Page 18 - FEB2022

Page 18 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM February 2022
BERT HIRTLE: With a Clear Lens and a Kind Heart
By William nieman
We met Bert in Part 1 as he dozed on his couch, recalling his army days, especially the time when his command- ing officer directed him to keep the lenses of his binoculars clean. Bert was awakened from this nap by two young boys, Jimmy and Billy. They visited briefly before Bert invited the boys to ex- plore the house he had built many years earlier. The boys began their exploration by climbing a spiral staircase. We will learn what the boys discovered in this, the final episode of “A Clear Lens and a Kind Heart.
Bert Hirtle, who Ruth’s mother had referred to as the “unusual man” married Ruth in 1947. Bert was born in his parents’ home in LaHave, Nova Scotia, in September of 1921. The house was within a stone’s throw of the LaHave River. His mother, Rita Wilkie Hirtle, was a busy homemaker, skilled at crafts, and had been a schoolteacher. Bert’s father, Joyce Hirtle, was an experienced carpenter from whom Bert acquired many skills. As a young child, Bert loved ex- ploring the land by the river and the river itself. By age 5, he fre- quently rowed across the mile- wide river to visit the Wilkies and other relatives. He enjoyed dis- covering driftwood on the river banks, imagining the shapes into various constructions. Naturally, a favorite was boats, like many he had seen on the river. Bert would
build model boats and ships as he grew older, perhaps recalling the fanciful driftwood images.
The Hirtle family moved from Nova Scotia to Massachu- setts in 1927 when Bert was six years old. The family had grown. Bert’s younger brother, Parker, was born in June of 1925. After a brief stay in Cambridge, the Hirtles settled permanently in Watertown. Bert’s school was close to the Charles River, and he would take advantage of that proximity by joining the Sea Scouts. He was soon build- ing model boats. He invented his own design for the boats avoiding the solid “bread and butter” design used by the Sea Scouts. His lightweight models were built with planking around a frame, and they would score the most points on the Charles River competitions. Bert would pilot real sailboats to victories on the Charles as an older student. The family’s recreational activi- ties were not limited to the river. The Hirtles loved to travel to the New Hampshire mountains, and it was on these trips that Bert began to acquire the hiking and skiing skills that he would share with many as a husband, a father, a soldier, a coach, and a teacher. When Bert graduated from high school in 1940, the Hirtle family had experienced a late addition. Bert’s sister Verne was born in
1936.
Bert Hirtle’s adult life has
been dedicated to opening chil- dren’s eyes to the wonders of nature, from snowflakes
to stars, from rivers to mountains. He and
Ruth have taken their children thousands of
miles to numerous na-
tional parks and places
closer to home to hike
the mountains and for-
ests of New England.
The three children,
Pam, Parker, and Peter,
grown to retirement
age, have nurtured sub- sequent generations,
passing along their own creativeness, love of life,
and nature. Pam is a talented photographer
and skilled at many
crafts, such as textiles
and woodworking (for which her uncle was famous). In addition to his professional life, like his father, Parker has been a boat builder, mechanic, photographer, clockmaker, and more. Peter, a professional instrument maker for astronomical devices, finds time to participate in skull racing and participate in telescope-mak- ing competitions.
Indeed, Bert’s “family” has extended well beyond his own children. After becoming a teacher, Bert volunteered to nur-
ture the challenging students that had been placed in Watertown’s alternative school given the name “Home Base.” Like many of the
skills. Sometimes parents accom- panied their children, and bonds within those families grew.
Knowing the limitations of his students’ outdoor skills, Bert reserved the most difficult ascents to him- self, although he some- times was joined by Appalachian Mountain Club colleagues. These ski outings, hikes, and climbs continued after his retirement. (He was an active found- ing member of the Pasquaney Snowshoe Club.) The most chal- lenging climbs, such as scaling the cliffs enfold- ing White Mountain notches, have required expertise in using pro- fessional gear such as cams, pitons, harnesses, carabiners, and more. At age 76, Bert fulfilled a lifetime dream of climbing one of the highest mountains in the world to see Mount Everest close up. He trav- eled to Nepal and climbed Kala Patthar in the south ridge of the Pumaris, adjacent to Everest. At 18,500 feet, he beheld the world’s highest mountain set in a unique landscape of four vivid colors... gold, white, grey, and blue. Natu- rally, Bert took pictures to include in his lifetime collection of over
13,000 photographs.
In addition to those scenes
10th Mountain Division veter- ans, he understood the healing power of nature, especially the challenge of mastering a difficult climb up a mountain. So Bert added to his busy regimen of classroom teaching by taking his students out into the wilderness, hiking, climbing, canoeing, build- ing confidence, and experiencing the joys of life. He brought the youngsters to New Hampshire and shared his love of a favorite mountain...Cardigan. Some of the trips lasted overnight and in- cluded the need to learn camping
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