Our original mushers had to cancel due to circumstances beyond their
control. The good news is that our old friends from Winterdance are
coming up with THREE teams of happy huskies. Dog sled rides will
available from 10 am till 12:45 pm only. Get here early if you want to
mush! Cost is $35 per sled.
Modified original post:
Yes, there is snow in the north! Utah the wonder dog is very pleased:
Happy dog on a snowbank this week.
If you still don't believe me, check out this picture of my ski tracks from two days ago. I can't reveal the location of this backcountry powder paradise but trust me, it is in Muskoka:
Learn to telemark and you too can make turns like this in the middle of nowhere.
And because we love snow, Algonquin Outfitters is celebrating, for the 18th year in a row! Winter fun in the great outdoors is the theme of Winter Fun
Day, hosted by Algonquin Outfitters, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. As you can see above, we've got
lots of snow up here and are looking forward to another great event.
This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake
location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of
Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to
self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like
snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, winter camping and dog
sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to simply have fun
in the snow.
This year’s event will pack a host of activities into a single day. You
could drive a dog team, learn how to build a snow shelter, try skate
skiing, go on a snowshoe hike, learn about winter camping, enter a
snowshoe race (and hopefully finish!), play snow games and more!
Representatives from Atlas and Tubbs snowshoes will be here to show off (
and let you try out) their newest new winter products. Lunch is always a
highlight of any winter activity and barbeque fare will be available (sorry, no vegetarian options).
This year, we have several igloo builders attending to demonstrate their skills using the amazing Ice Box igloo tool. With any luck we will have an igloo village at the end of the day! Don't be afraid to grab a shovel and pitch in.
Last year's igloo taking shape.
Equipment for all activities will be provided free of charge for Winter
Fun Day participants and a heap of door prizes will be given away
throughout the event.
For more information, please call Algonquin Outfitters, 1-800-469-4948 (705-635-2243).
A scene of the snowshoe demo tents from last year.
For more pictures of last year's Winter Fun Day, please click here.
Please note that there is a charge for dog sled rides and a family
rate is available. Dog sled rides are booked that day on a first-come
first-served basis, so sign up early and avoid disappointment. Sign up first at the dog truck, then pay inside.
Here is a general overview of the event:
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012:
9 am: Algonquin Outfitters opens
10 - 12:45 pm: dog sled rides - please sign up to make sure you get a ride!
10 -12: morning program (x-c ski lessons, ski and snowshoes demos, snowshoe hike, igloo building, dog sled rides, etc.).
Formal XC ski lessons are scheduled for 11 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm. Lessons are geared towards to both new skiers and experienced skiers wishing to improve their technique. Skate and classic techniques will be covered and the lesson will be tailored to the needs of the group. Informal lessons and tips are available in between scheduled lesson times.
12 - 2: BBQ lunch available
1 - 5: afternoon program (ski lessons, ski and snowshoe demos, more igloo building, snow games).
Sunday, Feb. 12:
10 - noon: 18th annual Ragged Falls Snowshoe Adventure Hike (show up at Oxtongue Lake store by 9:30 if you need snowshoes).
Advance registration is not required - simply show up! All events take
place in the immediate area of our Oxtongue Lake store (except the
Ragged Falls hike - car pooling req'd).
Dog sled rides are provided by Winterdance. For more information on their programs and Iditarod race team, visit their web site.
Ski lessons are provided by Ski for Life. For more information on their programs visit their web site.
This photo taken today, at about 9:45 AM. The thermometer does not lie: it is -25℃, Swix Polar is the recommended ski wax, the weatherstick is pointing straight out (whatever that means) and snow conditions indicate that winter has arrived. Note canoe and kayak on the truck. These folks were looking for open water. Seriously.
We advised them that it might be difficult to find in these parts and, if they did find some, potentially very hazardous.
Can I call this the first "ice-out report" of 2012?
Algonquin Outfitters' Winter Fun Day at Oxtongue Lake was a great success by all accounts. Not only did lots of people show up and have fun but the weather was good, the ice on the lake cooperated, and the fresh snow really helped. Our staff, assorted volunteers and other helpers all contributed 110% to make it a fine weekend in the snow. Thanks everybody!
The Oxtongue Lake store was ready for action first thing in the morning
The demo area on the lake got busy early on
Jeremy and Mike made a giant pile of snow on Friday. By Saturday, Nate was able to hollow it out into a liveable Quinzee.
Our igloo-smiths, Andrea and Paul, got going on the IceBox igloo
The friendly Chocpaw dogs are always ready to pull
Huntsville's beautiful Algonquin Theatre is ready for the BMFF
To this? (sorry for the bad picture)
BMFF Road Warrior Paul Price gives the thumbs up to Huntsville enthusiasm
All you need to do is host the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour! The shows last Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Huntsville's Algonquin Theatre were sold out performances, with great films, great door prizes and a good time had by all.
Algonquin Outfitters has been involved with this event in Huntsville since the very beginning. Once upon a time, a young outdoor instructor named Paul Brittain, who worked at the now-defunct Summit College, came to us with a proposal, something along the lines of: "So, there are these cool films, and we have a great venue but we need some help." So help we did. Eventually, the event outgrew the beautiful Chapel at MBC, so we moved to Grandview Resort. Then they built this beautiful theatre in downtown Huntsville and here we are selling out two showings in a frozen cottage-country town of 20,000 people. Way to go Huntsville! And beyond, for that matter. We get people from places like Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Vankoughnet, Haliburton, Ravenscliffe, South River, Kearney, Emsdale, Killaloe and even some regulars who drive up from Toronto just to see the show here.
I re-counted on my fingers – we have presented the World Tour for 16 years and I have have been fortunate to have seen every performance. The movies this year were among the best ever. And that is saying a lot, given some of the memorable films we've seen over the years: some standouts for me were The Human Race (1997), Bhutan - The Last Shangri-La (1998), True Fans (1999), Berserk in the Antarctic (2001), Biscuit (2003), Sinners (2004), The Hatch (2005), Asiemut and Aweberg (2006) and the list goes on. Feel free to comment below if you have a favourite from this year, or any year.
Amazing things happen when people see these films. You can expect to be moved, possibly shocked, occasionally brought to tears, inspired, certainly made to laugh, amazed at the physical ability and mental endurance of the human race and have your jaw drop in awe at a landscape you never knew existed on this planet. The great thing about being a host is that people will spontaneously share their impressions and tell you their stories. Last night was no exception. At intermission, I ran into a man I just met the day before, a friend of a friend. I asked him what he thought of A Life Ascending, our feature film of the evening. He looked me straight in the eye and said, " That was life-changing."
Wow. At the end of the night, one of the theatre volunteers, a woman, I would think, in her sixties, came up to me and said: "You know, I really liked that kayaking movie. It made me think that if I had my life to live over again, I'd like to try that." Wow, again.
Stay tuned, next year's film choices will be announced on this blog sometime around the first week of December.
Don't be standing under this tree when the snow drops!
It is not often that you hear "snow squall warning" and "flood warning" in the weather forecast, but that is what we had earlier this week. After the big snowfall (40 cm in some places) last Friday/Saturday, there was the torrential rain on Tuesday, which washed a lot of the snow away. Then on Wednesday it snowed again, and it is amazing what a difference a little elevation makes. Here in Oxtongue lake there is probably twice as much snow as there is in Huntsville, and I heard a report today that at some higher elevations in Algonquin park, there is up to 18 inches of snow on the ground. Winter is here.
Having said that, the best activity at the moment is still hiking. The ground is very wet, water levels are very high, lakes are very mushy and travel by ski or snowshoes might prove to be more trouble than it is worth. Give it a week or so, we'll get a little more snow, the ground will drain a bit, making a better and more solid base. The weather forecast for the next week is very favourable for firming things up.
All the pictures in this post were taken today, so you can have an idea of what it is like right now. According to some visitors from the south, the snow starts at Gravenhurst!
You might find the trails a little wet...
Oxtongue Lake is about half-frozen
We don't need Christmas lights with colourful kayaks like these
Outfitter Creek is in spring flood mode and the lake is very high
Anyone who has attended our annual Winter Fun Day will be familiar with the friendly, hardworking dogs and mushers from Winterdance Dogsled Tours. For the last few years, they have traveled up from Haliburton to provide the dog sledding experience at our event (which, in case you missed the post below, is on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011).
Last winter, Hank DeBruin, who owns and operates Winterdance in partnership with his wife Tanya McCready-DeBruin, undertook what many consider the ultimate challenge in the mushing world, the famous Iditarod race in Alaska. The Iditarod is billed as "the last great race on earth," and Hank and his team spent over a year training and preparing for the adventure. As you can imagine, an project like this requires fundraising, training, planning and specialized equipment. Algonquin Outfitters helped in a small way by providing Hank with a pair of Swix nordic ski poles. Apparently, the poles had an adventure of their own and Tanya graciously offered to write the tale below.
A big thank you to Gord and Algonquin Outfitters for donating a set of ski poles for Hank to use during the Iditarod. While Hank and the dogs ended up with some amazing tales of their 700 mile Alaskan journey, the ski poles ended up with a tale of their own.
Having missed the dog truck when it pulled out of Haliburton for Alaska, the ski poles flew on a commercial jet with the kids and I, as we traveled to Anchorage to meet up with Hank and the dogs for the start of the Iditarod, a 1000 mile dogsled race across Alaska. Upon claiming the ski poles in Anchorage we noticed a note attached to them which read "Nice poles, love the new design, too bad they are a bit short for me!" The poles already had admirers.
Hank, wearing bib 45, and the team at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod
They were to be forgotten again three days later, on the official starting day, and had to be rushed to Willow (one of the check points) to get to Hank in time. He was within minutes of his starting time and the dogs were already being hooked up when the poles arrived. He quickly took one pole and slid it along the outside of his sled bag, underneath a cable support. The power of 16 Siberian Huskies about to start the world class dogsled race called Iditarod is nothing short of breathtaking. As the team was being moved up to the starting line, kept under some control thanks to 10 volunteers, the ski pole slipped out and the end caught in the snow as the sled went around a corner only feet away from the starting gate. With the force of the dogs, and before Hank could grab it, the pole got bent to a 90 degree angle in the middle and snapped. With a sharp end sticking out, Hank quickly pulled it out of the sled to prevent the bag, a dog or person getting injured from it. He tossed it out of the way, towards the fence that kept the spectators and dogs separated. Before it even hit the ground though, a boy about 10 ducked under the fence and caught the pole midair, waving it around like the best trophy in the world. That pole is likely now in his home as a souvenir, wherever that may be.
Hank and his very motivated-looking dogs shortly after the pole-snapping incident
With no time to run back and grab the second pole, Hank and the team left the starting gate pole-less. Mushers use ski poles to pole with one hand, often paddling with their opposing leg in a fluid motion. It helps the dogs along the trail and also works well to keep the musher warm and awake. Hank found a stick 70 miles down the trail which served as a rudimentary pole.
If required gear gets lost/damaged during Iditarod, a team's support crew are allowed to ship replacement items to a check point for the musher to pick up. We quickly took the other pole to the US post office and mailed it to McGrath, 300 miles into the race and the first place it would arrive in time for Hank to receive. As the postal worker put stickers and tags on it addressed to "Iditarod Checker, for Hank DeBruin, McGrath, Alaska," he commented that he had never sent such a strange parcel before. The second ski pole was placed on board a bush plane and flown to McGrath. It was waiting for Hank in the checker's hand when he and the team arrived in McGrath, four days later.
That pole was in Hank's hand much of the next five days, along the Kuskokwim River, through the brutal -40F temperature of Alaska's interior gold region of Cripple, and finally out onto the mighty Yukon River. And that is likely where that pole still is. About five miles out of the check point of Galena, a small Eskimo village on the Yukon, the ski pole got jammed in a piece of ice and lurched out of Hank's grip. One rule with running a huge team of dogs is that you NEVER walk backwards from the team, as there is too great of risk that they can unlodge the anchor and continue on down the trail, leaving you behind. At dawn, with -40F temperatures, being alone with no supplies is a life threatening danger. Hank stopped the team and looked back at the ski pole standing up in the ice 10 feet behind him, and decided it wasn't worth the risk. He and the dogs continued on. That ski pole may still be in the Yukon River or it may be in a house in Galena. When Hank pulled into the tiny village he mentioned to the checker that he had lost a nice ski pole about 5 miles back. The checker had raised an eye and said "Really?" Maybe someday if Hank and the team return to the Yukon River we will learn the fate of the second ski pole.
So if you find a pole something like the one above out in the boonies of Alaska, drop Hank a line, I'm sure he would be happy to have it back!
Not resting on his Iditarod accomplishments, Hank has written a book about his Iditarod experience and he and the team are busy preparing for the 2011 Yukon Quest dogsled race. Good luck to Hank and the Winterdance huskies!
The Compatriot waits patiently for its next paddler
The humble little red solo canoe in the picture above is a Mad River Compatriot. Unlike the majority of the canoes in our fleet, it will never find its way to the "used canoes for sale" rack. This canoe is over 25 years old, still going strong and has the distinction of being the "most requested" canoe we have. One woman took it on four trips this summer and likes it so much she has even named it "Cherry." Another customer called several times to confirm that the Compatriot was available for his trip this fall and when it was all over, he left us a nice note:
This is the sixth or seventh time I have rented this canoe – and I love it more each time. Thanks!
What is about the Compatriot that people love so much? At 13 feet, it is relatively small, even for a solo canoe. Despite that, it is very stable, has good carrying capacity and is a pleasure to paddle. It is a canoe that will reliably carry you on a solo adventure and let you concentrate on the experience and the landscape, not whether or not you are going to fall out of the canoe if you lean a little too far to one side. This description from the 1981 Mad River Canoe catalog I found in the AO archives (see why you should never throw anything away!) sums it up:
... our Compatriot is a light responsive boat, perfect for the single paddler. Built along the lines of the Malecite, the Compatriot is easy to paddle, designed for lake or river touring. It will carry lightweight gear easily, respond well in tight situations and is light enough to carry along with the gear on portages. Even small children can paddle a Compatriot with ease, enjoying the response of a canoe to their own paddle stokes.
The Compatriot in 1983, in its original brown colour and wood trim
The photo above was posted on the AO Facebook page by longtime customer David P from Ohio. David wrote: "Here's a look back to 1983 when I took a spin in what became a good friend, the Mad River Compatriot, seen here at the Thomson-Littledoe beaver dam. Over the years there were some changes to the seat, thwarts and I recall the clamp on yoke was replaced by a permanent one, but what seems like yesterday are the images of the park. Thanks for all the help and friendliness over the years!"
The weather forecast for Huntsville today - look at those snowflakes!
Here at Algonquin Outfitters, we get excited about winter. It's time for skiing, snowshoeing, snowman building, sledding, skating, snowboarding and, yes, those other fun things like shoveling and winter driving. So, when this morning's weather forecast showed the little snowflake icons for Sunday and Monday, we all gave a hearty cheer. Some people may not share our enthusiasm for snow. It is safe to predict that Sunday's snow won't last long and "real winter" won't start until late November or so.
And while we are discussing winter, here are a few dates to keep in mind:
AO presents Warren Miller's WINTERVENTION
Friday, November 5
Do you have a skiing or snowboarding problem? Do you always take "just one more" run? If you answered “yes” to either of these, it may be time for a Wintervention. Narrated by skiing icon Jonny Moseley, Warren Miller’s Wintervention is the definitive solution for the snow-obsessed. Wintervention takes riders like Chris Davenport, Jonny Moseley and Lindsey Vonn on a global tour of Alaska, Norway, Canada, Antarctica and beyond, delivering a successful Wintervention for all of us in need. Warren Miller films attract a cult-like following and mark the official start of winter for sports enthusiasts everywhere. Warren Miller premieres are an experience, a party and a phenomenon not to be missed.
Join Algonquin Outfitters for a Wintervention on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm, at the Algonquin Theatre. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Tickets are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office at 37 Main St. E., by calling the box office at (705) 789-4975 or 1-888-696-4255, ext. 2352 or on-line at algonquintheatre.ca.
For a little pre-season stoke, watch the official trailer for Wintervention below:
Algonquin Outfitters presents the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Tuesday, Jan. 18 & Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011
Algonquin Outfitters is once again bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to the Algonquin Theatre for two nights. Each evening will feature a different selection of films. Get a taste of wild mountain adventures, and more, as the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour rolls into Huntsville.
For the last thirteen years, Algonquin Outfitters has hosted this spectacular showing of mountain films in Huntsville. Films in world tour bring the spirit of adventure to life on the screen. A wide variety of stories - from mountain sports, mountain culture and the environment - will entice and inspire viewers.
The tour features a collection of the most inspiring and thought-provoking action, environmental, and adventure mountain films. Traveling from remote landscapes and cultures to up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world. The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is produced by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, and features award-winning films and audience favorites from approximately 300 films entered in the annual festival in Banff, Alberta. The world tour spans the globe, making its way to North and South America, Europe, South Africa, India, Poland and Iceland.
Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for students. Folks buying tickets for both shows can exchange their two ticket stubs for a coupon offering a 15% discount on their next purchase at Algonquin Outfitters.
Tickets are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office at 37 Main St. E., on-line at http://www.algonquintheatre.ca, or by calling the theatre box office at (705) 789-4975, or 1-888-696-4255, ext. 2352.
For more information on the Banff Mountain Film Festival, visit the World Tour web site.
Algonquin Outfitters presents the 17th Annual Winter Fun Day
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011
Self-propelled fun in the great outdoors is once again the theme on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. This free, family-oriented, event takes place at the Oxtongue Lake location, just west of Algonquin Park, on Hwy. 60, about 30 km east of Huntsville. Winter Fun Day is designed to introduce people to self-propelled (or at least non-motorized) winter activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, kick-sledding, winter camping, ice-climbing and dog sledding, as well as provide a host of opportunities to have fun in the snow. Free cross-country ski lessons are available, thanks to our friends at Ski For Life.
During the fall, Algonquin Park is a photographer's dream: the changing autumn colours, fantastic light and morning mist are just a few of the natural events that make it a special season. Photographer Paul Madden dropped by the Oxtongue Lake store the other morning and asked if he could take some pictures at our waterfront. Sure, why not? Paul sent me a few of the images and gave us permission to post them for all to see. I have to admit, when you can look out the office window and see views like this, life seems pretty good. All the images on this post are courtesy of Paul Madden and are protected by copyright.
This just in from Calum Rennie, of the G8 ISU Community Relations Group:
Residents of Huntsville can expect security measures to protect the G8 Summit to be put in place on the morning of June 23. They are currently planned to stay in place until June 27. This includes restrictions on traveling on a portion of Highway 60 and roads leading to the Deerhurst Resort. See the map of alternate routes on our website (www.g8isu.ca). (editor's note: see my recent blog post with map and Google Map of alternate routes).
Additional security measures could be put in place in other specific areas a few days prior to June 23. This includes restrictions on marine activities on Peninsula Lake that will begin on June 20.
There will not be any security-related parking restrictions in the downtown core of Huntsville during the G8 Summit. The Integrated Security Unit will have additional police officers in the area to help with the flow of traffic.
We had better be careful or they might make him the host! Our fearless leader, Rich Swift, made another appearance on CityTV's Breakfast Television last Friday. He was helping our friends at Ontario Parks with the festivities in Toronto's Dundas Square, celebrating the start of Tourism Week in Ontario.
Rich and Jennifer discussing the rules of the competition.
Rich got to assist BT host Jennifer Valentyne and did a great job of coaching the three teams engaged in a tent-setting-up competition. The team led by Michael Chan, Onario's Minister of Tourism and Culture, was the no-contest winner, followed by Linda Jeffrey, the Minister of Natural Resources and BT host Jennifer Valentyne.
OK, so I know that I was blabbing on about the nice weather in the post and luring all you unsuspecting canoeists up to Algonquin Park. Today, we in the middle of a cold snap and winter has made a (hopefully) brief return.
What you might have seen along the trail this morning
(dog not included)
There are still many people out in the park on canoe trips. This type of weather only underscores the need to NEVER UNDERESTIMATE Algonquin Park weather. If you are prepared with proper clothing and gear, make sound travel decisions and have a flexible plan, there is no reason you cannot enjoy a safe, reasonably comfortable trip, even in inclement weather. On the other hand, inexperience, poor judgment, overly ambitious route plans and inadequate gear are a recipe for an unpleasant experience.
