Enjoying The Outdoors - Part Nine.

Gone Buildin'.

This week I will be laying low, I might get to a "Enjoying The Outdoors" post for Friday. This week is packed to the tip. I am currently building a new work bench, and trying to get it done so I can move stuff around and get things settled before I leave for out East. Also I am traveling later this week to visit a craftsman/farmer to put together a fantastic story about him and what he does. So stay tuned folks and again any comments, questions, etc. shoot me an email or leave a comment.

-Chris

Maple Syrup Season.

This time of year is one of many memories. I grew up on a 15 acre hobby farm in Rockwood, ON, My Dad and Mom were quite active in the "homesteading" lifestyle. We had livestock, a huge vegetable garden, our house was wood heated, and in the basement a huge cold cellar filled with preserved fruit, jams, potatoes and liters of maple syrup. Every year as the Winter was breaking my Dad would set the jumbo bathtub sized vat on some cinder blocks out to the side of our house. The cinder blocks provided just enough clearance for a fire to be built underneath. He then would gather the collection pails, and spigots for the sap from the wood shed. It was always a fun time riding in the tractor's trailer with all the pails as we tooted around the acreage tapping the trees. I remember for many years one buddy would come with us to collect sap, and it was always a laugh as my Dad would drive the tractor through low branches to try to clip us. Dodging the branches one of us would yell "Duck!" and the other one would scream "Where?" looking around for a flying duck. I was to young to probably appreciate the constant night and day fire feeding my Dad had to do to make the syrup, but I do remember always being outside and willing to grab the small pitcher kept beside the kettle and dipping it into the liquid deliciousness and enjoy a hot glass of maple syrup. My siblings and I would pass the pitcher around the fire sipping the smokey golden brown syrup, as my Dad poured more sap into the kettle.  In the end we would usually have in the cellar about 200L of syrup a season give or take.  So folks, take a look at your local Conservation areas website. They usually have some sort of maple syrup festival happening now and the coming weeks. Here is Halton Conservation schedule, they have a fantastic sugar bush, and shack to visit.

Damn Yak On Field Notes.

I was suggested by Tinder.ca to send in a pic from when I rebuild the Estwing hammer to Field Notes,  as my memo book was in the background and low a behold they did a fantastic little write up On Damn Yak. Just want to say Thanks to Bryan at Field Notes for the spot, and the heads up last night that it was up on their page. Click the screenshot or the link to go directly to FN homepage.

YMCA Pine Crest

This coming weekend I will up in Gravenhurst at YMCA Camp Pine Crest. My Brother in law is the team leader for Pine Crest's teen and youth programs, and my wife and I usually make a couple trips up per year to hang out. The camp is quite a historic camp here in Ontario, in fact it is thee longest operating camp in North America. The story began in 1896 when C.J. Atkinson started the Broadview Boys Institute running summer camps for boys across Ontario. In 1910 the BBI opened it first camp in its current location on Clear Lake, and originally called "Camp Clear Lake". The following year they expanded the camp around what is known as First Point. One interesting fact about the early days of the camp, is that actual summer camp participates helped in the actual construction of the camp. Imagine having to help build the cabin you and your group is sleeping in, fantastic.  During the 50's - 60's the camp grew tremendously, and now owns almost 650 acres and 6km of shoreline. In 1980 the camp was finally changed to accommodation a separate girls section. At Pine Crest everyone who attends goes on a canoe trip in their stay, and good thing as the camp has one of the largest fleets of cedar canvas canoes in Canada. The Trip duration is usually governed by how long your stay at the camp is, your program, and your age. Some of the trips are up to 30 days. The camp also has Pine Crest Games, a two-day event that takes place on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of each summer involving competitions between two teams, the Lumbermen and the Voyageurs. This is quite a event at Pine Crest involving numerous events, a hopefully good description is from Wiki (for what its worth).

"The Pine Crest Games are an annual two-day event in which a series of competitions takes place between the Lumbermen and the Voyageurs. The Games begin with the announcement of the two team leaders. The leaders are camp staff, one man and one woman, who each have to hold their team's symbol - an axe for the Lumbermen and a paddle for the Voyageurs - without allowing it to touch the ground over the two days.
Three different sets of competitions are held. Swimming is held at the swimming docks, Boating is held at the boating docks, and Woodcraft, competitions which do not occur in the water such as portaging, tug-of-war, and giant jenga, is held at the Adventure Field.
On the afternoon of the second day, three marathons occur. The Neanderthal Crawl is done by Bantams and Juniors - the competitor must paddle in a kayak around a marker in the water, and then run to the adventure field and complete an obstacle course. The Snake Island Marathon is a canoe race completed by two-person teams of Seniors, in which the team must paddle from the Boating Docks, around Snake Island, and back – roughly 3 km. The Tri-Lakes Marathon is a longer race run by Pioneers and Leadership participants, in which two-person teams, which can have up to one staff member, pick up a canoe near the boating docks, carry it and two paddles 300 meters to Gullwing Lake, paddle 4 km through Gullwing Lake, the narrows, and Echo Lake, complete another 200 meter portage, and then sprint 500 meters across Clear Lake to finish the race.
At the end of the Games, a campfire is held in which the winners of each marathon are announced. Then, a four person relay occurs in which one member from each team paddles from Willison House to the swimming docks, then another member from each team jump off the jumping tower and swim a pool length together, and then the third members from each team run together back around to Willison House. At the end of the relay, each team leader drinks an unknown beverage, and then a letter on Sunset Bridge is lit on fire and spun to indicate either a V or L, whichever has won the Games.
The rules for deciding the team leaders and the winner of the Games was made into a sworn secret in the 1970s. Only Games leaders and Camp Directors are offered the secrets. Once one knows the secrets, he/she becomes a Referee-in-chief, or RIC, and can no longer compete in the Games. Additionally, he/she is sworn to secrecy and cannot tell the secrets to or discuss them with anyone who is not a RIC. Games leaders have the option to defer knowledge of the secrets, in which case he/she can continue to compete in the Games with the team that he/she led. To date, only two have done this, of whom only one still does not know the secrets."

On the Pine Crest Facebook page there are some great photos of old and new, including many of the Pine Crest games. Take a look and enjoy.  I will have some more photos after the week-end, stay tuned.

While rebuilding their Centennial Lodge one of the main
beams was carved with the original date of construction.

Enjoying The Outdoors - Part Eight.

Bill Mason 16mm Films.

 This past week has been quite memorable week for me. If you have followed the blog or know me personally, you know I am big Fan of Bill Mason's work. Well this week I had the pleasure of basically having a collection of the original 16mm films fall into my lap. I stumbled onto two film, then while looking for a projector to play them I was offered two more. These are the classic films with the sound right on the film, like we use to watch in Grade and high school. One of my earliest memories of Bill Mason's films are sitting in my old living room with my Dad and watching the projector clack away with the super distinct voice of Bill chatting way on "Song of the paddle". To be able to have these films is something else, I was giddy like a school-girl waiting for them in the mail. The four movies that I got are as follows:

"Path of the Paddle - Double Basics"
"Path of the Paddle - Solo Whitewater"
"Paddle to the Sea"
"The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes"

Two of them have faded a bit, as all film does, and  the Magenta is the predominate colour, but the films are 100% viewable and I have been watching them all weekend! I hope to be having a Public "screening" coming up soon, I am just trying to work out details with some friends in regards to space etc. Stay tuned!

Sweet Find Alert: "Last Climb" (Deluxe Leather Edition) $1.99.

Swing by Bookcloseouts.ca to pick up this fantastic deluxe edition of this book for a whopping $1.99. Tons of great pictures of the fatal 1924 expedition to Everest. Lots of photos of the early Wool and gabardine mountaineering gear. Imagine today climbing Everest in a Harris Tweed suit and thin leather boots.  Also Bookcloseouts.ca has some cheap Kevin Callan Canoe books - $5.99 - Say what!

The last known photo of Mallory and Irvine before their Summit.

Mallory (second from left) is so bad ass he used people as stepping stools, and Irvine (far left)

Enjoying The Outdoors - Part Seven.

Written on Back: Winter in the Klondike.

Enjoying The Outdoors - Part Six - One Man's Cabin.

Here is a series of photos of mine, all of some families cabin. I'll take one!