Charlie Chinn, left, and Duane Schaer have been building and collecting memories all through their life-long friendship. Fetching wood for their winter home-heating puts them out in the mountains each summer. (Baker City Herald/S. John Collins)

But that’s bound to happen when you’ve been friends for nearly 60 years.

Charlie is 82 (he turns 83 in March) and Duane is 81.

They both grew up in Baker Valley, but didn’t grow up together.

In their youth, grade schools were scattered around the valley to serve the kids from ranches and farms.

Duane spent his early years in the area of Sutton Creek (he still remembers how the hobos would throw coal from the trains to thank his family for providing a warm meal).

His family moved to the Pocahontas area when he was in the first grade.

“They made me take over the first grade,” he says, which makes Charlie laugh.

From there, Duane went to Pocahontas School, while Charlie attended Wingville.

“The Wingville kids couldn’t associate with the Pocahontas kids,” Charlie says with a smile.

Wingville was the first to consolidate with the Baker school district, so Charlie rode a bus to town for junior high.

Two years later Duane climbed on the same bus.