The trail to Hedrick Lake is an old outfitters’ trail, and the cabins at the lake have been managed by Eric Hanson for the last 30+ years.
The trail was put in place by an outfitter named Clarence Simmons (now deceased), and some of this is documented in Clarence’s book titled: The Endless Reach in the 1970’s. The original Trail followed Hedrick Creek from the McGregor River up to Hedrick Lake and was used for guide outfitting.
The cabins at Hedrick Lake were created by the Gunn family. Dennis and Charlotte (Dolly) Gunn partnered with Charlotte’s parents, George and Elsie Tucker, and built the cabins around 1977-78. They ran the McGregor River Outfitters from 1977 to 84. Sherry, their daughter, was about 4 or 5 when the first cabin was built. She remembers hauling clay up to the cabin to chink it. They used two horses to pull in the logs, Fred and Prince. Then they used a portable saw mill for the floor boards and edges.
The name Hedrick comes from WW2 heroes, and the Canadian government named it after Charles Robert Hedrick. A wooden plaque on the cabin indicates: Pte. CR. Hedrick Can Scottish Reg Fell June 9, 1944, Calvados, France, placed there in recent years by relatives. Mt Hedrick was named in 1966 in honour of Private Charles Robert Hedrick. Hedrick was killed in action on 9 June 1944. See the news article here from the Toronto Star.
Today, Eric Hanson manages the cabin and provides guide outfitter services here, and trail clearing is sometimes assisted by members of the Caledonia Ramblers.
It should be noted that the Cabins are not public, and Eric should be contacted to ensure he has no activities planned, and you should obtain permission to use them before making any plans to use them.
Photos:
