My dad “guided” youth canoe trips across Ontario canoe country when he was a teenager back in the ‘60s. He has some fun stories from the summer he did this.

I guess how this worked was that he reported to camp (I think in Thunder Bay), having never been in a canoe before at the age of 16. He was from southern Ohio. He was then assigned to lead a group of 6 or 7 younger teens who had also never been in a canoe before (most of them at least). Handed nothing more than a map and essentially no training, they were sent on their way to cover 100-200 or so miles, paddling and portaging for multiple weeks, stopping at small towns along the way to restock on supplies.

Of course, there were no wilderness regulations, designated campsites, or the like, so they dumped empty cans in the lakes and camped wherever they saw a clear enough area. I guess part of some of their routes even included paddling on Lake Superior in some dicey conditions, but he swears nobody in his group ever swamped!

Not too long after this, he joined the Marine Corp and later married my city-slicker mother. He never canoe tripped again until I invited him on a short trip 3 years ago. He was a good sport about all of the wilderness regulations, but thought it was funny how different things are now (for the better we both agree). It was so funny at first, "Hey, can't we camp there? It sure looks like a camp spot to me!" "No, dad, we can't, it's not a designated site!"

I’m wondering if anyone here knows anyone else who went on or were associated with trips like this 50 years ago? By the way, I know he’s not making this up because my grandparents verify that he did this! :)

Sounds a bit like my first trips (1975-78). We had guides that were going on their own instincts, as some had never done it before.
We didn't travel as far...only 120 miles at most, over our 9 day trips, but we did our own thing & as I found out later, we bent the rules.

the summer before college i worked at the scout camp where i spent two weeks every summer since i was 12.
in 1995 i was a canoe tripper and worked on the waterfront as a life guard and taught the canoeing,sailing,lifesaving,swimming and rowing merit badges.the only two years that i was not out in a canoe since then in some sort of way were the two i was in the Army
the area was real backwoods then but is now the Haliburton Highland Water trails and reservations are needed ans it has set camp sites.
the place was just west of Algonquin Park and back then felt very remote.the scout camp was sold in the late 60's and the lake it was on is now filled with summer homes. water trails map