More from the winter wonderland - see what you are missing?

Early morning light on a local pond

Sunrise in the woods - it's a little Group of Sevenish, if I do say so myself

Algonquin Park is in winter wonderland mode!

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

A tale of two poles

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!

This just in from Ontario Parks

In case you don't subscribe to the Ontario Parks Insider,  I've taken the liberty to re-post a very important news flash for anyone who camps in a provincial park in our fair province. As I'm sure many of you will agree, there were a few hiccups in the new park reservation service this summer and the Ontario Parks management folks seemed to have listened:

We have heard from many Ontario Parks customers that our reservation service needs to improve. As of November 1, 2010, we have obtained a new reservation service provider and are taking action to improve the service to the standard of excellence that you have come to expect from Ontario Parks. We expect to have the new reservation system operational in early 2011.

During the transition period to the new reservation service, there will be some limitations with our system.

Here’s what you need to know:

All existing reservations for arrivals between November 1 and March 31 will be honoured and processed when you arrive at the park.

You will not be able to book reservations five months in advance during this period. This means there will be no reservations processed for arrival dates after April 1, 2011 until we go-live with the new service provider. This applies to reservations for campsites, backcountry and roofed accommodations.

Park users will not be able to make a reservation through our Internet or call centre for any car camping or interior sites. All campsites will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis when you arrive at the park. We anticipate plenty of sites will be available.

You may book roofed accommodation at those parks open during the fall/winter period by calling the park directly. Reservations will be accepted for arrival dates up to March 31, 2011 only. Reservations can be made by phoning the park directly, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The parks that offer roofed accommodation are:

• Algonquin (705) 633-5572
• Killarney (705) 287-2900
• MacGregor Point (519) 389-9056
• Pinery (519) 243-2220
• Sandbanks (613) 393-3319
• Silent Lake (613) 339-2807
• Quetico (807) 597-5021

No toll free numbers are available. Please note, callers may get a busy signal when staff are servicing other customers. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

For information regarding the status of refunds please contact 705-326-1521.

Please visit this web site for updates on the new reservation service.

We appreciate your loyalty and are making these changes in order to serve you better. Ontario Parks is committed to providing world-class recreational opportunities for our visitors through excellent customer service.

We welcome your feedback.

Adair Ireland-Smith
Director
Ontario Parks

An unsung hero of the Algonquin Outfitters rental fleet

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!"