The second trip did not have as smooth a start as the first group. One student almost didn't make the trip, some very generous teachers did some quick manouvring to get him to the bus which had already departed. This meant we got a bit af a late start, as the students also had to pack their gear in the parking lot as they got their packs from the students on the first trip. The one advantage that we had was that things like kitchen gear and tents were left behind at the campsite, leaving us a little lighter during the first day.
The first day would be our longest day, with most of our portages and a very long paddle. It was also extremely hot, with not a lot of shade. This first day was also very eventful. It started with a couple of students that missed a few key lessons on how to steer the canoe, but they got the hang of it fairly quickly. After our second portage of the day, everyone was very hot, so we decide to try and bypass the next portage by walking though the water with our canoes on the side of the rapid. This worked great until Ian and Jessie tried to paddle away from the rapid and had a bit of dunk, although they were very quick to save the gear and actually found it nice and refreshing. The last portage, and the longest, introduced us to the masses of mosquitos that had awoken during this day (they were not there the day before). They also welcomed us to our campsite, it really was challenging for some of our inexperienced students. The fun had not yet finished, as one of the tents was missing when we got to the campsite. We found it in the water, because the last trip had not pegged it down and the wind had blown it in the water. The last surprise of the day was that we had forgotten some key ingredients to our menu.
Now the nice thing about being on a canoe trip, once you commit, all you have to do is deal with what you have. The tent was dried out in the late afternoon sun and was dry for the night, meals were adjusted to ensure we all ate well and had enough, and the second day we found a campsite with some wind to keep the bugs at bay. Things always seem worse than what they really are. Which is something we had to keep in mind as we had another tough day of portaging on the second day. It wasn't so much the portages, it was the intensity of the sun and the heat. This made us a bit slower, but we knew all the tough times would be quickly forgotten when we would get to the waterslides in the afternoon.
When we got to Stratton Lake, our campsites we were hoping for was already taken, so we adjusted our plans and headed to High Falls for a quick lunch and a great afternoon of swimming. Oh, how quickly our challenging morning was forgotten. Especially with the knowledge that we could sleep in the next morning and had completed almost all of our portages for the trip.
The next day was one of relaxation and well deserved. Unfortunately the winds were too strong to teach solo canoeing, but the were perfect for some sailing. We build ourselves a catamaran using two canoes, build an A-frame on it and then had a sail that we could hoist when we were ready. The morning and afternoon were spent giving sailing tours down the lake at some great speeds. The evening was saw an amazing dinner of nachos, salad, spaghetti and garlic bread, which was followed up with a great game of president and some scary stories.
The winds on the final day didn't settle down and provided the group with it's last challenge as we headed straight into it. This time the students were ready and finished off the trip in style.
Friday, 25 May, 2012
PAD30 Algonquin Park Canoe trip #1
What a great time of year to have a canoe trip. Warm sunny weather, water temperature was no too bad to even nice, bugs were not too bad and there was no one else in Algonquin Park. All in all, we had an exceptional trip.
This was the largest group of students that I have ever taken on a trip at once, we were 27 people on the trip in 10 canoes with all of our gear. To say the least, the canoes were loaded. What this did mean is that we had lots of hands to help out around camp and on the portages. It was also nice that this was second camping trip for the majority of the students, which meant they knew the routines, were able to start fires and were able to work well together. This was evident right off the bad, as we completed the first portage, which was a coffin carry of the canoes around a dam, very fast and efficiently. It was also nice that when we hit the biggest lake, Stratton Lake, of the trip, that the wind was in our back and we sailed all the way to our campsite.
The many hands on deck was very evident at camp, as things got done very quickly and very well. We had tons of firewood, great meals that were prepared very efficiently and whenever there was something that we needed to be done, there were always a few people willing to get it done. It is nice to be able to leave a campsite clean, organized and stocked with wood.
We did decide to stay on the site for two nights. We were supposed to move over to the next lake, St Andrew Lake, but after a quick check, the campsites we wanted were taken and the bugs seemed to be worse there. We made good use of our extra time with a solo canoeing session, some cooperative challenges and an amazing afternoon at the water slides. Not to mention a few more excellent meals, including quessidillas.
The third day we made our way from Stratton Lake to our campsites on Opalescent Lake. We had a moose come through camp just as we were ready to leave our campsite. This day we would see many short paddles and our first real day of challenging portages. The portages were met with great enthusiasm, with many students carrying two items. The portages were completed quickly and we even managed to collect enough firewood on the last portage for both canoe trips. The afternoon was again spent relaxing, swimming and competing in gunnel races. There was even a battle between campsite which was trying to steal each others' canoes.
The last day was an early morning rise to complete our longest travel day before noon to meet the bus. The thing about all of our mornings is that is was cool to keep the bugs away and the sky was always perfectly blue. The crew was ready to go on this day, with our longest portage of the canoe trip to start, the group made easy work of it. We made it through the Barron Canyon and the long paddle in great time to beat the bus to the parking lot. Four days of great weather, good food and great friends, what more can you ask for in a canoe trip.
This was the largest group of students that I have ever taken on a trip at once, we were 27 people on the trip in 10 canoes with all of our gear. To say the least, the canoes were loaded. What this did mean is that we had lots of hands to help out around camp and on the portages. It was also nice that this was second camping trip for the majority of the students, which meant they knew the routines, were able to start fires and were able to work well together. This was evident right off the bad, as we completed the first portage, which was a coffin carry of the canoes around a dam, very fast and efficiently. It was also nice that when we hit the biggest lake, Stratton Lake, of the trip, that the wind was in our back and we sailed all the way to our campsite.
The many hands on deck was very evident at camp, as things got done very quickly and very well. We had tons of firewood, great meals that were prepared very efficiently and whenever there was something that we needed to be done, there were always a few people willing to get it done. It is nice to be able to leave a campsite clean, organized and stocked with wood.
We did decide to stay on the site for two nights. We were supposed to move over to the next lake, St Andrew Lake, but after a quick check, the campsites we wanted were taken and the bugs seemed to be worse there. We made good use of our extra time with a solo canoeing session, some cooperative challenges and an amazing afternoon at the water slides. Not to mention a few more excellent meals, including quessidillas.
The third day we made our way from Stratton Lake to our campsites on Opalescent Lake. We had a moose come through camp just as we were ready to leave our campsite. This day we would see many short paddles and our first real day of challenging portages. The portages were met with great enthusiasm, with many students carrying two items. The portages were completed quickly and we even managed to collect enough firewood on the last portage for both canoe trips. The afternoon was again spent relaxing, swimming and competing in gunnel races. There was even a battle between campsite which was trying to steal each others' canoes.
The last day was an early morning rise to complete our longest travel day before noon to meet the bus. The thing about all of our mornings is that is was cool to keep the bugs away and the sky was always perfectly blue. The crew was ready to go on this day, with our longest portage of the canoe trip to start, the group made easy work of it. We made it through the Barron Canyon and the long paddle in great time to beat the bus to the parking lot. Four days of great weather, good food and great friends, what more can you ask for in a canoe trip.
Thursday, 24 May, 2012
PAD2O Frontenac Hiking Trip
The grade 10 students headed to Frontenac Provincial Park for their 3-day hiking trip on May 1st. The forecast looked promising, although recent rains and warm tempuratures would surely awaken the blackfly.
We started our trip from the Arab Lake parking lot with all of our gear on our back. As we headed North to Birch Lake, the students got to feel the weight of a full pack as they travelled over rough terrain. A little different then the hour hikes we did during class time. That said, the group adjusted really well and moved quite efficiently. On this first day, we travelled along Birch Lake to Tett Mines, location of an old Mica mine that still has an old steam boiler from the 1920's. It was here that we felt the first of the blackfly swarms.
Our first campsite was located on Little Clear Lake, a beautiful spot with just enough wind to ensure the bugs were not too bad. Here the students build fires (tried anyways), set up their tents and prepared their dinners. The evening was cool and perfect for a great night sleep. The following day we headed around the top of Big Salmon Lake, where we had a wonderful lunch in the hot sun at the top of the lookout. There were even a few students that took a swim here. The afternoon was a quick trip around the lake to campsite 4 on Big Salmon Lake.
The bugs were a non issue at this campsite as there was a nice breeze and the temperatures droppped enough to keep the blackflys in their hiding spots. The students learned how to properly make a fire and their fires were roaring on this night. Unfortunately, a very large thunderstorm ended the outside activities around 8 pm. Although, I believe that many welcomed the opportunity to head to bed early.
In the morning, the weather had settled and we were able to make our way wuite quickly back to the trailhead and the bus. All in all, the students were great, the weather was good, the bugs not too bad, just a wonderful trip.
We started our trip from the Arab Lake parking lot with all of our gear on our back. As we headed North to Birch Lake, the students got to feel the weight of a full pack as they travelled over rough terrain. A little different then the hour hikes we did during class time. That said, the group adjusted really well and moved quite efficiently. On this first day, we travelled along Birch Lake to Tett Mines, location of an old Mica mine that still has an old steam boiler from the 1920's. It was here that we felt the first of the blackfly swarms.
Our first campsite was located on Little Clear Lake, a beautiful spot with just enough wind to ensure the bugs were not too bad. Here the students build fires (tried anyways), set up their tents and prepared their dinners. The evening was cool and perfect for a great night sleep. The following day we headed around the top of Big Salmon Lake, where we had a wonderful lunch in the hot sun at the top of the lookout. There were even a few students that took a swim here. The afternoon was a quick trip around the lake to campsite 4 on Big Salmon Lake.
The bugs were a non issue at this campsite as there was a nice breeze and the temperatures droppped enough to keep the blackflys in their hiding spots. The students learned how to properly make a fire and their fires were roaring on this night. Unfortunately, a very large thunderstorm ended the outside activities around 8 pm. Although, I believe that many welcomed the opportunity to head to bed early.
Monday, 26 March, 2012
Come and support CW Outdoor Ed
REEL Paddling Film FestivalThis year's best paddling films of the year
Thursday, March 29, 2012 7:00 PM
Glebe Collegiate Auditorium
212 Glebe Ave.
Tickets $15
All proceeds go to support Outdoor Education in Ottawa High Schools
Free 1-year on-line subscription to one of Rapid Media's magazines
(special show rate for magazine subscription will be available on-site)
Presented by YCCC.CA, Cairine Wilson S.S. & Glebe
Join us on Facebook
Thursday, 8 March, 2012
PAD2O Gatineau Park XC Ski Trip
What an amazing day. On Tuesday, the Grade 10 Outdoor Ed class headed to Gatineau Park for a day of XC skiing. The weather was an amazing -2 C and sunny. It was a great opportunity to test our skiing skills on the nicely groomed trails.
We started our trip at Camp Fortune and worked our way, via the #4 and #14, to Ridge road (#1), which is the main ski artery that runs through the park. Following the #1 we climbed a number of hills, and enjoyed a few small downhills, to Huron Cabin for lunch. The weather was so nice that the majority of students chose to sit outside and enjoy the many birds that seemed to be excited for the spring like conditions.
After lunch, we headed to Champlain Lookout for a wonderful view of the Ottawa River Valley. The best part of this is that we were at the highest point of the day and most of the afternoon was skiing downhill. It was amazing to see how much the skiing abilities of the students improved over the day. Although some may have been challenged by the distance and some by the terrain, they all did great and fun was had by all.
Monday, 5 March, 2012
PAD3O Gatineau Park XC Ski Trip
The Grade 11's took the trails of Gatineau Park on March 2nd. The day started a bit slow as the bus was late to pick us up and as we arrived it started to rain slightly as we arrived at Camp Fortune, but lucky for us, this didn't last long and we had an amazing day.
For many students in the class, this was the 2nd time they were on this trip and it showed, as we moved really quickly through the trails to Huron Cabin for lunch. Most were also skate skiing, which was perfect on the groomed trails that had lots of fresh snow on them.
After a quick repair to some poles and a nice lunch, we headed for Champlain and Etienne Brule lookouts to enjoy the misty view of the Ottawa River Valley. This was followed by a wonderful parkway descent to Parking Lot #10. There were a few students who climbed up the Burma downhill to repeat an experience they enjoyed from last year. Most students stayed at the bottom to watch the entertainment unfold.
All in all, it was just a wonderful day on the trails.
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