for Rendezvous '98, the Sommers Alumni Association
Reunion and a very special celebration of the 75th year of Sommers
Canoe Base operation. Mark your calendar for Labor Day Weekend,
September 4-7, 1998, with events to be held in Ely and at the
Sommers Canoe Base 20 miles northeast of town. For those who have
access to the web, check out our Rendezvous '98 pages on
www.holry.org. For those who aren't "wired", our next newsletter
will contain more details and a mail back reservation form.
Barb Cary Hall has organized a music program that includes some of
Charlie's best musicians for informal singing around the campfire
on Friday evening at Parley's Rock, a Children's Concert on
Saturday morning, and folk songs in the lodge on Saturday
afternoon. On Saturday evening, we expect a large crowd at the
Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort in Ely, as we hold our banquet with
featured speaker and famous outdoors writer Sam Cook. Sunday
morning will include hymns in the lodge at the base. Other
highlights will include family events in the fur trade theme, tours
of the base, and maybe even some beans and wieners in the dining
hall.
We are planning organized tours of Sig Olson's writing shack in Ely
and his Listening Point on Burntside Lake. Also, we will make time
available for tours of the Dorothy Molter Museum, the International
Wolf Center, and the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Of course
there will be time to sit around to swap tales and visit old
friends.
If you have an interest in float plane rides to take off from the
Canoe Base or from the Sun Spree, contact a committee member or
Carlo and Julie Palombi at Vista Air Seaplane Tours of Ely (218)
365-4797. Julie (Nystrom) Palombi was a guide for Dorothy "Ma"
Harry in the sixties.
If you are interested in taking a round trip, 40 passenger,
chartered bus directly to the base from the Twin Cities airport for
$50 per person, please contact a committee member. The bus takes
about 5 hours one way and it can travel either Friday evening or
Saturday morning to the base. Please give your preference.
Tentative plans are for the return trip to leave late Sunday
morning. If you're interested, please indicate what would be most
convenient for you.
Make your plans early! Accommodations at the Base will be crew
cabins as available. For those who desire resort accommodations, we
have asked the Sun Spree to set aside a block of rooms, and you may
contact them directly to reserve on a first come, first served
basis. Also, you can make your reservations at one of the other
first class hotel/resorts listed below. Keep in mind that this is
Labor Day Weekend, a busy weekend for the Ely resorts so early
planning is needed. The following list is from
www.ely.org/bus_hotels.html:
Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort 400 N Pioneer Rd., Ely, MN (218)
365-6565 Boundary Waters Motel (218)365-3201 Budget Host Motel Ely
(218)365-3237 Four Star Motel (218)365-3140 Hill's A-frames
(218)365-3149 Lakeland Motel (218)365-3330 Paddle Inn (218)365-6036
Shagawa Inn Resort/Motel (218)365-5154 Silver Rapids Lodge
(218)365-4877 Smitty's On Snowbank (218)365-6032 Super 8 Motel
(218)365-2873 Timber Trail Lodge (218)365-4879 Westgate Motel
(218)365-4513 White Wolf Inn (218)365-3466
To learn more about Rendezvous '98 or to get more involved in the
planning, check out the web site at www.holry.org or contact a
planning committee member. It's not too late to help. We could
especially use help on the fur trade theme ideas and events.
Dave Greenlee (605)594-6287 <greenlee@dakota.net>
Chuck Rose (320)252-2768
<crose@tigger.stcloudstate.edu>
Barb Cary Hall (218)624-0329
<pulihall@abby.skypoint.net>
Ray Mattson <mlj@sprynet.com>
Mike McMahon <mcmahon@minn.net>
Cory Kolodji (218) 263-6288 <mnkolodgi@hotmail.com>
Rendezvous Campfire Music
The Base has a long tradition of music on the trail and at
Redezvous '98 that tradition will be honored with several informal
gatherings throughout the weekend. Musicians, singers and listeners
of all ages are incouraged to attend these events:
* Campfire Sing: Friday, 8pm at Parley's Rock
* Kid Sing: Saturday, 10am at Dining Hall Deck
* Alumni Sing: Saturday, 2pm at Lodge
* Hymn Sing: Sunday, 10am at Lodge
The music will be primarily accoustic in a relaxed format. Barb
Cary Hall will host all four activities. Many former guides and
staff have signed up to play and sing. For more information contact
Barb Cary Hall (218-624-0329) or e-mail address
pulihall@skypoint.com
Barb Cary Hall has organized several opportunities for relaxed song
gatherings during Rendezvous '98
Director/President (1)* Dave Hyink (253) 863-6406
Director/Vice President (3) Barry Bain (612) 944-5178
Director/Secretary (1) Butch Diesslin (218) 365-6904
Treasurer Nigel Cooper (612) 738-1242
Director (1) Roy Conradi (770) 496-0920
Director (1) Robert Welsh (425) 454-5628
Director (3) John Christiansen (417) 646-8526
Director (3) Mark Nordstrom (614) 833-0499
Director (3) Linnea Renner (218) 365-3655
Director (2) Patrick Cox (214) 342-8786
Director (2) Dave Greenlee (605) 594-6287
Director (2) Wade Herbranson (218) 365-3162
Director (2) Jay Walne (901) 278-2633
*Number in parenthesis is years remaining in current term
Mr. Bill Spice National Director of High Adventure
Philmont Scout Camp, BSA
Cimarron, NM 88714
(505) 376-2281
Mr. Doug Hirdler Director and General Manager,
Northern Tier National
High Adventure Program
P.O. Box 509
Ely, MN 55731
(218) 365-4811
Mr. Norman Augustine Chairman, National
High Adventure Committee
Lockheed-Martin Corporation
6801 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 208117-1877
Mr. Steve Fossett Chairman, Northern Tier National High Adventure
Committee
Marathon Securities
401 So. LaSalle Street, Suite 200
Chicago, IL 60605
In my last message, I said "...1998 will be BIG!" I was wrong.
It's shaping up to be ENORMOUS! In addition to another year of hard
and meaningful work by the staff, committee, and alumni, it will be
a year of great CELEBRATION. Most obvious will be our commemoration
of 75 continuous years of serving scouts with wilderness adventures
at the Charles L. Sommers Base during Rendezvous '98, September
4-7.
Let's celebrate and thank the 145 alumni and friends who came forth
to help underwrite the production of the book, "A Diamond in the
North," by Gene Felton (1951-53, Cmte 1973 - ). Thanks to the
devoted efforts of Gene and the many people who supported him,
future generations of scouts and staff will have a window to the
past to help guide them as they create new and exciting histories
in high adventure.
Let's celebrate the deployment of nearly $600,000 of capital in
1998 to fund planned facilities upgrades at the Atikokan and
Bissett Bases and to meet the equipment needs for the 1998 season -
most likely the biggest since 1968.
Let's celebrate the fact that BSA artist and illustrator Joseph
Csatari (featured in the September 1997 issue of Scouting) is using
the 75th Anniversary of the Sommers Base as the theme of his annual
Boy Scout calendar painting.
Let's celebrate (albeit bittersweet) the establishment of the Sandy
Bridges Memorial Training Fund. Through the extreme generosity of
the Bridges family, along with other memorials from alumni and
friends, the fund already has over $7500 that will put to immediate
use to assist in training seasonal staff.
In January, in both Duluth and in Little Rock, we celebrated the
life and contributions of Sandy Bridges (1957-60, 62-97) to the
Base and to his fellow man. As he now takes his place with past
Directors Chase, Conger, Ludlow, Marquardt, Witcraft, Felton, and
Hanson, let us continue to celebrate and perpetuate their
collective contributions and common dedication to providing scouts
with wilderness adventure.
Finally, let's continue to celebrate that intangible magic of the
Far Northland that binds generations of us together - based upon a
common experience, and in pursuit of a common goal.
I invite and encourage each of you to "celebrate in '98!" Recruit a
staff member, volunteer to guide a crew, participate in Alumni Work
Week, help out with Staff Training, attend Rendezvous '98! I
promise that you'll renew that "swagger in your step."
by Doug Hirdler
As of February 5th the attendance at the Northern Tier High
Adventure Bases for 1998 is projected at 4,054 which will be the
highest attendance ever, erasing the figure of 3,492 that has been
the "rule mark" since 1968. The breakdown by base shows Atikokan
with 74 crews with 582 participants (35 more than their best year),
Bissett with 33 crews and 289 participants (17 short of their all
time high), and Ely with 3,183 participants involved in 429 crews
(just 29 short of the 2nd highest Sommers figure set in
1970).
Because of this record attendance the National Executive Board of
the Boy Scouts of America met on February 11th and approved capital
expenditures for the Northern Tier Program amounting to $372,600
for the 1998 program year. That means, with the projects approved
but not completed, a total of $582,600 will be invested in the
Northern Tier Program during 1998.
A breakdown of the 1998 projects for Ely shows a $50,000
expenditure in two base vehicles; $10,000 remodel of eight
first-night cabins (crank out type windows installed where
permanent windows now appear); $5,100 Polaris Trail Touring
snowmobile; $2,500 kitchen type cabinets installed in the
Administration Building's print room; $110,000 two new staff
duplexes; and $25,000 to install walkway lighting from the
Administration Building to the Dining Hall.
Projects for 1998 at Atikokan are $40,000 for building four new
crew cabins and moving two and $50,000 to build an additional staff
duplex.
Bissett's projects for 1998 include $30,000 for construction of two
new crew cabins and $50,000 for an additional staff duplex.
With this type of an investment I urge each and everyone of the
Alumni Association members to do two things during the next few
months:
1) Help in the recruitment of staff to insure the best High
Adventure trip ever for the 4,054 participants signed u this
year.
2 This is the easy one: "Come back home!" Register today for "The
1998 Reunion" and see all of the improvements for yourself.
Taken from Fossett's Solo Spirit home page by permission of Washington University in St. Louis
Steve Fossett said he was "very nervous" as he launched his
160-foot hot-air balloon, Solo Spirit, into a cold, blue, late
afternoon sky Wednesday, December 30, 1997. It began his attempt to
become the first human balloonist to to fly Round-The-World without
landing. His silver balloon lifted out of Busch Stadium in St.
Louis shortly after 5 p.m. on the beginning of what he hoped would
be a 15-day journey.
Fossett said at launch the flight would be full of risks. "The
launch poses a lot of risks; a lot of things can go wrong. This is
a dangerous endeavor, and I don't enjoy the danger, but I try to
control the risks. I'll be much more relaxed when I get up to my
flight altitude and I have all the equipment working."
Early last year, Fossett ended his last RTW effort in a mustard
field in India after six days in the air. He blamed the failure on
not carrying enough propane fuel to allow the proper altitude
changes that are needed for steering. This time, he said, his
balloon was 28 percent bigger than the last one "and will allow me
to carry half again as much propane."
Fossett actually used two balloons. A small helium-filled balloon
is wrapped under a tent, over the larger balloon, called the gas
cell. He controls the balloon's altitude and direction by working a
propane ethane burner. "You can't make any sharp turns with a
balloon," he said. "To make a change of altitude to get a different
wind direction, I might have to climb 3,000 feet to get only a 10
degree difference in direction."
Fossett, a Chicago millionaire who is president of his own
securities company, is one of five balloonists attempting to be the
first to circle the globe. Anheuser-Busch has offered a $1 million
prize to the winner, half of which will go to charity. Fossett, who
payed for his $350,000 balloon himself, said he was making another
attempt "for a sense of personal achievement. This is, perhaps, the
greatest unachieved goal in aviation."
"This is more like camping out," he said. "I'll be flying mostly at
24,000 feet. It will be about minus 30 degrees outside, and I'll
have a cabin heater that will keep it about 50 degrees inside, and
I'll (eat) boil-in-a-bag military meals. It's going to be a
camp-out in the sky."
The Landing
Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, 8:55 a.m. CST (2:55 p.m. GMT) "Steve has been
retrieved and is in very good condition and he has been taken to
the small town of Novokiporovskaya," said Mission Control Director
Alan Blount. He said Fossett, who slept little during the flight,
planned to go straight to sleep. "This is the second-longest flight
anyone has ever made in a balloon of any kind," Blount said. "It's
a very arduous task, difficult to master. If it were easy it would
have been done years ago." Fossett's flight last year was the
longest.
The Call
At approximately 11 a.m. CST on Monday January 5, Steve Fossett
called Mission Control at Washington University in St. Louis. He
was in Krasnodar, Russia, near where he safely landed his balloon,
Solo Spirit, at about 5:27 a.m. CST. Since launching from St.
Louis, Missouri, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, Fossett, 53, had traveled
approximately 7,300 miles in four days, 11 hours.
Fossett said he was fine after his smooth landing in a wheat field
on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, where about 100 local
farmers helped him deflate the balloon.
Though tired and disappointed, Fossett thanked his Mission Control
team and praised his equipment. A main problem in the flight was a
failed heater in the unpressurized capsule that brought the
temperatures to between 10 and 15 degrees, Fossett said. Also,
controls for the propane burners that adjust altitude
malfunctioned, and he could not make repairs. "That was a
catastrophic failure for the flight," Fossett said.
Still, an around-the-world flight wasn't out of the question, he
said. "I certainly feel it's possible to do, but it's proved to be
much more difficult than any of the competitors have anticipated."
Fossett is the only one of the five competitors to attempt to
circumnavigate the globe in an unpressurized capsule. "I'm going to
have to reflect on whether or not this unpressurized capsule is a
viable approach to flying around the world," Fossett said.
Fossett needed to arrange to have his equipment packed and shipped
from Russia to either Colorado or England, before he returned to
the United States. For the moment, Blount advised, "Go to bed,
Steve."
The Flight Path to Solo Spirit's landing.
Steve Fossett and Solo Spirit. Fossett is Chairman of the Northern
Tier National High Adventure Committee
Thomas Carr (68,72,81 Adv) is retired and living in Ventura, CA
with his wife of 53 years. The Carr's have two Eagle Scout
sons.
Jon Dahl (68,69) is an Account Executive at ShowCase Corporation
(jdahl@showcasecorp.com). He lives in Spring Valley, MN with his
wife and three daughters.
Paul Nitardy (84-86) is employed by Kinsey Engineers in Seattle,
WA.
Robert Cargill (54,55) reports that one of his three children will
be making him a grandfather in April 1998!
Terry Wall (81,83,85,91,93,97 Adv) and J. Patrick Ross (97- Cmte)
have recently helped "share the load" by supporting our Crossing
Portages financial campaign at the Grand Portage level. Enjoy your
paddles, and thank you!
J.P. Fassbender (93) married Nicole King this past summer. They are
both currently enrolled as graduate students in the Geography
Department at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, IN.
Rodger Peterson (58) and his wife are planning a "Man Chain" trip
in late August and hope to be off the trail in time to attend
Rendezvous '98.
Jonnie Stark (granddaughter of canoe base program founder Carlos
Chase) indicates that she, and at least two of Carl's three
daughters, will be attending Rendezvous 98! She told her aunts,
Elaine Chase Mitchell and Laura Chase Vendetti, about the new canoe
base history book and Rendezvous '98. They are planning a family
reunion in conjunction with the Rendezvous.
Bill (71-74) and Robert (70-72) Hingst are Anheuser-Busch
wholesalers in North Central Indiana and active in Scouting.
Brother Ted (77-80) is a full-time student living in Vail,
CO.
Bill Menges (69-71) is an attorney in Kokomo, IN and the V.P. for
Administration in the Sagamore Council, BSA.
Mike Miler (58-66) recently retired after 32 years with the Boy
Scouts of America. Wife Judy teaches school.
Robert E. Morgan (78,80 Adv) recently transferred to Orange Park,
FL with Lucent Technologies.
Don Curry (60-62) is bring three crews to the Base in the summer of
1998.
John "Jock" Stoops (41-42, 46-47) guided the very first crew to
leave the Base after it opened on the current site. He will be at
Rendezvous 98 to tell you all about it!
Roy Cerny (64-70) and his son, Matt, own Cerny Construction in So.
St. Paul, MN.
Allan Batterman (1989-Cmte) will free himself from the "shackles of
bachelorhood" on June 13, 1998.
Michael "Brent" Richards (91-93) married Annette Marie Heaslip.
They are currently living in Duluth pondering their future.
Richard Grant (1982-95 Adv) is an original member of Sandy Bridges'
"Ambassadors" and has served as the high adventure trainer/chairman
for the Heart of America Council, BSA for the past 15 years.
Lou Sabatini (69-72) flies a Cessna 206 filled with high tech
equipment for traffic surveying and control in the Washington, DC
metro area. Wife Kristine and two sons, Mark (8) and Luke
(10).
Don Richard (83-85,87) is a civil engineer, working for Barr
Engineering. He is also a graduate student, hoping to complete his
Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in the next three (or so)
years.
Richard Reisdorf (63-66) lives in Mankato with wife Betty. They
have seven children - aged 15-30. He does Arch Stone drafting and
estimating and ship model building.
Lynn Reeve (69-72) is the proud father of a new Eagle Scout, Eric.
Lynn hopes to be able to make it to Alumni Work Week again this
summer.
Sommers Alumni correctly identifying the cover photo of the
November 1997 issue of National Geographic as "Charlie's A-Go-Go"
(a.k.a. Chapin's Pond): Jeff Dahl, Jack Parker, and Don
Christensen.
Bruce Wyman (69-70) after teaching school, lately at the University
of Wyoming in Laramie, changed carreers and move to Red Wing, MN
where he is a production potter at Red Wing Stoneware.
Lee Sessions (82-86) works with Intel as a regional HRD manager. He
will be living in Manila, Philippines.
From the financial underwriters of Gene Felton's A Diamond in the
North, those indicating plans to attend Rendezvous '98: Jon Dahl,
Jack Parker, Larry Luebben, Dean Rau, John Erkkila, Paul Bruns,
Rodger Peterson, Jonnie Stark, Elaine Mitchell, Laura Vendetti, Kay
Ingebrigtsen, Dave Ingebrigtsen, Mark Ingebrigtsen, Jeff Dahl, Mike
Miler, R.A. Dadisman, Bob Suter, John Stoops, Roy Cerny, John
Oosterhuis, Richard Grant, Bryan Craft, Ann (Gillard) Craft, Lou
Sabitini, Don Richard, Ed Janzen, Don "Digger" Helms, Richard
Reisdorf, Lynn Reeve, Bob Henry, Bruce Wyman, Ray Mattson, Steve
Gottschalk.
Don Freeman ('41) is now a member of the association. Don is
retired, living in Brainerd and still active in scouting. Thanks to
Chuck Rose for informing Don of the association.
James Karthauser ('75-76) said he was "The best guide in the World
in '76." James is now a teacher in Kerryville, TX.
Martha Karthauser Llewellyn ('78, 80) is now living in Plano,
TX.
Best wishes to Dr. Chris Wolfe ('69-71, '75) as he enters into a
private practice as a Cardiologist in Olympia, WA. The Wolfe's new
address is 3220 Sunset Beach Dr., Olympia, WA 98502.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Fr. Paul "Nobby" Kumasaka of
Australia on the recent death of his mother. Nobby was an
International staffer from Japan in 1980.
by Roger C. Clapp
The Boundary Waters lost a staunch ally this past Christmas. Many
of us lost a personal friend, a loss as immeasurable as the loss to
the wilderness advocacy community, and the loss should be
recognized.
I came to know Sandy Bridges when he returned to Ely from the deep
South, as I had shortly before him, to taste again the clear silver
of Louisa Falls and other favorite waters. We were, I recall, the
same age and like Barry Bain and some others, spoke and understood
Southern. It was early in my glorious summertime career of guiding
out the Canoe Base. Then Sandy did what I and surely many other
converted voyageurs yearned to do: he returned permanently to
follow the call of the loon and to do his part to help balance our
use of precious habitat with far-sighted preservation of its
character.
Sandy Bridges did not just follow. He led, in his usually gentle,
but always insistent way, and there are innumerable beneficiaries
in the Ely area and the United States. His reputation may not have
been as widely established as that of, for example, our mentor, Sig
Olson, for Sig had unique gifts of communication and more decades
of opportunity for legendary battles against wilderness foes.
However, I know Sandy was inspired by Sig and other giants who
visited us at the canoe base, and I know that the nationwide effect
of Sandy's work on thousands of impressionable boys and their adult
leaders has yet to be fully appreciated. Each of us can help
encourage others to work for our common cause by observing Sandy's
life. Thank God some of us gathered in Duluth last June to try to
tell Sandy and Cherie how much we appreciated them.
One day I'll take a stab at describing a few of the countless
memorable experiences of my idealistic youth in the wind or mud
somewhere between Moose Lake and Kawnipi, or along the Knife chain,
anticipating or reminiscing about Dorothy Molter's rustic welcome
mat, or on a wet ten-day marathon around Hunter's Island with brave
young explorers who, as Cliff Hanson used to say when he was
director at Charlie's Place, left Moose Lake as boys and returned
as men. Meanwhile, I want others to know that Sandy paddled those
waters and puffed along those portages, but more importantly, he
significantly advanced their preservation by a lifetime of service.
I can't read or listen to stories about Boundary Waters experiences
without being flooded with heartfelt personal memories of places
and events eerily similar to those described. I can't think or
write or tell my four sons or my grandsons about these jewels in my
mind's eye without Sandy's image floating in and out of the picture
with other happy faces, people to whom you and I are indebted.
Hol-ry Sandy! Thanks.
Roger and Sandy became close friends when they worked together as
guides during the late 50s.
My association with Sandy goes back to the early 1960's. In the
late 1970's when everyone was introducing themselves to one another
during the first week of the season, I mentioned my long tenure on
the staff. Someone felt that I had been around since the rocks were
still soft - To which Sandy interjected that I had been around
since Before Mud! This was a few years after the "Rabid Chipmunk -
Oh My Goodness!" incident.
I was talking to Chuck Buenger not long ago about Sandy and his
years as director of the base. Chuck is a retired Director of High
Adventure, Sandy's boss. Our conversation did not dwell on Sandy's
specific accomplishments over the 30 years. Our conversation
focused on two things - Sandy's ability to use seasonal staff
members so successfully in management positions year after year;
and that Sandy's program decisions were always made for the good of
"The Chipmunks" - the name Sandy so often used for the scout
participants. These two points are central to so many of the
statements made about Sandy by those that have known and worked
with him over the years.
Sandy had the innate ability to see individual staff member's
potential to perform successfully in positions well beyond our
maturity, training and experience. Sandy was able to see how we
could adapt, not only for our personal growth, but also for the
betterment of the base program. I am one of the many who thank
Sandy for his role in our gaining experience well beyond our years.
With Sandy's faith in our abilities and his support as we struggled
in the position where he knew we could adapt and successfully
perform. We thank Sandy for allowing us to adapt, and supporting us
as we grew personally and gained life skills.
Sandy never lost sight of "The Chipmunks" - the scout participants.
Sandy's decisions over the years were made with the quality of The
Program for these "Chipmunks" in mind. Sandy was always looking for
ways to enhance the program for the good of "The Chipmunks."
Sandy classified himself as an Adapter and a Modifier, not an
Inventor, when it came to having the most suitable equipment for
use by "The Chipmunks." The equipment adaptation that best typifies
Sandy's working for the good of "The Chipmunks," was his role in
developing a better lifejacket. The result was a lifejacket that is
comfortable to wear and is used almost universally by
canoeists.
Thank you Sandy for your faith in me - and so many other staff
members - over the years. We probably would not be where we are
today without your wisdom and support. We are forever in your
debt.
Thank You Sandy, on behalf of all "The Little Chipmunks" who have
had their lives and experiences improved because you cared for
them. They too, are ever in your debt.
Thank You, Brother Scout.
Butch Diesslin
Sometimes in life you find a special friend;
Someone who changes your life just by being a part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop.
Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the
world.
Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door
just waiting for you to open it.
This is Forever Friendship.
When you're down, and the world seems dark and empty,
Your Forever Friend lifts you up in spirit and makes that dark and
empty world suddenly seem bright and full.
Your Forever Friend gets you through the hard times, the sad times,
and the confused times.
If you turn and walk away, your Forever Friend follows.
If you lose your way, your Forever Friend guides you and cheers you
on.
Your Forever Friend holds your hand and tells you that everything
is going to be okay.
And if you find such a friend, you feel happy and complete, because
you need not worry.
You have a Forever Friend for life, and forever has no end.
"Thanksgiving" for our family occurred sans turkey on January 3
and 25 when friends gathered with us in Duluth and Little Rock for
a celebration of Sandy's life. We thank you for joining us
physically or in spirit. Your presence, cards, phone calls and
e-mail messages were appreciated. We realized anew the blessings of
true friends.
When Sandy was first diagnosed with cancer in late '96, he compared
undergoing the chemotherapy and radiation treatments to a very
arduous portage, knowing that a good paddle on a clear lake lay
beyond. We used the portage metaphor many times during the past
year. By facing his own death bravely, Sandy was once again the
teacher in showing us how to die. His wit never left him. He
enjoyed the stream of visitors throughout our home even when he was
no longer able to converse. I remember with special gratitude those
friends who sat silently with him in the last days so that he would
not feel alone.
The Australian poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, expresses my sentiments
well:
"Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own."
Thank you for your encouragement and support of his work and your
gifts to the S.A.A. Memorial Fund to support staff training, a
project dear to his heart. But, most of all, thank you for your
friendship.
Sandy considered himself a steward of the Canoe Base and its
traditions. He was confident that each of you would enable that
legacy to continue serving young people.
Love,
Cherie
By Mike Holdgrafer and Dave Greenlee
A memorial service was held in Little Rock in addition to the
service in Duluth. This allowed Sandy's Arkansas friends and family
(some of whom could not travel to Duluth) to gather at a small lake
in the hills near Little Rock to commemorate Sandy's life. It was
held in a small church with a knotty-pine interior and a large
window that looked out onto a lake beyond. The service included
bagpipes and trumpet music that drifted up from down by the lake.
It should be of no surprise that many members of Sandy's Canoe Base
family also found their way to Little Rock, as Sandy's life
affected thousands of people and he made friends who range far and
wide. Toward the end of the service, Sandy's ninety-some-year-old
father, Sanders, got up to tell us how proud he was of Sandy, and
how much it meant to him that we had come from all over to honor
Sandy's memory. It was a stirring moment in the remembrance of
Sandy Bridges, a truly great man.
Before Sandy's cancer had been diagnosed, a group of Sandy's
friends that called itself The Bridges Brigade presented Sandy with
a special gift of appreciation. This 500th product of Joe Seliga
was made specifically for Sandy and it was presented to him during
the 1995 reunion. The gift honored the 30th anniversary of his
service as a permanent employee of the Boy Scouts of America.
Shortly after the presentation Sandy took the canoe out for a try
on Moose Lake. Paddling in the bow is Bob Oliva (1980).
by Rabbi Meyer Tzvi "Hank" Linden
Usually at 4:11 a.m. on a Tuesday in January I am sleeping. This
Tuesday morning was different. Two things woke me up. One was the
soft knocking on our bedroom door by our nine-year-old daughter.
The antibiotics we have been giving her since Sunday did not help.
Her ear ache was back. I came downstairs, gave her two teaspoons of
Pediacare, a cup of water, and guided her back to bed. Our
daughter's knocking was not as much of a disturbance this
particular morning as it normally would have been. I was already
half up, thinking of a certain envelope delivered the day
before.
On that particular Monday, upon returning home from work, I found
the mail neatly piled in its place on our kitchen counter. As
circumstances dictate, this was one of those rare moments in the
year when I was the only one home. I carried the mail to the living
room, leaned back on the couch and began. Two envelopes contained
announcements from independent sweepstakes companies imploring me
to respond promptly before forfeiting my $50,000 early bird bonus.
There were bills for the car insurance, phone and gas, a packet
full of advertisements from York Photo Labs, a penpal letter from
Montreal for our 14-year-old daughter, and a fully-stuffed, light
brown envelope from the canoe base.
Due to a shortage of qualified applicants, the base was sending out
a lea to any and all guides from yesteryear who might be interested
in taking their "packsack to the road" and answering the call of
"The Far Northland" for just one more summer. To expedite matters,
included in the letter were updated samples of current canoe base
literature, a medical form, a checklist of discounted personal
equipment I might want to order, and a contract and policies and to
agree to serve as a guide from the second week in June until the
last week in August.
I began working it through in my mind. The tree older kids would go
to sleepaway camps for the entire summer. My in-laws could assist
as the three younger ones attended day camp. Without having to
provide for so many people, my wife would finally be freed up to
begin graduate school in the field of her choice. As an employee of
the New York City public school system, I would have the entire
summer off. The coast was clear. No roadblocks in sight. I would
fly to St. Paul, get my paddle out of my mother's garage and take
the next bus to Ely.
What could be wrong? Why were these thoughts disturbing my sleep in
the wee hours of that Tuesday morning in January? Every possible
angle had been thought through. All the hitches were gone, the
snails were set, the wind was at our backs and the entire length of
Lake Agnes rolled and slapped up on the rocks in the distance as
far as we could see. Only one problem remained... by the end of
August our children would be home from camp, my wife would be
finished with her summer semester of graduate school, my in-laws
may be in need of a bit of quiet time away from their
grandchildren, my job with the school system would be starting...
Who would I be able to fit in a guides' trip at the end?!? How
could it be? Struggling for a solution, I was startled by the sound
of someone knocking on the door.
The pediacare, the glass of water, and the ear ache were real. The
rest was a dream.
This summer I hope to be leading the same "crew" I led through the
fall and winter and spring. They don't get on a bus and go home the
morning after they get back to the base.
To many of us who frequented Prairie Portage in the latter years of
our youth, the Moose Chain and that secret, out-of-the-way lake
that has no name seem about as accessible as the moon. However, the
lessons we learned at the canoe base, our training ground for life,
are always right there at our fingertips. Whenever it's cold and
wet and the wind is blowing fiercely, day after day, in what
appears to be the wrong direction, we know how to make the best of
it and we know how to help the members of our "crews" do the
same.
Who can ever forget the speech Sandy would give to the adult
advisors before each trip, "Fellahs, some of our best trips have
been with groups who went out there and had eight days straight of
rain and cold without seeing the sun at all. Why? Because they made
the decision to have a good time, no matter what. Having a good
trip takes effort. It doesn't happen by itself!"
As much as Sandy contributed to the canoe base, camping, scouting,
and the world at large, I will remember him most for this sparkling
message of active optimism that he so eloquently taught through his
words and example. While going backwards in time only happens in
dreams, Sandy gave us valuable tools with which to go forward as
each day becomes a new red line on the maps of our lives.
Hank was a guide 1972-74.
by Butch Diesslin
A Memory Jogger -(There are certain little phrases that bring back
a whole flood of memories from past summers at the canoe base. This
is intended to be the first of a series of articles about these
Memory Joggers).
When the majority of the 1965 seasonal staff arrived in early June
they couldn't help but notice a large black metal tank sitting next
to the road to the dining hall, where the toilet building across
the road from the office building is now located.
One of the early arriving staff members had taken a brush and a can
of white paint and labeled this tank "Charlie's A-Go-Go." This was
when "Go-Go Dancers" were a featured attraction in many night spots
across the country.
"Charlie's A-Go-Go" is a large aeration and settling tank for the
canoe base's sewage treatment system. To many, this sewage
treatment system tank is still known as "The A-Go-Go."
Prior to 1965 the waste treatment needs of the base were met
initially by outhouses, then by septic tanks. The lack of
sufficient soil for proper drain fields to accompany the septic
tanks necessitated the installation of a better and more
centralized waste treatment system. This new system involved
installing pipe, manholes, a lift station, the treatment tank and
the creation of a settling pond.
Canoe base committee member Edward B. Chapin accepted the
responsibility of coordinating the fund-raising for the sewer
system project. Ed is still an active member of the Northern Tier
committee. An engineering firm was hired to design and supervise
the installation of the new sewer system.
The canoe base staff provided a work force to convert a spruce and
cedar swamp into a settling pond. This work force was mostly the
base's between trip Guides, working under the leadership of
Assistant Directors Ron Walls and Henry Bradlich. The trees were
cut and hauled off to fire the sauna. The next task was to pull the
stumps out of the sometimes knee-deep swamp muck, to reduce the
amount of existing decaying organic materials competing with the
decomposition of organic materials coming into the pond from the
"A-Go-Go."
The primary stump pulling tools were axes, picks, "tanker bars" and
a hand-cranked cable winch. The task had questionable pleasure
during that rainy and buggy June. The characteristic odor of swamp
muck added an additional memory to the experience. The black muck
stained all our clothing forever.
After the stumps were removed from what was to become the bottom of
"Chapin's Pond," the former swamp was smoothed with a bulldozer,
operated by Ron Walls. What nice, level surface almost the size of
a football field. A little soft, but level. So what better to do on
this nice flat and soft field than play a game of Football! I
missed the game because I was in the woods with a crew, but from
all accounts "a good time was had by all."
All the staff in 1965 received a "Sewer Rat" certificate for their
efforts "in the muck and mire..."
It wasn't long before the nutrients in the pond water nourished the
best crop of "duckweed" in the area. Some people were afraid the
duckweed would hinder the pond's ability to purify the water before
it flowed out of the pond. Many alumni will remember scraping
duckweed. Four Staff members in two canoes were used to drag a
seine to remove the duckweed from the surface of the pond and pile
it on the shore. Canoes were swamped more than once during this
seining process. It was later learned that the duckweed was
actually helping the treatment process.
In the early 1970's Butch Diesslin and Cherie Bridges bought some
Mallard ducklings. These ducklings were raised and released next to
the A-Go-Go."
There is still duckweed on "Chapin's Pond," and there are still
Mallards enjoying the fruits of our labor. This is very evident in
Jim Brandenburg's photograph of Chapin's Pond on the cover of the
November, 1998 National Geographic magazine.
November, 1997 Cover of National Geographic. Photo by Jim
Brandenburg. Reproduced by permission of the National Geographic
Society
Alumni can help the base prepare for scouts during the week
after Memorial Day. The annual event attracted 18 alumni last year
and two staff cabins were remodeled, steps to other buildings were
repaired and signs around the base were repaired.
During past work weeks alumni have built overnight cabins, reglazed
all the windows on the lodge and prepared sites for building
construction. It's an opportunity to alumni to spend a week (or
whatever part of a week they can get free) at the base, with fellow
alumni, enjoying their surroundings and their camaraderie.
All you have to do to participate is bring tools and show up during
the week of May 25 through 31. All room and board are furnished,
however some staff have been known to travel to other locations in
the area for food and drink beyond what's available on the base.
All have reported having a good time.
The revised SAA directory will be assembled this spring. Changes in address, e-mail address, etc. should be directed to Butch Diesslin by early April.
The Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe base will handle many more
crews this summer than it has in recent years and the base is
asking for alumni to help in recruiting. You can help in many ways,
but just participating in your local council, while you carry staff
applications with you, can be easy and surprisingly effective. Some
alumni carry out ambitious projects, opening booths in local
scouting exhibitions or touring explorer meetings to suggest the
opportunity of working for the summer at the base, but even the
smallest effort gives you a chance of finding someone who will
thank you for decades for showing them a great opportunity.
The base has already sent scout councils around the country a
prospective ad, soliciting applications. There's no assurance that
it will be used. A simple call to the person in your council who
handles the news publications can mean that the ad will be used
when it otherwise might not have been.
You may discover that the scouters in your council are anxious to
draw upon your expertise as a former Charlie's staffer. Canoeing
merit badge oversight, various adventure programs in the council
and camping programs are among the projects in which you may find
yourself welcome to participate. You may find that you discover
several very good reasons you never had before to get out in a
canoe in your area. Of course, those are also great opportunities
to get to know the people who might either be interested in working
at the base or who can help you find someone who is.
If you haven't received applications already, you can get them by
calling the base at 218/365-4811 or by writing to PO Box 509, Ely,
MN 55731.
Staff training will begin around the week after Memorial Day and
continue into the following week. As with Alumni work week (which
takes place during the same period) room and board are furnished
for you at the base. Your help is needed in off-the-water sessions
teaching and refreshing various camping, cooking, canoeing,
navigating and first aid skills as well as in sessions teaching
specifics on how to apply those skills using the base's equipment.
Some on-the-water assistance may also be needed. You simply need to
show up and work with the base staff conducting the training to
find the jobs that need to be done.