Learn to Camp! Northern Program

It’s already August 17th and in less than a week Lynsay and I will be back in Sudbury! All week we’ve had the opportunity to take in the wonderful north around us as we gear up for our final Learn to Camp session of the summer! Kenora and Dryden have both been amazing to explore. Kenora sits atop the vast Lake of the Woods, a lake which holds over 14,000 islands! The town itself reminds you of any other water front town, complete with restaurants, hotels, and a plethora of things to do right on the shore of this beautiful lake.

Lyndsay and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drive up to the border of Ontario and Manitoba, marking the furthest we would travel this summer.  It’s sad to think that it’s all ‘East’ from here. L In any case more people should travel Western Ontario and experience the great amount of history laid forth by the voyageurs. As we have travelled it has been hard to resist the museums and tours first travelled by the pioneers of our country.

 Every park we’ve travelled has its own unique story of the voyageurs. From only having enough ingredients left to make pancakes in Pancake Bay to the logging along Lake Superior to the Mining of Sleeping Giant to the portaging around Kakabeka Falls, Western Ontario opens your eyes to the wonder around us and the story of our great outdoors!

Travelling this past summer was truly an amazing experience and there’s no doubt that our last Learn to Camp session will be one to remember, hopefully our participants are ready for a fantastic first time camping!

    It's scary to think we only have one more Learn to Camp session left! Where did summer go? It's definitely going to be sad when we wrap up! 

    Before we can start thinking about our final weeks of Learn to Camp, there are still some new campers waiting to be taught at Rushing River! Not to mention we also just wrapped up our weekend at Kakabeka Falls. 

   I wasn't sure what to expect when people kept saying the falls were something to see. I've seen plenty of waterfalls on my back country excursions, and there's no beating the majestic sight when out in the quiet back-country. Kakabeka Falls is that exception! It certainly lives up to its name as the Niagara of the North. When we stopped in at the Visitor Center we learned that the Falls have much more to offer than just a beautiful sight, they had a great history of our voyageurs and even geology with fossils that date back over 1 BILLION years! So if you're ever heading west on Highway 17, Kakabeka is a definite sight to see. 

 Our learn to campers for the weekend were just as amazing. They were enthusiastic and prepared to learn. One participant was so encouraged to complete everything from scratch which is what we promote. They also seemed keenly interested in a follow-up program, complete with navigation and map-reading sessions and wilderness survival techniques. It would be such great fun to teach back country camping since so many of our participants over the summer seemed extremely interested in learning more about camping. 

Not too many wildlife sightings this time around. Although, we did spot a porcupine upon leaving Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and, of course, some more deer. Lyndsay and I are still anxiously awaiting a moose sighting. It wouldn't be a trip up north without one! Hopfully Rushing River Provincial Park and our journey around there will grant us such an opportunity. 

The nights though are getting colder, and its only the second week of August. Lately, long-johns, fleece sweaters and wool socks have been a must when heading to bed. And of course it's even harder to leave our beds in the morning and get up to the cold. But Tomorrow we head even further north to our final park of the summer! It will be strange to finally be home and sleeping in my own bed again. 

Deer, rabbits, bears, ducks, skunks, and the howling of the wolves surrounded us this past weekend at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The winding drive down the Sibley Peninsula took me away into the depths of a forest so different than the ones I know back home. The different rock formations for example are most interesting to see and admire, especially the red rock called hematite. Even after the third day a deer sighting is old news, but what Lyndsay and I are hoping to see is a Silver Fox. All I have ever seen are the more common red foxes, but since there used to be a breeder on the peninsula of both kinds, when they were released that increased the numbers and thus the chances of seeing one. By releasing the foxes back into the wild, it allowed the two kinds to breed and create a mix of silver and red foxes. A silver fox is simply black but they are rare to spot so it would definitely top our visit to be able to see one!

                Lyndsay and I also fell in love with our participating family this weekend. Jayden was the 7-old who was fantastic and immensely interested in all that we presented. It was awesome to have him so thrilled for every aspect. This morning during our rap-up he exclaimed that he “LOVED CAMPING!” which is always great to here. It makes our job mean so much more when we can inspire people to come back out into parks and go camping. Lyndsay and I are both so passionate about the outdoors, so seeing that our love for our land is rubbing off on our participants is certainly rewarding.

                Camping in parks as we travel for Learn to Camp provides us with some crazy weather for tenting. Saturday morning was a huge thunderstorm where rain almost took out my tarp from its force of hitting. There was even a thunder clap that shook the ground! I didn’t want to leave the safety of my tent and the warmth of my sheets in order to get up and start my workday. There was a lot of hesitation as I opened up my tent door and ran to the truck where all my clothes are stashed. Grapping my shower supplies I bundled up in a rain coat and opened my umbrella just to stay somewhat dry on my walk to the showers. Thankfully by the time I was dressed and had eaten breakfast the rain had cleared and the sun was trying to come out. This morning on the other hand, was extremely windy, with winds reaching up to 60 km/h! During our take-down session, our tent was blowing away on us before we could get it all packed up and put away which was entertaining for our participating family. Eventually we managed to get it all put away but the winds are still going strong. The family mentioned they wanted to try kayaking today, but the wind as strong as it is, the waves may be too high for such an activity.

Friday, August 3rd 2012

After our Learn to Camp Session at Lake Superior Provincial Park, Lyndsay and I have headed further north to the municipality of Thunder Bay, Ontario. On our way to Sleeping Giant  Provincial Park (Named after a mountain landscape in the form of a sleeping giant!) earlier this week, we spent the night at Neys Provincial Park.

We left Lake Superior P.P. in the early afternoon on Monday and arrived at Neys just after dinner time. There was a lot to see along the way, one thing being the giant Canadian Goose in Wawa, Ontario that we stopped to check out and take pictures with (while also noticing that there were a couple more large Geese replicas hanging around the town as well).  Along White River there was the remnants of a forest fire from some years ago which had burned down twice in the last four decades.

Although the drive to Neys Provincial Park was foggy and rainy, we got to experience the change from the Great Lakes/ St. LawrenceS forest to the Boreal forest.  As always, the glimpses of Lake Superior that we see along the highway are breathtaking. The forests transform the sides of the highway as do the marshes and bogs really giving the Northern feel to Ontario. The weather certainly added to the transformation making the hills and coniferous trees appear darker and more mysterious than if the weather had been less dreary giving the afternoon drive a spooky feel.

Our arrival at Neys coincided with some clearing of clouds, giving us a majestic sunset on the water. The unique aspect of driftwood along the beach and mossy forest floor made Neys a beautiful stop-over between Lake Superior Provincial Park and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.

The drive to Sleeping Giant provided even more to see, such as the red rocks and even a glimpse of the cliffs of the canyons. We drove underneath the sunlight as opposed to the torrential rain from the day before, which I though gave our glimpses of Lake Superior even more of a sparkle. Upon our arrival to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park we even glimpsed a small black bear, darting across the road. 

Today we’re preparing for out Learn to Camp session here at Sleeping Giant.  We have just come back from our days off. We took Tuesday to explore the town of Thunder Bay, Ontario, eating authentic Finnish pancakes and dessert at the Hoito Restaurant and having dinner at Nazos for some amazing Greek pitas. The view from Mount McKay of both the town of Thunder Bay and the Sleeping Giant on Lake Superior was worth the rough drive up from the bottom.

Camping in the campground has given us some good memories so far as well. We’ve made plenty of new friends including a female duck we’ve named Quackers—she was not afraid at all, following me around for at least five minutes! In the mornings there is often a young deer with a scar on its right side, waking between campsites chewing calmly on some greenery. It’s pretty neat to have all this tame wildlife walking around you! Even at nights between the loon calls, there was a fool moon and we heard wolves calling. And lastly we cannot forget the Skunk that seems to strut around in the evening, just as we head to bed. So far it hasn’t let off a smell, which is the best we can hope for.

Before long we’ll be heading even further north up to Kenora, Ontario.

 Nothing beats the amazing weather we've been having for our Learn to Camp Sessions at Lake Superior Provincial Park! The sun has been shining everyday so that our Learn to Camp participants can fully enjoy their stay. The water has even been about 10 degrees warmer than its usual 4.4 degrees celcius allowing for a nice refreshing dip in the clear blue and turquoise waters. The Learn to Campers were also fortunate to snag beachfront sites giving them some gorgeous scenery for pictures and breath-taking sunsets on the water! 

There is so much to do at Lake Superior Provincial Park, it's sad that Lyndsay and I can't stay longer. The visitor center offered some amazing history and the number of trails offered in this 80+ km long park is more than enough to take up and entire weekend. One historic site that you cannot pass up would be to see the Agawa rock pictographs which depict old voyageur markings from up to 400 years ago! While our night's get chilly from the wind coming of the vast Lake-- which is the largest fresh water lake in the world (surface area-wise)--there's so much I feel like I need to come back and explore. But if you do happen to pass through I suggest stopping in at Katherine's cove for a nice swim at the sandy beaches and the spectacular view of Lake Superior! 

Program-wise we have had our smallest turnout so far but with the amount of excitement and energy each group brings, you could hardly tell. After being mis-informed by gate to arrive after two, the couple of Toronto arrived around 6:30pm on Saturday--missing a good portion of our sessions. That didn't discourage them however, as they had brought their own gear and were even planning to stay longer into the week! Everyone has enjoyed their experience and it was easy to see that they would be out camping again in the future. One camper even mentioned that we shouldn't use fire-starters for our campfire sessions because it was similar to cheating. Every group is different which is what makes this experience the best of all.

 Tomorrow Lyndsay and I will head to Neys Provincial Park and then further to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park on Tuesday where our next program will be held. It's going to be a busy park as next weekend is August long weekend. We're thinking that it will create an even more fun atmosphere for our Learn to Campers!

See you there!

Last weekend Lyndsay and I had the opportunity to host two wonderful families at Pancake Bay Provincial Park. Pancake Bay is located approximately an hour north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. As the first stop along Lake Superior we were amazed at how warm the water actually was, due to the great weather we have been having so far. Not to mention the scenery along the highway is magnificent—making it such a great drive and a reason all in itself to get out and explore Ontario’s inspiring north.

The Saturday morning of our Pancake Session started off on a bit of a scary note as we woke up to see dark clouds and the sound of thunder rolling in across the vast lake. Lyndsay and I were quickly coming up with emergency session plans, re-arranging schedules and crossing our fingers that our participants wouldn’t be scared away—all the while eating breakfast as lightning flashed and thunder roared. After setting up a few tarps to create a dry space for our participants on ourbasecamp, we nervously awaited their arrival. Luckily the skies cleared up by late morning, allowing the sun to shine for the remainder of the program.

It was great to see that all the participants showed up, despite the storm and were just as eager to learn as ever. Everyone arrived on time and actively participated in every session. All park staff were greatly inviting to the Learn to Camp participants and it was wonderful to have the wardens and NHE (Northern Heritage Education) staff to stop by and give further details about the park. Our families had a great time at the beach and around the campgrounds. They were enthused the entire duration of the program, even proclaiming that they will be out camping in the future.

One family even noticed a birds nest with eggs on the ground of their site. We quickly switched them over sites in hopes of protecting the eggs and their mother, whom we noticed frequently sitting in her nest atop of her eggs. I never really notice how protected parks are until little incidences such as the bird’s nest occur, making me so appreciative of the world around me.

It’s incredible how unique every park is. As the fourth park Lyndsay and I have visited this summer, Pancake Bay is best known for its lookout trail, super fine sandy beaches, and family-friendly atmosphere. It is also in great proximity to either the town of Sault Ste. Marie or the even larger Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Lyndsay and I are gearing up for our Learn to Camp session at Lake Superior Provincial Park and have already fallen in love with its numerous trails, breath-taking views, and super friendly staff!

It's been just over two weeks since we had our first Learn To Camp session at Halfway Lake Provincial Park, and we're on our way to start our second this weekend at Grundy Lake Provincial Park!

We had been at Halfway Lake living there a few weeks prior and had the opportunity to explore and learn a lot about the park!  For instance did you know that in 2002 there was a tornado that took out a lot of the campground?  Or that in 2007 a campfire grew into a wildfire and burned 590 hectares of park land?!  Don't be scared now, its still a beautiful park!  These are the type of things you'll find within each park.  Every provincial park has history - whether it be extremely old history like pictographs drawn on rock, or within the past decade where it is clearly visible in the landscape.

Our first session ran from June 23-25 where we had three groups and seven participants.  As the Northern travelling program is new to the Learn To Camp program it was interesting to see what kind of participants we had come out!  All of our "campers" were extremely enthusiastic throughout the entire program.  We had a lot of fun around the campfire during the first night while making s'mores for people who had never had them before!

The weather got the worst of us on the Sunday while one group was trying to pack up.  It was on-and-off rain and thundershowers, then beautiful sun the next minute.  Canadian summers - you never know what to expect!

Our participants shared some of their experiences with us as well.  One family of Mexican background cooked up a delicious homemade taco meal (and even shared with the LTC staff, yummy!), it really shows how much you can do with a two-burner camping stove, fire, and some creativity!

Another group experienced canoeing in Halfway Lake, and what happens when one accidentally tips a canoe!  Everyone was all smiles after the incident and we even had some dedicated park staff who made sure everything was ok.

Through the rain, some leaky tents, and a canoe tipping our "Learn To Camp-ers" overall had an excellent time!  They all left with smiles after a few days of experiencing the Canadian wilderness and all said that they were for sure going to try out camping at least once more this summer!

Tomorrow we are off to Grundy Lake Provincial Park for our next session.  We are almost completely booked with groups which will be exciting to share the love of camping with others and meet some more excited participants!