When Richard I. Boyer and Howard Quaintance set out to hike the entire length of the Horse-Shoe Trail in July 1958, they were just 15 years old.
Along the way, they gained self-reliance, a sense of independence and solidified their budding friendship.
More than 60 years later, the lifelong friends returned to the trail to reflect on the journey and other Scouting experiences that helped shape the men they became.
Boyer, now 82, a retired Reading fire chief, and Quaintance, 83, principal emeritus of M-G Architects, Wyomissing, met recently at French Creek State Park to walk a bit of the trail and reminisce about their boyhood adventure.
The boys met through their Boy Scout troop, which was sponsored by Grace Lutheran Church, 33 S. 11th St.
They learned of the Horse-Shoe Trail when they found an old trail map while cleaning out some troop files.
“That’s what made us think, ‘Hey, this is neat. Let’s do it,’” Howard said.
They also got some encouragement from their parents, particularly Boyer’s father, who was their scoutmaster.
But their adventure was no easy feat.
On the trail
The boys packed dried food, a change of clothes and bed rolls. Each also carried half of an old Army button-up pup tent for a total of about 25 pounds each.
The weather was hot, and it rained most of the week, Quaintance recalled.
“I think we walked in the rain for five of the eight days,” he said.
Laid out in 1935, the Horse-Shoe Trail runs more than 100 miles from Manada Gap in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, to Valley Forge National Historic Park in Schuylkill Township, Chester County.
It is managed by a nonprofit volunteer organization and has been rerouted frequently through the decades to accommodate development.
This caused some delays as the boys lost hours and walked extra miles searching for connections.
“The markers were not really good,” Quaintance recalled, “so we spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out where we were supposed to go, but we made it.”
Outside Hershey on the second day, they shed their packs and stowed them in some roadside bushes while scouting for the trailhead. Returning, they were shocked to find their packs were gone.
“A local postman saw the boy who took them and told us where he lived,” Quaintance said. “We knocked on the door and told his mother what happened. She apologized and returned our packs.”
After a call from a pay phone near Adamstown, the boys’ mothers met them with a change of clothes and treated them to dinner at the former Zinn’s Diner.
For Boyer, the brief visit and bit of spoiling was a highlight of the trip.
“They brought us clean, dry clothes, which felt like a blessing after the muddy trek,” he said.
Logging the experience
Throughout their journey, Boyer and Quaintance kept a detailed logbook, making notes on the stunning natural scenery and many historic sites seen along the way.
The log also includes a list of the wildlife observed on the trail: 27 turtles, five rabbits, four pheasants and a raccoon.
They also took photos with an inexpensive camera.
On their eighth and final day, Boyer and Quaintance woke early, had a simple breakfast and finished the last leg of the trail to Valley Forge.
Once at the national historical park, they called their parents and waited for the ride home.
Only the beginning
Their backpacking adventure was just a start, they agreed.
Both remained active in Scouting through high school.
“It kept us out of trouble,” Boyer quipped.
Boy Scouts had a profound impact on both their lives, helping to shape their characters and future careers, they said.
Boyer noted his involvement in a Scout explorer post introduced him to firefighting.
At 17, he became a junior firefighter, and at 18, he joined the former Oakbrook Fire Company, the only Reading department at the time to accept those under 21.
“The rest is just plain history,” the retired chief said.
Most importantly, the men said, Scouting taught them valuable leadership and social skills.
“Scouting taught us how to get along with others,” Quaintance said, noting both attended a Boy Scout leadership summit the week after their backpacking trip.
The friends eventually went their separate ways professionally but stayed connected.
While serving as Reading’s fire chief, Boyer formed the fire prevention bureau in 1977. He retired in 1996.
As an architect and principal with M-G Quaintance designed many downtown buildings including the former Reading Eagle press building, 345 Penn St.
“I got to design a fair amount of downtown, and he (Boyer) got to inspect some of it,” Quaintance said.
The men remain close friends.
“We’ve been friends for like, 68 years,” Howard said.
Their story, the octogenarians said, is a testament to the lasting influence of youthful adventure and the power of friendship.
Source: Berkshire mont