As part of the program at The Bronte Creek Project we are embarking upon on the experience of a lifetime that our skills throughout the sensational semester have built towards. A week from now I will be setting foot on a bus that will drive us 5 hours north of the Toronto area to the world famous outdoor wilderness and eco lodge camping central town of Temagami, Ontario. Here we will be spending five days snow shoeing through the old growth forest of Temagami with trees dating back more than 350 years ago. We'll sleep in quinzees a variation of the more traditional and commonly known igloo that Canadian Inuit use in Northwest Territories and Nunavut as hunting lodges and accommodation for a night or a few. Throughout the past several months at Bronte we have been learning the ways of the wild in our geography sessions covering subjects from camping lightly to outdoor cooking skills to the skill of snowshoeing. We will be spending two nights at Smoothwater Eco-Lodge a beautiful eco-tourism lodge that has rustic and cozy accommodations where you we will be spending the first and final nights. Gourmet organic meals will be cooked and served to us with our assistance lending a hand to their chef. They host a wide variety of programs pleasing my fellow Ontarians, North American and European travelers visiting Canada alike. A number of snowshoeing and skiing packages are available when the snow is falling. When the sun is shining there's canoe trips from the lodge accompanied with different themed packages. It's a great place to get outdoors and escape the city air whether it's Toronto, New York or Paris!


Smoothwater Outfitters can be found 5 hours north of Toronto and 6 hours west of Ottawa in Ontario

The two most memorable workshops that the highly creative staff of Bronte came up with were teaching us what to do if someone was to fall into serious hypothermia. We had all the necessary layers to warm someone supposedly suffering from extreme cold conditions. Wrapping him in fresh clothes and creating a diaper out of a garbage bag in case of accidents in which you wouldn't want to have to unwrap the victim. We then wrapped him in multiple layers of sleeping bags and warm blankets and other materials. We loaded all of this onto a sled and our mock victim was set to head to safety and our brains now knew what to do to deal with this serious medical problem in harsh winter weather. On another day with the help of a visiting camping leader we were divided into two groups. One waited in the huge hall nicknamed the Great Hall, the others waited in the hall including myself completely unaware as to what was next. The camping leader then came out into the hall and informed us individually of our newly found fates. Some of us had lost the use of one hand, the loss of limbs or the loss of our speech among other impairments. We each were instructed to wander into the Great Hall into a completely unknown scene and role-play based on our injuries and impairments.



Snowshoeing a popular and perfect way to enjoy winter at Smoothwater



We walked into a scene of pandemonium in the Great Hall where there were wailing bodies everywhere, people who had lost limbs and the ability to walk on their own two feet. Using sleds, intuition and swift problem solving we had to transport ourselves across the Great Hall, into the hall, up the steps and into the Fishbowl our classroom, the chosen safe spot. My older brother was visiting that day and he had no use of his right arm and I couldn't grasp anything due to an oncoming semi serious condition of frostbite. Due to the fact I couldn't assist in lifting of any sort I took part in providing moral and verbal support to a delusional victim who was so far gone that she was having extremely emotional fits over her husband Larry's death, that never even happened not even fictionally. People ran around wrapping the cold in blankets and sleeping bags, and laying them snugly in sleds and toboggans. They then slid everyone who couldn't walk himself or herself up to the Fishbowl. Those who could semi manage huddled together and got there. We managed to get to the top safety zone with success and then sat in a circle and grabbed one of the camping woman's kids toys. Based on the colour of the toy we chose we discussed different types of risks and situations that we ran into in the Great Hall. Whether this be helping a blinded man walk and find his way to safely sliding those into sleds and to safety or getting your impairment known. This translated into risk management and how far we were putting ourselves out to help others along, how to best maintain calm and control whilst still taking the situation seriously and how to do it all quickly and safely in a short period of pandemonium.



Showing the parts of both traditional recreational showshoes above the more modern variety of the hardier hiking snowshoe below

We headed outside one day and slid in snowshoes learning how to walk in them. The best way being to take huge steps not in unison, as we are so accustomed to with traditional walking in our daily lives. We lay in the toboggans that will be carrying our gear, packs and food barrels up in Temagami to simulate the weight. This lead to incredibly fun times especially when suddenly the toboggan went backwards and would fly into your legs suddenly taking you by full surprise. We also wrapped another cocoon around someone else in the Dining Hall back a bit to learn how to best keep yourself snug in your sleeping bag in winter. Learned all the different layers including; long underwear, long sleeved shirts, fleece sweaters, wool socks, food nearby a pee bottle if desired and filled out a fun diagram based on this. We have gone over waterproofing our stuff by double bagging with garbage bags within a stuff sack. Learned how to mix the two water purification chemicals to clean the lake water and have been given lists of all the necessary materials including the ever-important materials being wool or the more modern gortex to keep warm. Over the Christmas Holidays headed into several of Toronto's top of the line outdoor supply stores including the well respected Mountain Equipment COOP. That is a fun place membership only mind you but registration forms are easily available, it has a towering rock climbing wall in the centre, which I must try someday! It was a great experience to be there especially with my grandfather who has a wealth of knowledge from his extensive outdoor travel across the globe whether it be the Canadian territory of Nunavut, Russia or the Chinese countryside.


Someone building a quinzee in the Canadian Prarie province of Saskatchewan


A quinzee being built at YMCA Wanakita in the immensely popular cottage hotspot Haliburton, Ontario north of Toronto. It's a camp my Dad's organization works with, see my Reach for the Rainbow post

Next week to continue the preparation we will be baking a host of goodies for which I will do along with my partner, each person is paired with someone compatible. We gave in different suggestions to satisfy our taste buds and our selections are below. We are going to get together outside Bronte and have a bakeoff and at home I'm going to make a batch of gourmet gorp! Also as leader of the day we have different creative games planned that relate to our version of the nightly debrief that takes in both the technical aspects on any issues and successes that came up and the memorable moments for fun. Other leader of the day duties include waking up our fellow classmates creatively which we are going to be doing with the use of chocolate, a classic and broad pleaser, ways to fill in free gaps and games.

Our snacks deliver a nutritious energy boost as we hike throughout the woods in and around Temagami including homemade granola bars, trail mix and the satisfying classics chocolate chip cookies and popcorn.



The food I'll be making during my leader of the day with my partner includes...

Pita Sandwiches



Mac & Cheese

In addition to our leader of the day roles each person or sometimes as a trip group, one half on our regular Bronte group taking on the role of and I quote from Bronte:

Food Coordinators:
Job Description: responsible for coordinating the food planning, writing out the shopping list, and facilitating the food packing (with lots of help!) --my job along with my partner

Gear Coordinators:
Job Description: responsible for organizing and managing the group gear

Water Coordinator:
Job Description: encourage people in your group to keep hydrated, and ensure enough water is melted, purified & water bottles are filled. Carry and be responsible for water purification stuff (two small bottles to be kept warm in jacket).

Warmth Coordinator:
Job Description: A warmth expert who knows lots of tips on staying warm, had lots of games to play to keep us warm, encourages us to eat and makes sure the Trip Journal has lots of good warm ideas.

Memories Coordinator:
Job Description: someone who is responsible for recording the trip both with pictures and a trip journal! For pictures you must make sure that lots of fun and creative pictures are taken and then given to BCP staff on CD to record the trip and you get to create and maintain a trip journal for the group.

I am really pumped to see what this trip is like and ready for a fresh take on outdoor camping. Being able to go with Bronte that truly has changed who I am and with a big group of friends who really are family will be wonderful. As the semester comes to a close and the sense of sadness mixed with pride and accomplishment rises higher and higher it is an absolutely enchanting way to finish the semester with the flair and creativity that this program has taught me so much beyond belief. More than I have ever learned in traditional paper and desk school.

- Up next in Days at the Creek.... The Enviro Book Adventure, Temagami pictures, two sets of journal entries on Bronte as its end draws near and an entry on life after Bronte and how alternative programs never really end and more! Check back.

Teague Neal blogged on 3:40 AM 0 comments

3:40 AM

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