Dennis was a crew advisor this year and had passed on many of his outdoor skills to crew members including showing them how to sail. They camped on Argo Lake and he collapsed and passed out on the portage from Argo to Crooked Lake. Despite efforts that earned the crew the Boy Scouts of America Heroism Knot, Dennis passed away from the pulmonary embolism suffered on the portage.

The 1998 Sommers Canoe Base contingent consisted of four crews. This report is for the crew shown on the right and consisted of Adam Barras, Colin Christensen, Crew Chief, aka Chief Red Paddle, Dane Christensen, Aaron Crump, David Hughes, James Hunter, Leland Web and adult leaders Dana Christensen and Bill Erickson.

The members of the three sister crews were:

Sister Crew 1: Dylan Lange, Neil Narang, Tom Patton, Mike Sussman, and Kit Werley. Adult leaders were Jim Sussman and Ken Werley.

Sister Crew 2: Bill Goulding, David Hunter, Joe Matthews III, Jordon Redman and Mason Sturm with adult leaders Dennis Caruthers and Chuck Goulding. Also pictured is Joe Matthews II.

Sister Crew 3: George Havrilla, Jr., Josh Hildebrand, Raj Jain, Matthew Patton, Rick Wilson and Brant Wilson. Adult leaders were George Havrilla, Sr., Ed Hildebrand and Doug Wilson.

A few comments about this digital scrapbook. The trip log is reproduced in the table below. Photos were copied and any comments can been seen as a drop-down by moving the cursor over the picture. Where dates can be seen on the photos, the actual date is one day later. The coordinates were entered into the Garmin Base Camp program with each day's route plotted in a different color.

Trip Report

The contingent flew to Minneapolis/St. Paul and chartered a bus to Virginia, MN where they stayed that night. The next day our crew and Sister Crew 3 headed to Northern Tier's Donald Rogert Canoe Base on Perch Lake west of Atikokan, Ontario. Dennis came out and wished us well as when we left for Canada. The other two crews left later for Charles L Sommers Canoe Base on Moose Lake east of Ely. When we arrived at Donald Rogert Canoe Base, gear was checked out, the route planned and food and gear packed. Dinner was served at a nearby resort and we camped that night on a small island at the base.

The next day we ate breakfast at the resort and were driven to the Nym Lake put-in where our adventure began. We had a little excitement that day when canoeing through one of the narrower sections. We had a tail wind with waves and some waves broke over the gunwales. The canoe was partially filled with water but did not swamp. Maneuverability was limited so Adam, Bill and Leland continued to gently paddle in a straight line towards an island. The other canoes went to shore, unloaded and returned to help guide us to the island where we could safely empty the water. After we got to the island, the other canoes returned for their gear. Team work and composure avoided a more challenging situation. We camped on Pickerel Lake that night.

The second day on the water was long and hard. The Sturgeon-Halladay-Elizabeth portages were "interesting". Hills, rough trails and areas of moose muck were encountered. The Elizabeth campsite was a welcome sight when it came into view. After dinner we were reflecting on the day's adventures and got out the maps. We had originally planned a 120 mile trip but found a route that was 16 miles shorter and decided to take it. It was a decision we were glad we made as the trip progressed.

Day 3 took advantage of the route change with a beautiful canoe through Walter and Lonely to Sturgeon. It was a relatively short paddle that allowed us to take full advantage of the great weather and best campsite of the trip.

Day four was a different story with rain and winds. Thunder and lightning forced us off the water. Once the storm subsided, we continued on to Russell Lake where we stopped for lunch. The winds picked up while eating and we decided to make that our campsite for the night.

On Day 5 we made the short paddle to the Chatterton Falls portage and encountered some rough water. After to portage, we continued down the Poet Chain and camped at the south end of Carin Lake. We canoed almost sixteen miles today, the longest of the trip.

The benefits of Day five's long day were realized on Day 6. Carin, Sark, Keefer and less than a half mile on Kahshahpiwi got us to a beautiful campsite by noon. The rest of the day was spent fishing and relaxing. The highlights of the day were the eagles. While canoeing we saw some birds after an eagle in flight and it turned over on its back while flying to try to snatch the bird! A couple eagles were spotted in trees from our campsite.

Supper dishes were done and Adam asked if he could fish. He could, but he had to release anything he caught. He caught a niece sized walleye but it swallowed the hook and could not be released. We took to fish across the bay and laid on the rock shore. It wasn't long before a sea gull was there eating dinner. And a short time later, an eagle swooped down and stole the fish from the gull and flew off. The sea gull was in hot pursuit of the thief as they flew out of sight. An interesting glimpse of nature to end Day 6.

Day 7 offered a variety of canoeing experiences. The first, a surprise, was a creek on the map that no longer existed resulting in a longer portage than expected to Trant Lake. After Trant, it seemed we spent most of our time loading and unloading canoes -- six portages with the distances canoed between portages all less the a mile. And we experienced some rain. When we got to Agnes, the planned campsite was already taken. Fortunately we found a "compact" site nearby that worked well...after getting rid of a bee's nest.

The B&B portages were foremost on our mind as we left camp on Day 8...back to back portages totaling just over a mile. Before getting to the first portage, we stopped at Louisa Falls. Unfortunately, the cool weather which was welcome on the upcoming portages prevented us from fully enjoying the normally refreshing water.

A leader on Boy Scout High Adventure trips is guaranteed one thing -- the joy of seeing young men grow. The start of the second portage (193 rods to Sunday Lake) was one of those moments. Only three pieces of gear touched ground...the three canoes. We were at the portage trail head a minimum amount of time. As we started up the trail, a group resting at the portage yelled out "Spectacular portage! Nice job." The start could have been used as a training film on how to unload at a portage trail head. To quote the trip journal "Sure am proud of these Scouts."

We camped at the southern end of Burke Lake. During the day we noted a float plane flying overhead...that is not a normal occurrence when canoeing in the Quetico.

Day 10 traced a route many Scout crews use when canoeing in the Quetico: Burke Lake, portage, Bayley Bay, portage, Sucker, Newfound Lake and Moose Lake to Charles L Sommers Canoe Base. Easy portages and paddling with the weather we had...the best of the trip. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Base Director Doug Hurdler, not the norm, and told our contingent would be gathering at the pavilion after we showered. At what we thought was going to be a fun gathering or our troop, Chuck Goulding told us of Dennis' death and the heroic actions of the crew in an attempt to save his life. That evening, a memorial service was held at the pavilion.