Outers Single Overnight
1 Nov 2005
Atikokan, On, is well known for its unique outdoor program. This year since I am enrolled in the program I have written about the experiences I have had in the Fall trips. This programme is offered to Gr. 11 students attending AHS. There are ususally 3-6 brigades in each year. The brigades consist of 6-7 female students (there is also a male programme) which are placed in each brigade by teachers. Friends and cliques are seperated, so its kinda hard to get along in your brigade.
This was it. Our first overnight trip. Wow! Was the pressure ever on.
We drove out to Stanton Bay parking lot via bus; all the way we sang modified versions of “Down By the Bay.” None of us wanted to admit it, but nobody was actually looking forward to the trip, we wanted to go home and we hadn’t even started!
We exited the bus and immediately began portaging our canoe and four packs down to the water. Then we had a raft-up as soon as we got on the water. We talked a lot, hoping to prolong the paddle. That didn’t work. Within five minutes we were moving swiftly out to Stanton Bay. Once we were out there we faced a moderate headwind and I was constantly shouting out motivation to my brigade. It worked, and we arrived at Long Island within half an hour.
After another brief raft-up we were headed out to our assigned camping sites. Our site was beautiful. We were situated on a small peninsula with the lake on either side of us. As soon as we unloaded the canoe and flipped it over we fulfilled our various duties. I was the cook, so I light the fire and started the Coleman stove. Soon our meal was cooking. We had a box of Kraft dinner and a package of Tatter Tots. (And, by the way: I very strongly advise you never to bring Tatter Tots, they are very disgusting!) Luckily I had brought my own package of Sidekicks, which was totally delicious.
At night I boiled some water over the stove and served up the hot chocolate. When everybody had taken the water they had needed I dumped my coffee grounds in and made myself some cowboy coffee. Yum! That was just what I needed. We sat around the fire and talked. Somebody looked up and was amazed at the clear sky. It was deep blue and the stars shone like, well, stars. It was so beautiful.
I got up around six. Man, was it ever cold. I stumbled out of the tent and started the fire. Then I put my contacts in. Another picture perfect wilderness scene was displayed. The fog was gently rolling off the still water, with glittering rays of sunlight peeking through. God’s world is so amazing.
We had a breakfast of oatmeal and hot chocolate, but I had to boil the water over the fire since our propane ran out (which was no big deal for me, I was used to that). However, one girl in my brigade refused to eat her oatmeal because there had been a few ashes in the water.
We packed our canoe just on time, and staff’s campsite check proved us clean. We paddled to the raft-up at eight, each brigade discussing their ups and downs of the night. Soon we were paddling again. The portage seemed too close, I didn’t want to portage that stupid canoe—I just wanted to paddle some more.
That first portage really tested my patience. The same girl who refused to eat her oatmeal was being really uncooperative, and at the end of the portage we had a shouting match, which our teacher was taping without me knowing.
We paddled a short while and then came to the next portage. We didn’t think we would do too well, but we surprised ourselves (and our staff) when we finished first of all the brigades. This was a hard portage, at least 800 meters, with three steep hills at the end. I was proud of my brigade.
After the second portage we stopped at the first ok spot and ate our lunch. As we were eating two canoeists paddled by and began the next portage. One person picked up their canoe and the other grabbed their packs. We were so envious of them, it takes at least five people to pickup our canoe, and definitely two people to portage it. Not fair!
Once we finished our lunch we began the portage, which was really quite short, and after a twenty-minute paddle we were back at the Nym Lake Fire Base.
The dreaded overnight was finished, but now there was an even more dreadful trip ahead—double overnight.
1 Nov 2005
Atikokan, On, is well known for its unique outdoor program. This year since I am enrolled in the program I have written about the experiences I have had in the Fall trips. This programme is offered to Gr. 11 students attending AHS. There are ususally 3-6 brigades in each year. The brigades consist of 6-7 female students (there is also a male programme) which are placed in each brigade by teachers. Friends and cliques are seperated, so its kinda hard to get along in your brigade.
This was it. Our first overnight trip. Wow! Was the pressure ever on.
We drove out to Stanton Bay parking lot via bus; all the way we sang modified versions of “Down By the Bay.” None of us wanted to admit it, but nobody was actually looking forward to the trip, we wanted to go home and we hadn’t even started!
We exited the bus and immediately began portaging our canoe and four packs down to the water. Then we had a raft-up as soon as we got on the water. We talked a lot, hoping to prolong the paddle. That didn’t work. Within five minutes we were moving swiftly out to Stanton Bay. Once we were out there we faced a moderate headwind and I was constantly shouting out motivation to my brigade. It worked, and we arrived at Long Island within half an hour.
After another brief raft-up we were headed out to our assigned camping sites. Our site was beautiful. We were situated on a small peninsula with the lake on either side of us. As soon as we unloaded the canoe and flipped it over we fulfilled our various duties. I was the cook, so I light the fire and started the Coleman stove. Soon our meal was cooking. We had a box of Kraft dinner and a package of Tatter Tots. (And, by the way: I very strongly advise you never to bring Tatter Tots, they are very disgusting!) Luckily I had brought my own package of Sidekicks, which was totally delicious.
At night I boiled some water over the stove and served up the hot chocolate. When everybody had taken the water they had needed I dumped my coffee grounds in and made myself some cowboy coffee. Yum! That was just what I needed. We sat around the fire and talked. Somebody looked up and was amazed at the clear sky. It was deep blue and the stars shone like, well, stars. It was so beautiful.
I got up around six. Man, was it ever cold. I stumbled out of the tent and started the fire. Then I put my contacts in. Another picture perfect wilderness scene was displayed. The fog was gently rolling off the still water, with glittering rays of sunlight peeking through. God’s world is so amazing.
We had a breakfast of oatmeal and hot chocolate, but I had to boil the water over the fire since our propane ran out (which was no big deal for me, I was used to that). However, one girl in my brigade refused to eat her oatmeal because there had been a few ashes in the water.
We packed our canoe just on time, and staff’s campsite check proved us clean. We paddled to the raft-up at eight, each brigade discussing their ups and downs of the night. Soon we were paddling again. The portage seemed too close, I didn’t want to portage that stupid canoe—I just wanted to paddle some more.
That first portage really tested my patience. The same girl who refused to eat her oatmeal was being really uncooperative, and at the end of the portage we had a shouting match, which our teacher was taping without me knowing.
We paddled a short while and then came to the next portage. We didn’t think we would do too well, but we surprised ourselves (and our staff) when we finished first of all the brigades. This was a hard portage, at least 800 meters, with three steep hills at the end. I was proud of my brigade.
After the second portage we stopped at the first ok spot and ate our lunch. As we were eating two canoeists paddled by and began the next portage. One person picked up their canoe and the other grabbed their packs. We were so envious of them, it takes at least five people to pickup our canoe, and definitely two people to portage it. Not fair!
Once we finished our lunch we began the portage, which was really quite short, and after a twenty-minute paddle we were back at the Nym Lake Fire Base.
The dreaded overnight was finished, but now there was an even more dreadful trip ahead—double overnight.