And
so I sit upon the knee of the Boghopper Elder........ a man
of great wisdom, a man of knowledge, a man of history, someone who has
seen the grains of time running through the hourglass of destiny, someone
who has seen little ‘hoppers grow into mighty ‘hoppers…..(a weirdy beardy
to you lot reading this) and I ask him….…. how did it all happen……. How
did it come about? Who are the Boghoppers? Where did they come from? He
looks at me and his eyes glaze over as the memories come flooding back.
"Well how should I ruddy know!" comes his reply, "Why
don’t you ask Jackie?"
"Jackie‘s busy. Anyway she won’t let me sit on her knee."
"Ah young Lenin, in that case, then let me impress you
with my insight of Boghopper history………"
It all happened many years ago. There was a YHA group
(The East Dorset YHA Group) led by a wizard old chairman who use to
say "We shall go forth hopping in the bogs" (in reference to the surrounding
landscape, no toilet humour please). But alas, as the years past by
the membership dwindled and there were only a few members left; Bob,
Jackie and Mick being amongst them. The group was re-launched in 1995
with Mick as the new chairman.
The Boghoppers were a small group, only twelve members
to start off. Yes! we could fit the entire membership into a single
window box fitted to a wooden Wendy house outside a nearby pub. And
I am not speaking figuratively. I won’t say which pub though because
the landlord is still looking for us. But the group quickly grew and
now we have over forty-five paid up members with a variety of age
ranges (some actually are in their twenties, we’re not all old beggars).
We’ve had camping weekends at Glastonbury (in a remote campsite but
sneaking into the festival), tried out many of the YHA camping barns
in Dartmoor and Exmoor and the NT base camps of Cornwall and Hampshire,
canoed along the Wye river, cruised along a canal in Bourgogne and
even done some youth hostelling. The group have seen several changes
of chairman since Mick.
"But you should know all this!" said the wise
old Hopper. "How old are you now young Lenin? You are older than
me you silly old fool! Why are you sitting on my knee anyway?"
