ticipated in the adventure with me. For all of us, our participation remains a life lesson in meeting and responding to a personal challenge and reaching deep when things get tough, utilizing reserves you didn’t know you had. Ultimately, it took him [Peter] eleven days, but that did establish the new record at that time. * * * SR: What a feat! Summers at Camp Poko were filled with adventures beyond just hiking. In a tribute for Jim “Beetle” Bailey in 2021, you wrote: Later he [Beetle] would become the first tripping head at Camp offering special adventures each week. An example was his “Operation Cool Bovine”—carrying an ice cream maker and all the ingredients into the Scott Clearing lean-to to use ice from the Indian Pass “ice caves” to make ice cream while baking a cake with a reflector oven. Your tribute also shares the origins of Jim’s quirky nickname, “Beetle,” which was naturally bestowed upon him while a counselor and when Beetle Bailey comic books were popular and circulating around the camp. How did Beetle influence your start with the 46ers? PC: In 1966, while Beetle was president of the 46ers, there was such an upsurge in hiking the trails that a camporee was sponsored by the 46ers, designed more for local summer camps. The two-day event was held at South Meadows and was intended to provide insight into the Forty-Sixers traditions. The next year, due to the success of the camporee, the first 46er Outdoor Leadership Workshop was intiated. I immediately signed up to attend the first workshop as a participant. All these people you've heard about were running workshops. Orra Phelps, #47, was teaching about plants; Marguerite Kingsbury, #153, about birds; Judy Cameron, #605, about photography; and Father Larry Cotter, #229, on geology. Ditt Dittmar taught a class on camp cooking but there wasn't anything on backpacking equipment. Many say that the presentday Outdoor Skills Workshop (OSW), which started out as the Wilderness Leadership Workshop in 1972, was a product of that camporee. Jim handled equipment for the OSW and asked me to be on the staff, and that was my foot in the door. The following year I ran a workshop on campsites and backpacking equipment, and I’ve remained on the committee for over fifty years. I started attending all the 46er meetings. Then, in 1978, when Wally Herrod, #750, the acting vice president for Ed Ketchledge, #507, moved into the president’s position, Jim Dawson, #890, asked me to be the vice president, and the rest is history. SR: You were president for three terms: 1981–1984 and again from 1993 to 1994. On March 10, 1984, at the age of thirty-eight and while president, you became a winter 46er. Which mountain was it? How did you celebrate your last winter high peak? PC: It was Hough. We needed to do four: McComb, Grace, South Dix, and Hough. The funny thing was Sharpie had climbed it with his wife without telling me, so he was finished. When I got to the top of Hough and pulled out the book, there it was: “Congratulations Phil, on finishing your winter forty-six—Sharpie!” We took a couple of pictures, ate our sandwich, and you know the rest. SR: Yes—ran to the car! Had this been a big goal of yours? PC: Not really. I had done some random winter climbs but didn’t really have an interest in the winter 46. It wasn't common. Then again, that desire to get certifications and badges drew me in. First, ADK Winter Mountaineering Committee had created the V-Badge, so I got that. Then there was a Wilderness Leadership winter pin that required you to climb more winter peaks as well as get advanced first aid training. While they didn't offer advanced first aid training, I became an 10 | ADIRONDACK PEEKS Phil Corell, #224WV; Jimmy Kobak, #1791WV; Sharp Swan, #566WV; Eddie Bunk, #3052W; and Don McMullen, #244WV Nye, 1965
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