The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-01-26
WILMINGTON BOYS
ON 45-MTLE HIKE
Walked to Chester to Attend Boys
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Feat Yes,
terday-Rousing Reception.
Especial to The Reformer.)
CHESTER. Jan 26.

Especial to The Ref0rmer.)
CHESTER, Jan. 26.
Early yesterday morning, about 7
clock, two boys started to walk from
! this town to their home in Wilmington
! Although it is a 45-mile hike the lads
started out with good courage anG
without fear of the hardships they
would have to undergo in traversing
/ the country between here and their
/ destination. Their names are Lyndon
Colby and Earl Colby, aged IS and IL
years, respectively, and the road they
/ travelled was not strange to them, for
| last Friday they walked from Wilming =
ton to Chester in order to attend the
fifth annual conference of the Older
Boys of the state of Vermont, which
was held here Friday, Saturday and
! Sunday.
The youths are fond Of all outdoor
sports and often have taken long hikes
but 'never tackled a 45-mile walk pre-
vious to Friday. They preached the
subject at home, but their relatives
thought that they could not make the
trip, especially in the middle of win
ter, and their sehoolmates and youth
full friends openly derided the idea
This only strengthened the young Yer
monters in their determination to &C
complish the stunt and they made NJ
their minds to show their friends that
they could not only walk to Chester
but could walk back as we'll
They left home at 4 O'Clock Fridal
morning and over the snow and ice
covered roads made their way tOwarC
Chester. They travelled through East
Dover. South Newfane, Williamsville
Townshend and Grafton into Cheste
and at 5.45 that evening arrived a
the high school building and registered
= with secretary Byron n. Clark au(
were assigned to their rooms in thu
village for the conference.
The story of their hike leaked GU
and Friday morning they were. givcl
an unusual testimonial in the session
i'll the Congregational church by tn
other delegates to the conference. y
the names of the towns III Vernon
were called in alphabetical order tn
BOYS from each town stood. Brattle
boro was represented by two boss
Way down toward the end of the lis
the name Wilmington was calico
v TIP stood the two delegates from Wi
mington Before they could be seate
Y there was a scattered clapplng o
hands. Then the president, a Cheste
high school boy, exclaimed Thes
h boys walked - miles to attend tim
conference' Then there was paa
" demonium. The noise of palm strikiu
palm was like that of gatling gun
simultaneously every boy i'll the aud
, forum of the church stood and face
Il the Colby boys. splendid testimoni;
of youth to youth. There were IL
IT boys at that conference and every on
of them was glad to hail the Whining
- ton boys as lads who had accomplishe
. something.
Il The rain and snow Saturday left tn
II roads in very poor condition, but yc
4 terdav the boys started out without
II bit Of doubt but that they would reaC
II Wilmington without any great diff
II Guilty. When seen by a Reformer rel
II resentative they We're reticent abol
u talking of their hike. They said the
- could have made it in - hours Ia
= the roads not been so rough and til,
they expected to return in about til
- same time it took to make the Frida
70 trip. On their hike to Chester th}
( wore their ordinary clothing, the
outer garment being a mackinaw. al
= heavy moccasins They ran IA
Sc share Of the distance and expected
do the same on their return, strikiI
20 into a dog-trot whenever they came
8 Il level stretch of road.
Both boys are pupils in the Wilmin
6 ton high school. Earl 5 parting T
q, ! mark was: "Well they said Y
- couldn't do it. but we wanted to sho
.. em that we could
l..