Out of the backwoods

07/23/2008

The crew of the Ontario Outback trip has made it safe and sound to their final campground. It was a long haul but they made it with style. They were carried by their amazing canoes named Ramrod, Carl, and Tinkerbell as well as a kayak which the campers took turns paddling each day. The canoes weren’t the only ones with nicknames. The one that stood out the most was “Paul Bunyan” for the camper who was the best with collecting firewood. The clear waters allowed them to see down to the bottom of most lakes and made wildlife viewing interesting. Huge snapping turtles were everywhere just sitting on or walking along the bottom. They even saw a moose near shore one day while singing the Moose Song (I’m not kidding). The portages were always fun, but most seemed tame compared to their first big one of 3200 meters! With the toughness born of a two-day bus ride, Bryant carried a dry bag and a canoe the entire distance by himself. After that, the boys laughed at every other portage and how easy they were. And they all now know the difference between a paddle and an oar. That’s because Jack was having trouble recognizing the difference and Todd bet him his fruit snacks that they were all using paddles. Jack said oars and didn’t have another fruit snack the whole trip. His thought was that he should have bet his nutrigrain bars instead. They never got lost with Nathan on the map. He is amazing with maps as well as an all-around dependable guy. Jed was dependable in a different way. Supposedly, he would paddle an entire lake backwards if they let him. Maybe he was too used to going backwards, because on their last day he ended up falling in the lake with his boots on. Of course, it is a group effort and Daniel was the one to always jump in and lend a hand, going above and beyond to make the trip smooth for everyone. They spent the night in George Lake Campground and will be heading back to the YMCA in St. Catharines today before coming back to Frost Valley on Thursday. We’ll upload the pictures once the group gets back. Thank you for choosing Frost Valley YMCA as your source for Adventure!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zach eigenbrodt

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Zach couldn't keep himself out of the woods when growing up. He started working at a Northern Wisconsin YMCA Camp as a wilderness trip leader while in college and fell in love with getting kids into nature. The smiles on kids faces after returning from a once in a life time wilderness experience is why he is here today. Zach brought his talents to Frost Valley YMCA, in 2014, when he started as the Trips Coordinator and soon was promoted to Adventure Director. Zach loves all forms of Wilderness exploration, though some would say his heart lies most with canoeing.