Dog Days

Young Folk Fishing at Mitford Pond in Cochrane

The "dog days of summer" is a term I don’t hear much these days, but In my youth, my parents used it often on hot summer days.  The phrase refers to the hottest days of summer—high temperatures and no winds.  The ancient Greeks and Romans, associated this period with the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius, which they believed contributed to the heat.

When I came across the scene above—young folk hanging out at the Mitford Pond fishing hole on a hot day in August—my mind raced back to the same period of time in my life.

During three summers, from the age of 16 to 18 years (1960 to 1962), I was a counsellor at the YMCA Camp Chief Hector.  In those days it was a boys’ camp and was located near Mt. Yamnuska on the old #1 highway, now the 1A.

Each of those years, during three consecutive two week periods, I was a counsellor responsible for three different groups of eight young campers.  I say young, but they were usually only a few years younger than me.

During those summers at Hector, I was involved with many different activities: living in teepees at the main camp, overnight hikes, swimming, and canoeing.  I have many memories of my times with the campers, but most of the important memories that remain are the times we counsellors spent together, supporting each other with our responsibilities.

Those days were challenging, but they were fun.  I believe I matured in a better way than I might have done without that experience.  A few counsellors I worked with at Hector get together from time to time and the connections created during our years at Hector are still strong.

I did have some time at home in Calgary at the end of those summers, when Camp Chief Hector was finished for the year.  One thing my good friend and I did was to go fishing in the nearby Elbow River.  We did catch fish, but they were just bottom feeding suckers.  Still, the two of us enjoyed our time together and I’ll always remember those days fondly.

I looked at these young folk at Mitford Pond and again reflected on my own summers at that age.  This old man was happy for them and quietly wished them well.