Journey ON Magazine

JOURNEY ON A GUIDE TO TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE IN ONTARIO

Discover Geocaching Bears on the move in southern Ontario

New home, new destinations

The disappearing night sky

CONTENTS Cover Stories

5 New homes, new destinations 11 The disappearing night sky 17 Bears on the move in southern Ontario 19 Go on a geocaching adventure

Travel

7 Eco-tourism 10 Wilderness adventure on reserve land 13 RVing is for everyone 15 Pedalling the province 18 Rediscover Ontario’s Light 21 Urban fishing

Life

2 Troubled youth find peace in the bush 3 Connecting communities through trails 6 The story of a blind man who sees no obstacles 9 Wilderness survival schools 14 Pooch perils

Technology

20 Riding high on the social adventure network 22 About/contacts

Cover and contents photos by: MEEGAN SCANLON

Troubled youth find peace in the bush Text and photos by MEEGAN SCANLON Tichina Forrest takes a moment to collect herself as she thinks about how her life could have been.

Now 20, she knows she owes a lot of her success to the Trails Youth Initiative offered

by The Rotary Club, a program for vulnerable, inner city youths from Toronto.

The program spans four years, including several weeks away every summer and one weekend every month throughout the year.

Using the wilderness experience, it helps them to reach their potential.

“I don’t think I would have finished school,” Forrest said. “I don’t think I would be in college if it wasn’t for that program.”

Forrest, along with countless youth have been assisted by programs specializing in bringing together tradition counseling and wilderness challenges.

Forrest moved from Jamaica to Toronto with her family at the age of 2. As a teen she had a lot of attitude problems, including not listening to her teachers and bullying others. “’I’m right, you’re wrong. Don’t tell me anything’,” Forrest said. “I’m the boss, was how I came across.”

Pine River Institute, located an hour northwest of Toronto, is a place for youth struggling with mental health issues, and specifically, substance abuse.

For Elyse Schipper, the co-founder of Pine River Institute, taking troubled youth into the wilderness is a great way to teach about consequences. If you don’t dress warmly enough you will be cold. If you don’t get your shelter up before dark, it’s harder to do.

“It’s for kids in particular who have difficulty with authority or following orders or sort of living outside the laws of life,” Schipper said. “You don’t really have to intervene for them to get how it works out there.”

The outdoor experience also helps to teach youth about respect.

“Mother nature is going to do what it is going to do,” Schipper said. “You sort of learn to go with the flow and respect what is going on.”

For Courtney Kraik, being sent to Outward Bounds

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Youth Leadership Program at the age of 17 meant learning a lot about respect.

She was told because of her issues with authority, in order to graduate she would have to complete the month-long wilderness program.

“I just did my own thing, I did it without asking and boarding school is not really cool with that,” Kraik said.

For 23 days she, along with a dozen other youth learned about working together to achieve goals, conflict resolution and looking beyond their own needs.

“At school when I get in trouble, I’m the only one who has to deal with it,” Kraik said.

“Where as out there, if you do something wrong the whole team pays for it.”

The change came quickly and was evident to everyone in her life.

“There was a huge difference,” Kraik said.

“I learned to take responsibility for myself in the bigger scheme of things.”

Schipper says being in nature also helps youth feel extremely grounded and powerful.

“They come out feeling like, ‘I can do anything’,” she said. “I can take this on. I have these issues that have felt crushing for the last however long, but I know I can deal with them now.”

After Forrest completed the four-year pro-

gram, she had the opportunity to apply for a fifth year, which included a major trip.

30 days in the Yukon, including 17 days of canoeing on the Yukon River.

When Trails approached Forrest on the recommendation of her teacher, she was not interested.

“At first I was like, ‘No,’” she said. “I’m not going in the bush, never.”

Her mother saw the importance of the opportunity and sent her anyway.

In the first year, Forrest learned basic outdoor skills such as swimming and canoeing.

This was complemented by canoe trips that increased in difficulty throughout the four years.

As the years passed, everyone started to notice a difference in her, she said. The most powerful change surrounded attitude.

Communication with teachers got better.

She was not arguing with her parents as much. She also feels that without the program there is a strong chance she would have experienced a teenage pregnancy.

Today Forrest is at York University and she attributes a desire to work with youth to her time in the program.

“Girls who feel they can’t do anything,” she said. “Girls that …let men make them feel less than themselves are who I want to work with the most.”

Forrest’s success is not an anomaly. Statistics gathered by the Pine River Institute show these programs that incorporate counseling, leadership training and the wilderness experiences have great success.

At Pine River more than 85 per cent of the youth who pass through their program are doing ‘fantastic.’

“They really now have the tools to pull themselves out of it and figure it out,” Schipper said. “So a year later, two years later the results just get better and better.”

Although Forrest does not get back into the wilderness as much as she would like, she still carries what she learned with her today.

“When my teachers told me ‘Tichina you’re a leader’… I didn’t believe them and going through the program allowed me to see that I do have great potential,” she said.

trails Connecting communities through

Trail photos by Chris Higgins

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By Nastasha Alli

T

hrough all four seasons, avid outdoorsman Dan Andrews can be found traversing part of an Ontario trail.

Some days he cycles, some days he hikes, and some days he walks along trail close to home with his wife and children.

“Trails are so diverse across Ontario,” he says, “and it reflects the diversity of people that are involved with it.”

With 88,000 kilometres of multi-use trail throughout the province, Ontarians have long known about the existence and health benefits of trekking on trails. But apart from recognizing their importance as a natural infrastructure, what has captivated Ontario’s 500,000 trail enthusiasts is the trail’s ability to strengthen communities and bring neighbours together.

As executive director of Trans Canada Trail Ontario, Andrews has met hundreds of people involved with building trails. He cites the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association (KTCTA) as one particular group that’s achieved an unprecedented amount of success in the last three years.

More than a hundred volunteers have made significant contributions to completing the Kawartha trails, which consist of 44 kilometres of continuous back-country trail – where “you don’t have to touch road,” Andrews chides – connecting downtown Peterborough to downtown Lindsay in southeastern Ontario.

Volunteers work in areas such as trail mapping and construction, event organization, land management, fundraising and coordinating with local organizations including municipal government and Parks Canada.

Often, when Andrews asks why volunteers choose to work onww trails they respond with three reasons – because trails connect communities, connect the country, and are a gift by Canadians to Canada.

“All those words are great,” he says, “but what it boils down to is they (volunteers) get to build something that’s tangible, something they get to use. They can see it, and feel it.”

People want to “get out and be on the trails they build,” Andrews says, and while that enthusiasm is what initially drives volunteer participation, he says they quickly realize actual trail building isn’t the biggest challenge they face.

According to KTCTA director Al MacPherson, it’s disproving the notion that completing a trail is too big a project to tackle.

“It seems to be an impossible task in many people’s minds,” he says.

He lists issues such as liability, insurance, construction costs and unearthing power lines as what people perceive are primary roadblocks to trail building.

At his group’s initial meetings, MacPherson addressed those exact questions among the

families, accountants, municipal parks staff, pin flags on planned routes, designing trails to people kind of ‘get it’ for the first time.” police, and retired Ministry of Natural Re- fit into their existing environment, and identiAlthough the trail care work they do is prisources staff that came as volunteers. fying each community’s specific needs, such marily for mountain bikers, Chad says that “Someone will always say, ‘We’ll work as the frequency of accessibility ramps on good trails can be enjoyed by anyone. At the through each and every one of those (chal- certain sections of trail. After discussing trail St. Lawrence Islands National Park, for inlenges)...and if we believe this is the right theory, the Lazaruks guide volunteers through stance, Deanne recalls surprising a group of thing to do for our comhikers with their trail munity, let’s go at it,’” repairs.

MacPherson says. “And “They saw just how that’s what we did.” much work goes into Trail enthusiasts Chad the trails, and they were and Deanne Lazaruk astounded,” she says. know about the signifiThat community incant time commitment volvement extends to involved with designing another group of cyand maintaining trail clists at the Ottawa networks. As Trail Care Mountain Biking AsCrew for the Internasociation (OMB). It retional Mountain Biking cently became official Association Canada, the stewards of the South Lazaruks spend most of March Highlands Contheir year on the road, servation Area, and on a cross-country jouraccording to Chad, ney to repair, build, and garbage is now non-exreclaim trails. istent on the trails, bush “Those who deal with parties have stopped, (trail building) have and other users are a sense of pride and coming in to enjoy the ownership,” Chad says. trails along the Kanata “It’s extremely labourLakes. intensive. Completing “To be able to share Photo courtesy of Al MacPherson the trail networks near major tasks that are accomplished together as Cyclists pause for a riding break at the Emily Park Road entrance to the and dear to the locals a group, things that no Kawartha Trans Canada Trail. hearts, and to experione person can do on ence it with them is very their own...are why these trail communities hands-on trail building techniques. special,” Deanne says. become so strong. That’s where a sense of be“That’s usually where we see people (react “If the people we’re working with are enthulonging to a community comes from.” like) the light bulb goes on,” Deanne says, as siastic and they want to make a change within The Lazaruks organize weekend workshops volunteers gain a sense of how much work their trail community, then we get excited, we in the cities and towns they visit. They cover goes into clearing a dedicated path through feed off each other’s energy...and it’s a good all aspects of trail building – from laying down the woods. “It’s very rewarding, just watching feeling,” she says. “It’s just fantastic.”

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NOTHING CAN STOP YOU FROM EXPLORING YOUR NEW HOMELAND Text and Photo by Minshu Mo On a recent Friday evening, as usual, Jim Li was browsing the travel block of Rolia. net, a well-known Chinese-Canadian online community. A thread posted by “canliu” drew his attention: “Let’s go hiking and watching the last maple leaves on the weekend.”

He clicked on it and briefly replied: I will be there.

The next morning, Li took the TTC and GO bus from his North York home to the rendezvous point in Mississauga. Twelve other hikers were waiting. They carpooled to Mount Nemo and Crawford Lake in the Halton area, where they hiked, picnicked and enjoyed the late autumn colours.

“I like going out in this way, which costs less and leads me to kindred spirits,” said the 27-year-old programmer, who immigrated to Toronto from China three years ago.

Canada welcomes more than 250,000 immigrants each year. A large population who newly take root here are like Li- they do not have their own vehicles, nor do they have sufficient time or budget for a long-distance trip. However, this does not stop them from exploring their new homeland.

Rosemary Hu, aka “canliu”, is a celebrity in the Rolia community. She came to Canada from China in 1999. Since April last year, she began to organize hiking trips online.

“I had been hiking for years and got bored being on my own,” she said. “So I tried to share my hobby with more people.”

The hiking season is from April to November. Hu’s group mostly hike on the famous Bruce Trail, which begins in Queenston to Tobermory, running through southern and central Ontario. Sometimes there could be as many as 30 participants, mostly new immigrants.

Hu said usually the car-sharing fare is $5 per person and entrance fee to some parks is about $3. Thus it costs no more than ten dollars each trip.

As a veteran hiker, she praises the hiking facilities in Canada.

“Trails are well maintained and with clear signs. You don’t have to worry about getting lost even if you are a beginner,” she said.

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bus tours is an alternative.

Doublewei Travel Inc. is a Toronto-based travel a g e n cy specializing in short-term travel and bus charters. It offers all sorts of tour packages within Ontario, the most popular being Niagara Falls, 1000 Islands, Bethune Memorial House, Scenic Caves, Algonquin Park and Ottawa.

Those tours take one or two days, mostly on weekends or holidays.

Prices range from $20 to $70, which includes bus fare, park entrance fees and rental fees for equipment such as boats, skis and sledges.

Since those target group are immigrants, the tour guides speak many other languages. Tourists usually have to pay an extra $10 to $20 for lunch and the guide.

“What concerns our customers most is the price. The competition is fierce. We have to keep it low,” said William Chan, manager of the Doublewei Travel Inc. Sisi Huang, 25, graduated from Waterloo University in 2009 and got hired by a private college in Toronto. As a junior secretary, she has neither much savings nor long vacations.

However, in the last year she has visited many places by joining those economy tours.

“I don’t care if the bus is comfortable or the lunch is tasty. I don’t want to stay in hotel overnight either,” she said. “All I care about is the destination.”

For those immigrants who can afford driving a car, traveling becomes much easier, though they still have to overcome some difficulties.

When Romy Academia immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 2006, he also brought his passion for road trips. He still remembers the first time he drove to Niagara Falls and got amazed by this spectacle of nature.

“It was so unreal, because you only saw them on pictures before,” the 49-year-old said. “Suddenly it was in front of you, just like a dream came true.”

On weekends, Academia likes driving around with his family. Sometimes they go to resorts like Wasaga Beach to spend a whole day there. Sometimes they try to explore places they have never been.

“Now I always bring both a GPS and a Mapquest printout. It’s like two systems to confirm we are going in the right direction,” he said.

When they are on the road, they rarely eat in those expensive restaurants along the highway. Instead, they bring their homemade food and look for parks to have picnic in, which enables them to lower the travel expense.

This winter, Academia is planning to drive six hours up north to watch the aurora borealis. Unlike the other attractions, this one is not guaranteed to be there.

“People say you might end up waiting in the wild for a whole night and see nothing,” he said. “But anyway, I am going.”

Photo courtesy of: DAVID BROWN

The story of a blind man who sees no obstacles

Text and photo by MEEGAN SCANLON

David Brown lost most of his sight in an accident at the age of 17.

Having just received his licence his biggest concern was that he couldn’t drive anymore.

For months he continued to use his motorcycle, much to his mother’s dismay.

“That was probably the biggest loss. I could deal with the loss of eye sight,” Brown said.

“But not being able to go exactly where you want when you want is a big pain in the butt.”

There are nearly 4.5 million Canadians with a disability.

For them there can be a lot of barriers in the way of travel and adventure. However, more and more opportunities are being made available.

Today Brown, 36, continues to push the envelope for people with disabilities.

The accident that took his sight was caused by an exploding soldering iron at school.

After which one of Brown’s friends convinced him to try windsurfing.

“I kind of got hooked on that and realized, ‘Ya, there’s a bunch of things I can still do’,” he said.

Since then Brown has raced for Canada in downhill skiing, competed in sailing all over the world and even goes on canoe trips with his buddies.

Activities planned for people with disabilities are often indoors, where more elements can be controlled.

According to Dave O’Brien, executive director of the Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers (CADS), it becomes especially tricky in the winter.

“For a lot of people with a disability, winter can really be a barrier to mobility,” O’Brien said. “They stay more indoors.”

CADS, which was started in 1957, is a

charitable organization powered by volunteers. It provides resources and training for disabled skiing.

Not all hills are involved in CADS and O’Brien feels it may have to do with a lack of understanding. “[Resorts can be] a little wary about what is involved,” O’Brien said. “There is special equipment that is required.”

This special equipment, such as sit skis for people with spinal injuries, can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000, making it very difficult for an individual to afford.

In Ontario, resorts such as Snow Valley and Horseshoe have embraced the partnership

“You can, depending on the disability, get a real sense of freedom.”

-O’Brien They help people with disabilities participate in a sport known for speed, and generally viewed as an able-bodied activity.

“You can, depending on the disability, get a sense of freedom,” O’Brien said. “You make decisions on where you want to go and how you want to proceed.”

Brown was once affiliated with the Ontario CADS. He was part of the provincial racing team and at one point was the president.

He views downhill skiing as a great challenge. Requiring a partner to ski with who either gives verbal sounds or wears a noise device for him to follow.

“It takes a lot of courage, a lot of trust in the person I ski with,” Brown said.

Today Brown is focusing that courage on

sailing. As executive director and one of the founders of the Association of Blind Sailing Canada, he is helping to provide the experience for others.

Located at Toronto’s waterfront, the association provides boats, training and the opportunity to experience an activity that is usually out of reach.

“It gets a bunch of people up off the couch and out doing things,” Brown said.

Ideally, each boat has four people on board, two blind and two with sight.

Sometimes the biggest block for getting people out to try these types of activities can be as simple as knowledge.

Barb Gray sees this all the time in her work with Easter Seals. She is the director at Camp Merrywood, located on Rideau Lake, and exposes disabled youth to new opportunities all the time.

“One of the comments we hear a lot from our kids is that they are doing things that people didn’t think they would be able to do. Or that they themselves didn’t think they would be able to do.”

Gray says that the biggest impact is on the confidence of the individual and their family.

This then transitions into their everyday lives.

“We have parents that are like ‘Oh I never thought that I could take my son or daughter canoeing,” Gray said. “Because people have never seen it they never thought of it as being possible.”

Most initiatives in outdoor adventure for the disabled are through charities and dedicated volunteers. They help create programs like sailing, skiing and even biking, which are accessible to everyone.

As Brown puts it, “Somebody’s got to do it.”

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Text and photos by Chris Higgins

The Brickworks: former quarry transformed into parkland.

Ecotourism: what does it actually mean for Ontarians?

N

ational Geographic ranked it one of the top 10 geo- tourism destinations in the world. Not some jungle tour in Costa Rica, but a reclaimed industrial site in Toronto’s Don River Valley, where cyclists, joggers and walkers with white Starbucks cups escape the concrete jungle.

Evergreen Brick Works represents the cutting edge of Ontario’s emerging green tourism industry. They all share some similarities, but ecotourism has more to do with society’s growing awareness of sustainability than it does with canopy tours or mountain biking trails.

The Brick Works originally started with an idea to plant flowers on the site of the Don Brick factory.

It closed when the quarry ran dry of clay in 1985 and remained abandoned, except for the odd rave party, until the Evergreen Society took over. It transformed the quarry into parkland, opened a farmer’s market, a native species garden centre, art galleries and started educational programs on sustainability issues.

Sitting on a picnic table at the Brickworks, bathed in bright October sunshine, Shaji Kangapadan adjusts his dark gold-trimmed sunglasses. As Evergreen’s Community Outreach Officer, he admits it’s an ambitious undertaking.

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want to turn this into an environmental community centre where Torontonians can learn about sustainable living.”

By introducing Toronto’s diverse ethnic communities to the centre, Kangapadan is one of the new faces of green tourism.

“We are particularly reaching out to high needs groups and new Canadians,” he said in an east Indian accent. Stroking his black

mustache, he added, smiling, “I talked with a gentleman who’s been here for 22 years and never knew such a place existed. Never knew about the ravines of Toronto. It’s a big learning curve for them.”

On the line from his office, Anthony Westenberg, the Brickworks spokesperson, underscored how the project pushes the boundaries not only in Ontario, but Canada.

“I think variations of this exist,” Westenberg said, “but not holistically, in one package, like we have here.”

For Susan Gordon, a mother of three boys walking her golden retriever one afternoon the Brick Works offers a refuge.

“Even though you can hear the traffic off in the distance, it still takes you away from the concrete and the hustle bustle of the city,” Gordon said. “It’s just a completely calming place for me.”

Situated in southwestern Ontario near the shores of Lake Erie and Turkey Point Provincial Park, Long Point Eco-Adventures represents another recent example of Ontario’s green tourism.

A far cry from the Brick Work’s urban hipsters and the TTC, one of Long Point’s unique features is its location says general manger Steve Martin.

“This is as far north as the Carolinian range extends,” he said.

Left: Climbing wall at the Brickworks

“It’s a place where the Boreal and Carolinian zones mix so we’re in rare transition zone by the lake. It’s a unique microclimate.”

Yet despite its impressive surroundings location, Long Point, like many other outdoor adventure operators, deals with big challenges when it comes to attracting visitors in the GTA and south of the border. One strategy has been to expand beyond zip lining to include paddling trips, an observatory and winter camping in prospector tents.

“We’re always offering new adventures and activities,” Martin said. “The new observatory really gave us a boost. More activities make it easier for people to come and stay for the whole day as opposed to a half day. Then they won’t mind driving all the way down.”

If the thought of hanging by a wire and be“Ecotourism is more than just activities.

It comes down to how an operator runs their business.”

- Val Bishop ing jettisoned over a river sounds a bit intimidating or frightening to most people, Martin insisted the park is open to everyone.

“The zip lines are considered a soft adventure which is okay for anybody,” Martin said.

Then, with a chuckle, “The youngest allowed is 8 and the oldest we’ve had was an 84- yearold man.”

As the shift towards green tourism gains momentum in Ontario, people are asking questions about standards in the industry. Val Bishop of The Ontario Ecotourism Society says.

“Ecotourism is more than just activities. It comes down to how an operator runs their business. Issues such as where they get materials and supplies, whether they hire local-

Above and below: The Brickworks farmer’s market attracts visitors from across the city and beyond.

ly, their energy sources. It’s about little tour groups, little operators and little impact.”

Currently, if a company calls itself ‘ecotourism’, no official guidelines have to be met.

Bishop’s organization has been developing criteria consumers can use if they want a vaca-

tion that is environmentally friendly.

“We’ll use standards set by the United Nations and customize it for Ontario,” Bishop says over the phone from Haliburton. “What we want to do is give operators a tool kit so they can develop their own sustainability strategies.”

For consumers, she added, it means one day there may be something like a “certified” decal on tour brochures, something like you’d see on a bag of organic rainforest coffee.

Until then, look for a company’s code of ethics.

“That information should be won a website or pamphlet,” she said. “It should lay out their business approach from a sustainability standpoint and how they achieve those points.”

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Wilderness Living schools: Doing it ...with less

Text and Photos By Chris Higgins Mike Peters wiggles his bare torso into a narrow opening onto his bed cushioned with grass. Light shines through a hole in the roof built with saplings tied together with strips of cedar root and thatched with bark. When only his head shows, Peters rests his arms on the smooth mud floor where he spent the summer. A circle of stones charred black from fire sits in the middle of the room.

Peters enrolled as an intern at Sticks and Stones, a wilderness living school in Mono Hills, two hours north of Toronto. Spawned largely from the teachings of famed American tracker Tom Brown Jr., a growing number of these schools have appeared across Ontario. As outdoor enthusiasts become increasingly reliant on techno-gadgets, some have instead opted for less.

A muscular 19-year-old former military cadet, Peters grew up in Toronto. On a sunny November day, he described what it was like when he first arrived.

“It was almost naivety thinking that because I know how things work in the city, I can make it here,” he said. “When I applied that mentality here, I realized you can’t just push a button and get what you want.”

Since then, his experiences at the school have taught Peters skills that go beyond wilderness living.

“I’ve learned how to learn,” Peters said.

“When you sit down to make a bow, there’s no easy way to do it. There’s a piece of wood in front of you and you look at it and predict this and predict that. To get it done, you have to put your whole mind into it. Now, I can apply that same focus to anything.”

Later, in a barn that serves as classroom, workshop and living quarters for interns, Skeet Sutherland, owner of Sticks and Stones, described the philosophy guiding the school’s programs.

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“We have a big disconnect between the dominant culture of today and the cultures that used to live here,” Sutherland said. “They really held the recipe to live within a landscape, understanding it and living within its carrying capacity.”

A graduate of environmental science and pupil of Tom Brown, Sutherland also works as a forestry consultant. In the classroom, animal bones and feathers cover the shelves.

A pile of rocks students chip into arrowheads

medicine,” he said. “There are people with ecosystem management backgrounds who want to add more depth to their naturalist awareness.”

Far from the rolling hills and pine forests of Sticks and Stones, in Ontario’s largest metropolis, Andrew McMartin teaches the same skills and awareness. Another student of Tom Brown and experienced outdoor guide, McMartin runs P.I.N.E. Project, teaching mainly children and families about wilderness living in the city of Toronto.

After 10 years guiding in Northern Ontario, McMartin returned home to Toronto and discovered how little he knew about the natural world where he grew up.

“How could Above: Intern Mike Peters looks out from the wigwam shelter he built I call this place home, if is spread out on the floor. Seated on a wood I really don’t know anything about it?” Mcbench, he emphasized they don’t have an Martin asked. “I reflected and realized how apocalyptic outlook. much opportunity there was to do this stuff in “We’re not teaching wilderness survival. the city. The bio-diversity is great, especially If your cultural skills only bring you as far in terms of trees and plant species.” as wilderness wwsurvival, then great,” he One of the school’s most popular programs said. “You may live through some emergency is the children’s camps he says. if you learn the bow drill or how to collect “We cover a lot of ground,” McMartin water. said. “Having fun, but also learning about “Wilderness living brings into that context places and giving back by planting seeds and local awareness and local place wisdom. taking out invasive species. We learn about There’s a difference in the big picture intent tracking as well as birds, wildlife and edible of that person. One is fear based and one is plants.” embracing life.”

Classes are outdoors where the focus is Assuming responsibility for the land, acbuilding connections with nature and the cording to Sutherland, represents one of the local surroundings, which means going anyschool’s teaching cornerstones. where across the ciwty.

“What we’re doing is providing resources “We don’t really have a set space,” Mcand skills to help people understand what its Martin said. “We go where natural cycles like to live as a steward of your place,” he lead us. If salmon are running in the rivers, said. “One core routine we teach is the sit we’re there. If deer are around, we’ll explore spot. People find an area they visit once or valleys and ravines.” twice a day to learn the ebb and flow of that Gaining a raised awareness is one reason ecosystem. Everything about it: the weather, for taking his courses, according to McMarbirds and wildlife activity.” tin.

Getting involved in Sticks and Stones can “Before being involved in these worktake many forms. From private lessons to shops, people took their kids to parks to walk learn specific skills or attending open courses, or bike ride,” he said. “Now, hikes take on they get a variety of people with different a whole new meaning. They hear bird calls motivations. or see tracks on the ground and follow them “Some come to learn primitive hunting whereas before they would have completely and tracking. Others specialize in plant missed them.”

Wilderness Adventure on Reserve Land Photos above courtesy of: EDWARD MANSER

Text and photo by MEEGAN SCANLON

When Edward Manser and three of his friends started planning a late October canoe trip in 2006 they thought the most complicated part would be the cold and windy weather.

That is until they discovered that their planned route would take them through a Native reserve.

They planned to do a loop through Killarney Provincial Park, several hours north of Toronto, and paddle part of Georgian Bay east of the park, through Whitefish River, part of the Ojibway lands.

“At that point we sort of discussed together, are we going to be able to this?” Manser said.

“Or what were the proper steps to take and stuff like that.”

Canadian law as stated in The Indian Act says that anyone who trespasses on a reserve is guilty of an offence and can be fined $50 and/or imprisoned for up to one month.

In Ontario, 0.7 per cent of the land is considered First Nations under Canadian law.

According to Hayden King, a professor of indigenous studies at McMaster University, this number is continually under scrutiny.

“First Nations have a different perspective; this flows from differing interpretations of treaties,” King said. “They think they have jurisdiction over 50 per cent of land in the province. There is some support for this perspective in Canadian law.”

And, he said, that number does not include traditional territories where there is informal control.

Once Manser and his group - who were all working in Algonquin Park at the time - realized where they were going, they turned to a friend for advice.

“We have a Native on staff who we talked to and he gave us some ideas,” he said. “We also contacted the chief to find out what would be the proper procedure.”

They were required to pass along their planned route and dates.

“Everything was completely positive. They had no problems with us passing through their land and area,” Manser said. “It was quite the experience actually.”

For Chief Shining Turtle of Whitefish River reserve, which is roughly 8,000 hectares in size, it’s this kind of respect that will get you permission.

“You’ve really got to acknowledge them and ask,” Shining Turtle said. “Usually those things are returned favourably.”

He explained that every tribe has its own standards and regulations.

“Don’t paint everybody with the same brush. Because you get permission in Whitefish River, doesn’t mean your going to get permission… from any other community,” Shining Turtle said.

Whitefish River sees roughly 150 wilderness travellers a year, so it has created a program specific for this They ask for your itinerary and the reason for your intended use of the land. In exchange, you are asked to offer a gift.

“You always ask what that is because it varies from location to location,” Shining Turtle said. “In our territory it is usually tobacco and cloth.”

For Manser and his tripping partners, it was a traditional package containing tobacco, sage, cedar and sweet grass.

“Basically, we put together a little care package to give to the chief,” he said. “It was a thank you for letting us pass through; it was kind of neat.”

Manser found that the community was quite open to their arrival.

“In general, anyone we talked to was friendly and polite,” he said. “As we were sitting there waiting to get back on the trip, two Native fisherman pulled in and they had some whitefish. We commented on them and

(Top left) Edward Manser and his tripping buddies pose for a picture.

(Top right) The group portages through Whitefish River.

(Bottom) Being shown the best fishing spots

by Native guides. they gave us one.”

So that evening, the travellers feasted on freshly caught fish.

Not everyone who accesses reserve land takes the time to get permission. Chief Shining Turtle always encourages them to change their ways.

“I know about every case. It’s always reported because there are eyes out there all the time,” he said. “You don’t think people are watching, but they’re watching. The moment somebody tries something, I’m aware of it.”

He finds that sometimes they will lie about it, but generally people are receptive to learning the proper etiquette.

“So I say, ‘why don’t we set up a convenient time, like Monday, for you to come down to the office and get a proper permission slip?’”

Shining Turtle said. “Then we know you are going to be safe on the territory.”

It is important for the tribe to have this information in case anything goes wrong and emergency assistance is required.

There are occasions when you may be denied access to First Nations lands. But this is usually when there are spiritual ceremonies occurring, not because they just don’t want people using the land.

Ultimately, it’s about understanding and respect. “[Some people feel] ‘Well, I can go out there, I’m an Ontarian’,” Shining Turtle said.

“Well, there’s aboriginal people out there too and they were the first people here. You have to respect each other.”

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The disappearing night sky Text and photos by MEEGAN SCANLON

After Peter Goering retired, he and his wife started spending more time at their cottage on Lake of Bays.

Having joined the Royal Astronomical Society (RASC), they used their time outside the city to really enjoy the dark sky. Over the years, they started noticing lights from surrounding cottages and communities dimming the stars and planets above.

It was this intrusion that began Goering’s mission to preserve the night.

As city infrastructures grow, so does the amount of light. The effects of this increased light is just beginning to be understood.

“The milky way disappeared in Toronto … around 1985. You can’t see it anymore in the city,” said Peter Hiscocks, a specialist in light pollution for RASC. “So kids don’t see the Journey ON

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Milky Way, they can see a few planets and stars and that’s it.”

Just a few hours north of Toronto, nestled between Gravenhurst and Bala, is the Torrance Barrens - the world’s first dark sky reserve. It covers an area of 1,905 hectares and has multiple walking paths.

Initially founded as a conservation reserve in 1997, the location boasts beautiful granite surfaces, vegetation that can survive hot, dry conditions and wetlands.

“It’s an area that’s known for having a lot of species at risk there as well,” said Rebecca Francis of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation.

“In Muskoka, we have the five-lined skink, which is a lizard that changes colour. We have some plants and lots of turtles as well as amazing birds.”

What first drew Goering to the area was the vast expanse of open space created by all the granite, which allows for a 360-degree view of the stars.

The open sky spreads out almost endlessly before you. It creates a sense of silence never achieved in a city setting.

He pursued the idea of creating space designated to preserve the night sky with the government. In 1999, the designation Dark Sky reserve was added to Torrance Barrens.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) loosely monitors the area. It’s crown land and although there are no official camping sites, limited camping is permitted free of charge.

What started as an astronomers concern for Goering has since turned into a much larger issue.

He along with a small group has created the term scotobiology. The word scoto is Greek for dark.

“It’s the ying of photobiology, how biological systems use light as part of their energy or what keeps them alive,” Goering said.

“Scotobiology is the yang, which is how the night feeds biological systems.”

As studies are gathered, more negative effects are discovered.

“It’s a very serious implication that lighted nights are connected with certain types of cancers,” Hiscocks said.

During the night, the body produces melatonin, a hormone that helps fight disease. When light is present, the body shuts off the production of the hormone.

The effects on plants and animals are even

less understood.

“Light has an effect on all sorts of other organisms as well. If you look at a light outside, the moths are attracted to the lights. What other effect do these lights have on the ecology system?” Hiscocks said. “It makes them easy pickings for the local spider, but then what happens elsewhere. It disturbs all sorts of insects, frogs, and birds. We aren’t quite sure where it’s all going to lead.”

Torrance Barrens became an example for not only Canada, which now boasts 12 dark sky reserves, but also for the rest of the world.

So where is it all going?

Torrance Barrens has already begun to experience light pollution. Even with the commitment of surrounding communities to develop low-impact lighting, it is slowly losing its crisp clear sky.

Many cities, including Ottawa and Toronto are working towards a more sustainable view of lighting. This includes full cut-off fixtures, which work on streetlights to ensure that light only reaches the street below and not the sky above.

“If you talk to people in Muskoka, they’ll know what you mean by light pollution, dark skies, and full cut-off fixtures. So there is a

general knowledge about that,” Goering said. “Sky glow has begun to, not diminish certainly, but to increase. Even the lights from Orillia to the south, my goodness you can see that [in Torrance Barrens] and you can almost see the sky glow from Toronto.”

RVing is for everyone

By Minshu Mo Sheila Kiebert was startled by a black bear outside the window.

Slowly, clumsily, the gigantic creature walked around her motorhome, then disappeared to the wild.

This was not the only surprise Kiebert encountered in southern Ontario. She also met lots of deer and elk on her 20-day RV trip. “It’s lovely to see the wildlife were just... there,” she said.

RV sales in Ontario have more than tripled since 1995, as the number of RV parks has reached 900. More and more people are choosing RVing as an easier and less expensive way to explore both rural and resort areas.

Kiebert was born in Toronto.

She married an Australian man and moved to Australia more than a decade ago. This summer, with her husband and two friends, she rented a RV to revisit the country where she spent her childhood and youth.

They entered Ontario by Thunder Bay, where they saw Kakabeka Falls. Along Lake Superior, they visited the vast countryside of Sault Ste Marie and Sudbury before heading east to Ottawa. Then they traveled along Lake Ontario to the last stop, Toronto.

“The autumn colours were absolutely gorgeous.” Kiebert said.

Sitting in the Rouge Park campground in Pickering, she was still immersed in the natural beauty of fall.

In Sudbury, they stopped to chat with a woman, who led them to a local private gemstone mine. The owner allowed visitors to pick up any rock sample they found. They ended up leaving with “a pot full of beautiful rocks”.

“It was not even in our plan,” Kiebert said. “You can stop wherever you want. That’s the greatest thing about RVing.”

The Carp fair was not in Susan and Robert Kerr’s plan, either. On the way to Ottawa, they ran into the annual agricultural festival and stayed for an afternoon to enjoy the carnival, animal competition and food stalls. “It was a great fun for us to play like children,” Sue said.

Unlike the Kieberts, Susan and Robert have decided to devote themselves to a full-time RV life.

Walking into their 24-foot motorhome, you might be under the illusion that you are in a well-equipped urban apartment: there is a bedroom with a queen-size bed and a bathroom, a standard kitchen, a living room with bookshelf and satellite TV. Last year, Susan retired as a psychotherapist and Robert as a mine worker. “We no longer had the same tie to stay in one place,” Susan said. “All of a sudden, we were free.”

It took them a while to come up with a plan for their retired life.

This July, they rented out their house in Sudbury and started the journey around Ontario, visiting attractions they always wanted to go to and family they haven’t seen for long. Wherever they stayed, they insisted on living in their RV. “We spend time with our families, but we don’t impose on them,” Susan said. “We have our own home. We are very happy with it.”

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For Louis Atella and his daughter Emily, their motorhome is not only a home but also a mobile working studio.

Louis is a freelance music producer from Toronto. He has his own indie label, Atellaworks.

Emily is a pianist and singer. They bought an RV and started a nomad life six months ago. They travel around the country, staying in one park for months then moving to another.

“I don’t like being stuck in a house,” Louis said. “I like freedom.”

They work all day long in the RV, composing, recording and mixing. The finished products will be uploaded online.

On the weekends, they go outside to bike, fish and hike. Staying close to nature makes them more energetic and creative. Inspired by the RV life, Emily has written a song called “Valley of Blue”.

“But we are not blue living in this way,” Louis said.

Every year, thousands of people embark on a RV journey for different reasons. Sue Desjardins is the manager of Lions Park Campground in Merrickville. She has been running this business for five years. Among the RVers she has ever met, there was a man in wheelchair traveling alone, there was a woman dying of cancer wishing to spend her last days in nature and peace.

“They are just normal people. You don’t have to be wealthy or physically strong (to have a RV trip),” Desjardins said, “It’s about attitude. If you want, you can do it.”

RECOMMENDED RV PARKS Glen Rouge Campground Address: 7450 Kingston Road, Toronto Phone: (416) 396-7398 Salem Woods Trailer Park Address: South of Hwy 2 between Colborne and Brighton Phone: (905) 355-3826 United Empire Loyalist Centre and Park Phone: (613) 373-2196, 1-877-384-1784 Website: www.uel.aboutyourcommunications.com/ Lions Park Campground Address: Merrickville, ON K0G 1N0 Phone: (613) 269-3702

Pooch perils Text and photos by Chris Higgins

N

aked and dripping wet from skinny dipping, I stood and watched while my dog Chinook trotted off down the trail with his broken leash dangling.

My mind raced with grave doubts about taking him this time. Huskies will disappear for hours or days, if the mood strikes. Fifteen minutes later and still naked, I finally caught up to him. Walking back to camp, my worst fear wasn’t the bears or wolves, but a family of four on a hiking trip.

Bringing dogs along on any journey has its perils, yet it’s getting more common to see people leashed to a dog. Nowadays, major league baseball teams host “dog days,” hotels accept pets and some cafes will even let you sip a latte with your favourite pooch. But if you’ve ever thought about taking your dog into the outdoors, it’s not like a trip to the mall; there are certain things to bear in mind.

“Leash equals love,” quipped Charlene Labelle. “You should always keep your dog on a leash.” Pots clanged in the background while she cooked a meal for her seven dogs.

Author of ‘Backpacking with your Dog’ and a champion breeder, Labelle advises people wwto keep their dogs on a leash in the wilderness.

“They could chase a bear, get sprayed by a skunk, or worse, find a porcupine. You also want to secure them at night,” Labelle said, dropping the phone to feed a hungry malamute.

Another mistake people make with their dogs, she says, is being unrealistic about their pet’s capabilities.

“A lot of people will try to go and their dogs aren’t up for it,” she adds. “They shouldn’t ask too much of their dogs. If their dog isn’t in good physical shape, or its too old or the terrain is too tough, they shouldn’t do it. It should be fun for everyone.”

Anthony Meaney, realized he’d made a mistake bringing both his Belgian shepherds along on one hiking trip.

“Right from the start, the one dog started acting like a metrosexual in the woods,” Meaney said from his home on the Niagara Escarpment. “It was like he wanted to be home on the couch with a latté. He refused to cross even a little brook.”

It was on an overnight backpacking trip

in Algonquin Park that Meaney faced a dire predicament.

Three moose appeared near his camp and when he bolted quicklyout of the tent to snap a photograph, he fell over on his dog’s leg.

“She was limping badly,” he said. “She couldn’t put any weight on the leg.”

A two-day hike from the car, with a lame 60-pound dog on his hands, Meaney considered his options.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said. “After breakfast, I started making a stretcher out of two saplings thinking I could carry her gear and drag her, but she started to walk slowly on her own. We eventually made it to the next campsite. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

Photo courtesy of Kathryn Howell

On any trip to the woods, there’s always the potential for a serious injury. Hiking with a dog can be a tricky business whether you’re in the backcountry or walking in your local conservation area. Wet rocks and roots are treacherous, especially if you’re wearing what amounts to a bale of wet straw strapped on your back.

Kathryn Howell, guide and owner of Dog Paddling Adventures, suggests taking a pet first aid course that’s geared to the outdoors.

“There are certain things, especially in the wilderness, you need to know,” Howell said.

“You need to be able to wrap a leg, address a cut and pull out porcupine quills.”

She recalls a hiking trip when their dog cut its foot on a twig.

“We didn’t know until we noticed the blood. She never made a noise,” Howell said. “Later at the hospital, she needed eight stitches.” Then, with a sigh, she added, “Dogs are tough.”

Howell runs an adventure company that caters to people who are leery about bringing their dogs into the woods for the first time.

“We take every kind of dog,” Howell says. “We’ve had five-pound dogs that arrive in a little carrier and stroller to 140-pound Great Danes.” But, she says, having the dogs around adds a whole other element to the experience.

“With dogs, the barrier is gone,” Howell said. “A lot of clients come on these trips alone and may not know anybody. They have such a great time because the dogs break the silence and everyone’s talking about their dogs.”

For Meaney, the joys of having a dog friend along on a trip far outweigh the pitfalls.

“We don’t have a family with children so they are like our kids. We want to take them everywhere we go,” Meaney said. Then, with a chuckle, he added, “I tell my dogs you can come, but you’re carrying weight.”

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Pedalling the Province Text and Photos by Minshu Mo Rather than taking a six-hour drive or gazing out of the window for five hours on the VIA train, Anibal Davila spent seven days and six nights on his bike from Toronto to Montreal.

"Every day, there was only one thing you have to accomplish. It was to move forward, to get to the next campsite," Davila, 31, said.

"It was very simple, straightforward. It made you focus."

In April 2009, the Toronto based animator and bike mechanic cycled 700 kilometres to Montreal on his own. Most of the time he rode on the Waterfront Trail, a 740-kilometre trail system stretching along the shore of Lake Ontario. Instead of staying in motels or B&Bs over night, he brought a single-person tent to camp in park campground all the way.

"I'd like to spend some time alone. And it's cheap," he said.

For many people like Davila, cycling is not only for the daily commute between home and office or

weekend recreation. It’s also for long distance adventures.

Davila considers patience a much more valuable merit than physical strength for a long-distance biker.

"If you enjoy being in your lowest gear, enjoy just pedalling really quickly and riding very slowly to go uphill, there is no mountain in the world," he said.

However, biking is not only about conquering mountains. For Davila, every pedal is worthwhile.

"When you climb up anything, you know there is a payoff to come," he said. "There might be a gorgeous view, or you ride into a town to get a pint, that's gorgeous too."

"When you ride alone, you don't have anyone to confer with. You have to be completely self-reliant and responsible for every decision you make," he added.

For those who have little interest taking full responsibility for themselves, joining a local club to ride with more experienced people might be what they are looking for.

The Toronto High Park Bicycle Club is a volunteers-run organization with more than 400

members. They organize a wide range of cycling activities such as weekday afterwork rides, weekend road rides and holiday camping trips from spring to fall since 1988.

On every tour, the organizers provide food, accommodation for multiple-day ride and maps marked with indicating routes of various difficulty levels. All a rider needs to do is pay a fare of $80-$100 and hop on the bike.

"The leaders have ridden on each route before. They make sure nobody is left behind, nobody has problems with the bike," said Abi Yousufi, a Sunday road rides leader of the club.

As a veteran rider with decades of experience, Yousufi values the joy of riding as a group even beyond cycling itself.

"You make friends, you take care of each other, you learn from people. That's how you go longer mileage," he said. "If I ride by myself, I might get bored after 10 or 15 kilometres and come back."

For those who are seeking for something more challenging, an extreme cycling club like Randonneurs Ontario is an option.

The 120 members from this club were

‘If you enjoy being in your lowest gear, enjoy just pedalling really quickly and riding very slowly to go uphill, there is no mountain in the world.’ -- Anibal Davila

dubbed the "crazy people" among cyclists, because their one-day rides normally cover more than 200 kilometres. In their Brevet rides, the participants have to complete a 360-kilometre traverse within a 24-hour time frame. Thus they usually keep the speed above 30 km/ hr and ride through the night.

Isabelle Sheardown is the president of the Randonneurs. At the age of 75, she is still very active in the club rides.

"Most people are more than capable of doing that. We have a lot of mature riders at their 60s," she said. "When people get retired, they have more time to train, so they don't slow down to get better. There is no limit to what people can do."

Although she believes most bikers could make randonneurs by consistently practising, Sheardown suggested a beginner should start at a basic level to find his/ her own pace.

"You should start from the local club to build up for it," she said. "When you are comfortable with your equipment, your dressing, you've learned from a lot of people, then you move on to look at another type of riding."

For those who prefer occasional cycling, the Waterfront Trail Adventure could allow you to savour the fun of long-

distance riding.

This annual riding is organized by the Waterfront Regeneration Trustee. It starts from Niagara-on-the-Lake and ending in Riviere Beaudette, Que., a total of 720 kilometres in eight days. The moderate intensity and all-inclusive supply make it an all-age event. Among last year's 225 participants, the oldest was 78 while the youngest is 8.

"You can always find people at your pace to ride with," said Marlaine Koehler, executive director of the trustee. "We keep the trail open. Weather you are part of the organized tour, or you want to do it by yourself. It is there for you."

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Black Bears...

..where you least expect them Text and Photos by Chris Higgins

O

n a busy main street, one block away from a public library and park where children play and the farmer’s market gathers on Saturdays, a community discovered its worst nightmare.

Police cars, helicopters and a SWAT team descended on the town to capture an unlikely intruder. That Wednesday morning in June, Dean McClelland woke to find a large black bear in his backyard.

This could have been Sudbury or Thunder Bay, but it’s Aurora, a quiet suburb less than an hour from downtown Toronto.

For Ontarians, the rules have changed. In recent years, black bears have appeared in communities across the province, including the southern areas. In 2010 alone, bears wandered into Ottawa, London, Guelph and Clarington near Port Hope. Opinions vary about the reason for these occurrences, but one fact remains certain: the potential for an encounter with Ontario’s largest omnivore has increased dramatically. A walk in the park will never be the same again.

On a sunny October day, orange Halloween pumpkins, black witches and white goblins decorate the homes in Dean McClelland’s neighbourhood. Standing in the middle of his yard, he remembered that day a year ago.

“We woke up in the morning and heard a lot of shouting because the police were in our backyard,” McClelland said, pointing at a tall beech tree by a wooden fence.

“They were pointing rifles up there and my wife shouted, ‘Oh my God there’s a black bear out there!’

It was quite the surprise. We get woodchucks and raccoons, but nothing like a bear.”

McClelland shrugged his shoulders and recalled his bewilderment.

“My first thought was how the heck it got

in our backyard, since we’re in the middle of Aurora,” he said, fixing his glasses. “There’s not a lot of parkland near our house. It was my understanding it came down the GO train corridor.”

For northerners, having black bears around is nothing new. Yet, there is a growing feeling among them that the relationship has changed. John Kaplanis, president of the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen’s Alliance, says nuisance bear activity has risen drastically and created an increasingly dangerous situation.

“The hungry black bear is what concerns us,” Kaplanis said. “Those that are displaced from the wild because of a lack of available food have an element of unpredictability about them.

“They’re generally younger, adolescent bears and I think out of sheer desperation they’re becoming less afraid of humans in their search for food. There are more than enough accounts of homes and cottages being broken into even while people are inside.”

Kaplanis believes the government’s decision to end the spring bear hunt in 1999 has led to overpopulation. As a result, the increased competition for food has forced bears to venture in to urban areas in search of food.

Linda Wall, coordinator for the Ministry of Natural Resources Bearwise program, agrees food is paramount to understanding the situation.

“It’s about food,” Wall said. “If bears can’t access food in the forest, they go looking for alternative sources. They follow their noses and they’re driven to eat because they must put on double their weight by fall.”

According to MNR, the black bear popula-

Dean McClelland points to the tree where he found a black bear in his yard.

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Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

tion has remained stable so there is no need to reinstate the spring hunt. Instead, Wall cites the expansion of Ontario’s green spaces as the main reason why people now see bears in places, such as Aurora or London.

“Ontario started an extremely aggressive greening program about twenty year ago,” she said. “Communities created green spaces within cities and connected them to broader forested areas. We’ve made them wide enough so they link up with other green spaces that lead to more rural, forested areas.

“What’s happened is these green spaces are now reaching the stage where they are in fact habitat. Once they become habitat, animals will come and we don’t get to pick which ones.”

Wall says travelers can now expect to see a black bear anywhere in Ontario, even the southwest, which until recently has seen fewer bears than other regions.

“We started seeing them move down there seasonally two years ago,” Wall said. “This year, one bear over-wintered because there’s habitat for them to do that. We expect those green spaces in southern Ontario at some point will be able to support a very small population of bears.”

Prof. Stephen Herrero, one of North America’s leading bear researchers, points out from his Calgary office that the rising number of bears entering urban areas represents a pattern that extends beyond Ontario.

“It’s not just Ontario,” he said, hoarsely.

“It’s North America wide, but especially in eastern North America.”

Nevertheless, Herrero believes problems can be minimized by closely monitoring the condition of bear foodstuffs in the wild so it’s easier to predict when they will be on the move in search of food. It’s important not to overreact, he says.

“It is something to be concerned about,” he said. “But it’s not something to be extremely worried about because despite the growing presence of bears, human injury rates are still extremely low. Remember, there are almost a million bears in North America.”

Text and photos by Nastasha Alli

REDISCOVER ONTARIO’S LIGHT As an evening breeze whistles through pine trees in Ontario’s first European settlement, clumps of snow fall from leafless branches and snuff out the light in a glass jar.

No one seems to notice. In the company of 2,999 other candles, one extinguished light won’t dampen the holiday spirit aglow at Sainte Marie Among the Hurons’ First Light Festival.

“It’s become a family Christmas tradition,” visitor services manager Gary Molnar says.

“People tell us they kick off their celebrations here, that their Christmas season really starts after (this event at) Sainte Marie.”

The joyous din of holiday music fills the village square as people sing traditional Christmas songs in the chapel. In a nearby cabin, Francophone folk singers strum their guitars to an audience softly clapping with their rhythm.

When Father John de Brebéuf brought Christianity to Ontario in the 17th century, it’s believed he wrote Canada’s first Christmas melody, the Huron carol, while celebrating with the First Nations community at Sainte Marie.

“The name ‘First Light’ came from the

Catholic idea of Christ’s light being that first light,” Molnar says. “Ontario was founded here...and (it’s why) we celebrate our own first Christmas here.”

Sainte Marie’s festivities are one among thousands of lights festivals held across the province.

“It comes down to atmosphere and ambience,” says Bill Brodeur, coordinator at Huronia Historical Parks. “It really is quite magical to walk out to the historic site and see 3,000 candles throughout the different buildings.”

The candles allow visitors a look at everyday life in the Jesuit colony of Sainte Marie. Back then, wax candles were the only sources of light available apart from firewood.

“The ambience that creates, even when you get out of your car in the parking lot, is appropriate,” Brodeur says. “(But) maybe it’s a feeling of peacefulness as well. Christmas can be a very hectic, commercial time...these festivals, ours included, are something people like to enjoy to keep some perspective on the holiday season.”

Local Midland resident Chris Heidel echoes that sentiment.

“I came last year and went back to see it again,” he says. “I guess it is a festival of light, but it’s a very quiet festival.”

With the entire site illuminated by candles, Heidel says it gives him a better feeling of what it was like to move around the historic

village in the dark.

“It’s totally different than during the day,” he says. “It’s great.”

Since the event began over a decade ago, there’s been consistent growth in attendance, according to Brodeur.

“It’s been very rewarding for all of us,” he says.

More than 5,300 people from across the province came to last year’s celebrations.

First Light is held on the last Thursday, Friday and Saturday of November.

“That shows the reach the event enjoys… with people hearing about it from friends who’ve been here and had a good time.”

First Light has earned a spot on the Top 100 must-see listings from Festivals and Events Ontario.

“It’s a momentum that builds with the acknowledgement of a pretty special event (such as this),” Brodeur adds. “I think it does encourage people to come out if they haven’t seen it before.”

“It gets all of us in the Christmas mood,” Molnar says. “The compliments and the comments we get from people that are leaving...really make it worthwhile.”

Since many local attractions close shop after the summer and fall, Brodeur says the event allows the site to give back to the residents in area.

“They like to see Sainte Marie dynamically active in this season,” he adds. “The event definitely has economic impact in the community.”

go on a GEOCACHING adventure Text and photos by Nastasha Alli

A

s I walk along a trail with a global positioning device in my hand, I’m trying to decipher how many metres forward I have to go. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. I’m careful not to injure myself bushwhacking through the late autumn undergrowth of dried twigs and bushes. I look like a lost hiker, anxiously peering over my shoulder, aware of the stares the occasional cyclist shoots my way.

An hour after setting out on my trek, I’m deep in the Don Valley wondering what exactly a geocache looks like. There’s no way to know whether the treasure I’m looking for will be camouflaged well in an army ammunitions box, or hidden in a plastic container.

I pry my eyes off the blinking lights on my GPS screen. Off the trail, I fight through tree branches and nettles that stick to my clothes.

I follow a patch of lightly trampled grass and emerge into a circular clearing. Turning around, I spot a green metal bin, nestled into the roots of a tree. I break out in a sweat.

I’ve found my first geocache.

As an outdoor modern-day treasure hunt, geocaching is conducted with the help of global positioning systems. Participants, called geocachers, use their portable GPS units to find items, called caches, hidden in parks, conservation areas and along trail routes, with the help of coordinates downloaded from geocaching websites.

When network manager Gregory Pleau started caching seven years ago, he initially perceived it as a solo activity he could do on weekends.

“It’ll be me and my wife on the trail, I thought,” Pleau says. “People will think we’re strange…looking for Tupperware in the woods.”

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taken on a different perspective to his hobby.

The activity has taken him to parts of Ontario he would otherwise have no reason to visit.

“Frankly, if it wasn’t for geocaching,” he says, “I’d never have heard of (these places).”

One of these destinations was Swift Rapids, a lock along the Trent-Severn Waterway southwest of Lake Muskoka.

“We took a 4x4 and drove into…14 kilometres of ‘I’m not sure this is a road’ (territory),” he recalls. “It was an absolute fun day.”

At Swift Rapids, Pleau recalls finding eight caches hidden along four lakes. He passed two

Geocaching essentials: Comfortable clothes A small item to leave behind A GPS unit Mobile phone Pen and notepad A sense of adventure! waterfalls and four beaver dams, and spent eight hours paddling alongside 13 other canoes.

In the middle of the lake, they grouped the bows of their canoes together to form a circle.

“We made an artificial island and made breakfast in the lake,” he says. “We (even) had a guy cooking pancakes in a kayak for 26 people!”

Taking on a challenge that aims to attract the most committed geocachers, Pleau once drove four hours north of the Greater Toronto Area to find a cache that met the difficulty and terrain requirements he was looking for.

An hour west of Sudbury, at Onaping Falls, the coordinates led Pleau to a special “earth cache” that provided geological information

about the area the item was hidden in.

“You learn that the falls are on the edge of a 380-million-year-old crater, the largest impact crater on the western hemisphere,” he says.

“It’s what put all the nickel in Sudbury.”

Besides the thrill of the hunt, Pleau shares another aspect to geocaching that keeps him drawn in.

“It’s the most social activity I can think of,” he says. “Often I meet someone on the trail and that person is not somebody who’s gonna think I’m weird. It’s somebody who’s looking for the same box.”

Avid cacher John Robb agrees.

He recently took part in an all-night geocaching hunt, where over 100 people attended an event in north Milton. Robb says most of the participants he met have taken a day, if not an overnight trip, to support the activity.

“This is a hardcore group,” he says. “These are people (who) plan trips around geocaching.”

“If you talk to golfers,” Robb adds, “they all play for that one good stroke.” As a geocacher, he applies the same philosophy. He does it, he says, “for that one good cache that takes you to a place you’ve never been…(where) you get to see a sight you’ve never seen and you get to challenge yourself.”

Kelly Gray, who was on the Swift Rapids trip with Pleau, shares his reasons for getting hooked onto caching.

“It’s that sense of exploring something new,” he says, “that can be very, very addicting.”

Through his trips, Pleau knows great geocaching experiences are more about the journey than the destination.

“If you cache long enough, you will take on that philosophy,” he says. “It’s the three-hour paddle to get to (the treasure) that’s the fun part.”

Riding Text and photos by Nastasha Alli When Wilfred Wong decided to take a crosscountry road trip on his motorbike, he decided on two things: to avoid highways and to spend as little money as possible on accommodation.

When a friend suggested he check out a website called Adventure Rider, Wong posted a question titled “Can I pitch a tent in your yard?” on a forum for the site’s members and within several hours received a dozen responses.

“I was surprised at how quick it was,” Wong said. “I’ve been told the (online) community is very friendly. All you have to do is (ask) and you’ll get 10 different people to help you out.”

Wong’s story is familiar to many Internetsavvy travellers, as people continue to use online reviews and social networking sites to plan their trips. Where guidebooks were once the main resource, the Internet has now become the primary go-to guide for research on any form of upcoming trip imaginable.

Throughout his travels, Wong kept an updated blog called the “Ride Report”, detailing his itinerary and riding experiences.

“Once I started doing that, people started tuning in and getting interested,” he said. “They would tell us what they (as locals) knew… places off the beaten track, not just the tourist traps.”

Outside major urban centres in Ontario, however, utilizing the Internet and social media has yet to make its way as a top priority for travel companies, tour operators and travellers themselves.

on the Social Scott Adams, an outdoor tourism specialist at Birchbark Media and Communications, agrees the travel industry needs to improve its attempts at hopping onto the social networking bandwagon to get people like Wong to explore Ontario.

“Social media’s all about buzz,” Adams said.

“Businesses are starting to think beyond the ‘shiny new toy’ that social media is.”

According to Adams, one of social media’s unique characteristics is its ability to integrate seamlessly with each traveller’s personal experiences.

“Businesses are starting to catch on (to the idea) that they can tap into this to benefit the traveler that’s on the ground,” he explained.

One big difference for travel operators is that compared to a decade ago, travellers are now always within reach. With websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, people are able to share their experiences instantaneously with friends and family. “(With travellers, it used to be that) once they’ve decided they want to go on this trip, they leave their house and you don’t get to talk to them until they arrive back,” he said. “But now with social media, the communication doesn’t stop.”

Throughout his trip, Wong stopped at libraries to access the Internet. This provided breaks from hours of riding, time to update his blog and communicate with loved ones.

“On Facebook you can just quickly say we’re here now, for them to see we’re ok,” he said. “With putting up pictures, as opposed to sending individual emails, you can just throw it up there and everyone can respond.”

Adams agreed that social networks

are valuable in this capacity.

“It’s a communication tool, another way of staying in touch with people,” he said.

As a guide at Grand Experiences Canoe and Kayak Outfitters, Jamie Kent recognized the potential of using social media to attract visitors to his part of Ontario.

“The Internet has a huge potential to reach a vast audience,” Kent said.

Over the last few years, Kent produced several videos of canoe trips down the Grand River in southwestern Ontario. “Response has been great,” he said, “and it’s very useful for people planning a trip to see what the actual route looks like in detail.”

He added that harnessing the power of online networking has paid off greatly. It has also helped to keep Grand Experiences tours booked. “We even had a group of 135 people from Italy who learned about us from the web,” he said.

Through Ontario’s back country roads and overnight camps in Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, Wong said that the most memorable parts of his trip involved staying in people’s homes and being invited to dinner.

“Meeting the people alone was amazing,” he recalled. “It was so much fun. If we didn’t meet (those) people and if it wasn’t that easy to meet them (through the website), I think it would have been more of just riding on a bike and taking a few pictures.”

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Journey ON

Text and Photo by Minshu Mo On a gloomy Saturday morning, wearing hip waders, Guido Lagdameo and Joel Fulgencio were walking in the Credit River reach underneath Burnhamthorpe Bridge, Mississauga.

It had been nearly one month since the annual salmon run began. There are not many of them in the river.

"It's going to rain. You will find more fish after rain," Lagdameo said, assuredly. The 53-year-old was a veteran angler with 40-year fishing experience.

They did not have to wait till the downpour came. Fulgencio saw a salmon behind a rock seven meters away. He crept close and cast his fly line. After five attempts he hooked the mouth of the fish then slowly dragged it to the shoal. It was a three-foot-long male salmon that weighted about 20 pounds.

"It's simple," Lagdameo said. "You don't need to drive all the way to the north. You can catch big fish in the city as well."

Instead of traveling four or five hours to the lodges and cottages of Northern Ontario, anglers like Lagdameo and Fulgencio choose to fish in their backyard. On the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources website, you can find hundreds of fishing sites within the Toronto and Ottawa area, where the quality of fish habitats is generally improving in recent years. However, city anglers have to take more responsibility while they are enjoying the simplicity of urban fishing.

After taking out the barbless hook and shooting pictures, Fulgencio released the salmon Journey ON

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he just caught.

"It's like playing basketball," he said. "You don't keep the ball after you score."

"Catch-and-release is the most important thing for the future of the sport of fishing."

Lagdameo added.

Matt DeMille is a land use specialist of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), a non-profit wildlife conservation organization. He suggests anglers should check the retention limits and catch-and-release regulation before reeling their lines.

"Some species, at a certain time of the year , you can't fish for," DeMille said. "Some are only for catch-and-release. You are not supposed to keep them."

There is another reason why it is better to practice catch-and-release in the city.

"They carry toxins differently depending on different speices, where they live, what they feed on and how old they are." said Ralph Toninger, habitat project manager of Toronto Regional Conservation Authority. "Generally, the older the fish is, the more time it has to build up the contaminant."

He suggests people who intend to consume fish from urban water bodies should refer to the Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish, issued by the Ministry of Environment.

The general improvement of urban habitats creates more fishing opportunities. Some basic species like Goby and Atlantic salmon have been significantly increasing. Nevertheless, some rare species are continually declining, while the aquatic ecosystem health is deteriorating in those recently urbanized areas.

“The natural system of the newly developing areas is not tolerant of the influences of urbanization,” Toninger said. “They become more vulnerable.”

For years, Credit River Anglers Association (CRAA) has been organizing its members to manually move the rainbow trouts from downstream to above the barrier and dam. They catch them in fishway and move them with tanks, helping them to get better habitats. They also regularly clean up the river and plant trees to create watershed, which can cool down the water. Due to these continuous efforts, fish in Credit have been steadily increasing.

“You can eat the fish from the river, but we recommend you don’t eat up Credit,” said Louis Milojevic, vice chairman of the CRAA. On a Sunday in September, while watching salmon run by Humber River, Lisette Mallet stopped two teens from catching salmon with a landing net by harshly scolding them in public.

She is a member of Humber Watershed Alliance.

She was shocked by the fact that so many people there, especially anglers who clearly knew that was illegal, did not speak up.

“When you are around the river, you have the duty to report wrongdoings,” she said. “It’s a miracle to see the fish coming back to the river. You want them to have as many chances to reproduce and restore as possible.”

“No matter where I fish, I always feel a sense of peace. I catch a fish, I feel I am a little boy again for a moment,” said Fulgencio, who regularly participates in CRAA’s volunteer programs. “But fishing is not just taking and taking, you have to give back to the river too.”

The Contributors .

Nastasha Alli

Meegan Scanlon

The concept of travelling has changed a lot for me in the last five years. I moved to Vancouver from the Philippines and eventually settled in Toronto. It excites me like crazy to know there are so many options for adventure travel in our own backyard.

Playing in and experiencing nature has always had a huge role in my life. Thanks to my parents, summers were for swimming, hiking, camping and fishing. Winters were for building forts, cross county skiing, snowshoeing and tobogganing.

Having formed a bond with nature young led me to seek out jobs to keep me there. I owe my relationship with the outdoors to my family.

Chris Higgins

Minshu Mo

After university, all I wanted to do was leave Canada and my home in southern Ontario. Several continents later, I began to see Ontario’s unique qualities that make it worth exploring. Writing about Ontario offers an opportunity to deepen my connection with this land and to encourage others to look for their own kind of adventures closer to home.

This summer I took a 650-kilometre bike trip to Ottawa, which gave me more understanding of 9the real Canada than living in metropolitan Toronto for the last year. I want to write stories focusing on the concept that no matter if you are a newcomer or have been living here for your whole life, you can always explore Ontario in a non-traditional way.

Contact Information Geocaching: Ontario Geocaching Association http://www.ontgeocaching.com Connecting Communities through Trails: Kawartha Trans-Canada Trail Association http://www.kawarthatranscanadatrail.ca Rediscovering Ontario’s Light: Sainte Marie Among the Hurons (705) 526-7838 http://www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca Pooch Perils: http://www.dogpaddlingadventures.com Wilderness Survival Schools: Sticks and Stones http://sticksandstoneswildernessschool.com PINE Project http://www.pineproject.org Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School http://www.trackerschool.com Black Bears on the Move: Northwestern Sportsmen’s Alliance http://www.teamnosa.com/ Ministry of Natural Resources http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Bearwise

Ecotourism: The Ontario Ecotourism Society http://www.toes.ca The Evergreen Brickworks http://ebw.evergreen.ca Long Point Eco-Adventures http://www.lpfun.ca The Disappearing Night Sky: Muskoka Heritage Foundation (705) 645-7393 The Story of a Blind Man Who Sees No Obstacles: The Association of Blind Sailing Canada info@blindsailing.com Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing http://disabledskiing.ca Wilderness Adventure on Reserve Land: Chief of the Whitefish River First Nation (705) 285-4335 chief@whitefishriver.ca Troubled Youth Find Peace in the Bush: Elyse Schipper Pine River Institute elyse@pineriverinstitute.com

New Home, New Destinations: Doublewei Toronto Travel Inc. (647) 886-8225 http://www.doublewei.ca Peddling the Province: Waterfront Regeneration Trust (416) 943-8080 http://www.waterfronttrail.org Toronto High Park Bicycle Club http://www.torontohpbc.ca Randonneurs Ontario http://www.randonneursontario.ca webmaster@randonneursontario.ca Urban Fishing: Credit River Anglers Association http://www.craa.on.ca Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (705) 748-6324 http://www.ofah.org ofah@ofah.org Toronto and Region Conservation Authority http://www.trca.on.ca/ (416) 661-6600 info@trca.on.ca

Back page photos courtesy of: Chris Higgins, Nastasha Alli, Minshu Mo, Meegan Scanlon, Clairissa Carter