Far North Rambles #26: Bill Has An Axe

There are times in the bush when my imagination went crazy and reminded me of everything that could go wrong - especially when you were trying to sleep, in a thin walled cotton tent, at night, when the shadows were active, and the bush noises were extra loud and scary.

One summer, we set up a bush camp on a lake in the Algoma area. There were 4 of us in that crew. Bob (Photo 1) and myself were the summer students. Bill (not his real name) was a regular employee and I confess, we thought was a little strange. Michel (not his real name) was the new project geologist. Michel was from Belgium. This was his first time in the Canadian bush. He was “confident” about everything. When we showed him how to use the Brunton compass, it became clear that his confidence was a bit excessive. A Brunton compass is very good, but can be a little confusing. We discussed the mapping plan for next day. Bob and I were told we would work together. Michel would work with Bill.

The next morning, the four of us set off by boat to the drop off points. We dropped off Michel and Bill and then motored to our map areas. At the end of the day, Bob and I met at the boat and motored back to pick up Michel and Bill. We waited, but no Michel and Bill. As the sun was setting, we headed back to the camp. We knew we had an issue - 2 missing people. We called the Ontario Provincial Police, explained the situation, and were told that an officer would fly out first thing in the morning to prepare for a search and rescue. Exciting!

That night was spooky. Neither Bob nor I slept. We assembled in the cook tent. The loons sounded eerie. The nighthawk dive suddenly sounded foreign. We jumped with each crack in the bush. Maybe Bill had finally “lost it” and killed Michel. No one would find Michel’s body. Bill would obviously head back to the camp to dispatch us. Bill always carried an axe! It was a long and frightful night.

Just after sunrise, the turbo beaver airplane arrived. The officer hopped out, wearing a smile from ear-to-ear. We apologized, but he said “this is really exciting - got me off road patrol”. We answered his questions and his radio communications started up. Trenton Search and Rescue was notified. “They are on their way”. We were instructed to search the shore, in case the missing geologists made it out overnight. If they did, we would pick them up and immediately return to camp so the search and rescue mission could be terminated. Bob and I were like kids. We imagined a C-130 Hercules flying over with SAR technicians parachuting out. Maybe there would be lots of helicopters. And Jets? Why not. We had no idea.

Unfortunately, to our great disappointment, as we cruised along the lakeshore, we saw a bedraggled Michel and Bill waving to us. Bill had not killed Michel. The Brunton compass had confused them and they ended up way off line and much farther down the lake. We got back to camp and the search and rescue was cancelled. I think I saw a look of disappointment on all our faces - except for Michel and Bill.

That evening, we tried to debrief, but Michel and Bill were tired. They had not slept well with the mosquitoes. Bob and I were tired. We had not slept well thinking of Bill and his axe.

Epilogue. I have been involved with 3 bush incidents that involved the Ontario Provincial Police. In my experience, they are professionals. Three times I watched and “worked with” different officers who organized and directed logistics with military precision, reassured worried parents, and managed effective communications with our respective teams. If I were to need help in the bush, I am reassured that a professional team is there to respond - with or without an axe.

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Andy Fyon, Oct 21, 2020 (Facebook, July 24, 2020).