School's out early (after lunch) and we take the Washago School bus from Orillia DCVI. Ok, so here we are in Washago and still have to find a way to get home to the Swift. Hmm-- can't get the usual taxi, Bill White's taxi service to Soper's Landing or Morrison's Creek 'cause the boats are hauled up for the winter. River is mostly frozen over. Maybe we can get to Port Stanton on Sparrow Lake and walk the railroad tracks 6 miles to Hydro Glen. If we time it right we can get a ride to the Swift with Bill Potter when he makes the daily horse and sleigh trip through the bush to Kelly's Post Office and store for mail and supplies. Sounds like a plan. We talk to Bill White, "Can you take us to Port Stanton?" Sure!.

Once at Port Stanton we waste no time getting under way, It's not easy walking the railraod tracks because the spacing of the railroad ties dosen't match our pace very well. We have our personal luggage to carry as well. After a couple hours walking past small lakes and swamps and wondering if the Hydro Glen station is around the next bend, it eventually is, and we stagger into the Rose and George's Kelly's store, weary, and anxiously hoping that Bill hasn't yet left for the Swift. Unfortunately he just left, not having been informed we were coming home this way. Bill Potter was the handy man at The Swift Rapids Colony. He did everything that no one else wanted to do including driving the team of horses with sleigh or wagon depending on time of year.

Obviously our trek home isn't over yet. By water it's 2 miles to the Swift from Hydro Glen, a 5 or 6 minute boat ride. Through the bush it's a 4 mile hike on foot. After a warm drink and good wishes from Rose, we load up and strike out on the double track bush road to the Swift. This road is so rough I would hesitate to categorize it even as a 4x4 off road route. It criss-crosses ridges and ravines, zig zagging pretty much all the way, leaning & tipping with hairpin turns you wouldn't believe. It wound through northern Matchedash township on the south side of the Severn River. I'm sure there's no visible sign left of this road today. But we make it home, glad to be there to enjoy Christmas with our families and winter sports in an isolated but happy community.

Ed. Footnote:
Perhaps some literary licence was exercised in the above but not much.
We actually did that walk from Port Stanton to Hydro Glen in order to make it home on at least one occasion.
And the trek through the bush between The Swift and Hydro Glen was a frequent occurrence.
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