An Outdoorsman‛s Journal

North of the Border/1989 to 2022

floor had a foot of moss. Most of my day was spent cutting or loading and unloading boats. Zygmunt ran a saw, peeled, and loaded. Zygmunt was incredibly strong. Andy was a laborer and a very good man.

On one particular day of cutting, I am by the boats. Zygmunt is on top of the ridge and drops a big jack. I watch it directly fall on Andy and it appears he is dead and is 100-percent under the tree. Zygmunt is crying uncontrollably. We cut a chunk of jack below and above Andy and lifted it off of him. Andy appears dead. A minute later Andy opens his eyes. Ten minutes later he is back to work.That foot of moss on the forest floor no doubt helped save Andy from getting hurt. March 2019 Pete Hagedorn is at my house. Selina is in her senior year at Necedah High School. Pete tells me that he has sold Chimo Lodge and Outposts; though I did not show it, that really hurt. Pete was 79 and still a bush pilot, but it was time.

One of the buyers was Daniel Wesolowski, Zygmunt’s grandson who was probably the best bushmen that I ever knew. Daniel could build, plumb, wire and got his pilot’s license just after the purchase.

In 2019, the first year after the sale, the main camp burnt down in a forest fire along with one outpost.

In 2020, COVID hit and there was no season. Daniel and helpers rebuilt Chimo. Last May, the border was still closed and so another season was in peril.

Daniel actually flew “NPO” (November Papa Oscar), which was Pete’s Cessna 180 float plane and was a very popular and influential man in Red Lake. In my day, which was over about 12 seasons, I probably was in NPO for at least 500 take-offs and landings.

Last May, Daniel Wesolowski was dropping an aspen tree for a friend, something that he had done thousands of times. When the tree fell, Daniel ran the wrong way and unlike Andy Novak did not come out of the hit.

My trip to see my friends this past week was quality time with people that I consider family.

It was very hard to get Daniel Wesolowski off my mind! Sunset