SASSAW 2 TEMAGAM 021 I EXPEDIT ION
By Spencer T h Deputy Head omson ’22 Prefect
of the more challenging SASSAW trips in recent memory. The trip was beautiful and rewarding for the eight hardy souls from SAC – two staff and six students.
T
he SASSAW 2021 expedition to Temagami in Northern Ontario was a tremendous success. After cancelling the trip in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, SAC was committed to running the trip, “come pandemics or high water,” both of which we dealt with on the journey. The 15-day expedition was taxing, physically, mentally, and spiritually. The variety of terrain we covered was incredible: large lakes, small lakes, up and down streams and rivers, short, heinous, and unmarked portages, and one of the highest points in Ontario. All in all, the trip highlighted the beauty of our home province. In total, we paddled 250 kilometres, portaged 30 km, and hiked 10 km. We lived out of tents and did all our cooking over fires. It was one
22 The ANDREAN Fall 2021
We experienced two weeks of warm and dry weather in August, allowing us to swim each day during lunch and at the campsite, keeping us clean and refreshed. Along the way, we cleaned and improved each campsite and portage trail we encountered. As we travelled through the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Mr. Gate led a discussion each night from the book, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. A highlight was spending a day with Indigenous elder, Alex Mathias, in the old-growth red and white pine forest of Lake Obabika, which was nearly cut down in the 1980s. Moments of great learning and spirituality were abundant on the trip, and we are committed to bringing greater awareness of Indigenous and reconciliation issues back to SAC. Not only were we able to learn from an Indigenous elder, but we also had the privilege of witnessing powerful impressions of the people who roamed the Temagami Lakes
