Army of young builders constructs perfect Adirondack fort

I was about eleven years old when my friend Terry Delmarsh decided to round up all of us Inlet boys to help build a fort in the woods. The construction would take place on the Rocky Point property.

With a rusty hammer shoved in my back pocket, I rode my bike up and over Limekiln hill on a foggy August morning.

It was quite early and very quiet as I made my way through the town of Inlet.

The fog from the Fulton Chain was hanging close to the ground and I could feel the mist on my face and arms when I passed through.

Despite being jabbed in the side by the hammer’s handle I made the three-mile trip in no time.

I dropped my bike at the location of the future fort where several boys were already waiting.

A large pile of fresh-cut slab wood had been dropped near the edge of the woods for us to use in the construction.

Terry directed the building project much like the general of a small army. We were all in fabrication mode and started to erect the small fort on a knoll just inside the woods.

It was a feat of will and strength to drag the long bark-covered wood slabs up the hill.

But once we got the lumber on-site it took no time to spike the pieces of wood together in a pallisade-style.

It soon began to resemble Fort Apache—or a pile of upright-standing lumber, depending on which way you looked at it.

Eddie, John, Brian, Jeff, Andrew, Terry and I spent the next several hours constructing Fort Inlet. Each one of us added our own personal touches to the structure.

The fog of the morning gave way to the heat of the summer afternoon.

It was time to take a lunch break so I reached into my jacket pocket for the bologna sandwiches I had packed earlier that morning.

I sat down on an old punky stump and slipped one out of the plastic bag. The sandwiches tasted pretty good eventhough they were a little ripe from sitting in the sun.

As the other boys continued to work I reflected a bit on the many forts I had seen in books and movies.

Our’s was nothing like those lofty and storied bastions of safety.

It was uniquely Fort Inlet. Built without plans and by the passion of its carpenters.

It was a joy helping to build that fort with its flimsy wooden walls and makeshift floor.

Fort Inlet became more than a club house to our newly-formed Inlet Boys Army.

It was a project that fostered a sense of unity among seven young men on a summer’s day, growing up Adirondack.

Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com