Dr. William H. Smith (known simply as “Doc” to his friends) was Scoutmaster of Katonah Troop 1 for more than fifty years, serving the youth of our community and providing endless life instruction with a good dose of humor. As we continue to sort through Doc’s vast collection accumulated over a lifetime of Scouting adventures, we have discovered this special report on the very first canoe trip to Maine in 1954! It sounds like the first trip was truly an adventure, and we learn where certain traditions came from (like going to the movies in North Conway). We present Doc’s report in the only way we can… in the colorful descriptive tone of his own words! –Otto Vondrak, ASM
“Friday the 13th dawned bright and clear, perhaps if would be more correct to say, really dawned. This was an important day for Boy Scout members of Troop No. 1, Katonah, since it was the first time in the history of this troop that we have really tried a camping expedition. I had been toying with the idea during the winter of taking some of the boys on an outing up in Maine, and after a certain amount of consideration had actually gotten around to planning it. Unfortunately, my particular work as a pediatrician does not allow a lot of time for extra curricular activities, so a great many of the details were left until the last minute.
Our announced starting time was about 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning, August 14, 1954. I had planned to use most of the preceding day for last minute packing. As luck would have it, that particular day was probably the busiest day I had since I have been in practice. Consequently I did not get through in the office until about 5:00 in the afternoon. The station wagon which we were to use through the courtesy of one of the members of the Katonah Rotary Club unfortunately at the time was having a little shift trouble and we did not get that from the garage until about 7:30 that evening. Having finally obtained the station wagon, we went to borrow the trailer which was kindly loaned by our Scoutmaster [C. Paul Meyer]. He was not at home so we had to wait until about 9:30 to get the trailer attached to the station wagon. By that time it was dark and our packing of the trailer was done under somewhat difficult circumstances because of this. Also those of us who were working on the packing had never packed a trailer before, so we did not know the actual best methods of doing so. However, about midnight that night we finally finished and went to bed.
The next day luckily was clear and we assembled at the appointed time of six o’clock only to find that there was so little air in the tires of the trailer that with the weight of the load they were practically flat, and therefore had to wait another hour for a garage to open in order to get air.
There was really quite a gathering in the back yard of my office that morning, what with the six boys that were to go, and their parents who had come along to give us a happy send off and incidentally to pass a few, shall we say, sarcastic comments about the way we looked in general. However, without too many major mishaps, we finally got off to a roaring start with excellent weather for the trip. In addition to a well-packed trailer behind we carried a canoe on top of the station wagon. So with the trailer, canoe, six boys and one Scoutmaster, one might say we presented a well-laden caravan.
At this point, we might say something about the boys who were on the trip. They were all Explorers, fourteen years of age or older, and of Star rank or better. The crew included Wally Scofield, Star; Bill Hilliard, Life; Robert Strahota, Star; Joe Antonecchia, Star; Frank Manning, Life; and John Miller, Eagle.
The distance from Katonah to Fryeburg, Maine, our destination, is approximately 330 miles. There is not any point in saying much about the trip up except that the good weather held all the way and we all had an excellent time. About half way up, however, our load began to list somewhat to port. At Bennington, Vermont, it took on the appearance of a relaxed hump of a dromedary camel, just about ready to give up the ghost. We stopped off and reinforced the load simply by getting a hundred feet of quarter-inch hemp and tying it up like a Christmas package. The load rode very well from there on until about 25 miles from destination, when it began to rub on one of the rear tires of the trailer. However, a few more minor adjustments and we arrived at camp with all that we had brought along. Because of the distance to be travelled, we did not attempt to camp en route but stopped in a restaurant for our meal.
We arrived at camp just about dusk, so we had the great joy of setting up our tents after dark. It seems that we did some of our major undertakings after dark. More about that later. We had three 7x7 wall tents and a baker which we arranged in the form of a cross with an open area in the center. This apparently worked out very well. This was a rather deluxe camping expedition since we set our tents up in the woods on a vacant lot and were able to use the ice box facilities of our old cottage which was about a hundred yards away. We were all good and tired the night of our arrival so we went to bed early and slept late the next morning.
The first day we spent tidying up the camp, getting the boats and canoes ready, in general just getting the lay of the land and getting acclimated. We were all very much refreshed by an after dark swim in the clear mountain lake by the name of Lovewell’s Pond. We had one unfortunate accident that first night. One of the boys accidentally stepped on a clam shell and cut the sole of his foot quite badly. However, this did not seem to interfere very much with his activities during our week in the woods.
One of the things we had planned to do was to climb Mt. Washington, which as you know is the second-highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Therefore all during our first Sunday, we listened to the weather reports on the car radio. The last minute Monday morning we decided that this would be the day to climb Mt. Washington. None of the boys had ever climbed a mountain quite that high before and some were a little bit worried that it would be nothing more than an uphill walk. They were yelling for a little hand-over-hand work, so I decided to take them up Huntington Ravine Trail, which is supposed to be the toughest trail on the mountain. As mountain climbing goes, Huntington Ravine is a very easy trail, but for neophytes who are not used to that sort of thing, it presents a few difficulties, in fact, one might even say hazards. There are several places on that trail where it is absolutely necessary to go hand-over-hand and there are a few somewhat tense moments to say the least.
About half way up one of the difficult passages, at which point I found myself carrying three packs, a camera accidentally slipped out of one of the packs and bounced down over a precipice, so I had to go down and retrieve that. Luckily there was no damage to the camera, but I can’t say the same for my shins. I hope that you appreciated that little maneuver, Frank!
Just as we were getting up over the head wall, the clouds rolled in and I was frankly somewhat concerned, because to be caught half way up that mountain with the clouds in is not an enviable position. However, they lifted long enough for us to get to the top, so all is well that ends well.
After a pause for rest and a look around the top of the mountain and purchasing a few souvenirs in the hotel, we started the downward trek, coming by way of Lion’s Head Trail. It was not nearly as difficult but still presents its problems. On the way down, one of the boys turned his ankle so he could not quite keep up with the rest. I stayed back with him while the rest ran ahead. About half way down, we ran into a very nice cloudburst. It was impossible to remain dry, so we just walked in the rain and “enjoyed” it. I shall never listen again to any weather reports or base the planning of a climbing expedition on what they say. Needless to say, we were somewhat wet on arriving at the bottom of the mountain, so instead of being true campers, we decided to be city slickers. We stopped off for dinner at a restaurant and went to the movies in North Conway. By the time we got back to camp, we were all dried out and everybody was very happy and rested. Needless to say, we really slept that night.
The next day we decided to do a little canoeing. It is an excellent area for canoeing at Fryeburg. One can take the canoe a distance of three miles, put in to the Saco River and go a distance of about twenty-five or thirty miles downstream, and come out at the end of the lake on which we were camped. On two trips we go the three canoes up to the starting place on the river with our supplies, and some friends brought our cars back for us. We took this canoe trip the easy way and made an overnight stop en route. Aside from the fact that one canoe leaked and had to be bailed out about every hour and a half, there were no mishaps en route. The water was a little cold for swimming, but we did not mind that very much. We had a stretch of difficult paddling due to the fact that a strong wind had some up and was blowing against us at a greater rate than the current was going with us down stream. All that did was give us sore backs, which none of us minded too much.
We took time to explore all the little inlets and one or two small ponds en route and did a little fishing. There are two portages on this route, one around a series of rapids and one around a dam. No difficulties encountered. I don’t know why it is, but food on a camping trip mixed with sand and ashes always tastes so much better than even the best food that mother can prepare. Our trip was no exception in this respect.
Late the second afternoon of the trip, we stopped off at a small pond, Pleasant Pond by name, for a little pickerel fishing. Luckily, the fish were biting fairly well and several of us caught pickerel. Unfortunately we caught nothing else.
The last three days of our trip expedition were devoted to merit badge work in Canoeing, Fishing, Cooking, and Swimming. We had a lot of fun one night playing Flashlight Commandos. I can heartily recommend the Maine woods as an ideal place for that game. Two nights in a row, we had visitors in the form of raccoon. Luckily, the only thing they stole from us was a loaf of bread. However, about midnight one night we got one raccoon cornered up a tree. So help me, I have never seen a more embarrassed looking animal in all my life. He looked exactly as though he had been caught with his pants down, and believe it or not, the next morning there was a pair of pants hanging high up in that tree. Whether or not they belonged to the raccoon, I do not know, but the whole situation was very suspicious.
It is strange what latent talents will appear. Two of the boys did a spirited ballet dance after the raccoons. Most of us nearly died laughing. However, I do not think the raccoons appreciated the entertainment quite as much as the rest of us. All in all, we did not see as much wild life as I had hoped. Moose and bear have been seen in those parts, but we were not that fortunate. Aside from the raccoons, about all we managed to see were a great number of eagles, a few loons, various and sundry other sorts of water birds and small mammals.
The trip home was essentially uneventful with the exception that we did have the load arranged this time, but in spite of it we managed to drop off one cot which we retrieved without difficulty.
I personally learned three things on this trip. One, How not to pack a trailer; Two, How to pack a trailer; Three, partly how to back a trailer.
It goes without saying that we all had a perfectly wonderful time and are prepared to go back again next year, only next time for two weeks. We had a lot of good camping experience, a lot of new experiences, and a whale of a lot of good clean fun. I should mention the fact that on this particular lake, there are two girls’ camps, and it was fairly obvious that at certain times of the day, usually the times when the girls went swimming, I could never find the boys or the canoes. I won’t say they went to visit the girls’ camps, but at those periods they were never around our camp.
So long until next year.”
P.S. - Doc would serve as Assistant Scoutmaster for two more years under C. Paul Meyer before being promoted to Scoutmaster in 1956, a post he would hold until his passing in 2008.
“Friday the 13th dawned bright and clear, perhaps if would be more correct to say, really dawned. This was an important day for Boy Scout members of Troop No. 1, Katonah, since it was the first time in the history of this troop that we have really tried a camping expedition. I had been toying with the idea during the winter of taking some of the boys on an outing up in Maine, and after a certain amount of consideration had actually gotten around to planning it. Unfortunately, my particular work as a pediatrician does not allow a lot of time for extra curricular activities, so a great many of the details were left until the last minute.
Our announced starting time was about 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning, August 14, 1954. I had planned to use most of the preceding day for last minute packing. As luck would have it, that particular day was probably the busiest day I had since I have been in practice. Consequently I did not get through in the office until about 5:00 in the afternoon. The station wagon which we were to use through the courtesy of one of the members of the Katonah Rotary Club unfortunately at the time was having a little shift trouble and we did not get that from the garage until about 7:30 that evening. Having finally obtained the station wagon, we went to borrow the trailer which was kindly loaned by our Scoutmaster [C. Paul Meyer]. He was not at home so we had to wait until about 9:30 to get the trailer attached to the station wagon. By that time it was dark and our packing of the trailer was done under somewhat difficult circumstances because of this. Also those of us who were working on the packing had never packed a trailer before, so we did not know the actual best methods of doing so. However, about midnight that night we finally finished and went to bed.
The next day luckily was clear and we assembled at the appointed time of six o’clock only to find that there was so little air in the tires of the trailer that with the weight of the load they were practically flat, and therefore had to wait another hour for a garage to open in order to get air.
There was really quite a gathering in the back yard of my office that morning, what with the six boys that were to go, and their parents who had come along to give us a happy send off and incidentally to pass a few, shall we say, sarcastic comments about the way we looked in general. However, without too many major mishaps, we finally got off to a roaring start with excellent weather for the trip. In addition to a well-packed trailer behind we carried a canoe on top of the station wagon. So with the trailer, canoe, six boys and one Scoutmaster, one might say we presented a well-laden caravan.
At this point, we might say something about the boys who were on the trip. They were all Explorers, fourteen years of age or older, and of Star rank or better. The crew included Wally Scofield, Star; Bill Hilliard, Life; Robert Strahota, Star; Joe Antonecchia, Star; Frank Manning, Life; and John Miller, Eagle.
The distance from Katonah to Fryeburg, Maine, our destination, is approximately 330 miles. There is not any point in saying much about the trip up except that the good weather held all the way and we all had an excellent time. About half way up, however, our load began to list somewhat to port. At Bennington, Vermont, it took on the appearance of a relaxed hump of a dromedary camel, just about ready to give up the ghost. We stopped off and reinforced the load simply by getting a hundred feet of quarter-inch hemp and tying it up like a Christmas package. The load rode very well from there on until about 25 miles from destination, when it began to rub on one of the rear tires of the trailer. However, a few more minor adjustments and we arrived at camp with all that we had brought along. Because of the distance to be travelled, we did not attempt to camp en route but stopped in a restaurant for our meal.
We arrived at camp just about dusk, so we had the great joy of setting up our tents after dark. It seems that we did some of our major undertakings after dark. More about that later. We had three 7x7 wall tents and a baker which we arranged in the form of a cross with an open area in the center. This apparently worked out very well. This was a rather deluxe camping expedition since we set our tents up in the woods on a vacant lot and were able to use the ice box facilities of our old cottage which was about a hundred yards away. We were all good and tired the night of our arrival so we went to bed early and slept late the next morning.
The first day we spent tidying up the camp, getting the boats and canoes ready, in general just getting the lay of the land and getting acclimated. We were all very much refreshed by an after dark swim in the clear mountain lake by the name of Lovewell’s Pond. We had one unfortunate accident that first night. One of the boys accidentally stepped on a clam shell and cut the sole of his foot quite badly. However, this did not seem to interfere very much with his activities during our week in the woods.
One of the things we had planned to do was to climb Mt. Washington, which as you know is the second-highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Therefore all during our first Sunday, we listened to the weather reports on the car radio. The last minute Monday morning we decided that this would be the day to climb Mt. Washington. None of the boys had ever climbed a mountain quite that high before and some were a little bit worried that it would be nothing more than an uphill walk. They were yelling for a little hand-over-hand work, so I decided to take them up Huntington Ravine Trail, which is supposed to be the toughest trail on the mountain. As mountain climbing goes, Huntington Ravine is a very easy trail, but for neophytes who are not used to that sort of thing, it presents a few difficulties, in fact, one might even say hazards. There are several places on that trail where it is absolutely necessary to go hand-over-hand and there are a few somewhat tense moments to say the least.
About half way up one of the difficult passages, at which point I found myself carrying three packs, a camera accidentally slipped out of one of the packs and bounced down over a precipice, so I had to go down and retrieve that. Luckily there was no damage to the camera, but I can’t say the same for my shins. I hope that you appreciated that little maneuver, Frank!
Just as we were getting up over the head wall, the clouds rolled in and I was frankly somewhat concerned, because to be caught half way up that mountain with the clouds in is not an enviable position. However, they lifted long enough for us to get to the top, so all is well that ends well.
After a pause for rest and a look around the top of the mountain and purchasing a few souvenirs in the hotel, we started the downward trek, coming by way of Lion’s Head Trail. It was not nearly as difficult but still presents its problems. On the way down, one of the boys turned his ankle so he could not quite keep up with the rest. I stayed back with him while the rest ran ahead. About half way down, we ran into a very nice cloudburst. It was impossible to remain dry, so we just walked in the rain and “enjoyed” it. I shall never listen again to any weather reports or base the planning of a climbing expedition on what they say. Needless to say, we were somewhat wet on arriving at the bottom of the mountain, so instead of being true campers, we decided to be city slickers. We stopped off for dinner at a restaurant and went to the movies in North Conway. By the time we got back to camp, we were all dried out and everybody was very happy and rested. Needless to say, we really slept that night.
The next day we decided to do a little canoeing. It is an excellent area for canoeing at Fryeburg. One can take the canoe a distance of three miles, put in to the Saco River and go a distance of about twenty-five or thirty miles downstream, and come out at the end of the lake on which we were camped. On two trips we go the three canoes up to the starting place on the river with our supplies, and some friends brought our cars back for us. We took this canoe trip the easy way and made an overnight stop en route. Aside from the fact that one canoe leaked and had to be bailed out about every hour and a half, there were no mishaps en route. The water was a little cold for swimming, but we did not mind that very much. We had a stretch of difficult paddling due to the fact that a strong wind had some up and was blowing against us at a greater rate than the current was going with us down stream. All that did was give us sore backs, which none of us minded too much.
We took time to explore all the little inlets and one or two small ponds en route and did a little fishing. There are two portages on this route, one around a series of rapids and one around a dam. No difficulties encountered. I don’t know why it is, but food on a camping trip mixed with sand and ashes always tastes so much better than even the best food that mother can prepare. Our trip was no exception in this respect.
Late the second afternoon of the trip, we stopped off at a small pond, Pleasant Pond by name, for a little pickerel fishing. Luckily, the fish were biting fairly well and several of us caught pickerel. Unfortunately we caught nothing else.
The last three days of our trip expedition were devoted to merit badge work in Canoeing, Fishing, Cooking, and Swimming. We had a lot of fun one night playing Flashlight Commandos. I can heartily recommend the Maine woods as an ideal place for that game. Two nights in a row, we had visitors in the form of raccoon. Luckily, the only thing they stole from us was a loaf of bread. However, about midnight one night we got one raccoon cornered up a tree. So help me, I have never seen a more embarrassed looking animal in all my life. He looked exactly as though he had been caught with his pants down, and believe it or not, the next morning there was a pair of pants hanging high up in that tree. Whether or not they belonged to the raccoon, I do not know, but the whole situation was very suspicious.
It is strange what latent talents will appear. Two of the boys did a spirited ballet dance after the raccoons. Most of us nearly died laughing. However, I do not think the raccoons appreciated the entertainment quite as much as the rest of us. All in all, we did not see as much wild life as I had hoped. Moose and bear have been seen in those parts, but we were not that fortunate. Aside from the raccoons, about all we managed to see were a great number of eagles, a few loons, various and sundry other sorts of water birds and small mammals.
The trip home was essentially uneventful with the exception that we did have the load arranged this time, but in spite of it we managed to drop off one cot which we retrieved without difficulty.
I personally learned three things on this trip. One, How not to pack a trailer; Two, How to pack a trailer; Three, partly how to back a trailer.
It goes without saying that we all had a perfectly wonderful time and are prepared to go back again next year, only next time for two weeks. We had a lot of good camping experience, a lot of new experiences, and a whale of a lot of good clean fun. I should mention the fact that on this particular lake, there are two girls’ camps, and it was fairly obvious that at certain times of the day, usually the times when the girls went swimming, I could never find the boys or the canoes. I won’t say they went to visit the girls’ camps, but at those periods they were never around our camp.
So long until next year.”
P.S. - Doc would serve as Assistant Scoutmaster for two more years under C. Paul Meyer before being promoted to Scoutmaster in 1956, a post he would hold until his passing in 2008.