Rest In Peace Scott Hartley

I found out a few hours ago that my friend Scott Hartley drowned last night in a snowmobile accident at Redstone Lake.

I have know Scott Hartley since sometime in the very early 1970s. By the late 70s, I was in my early 20s, he was in his early teens, and we had become friends. One of the first times I remember hanging around with him, I had taken some vacation and was at my parents cottage at Redstone Lake cutting down a big old maple tree. He would come over and hang around with me and help while I worked away on this project. I can tell you a lot of good stories about hanging around with Scott. For several years, Scott, Blaine "Tiger" Kocott, and I had a lot of fun together - both summer and winter.

I can remember a lot of sled rides, boat rides, campfires, and four-wheeling which involved a ton of fun. Unfortunately, I can also remember more than a few times when we were all involved in some fairly unsafe behavior.  I think that this is the time to remember a good friend, and to remember that all of us who were friends over the years have exercised bad judgement. I for one can not help thinking that many of us from those days dodged a few bullets, and that this could have been any of us.

When I think of Scott, I remember a guy with an infectious laugh, and a guy who was always willing to kick in on a job that needed to get done. I remember him grabbing chain saws, shovels, buckets, or what ever other tools were needed and getting it done. I remember some good times working on the road to the cottage together.

One time, in the mid 1980s, me and two friends (Brian and Gina) skied into the cottage in the dark (full moon) on a Friday night. This was before the day of the groomed trail into the cottage, let alone a plowed road. I had arranged with Scott to meet us with his sled and pull in a sleigh full of stuff for us. Scott was there, and made it happen. By the Sunday morning, we had a full blizzard going. Scott showed up with a buddy, I forget who, and helped us get back out of the 3 1/2 mile cottage road in a ton of new snow. Without his help, we would have been in a bit of a mess. I can tell more stories like that - about a helpful friend - those are the stories about Scott Hartley I want to remember tonight.

Some time in the mid-1990s, we started to drift apart. I was not going to the cottage quite as much, and we just did  not see each other anymore. When we sold the family cottage in 2000 and stopped going to Redstone Lake except for the very occasional trip, I don't think I saw Scott again.

But, I still think of him as a friend. I was very sad to hear about his passing. I wish his family and close friends the best in this sad time, and I hope we can all remember the good things about Scott.

Rest in peace Scott Hartley, you were my friend, and I am sad to see you go.

Sandy Cameron
2010-01-02