Last Snowshoe Hike

The weather has been beautiful and the snow conditions rapidly deteriorating for snowshoeing but great for gardening.   With those conditions in mind I called up Steve Glass and together we hiked along the ravine where the Duschesnay flows into Lake Nipissing.

This is one of my favourite, quick-to-get-to hikes.  It is in the city limits and once you get your shoes on the beautiful scenary is only 20 metres away.

Normally on this hike I like to head north along the western shore and cross the frozen beaver dam, but the mild  weather made this too risky.  The water was flowing fast and crossing the dam would have meant risking a plunge into the still icy water.

On the deep water side of the dam, where I had once broken through while on an hike with my son John, I noticed an open hole--and a slide.  Seems a beaver was climbing out and sliding back down--for fun.

It's always great to get outside.

Lac Desert 2nd Annual

After a great start to the March break by spending time in Toronto with the family, I headed to the wilderness for the second part of the week.  From March 14 - 17 I joined brothers Kelly, Bradley, and Dennis, along with cousins Bob and John Milling on Lac Desert for our second annual ice-fishing trip.

Kelly picked me up at 6:00 am.  A little early for me, but you can't dampen the Captain's enthusiasm.  This picture was taken when we arrived around 1:30 pm.

The journey started in the dark.

Our first stop was the Valois Restaurant in Mattawa for breakfast.

I couldn't resist taking a snapshot of this armoured Tracker in Mattawa.

The morning sum beeming in while the coffee is brewing.

Bradle--his arms wide.

Bobby enjoying his creation  along the shore of Lac Helen.  This trip took place on the second day.  We decided to try Lac Helen again but at the southern end.  Bob felled some dead wood and we had a great fire and shore lunch.

Homies on the ice.  Dennis, Kelly, and Bob.

Bob, his brother John and enjoying the warm sun.

The beauty of Look Lodge allows everyone to relax in comfort and enjoy great meals.

 

The trip to Lac Helen was scenic and a terrific sled ride.  Just before Lac Helen there was this small open stream that we had to cross.  We managed.

Above and to the west of Lac Helen, Bob, Kelly and I checked out the logging trails.  At one high point you could see for miles and miles.

Bobby does the shore lunch.  Fresh pike and home made beans.

Solo on the planet Hoth.

On the second day we headed to Lac Helen for ice-fishing and a shore lunch.  The day was sunny and crisp.  Throughout the day snow squalls passed through.  Beautiful.

Bob du Lac.

A skidder created trails for us above Lac Helen.  The logging seems to be done in a responsible manner.  No clear cutting, plenty of trees remaining in the area for re-seeding.

The view from Loon Lodge.

Kelly and Bob head out to Lac Helen towing a boat for summer fishing expeditions.

The not-quite-right group photo.  Batteries died and no second shot available.

A great trip.

Raptors vs Cavaliers

While on the March break, John and I took in a Raptors' game, Toronto vs Cleveland--our first NBA game.  Toronto won the game 100 - 96, but it was a nail-biter of a game.  Cleveland pretty much dominated the first half taking a 15 point lead at one point.  Toronto came back in the 3rd and 4th to tie it up and eventually take the lead.

It was cool to be at the game.  Basketball is a great sport to see live.  I enjoyed it all--even the time-outs.  Interesting to watch the coaching staff huddle up, discuss then talk with the players. 

We traveled to Toronto on Saturday with Sharon and Erin.  The idea being shopping for the girls and guy-stuff for John and I.  Fun for everyone.  We stayed at the Bond Place which is a perfect location for accessing downtown Toronto. 

Lots to see.

No trees.

Learning from Sailing

This season--season 2, we put our boat down in Callandar Bay.  Last year we were at the North Bay marina and had a great summer of sailing, swimming, and just having fun with the boat.  The main attraction in Callandar is the chance to race.

A: North Bay Marina,  B: Home,  C: Callandar Bay

Ah the race.

A Calm Race.

A stormy Race.

What a difference.  It is a humbling experience.  A good experience.  As a teacher I can't help reflect on how some students must feel when they are at the beginning of a new semester or class and haven't quite figured out how things work, where they fit in, or what's going to happen next.

I'm excited about the whole experience.

Learning--with a smile.

The Launch

This post stretches over the last few weeks.  It really is made up of several events all to do with launching our sailboat for season 2.  The boat was in the water ready to go for season 1--so this season we had to do everything.

The story starts at the end of last fall.  The boat is hauled out of the water by a crane and transported to a field in Redbridge for storage.  Brian Stepaniak played a key role in making sure my first sailboat ownership experience was a good one.  He reassured me when my first instinct was to sell 24 hours after buying the boat. Brian is one of those guys who can fix anything.  He's generous with his talent and his time.  I was glad that we were keeping the boat at his place.

He constructed  a storage shelter for the boat and kept an eye on it during the winter months.  After the long winter, the shelter was removed and I found the boat in near perfect shape.  I owe Brian.

Getting the boat inspected prior to launch got me involved with Stuart Murray.  More than a few people at the North Bay Yacht Club recommended Stu.  I called him on a Saturday night and he was inspecting the boat the next day.  I had a few concerns.  He looked things over and reassured me that the minor repairs were just that--minor.  What impressed me about Stu was how he went about doing his business.  He climbed into a locker that normally holds an anchor and a small box.  I said "Whoa, where you going."  Before I could stop him he was down into this small space.  He stayed there for about 15 minutes.  Checking things out.  He looked at my problem from literally a new perspective.  He earned my trust.  He's done a beautiful job on my boat.

Hauling the boat to Callendar was a potential night mare.  I have a highway trailer, but I was reluctant to get someone to tow it.  The boat weighs about 6100 lbs and the trailer is probably another 2500.  Brian suggested a tow truck--turned out to be a super idea.  The boat was down to Callendar  in 40 minutes.  Perfect.

The next phase involved putting the boat in the water.  About 30 club members with assigned duties were on hand to lift and kerplunk about 30 boats into the harbour.  Everything was super organized.  Hard hats and safety vests for everyone.  Two cranes did the lifting, three trucks with trailers did the shuttle from the parking lot to the point.  Smooth.

Mast raising.  I didn't get back down to the marina until the next weekend.  A flooded basement got in the way along with work and life in general.  However, on the long weekend I was able--with the help of Steve Glass and a few club members to get the mast up and the boat back to its slip.

The final phase of the outfitting took place over the last few days as we moved in gear, and rigged the sails.  Sharon and I put on the main last night around 8 pm just as the thunder storm hit.  Boat looks good--read to rock and roll.

Tonight is the first sailboat race--looking forward to the short trap race on Callendar Bay.

Mystery Mine at Talon

Today was our first paddle of the season.  I had been itching to go for a few weeks so a quiet Saturday morning looked like the perfect opportunity.  The weather was good.  14 degrees and the weatherman giving us a 30 percent chance of showers.  Perfect.

John was keen.  So we finished up our breakfast packed a lunch and loaded the canoe on the van.  It is always fun to drive to Pimisi Bay.  We have so many great memories driving this route.  We found the gate to the park locked, but that didn't stop us.  We portaged around and got ready for adventure.  John decided he would begin learning how to stern the canoe today.

The water was perfectly calm.  Beautiful and quiet.  John did a super job paddling to Talon Chutes.  We were alone on the water.  A couple of Canada geese were making a tremendous racket as we passed them in the narrow channel--about halfway to the chutes.

The view from the top of the chutes is always special.  John was all smiles as usual.  We explored up the trail to the dam.  Last year I was stung by a hornet or wasp while crossing the dam.  We checked things out and found the remains of the nest.  Too early for a nest this year.  We crossed the dam and lowered ourselves to a narrow wall and continued across to the other side.  We scouted around and found the start of the trail.  I had been here once before with some Nipissing University students so I had an idea of the route to an open pit mine.  The trail was faint but we were able to follow it.  There were a lot of trees bent over the trail.  Evidence of a micro-burst from about 5 years ago.

About 800 metres down the trail we stumbled upon an old engine block.  Within 25 metres we found other pieces of equipment from the old mining days and a small open pit, now filled with water.  We rested.  Enjoyed lunch.  The rain sprinkled on us for 40 seconds.

It is easy to get turned around in the forest.  So for safety we marked the location of the dam on the gps--just in case.  The walk back was easy and we took time to explore the north shore of Talon Chutes.  We have never been on this side before.  The view from this side is spectacular.  People have been known to jump into the water from here--dumb idea.  There is spray painted warnings on some of the rocks.  Lots more exploring to be done up here.

The paddle back was sweet.  John guided the boat back on the opposite shore and once back at the put-in we celebrated his first sterning trip.

The School of Wendigo Lake Expeditions

It took about 20 years to pull-off a recent trip to Wendigo Lake Expeditions.  On Tuesday March 21 I traveled there with six students and 2 friends.  The story started way back.

I was teaching at Regina Pacis Catholic Secondary school in Toronto--about 20 years ago.  My friend Bernie Zweerman and I were asked by the principal to bring a group of kids to Bark Lake for a week.  I jumped at the chance.  Bark Lake at the time, it has since been privatized, was a government outdoor education facility.  This was my first introduction to adventure based counseling and the use of the wilderness and various physical obstacles such as a high-ropes course to teach and improve or support therapy.  I've been working at it ever since.

On Tuesday I visited Wendigo for a day-program with six students and two friends.  Eric Crowther and Marg Goodwin are two Masters Level therapists (they work with HANDS) run a cognitive behavioural therapy program for anxious teens.  Two years ago they invited me to join their group and help out with the adventure activities and pedagogy of teaching cbt to teens.  They are two fantastic people.

This event was special for me.  I have known for quite some time that experiential education and adventure therapy are effective in creating positive relationships between teachers and students and fosters an environment where learning happens.  It is difficult to bring adventure into a traditional classroom and be effective.  You can go on a hike, but what is really happening?  To be effective the activity has to have a lot of intentional programming involved, and that takes time, talent and a team of people to carry the load.

Working with Eric and Marg has been the coolest thing I have done in a while.  They are talented.  They know their stuff.  Their cbt group lasts for 18 weeks--time enough to work with the kids.  After our first year together we agreed that year 2 would start with an adventure and end with an adventure.  Day 1 was a hike to the Canadore Trail system, and the last day was our trip to Wendigo.  We shared our ideas at the Canadian Adventure Therapy Symposium this past October.

I have had the pleasure and honour really, to bring students to Wendigo for about 15 years.  I have brought numerous high school and university students to Wendigo for outdoor adventures.  Steve Glass runs the show and he has been generous and helpful in helping me learn about what his company does so well.  The two staff assigned to work with us on this trip were Jason Prichard and Jeremie Carreau.  They are rock stars.  "They were brilliant.  They listened, were empathetic, and integrated the FEAR plan," said Eric.

The day was perfect.  The weather was sunny and warm--about 23 degrees.  We met in North Bay and travelled down in two vehicles.  The ride in was spectacular.  Fog rolled in across the road in seveal places.  We arrived at 10 am right on time.  Jason and Jeremie were ready for us.  We started with setting goals for the day and a few ice-breakers for fun.  The kids were awesome.  We progressed through some trust activites and worked our way across the low-ropes and eventually the high-ropes course.  The day ended with a terrific dinner, a cake to celebrate and a cool debrief.  Everyone was awesome.

Finally.  A super team made up of 1 teacher, 2 therapists, 2 facilitators, fantastic research-based programming, the wilderness, adventure activities, and a group of kids (some earning a high school credit using the provincial eLearning system).

That is school.