Or… “Why Langskib is like Mongolia”, by alumni Dave Roberts.

It has been over thirty years since I lead my last trip from the dock at Langskib canoe camp for boys.  I was a camper on the first Temagami Trip the year Dave Knudsen bought Camp Windshift which became Langskib. I was one of the first leaders, I co-lead the first Dumoines River Trip. I lead CG on his very first canoe trip; he later became the best assistant I had the pleasure of working with.

A lot has happened since I left Langskib;  some good, some not as good. I moved to the West, I worked as a cowboy on several cattle ranches in Colorado, I lead elk and deer hunters on horse pack trips into the Rocky Mountains for 11 years, did many other jobs, lived in several places. I married, raised kids, divorced and ended up with a desk job shuffling paper. I soon plan on changing that desk job to something more exciting.

Last year, life was getting a little too slow and too domesticated, I was missing the adventures I had leading canoe trips, the traveling into the unknown, not knowing where camp will be until evening comes. I missed the nomadic life I lived as a cowboy. So I packed some belongings and traveled to Mongolia for three weeks. The people there still live the same as they did 800 years ago when Genghis Khaan ruled. They live in tents called Gers, they move their livestock with the season, packing all their worldly belongings onto ox drawn carts and live off the land. Mongolia is great, just what I was looking for, people with a nomadic spirit. The entire time I was in Mongolia I never felt alone, everywhere I went people treated me as a friend. I spent days galloping a horseback across the Mongolian Steepe with nomadic horseman, I stayed in their Gers, I learned their culture and shared experiences with them. I am learning their language and plan to return to Mongolia next year to visit with Mongol friends and other friends I have yet to meet.

Interesting enough, where I traveled in Mongolia is exactly the other side of the world from Langskib; same latitude as Langskib and exactly 180 degrees difference in longitude. I could not help to think back on the experiences at Langskib and the skill I learned. The canoe trips I lead were stepping stones for the adventures that followed. I was hired as a hunting guide and cowboy because of my skills I learned at Langskib, the ability to live in the wilderness. As Koonze, a cowboy friend, said “We are men that do not need to go home at night.” At the end of the day, home was where we camped, just as it was leading canoe trips. What was hardship to many was just another day on the trail for me.

Several years back I had the thrill of watching my daughter go out on her first Northern Lights Trip and several other trips in the following years. Stepping onto the dock at Langskib for the first time in thirty years brought back memories, seeing Northwaters for the first time show me how much the camp has grown since I worked there. And watching my own daughter return from canoe trips was an emotional experience beyond words for me, having my own daughter learn and experience the same things I did when I was her age.

Soon I will be up at Langskib and Northwaters for the Alumni Weekend. I hope to see old friends and share experiences with others who lead trips over the years.

Life itself is the journey, what an adventure!!

DR/

As the director of Northwaters and Langskib, I often receive queries from parents trying to figure out whether NWL is an American or a Canadian organization. Every other canoe camp I know is predominately one or the other.  One even claims to be “Canada’s Canoe Camp”. Given the recent Olympic events, this seems like a good time to set the record straight; NWL is both.

This is not the simple answer everyone is looking for. Alluding to my dual citizenship when crossing the border seems to virtually guarantee further questions from customs officials. People  prefer if you fit into a category, neatly please, without a whole lot of explanation. Check one box only, as it were. That’s not always possible.

Northwaters and Langskib enroll about 90% of their participants from the U.S. and Canada, the remaining 10% from foreign countries. Enrollment in individual programs and on individual trips can vary considerably.  I remember one trip whose 10 participants represented 6 different nationalities and spoke 7 languages.  Our staff, since they come from the ranks of participants, follow the same pattern, a bunch of Canadians, a bunch of Americans and the occasional international (Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, etc.)

Our organizational structure follows the same pattern – offices, bank accounts and business entities in both countries. Thus, Canadians and Americans pay in the currency of their country of residence and enjoy the simplicity of not having to concern themselves with wild swings in foreign exchange rates or credit card charges for foreign transactions. Moreover, their kids come away from a summer in Temagami with friends from places that would otherwise be just distant places on the world map.

Since 1971, a central tenet of every one of our programs has been tolerance; acceptance and appreciation of differences among people, whether they be racial, cultural, physical, spiritual, economic, you name it.  For many participants, our program is their first exposure to cultures different from their own.  We work hard to build community in our programs, to facilitate participants getting to know each other early on, so when the time comes to meet a challenge together on the trail, everybody works together.

When the beauty of a place takes my breath away, when I am filled with admiration, respect or love for another human, nationality is never a factor. When I take inventory of the people and places I know, love and respect, they span the U.S., Canada and more.  There were moments during Sunday’s hockey game when I was deeply proud of my citizenship in both countries. I was tempted to stop watching when the game tied in the last minute. I didn’t want either country to lose.

My son McKenzie, age 7, who also enjoys dual citizenship, asked me which country was my favorite. I responded “whichever I happen to be in at the time”. I hope McKenzie and his generation can continue to enjoy the blessings of both nations.

Summer Camp in the Winter!

New to the mill (and NWL) this winter is Jen Zahorchak.  Jen comes to us with many years of experience working with children and their families in camp settings throughout the US.  She and her husband Gregg moved back East from Oregon to work for Adirondack Camp in Lake George.  Recently, they purchased a home just a mile down the road from the mill.  Jen and Gregg come to us with much experience in outdoor adventure.  Each of their girls, Wren and Luna, have been on canoe trips in-utero and out, but Otis (4 months) is waiting for the spring thaw for his first out of belly adventure.  In addition to helping out with general administrative work, Jen is focusing her expertise on managing our website and online presence.  She’s the person to contact if you would like to contribute news, photos or stories to the blog or website – jen@northwaters.com

Once summer camp programs are finished and base camp is closed, (October 2 last year) our focus turns to planning for the coming season. In November, directors and senior staff spent 3 days with Rod Napier and Chris Cavalieri of The Napier Group. Chris and Rod, in addition to being our trusted advisers and experts on organizational development, are also able to represent the views of parents and grandparents of participants. Together we identified key program areas we could improve and ways in which we could make the end of session experience for parents even better. One exciting development is Waypoint, a one week program August 1-7, 2010 for parents.

Enrollment in Northwaters and Langskib regular sessions is more than 20% ahead of all previous records for this date. Don’t worry, we probably still have space for you, but keep in mind that if you are one of the folks that likes to wait until the last possible chance to enroll, you may find yourself out of luck. Enroll online or call 866-458-9974.

Outside of our regular canoe camp season, we have a full slate of school programs. Halton Waldorf School of Burlington, Ontario is sending classes in both June and September. The Sterling Hall School of Toronto and the Rudolph Steiner School of Anne Arbor are each sending classes for wilderness canoe adventures in September. We have formed a partnership with Alive Outdoors to provide a wilderness adventure program for the 10^th grade of the Greenwood school of Toronto in September as well.

The ice was late in arriving to Temagami and a number of our neighbors have been through the ice. Keewaydin Canoe Camp lost a snow machine but fortunately, Jason was uninjured. Unsafe conditions made it impossible for Claire and Eric Miller to reach Northwaters in mid January but they were able to get to Langskib for a very frosty visit.

A January thaw in Westport brought the Boquet River thundering over its banks. Big chunks of ice made it too scary to do much more than just think about paddling, but still, it was a great reminder that paddling season is just around the corner. Temperatures have returned to seasonal levels so it’s back to ski’s and ice skates.

We hope you are all getting out wherever you are and look forward to another great summer.

C.G. & Jodi

Returning to base after paddling the Harricanaw River and crossing the James Bay

Hopefully, you will interpret the fact that we have managed to go the whole summer without blogging as a testament to our belief that summer is the time for many things, none of which can be done indoors. I’ll start out with something short here, so as not to risk injury to either of my blogging  fingers.

We are pleased to report the season was a success; Everyone is home safe. We enjoyed strong enrollment despite the economic malaise. While the weather was not great, it was not as rainy as areas farther South and water levels were good to excellent, even on smaller rivers, throughout the season. The month of September was absolutely gorgeous and school groups enjoyed near perfect conditions, the best in many years. The water and air were still warm enough for us to enjoy a swim September 28th, our final day of program for the year.

We have many great pictures and stories to share. From the early crew renovating buildings at Langskib, staff training with Michael Thompson, PH.D. noted child psychologist and author of Raising Cain, Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys; two Leadership Programs on the Hayes River,  our first Annual NWL Alumni Staff weekend and Deep AGM and the mysterious case of the disappearing canoe.

We hope you are enjoying Autumn and getting out wherever you are.

Warmly,

C.G. & Jodi

Thanks to the gentle prodding of my friends, I find myself standing on the edge of the river in a cold drizzle, dressed in a hastily thrown together assemblage of gear, including a drysuit that inspires my buddy Jeff to say I look rather like a very large blueberry. While trying to maintain an air of competence, smiling and joking as we loaded boats and made final adjustments, I fight the inner emotional battle which precedes so many adventures.  Why, I wonder, after more than half a lifetime of fairly regular canoeing, do I stand at the edge of a river and feel like I know absolutely nothing about paddling? The same thing happens predictably at the summits of mountains, even those I’ve skied many times before.

Once we shove off, all those thoughts are pushed to the back of my mind as muscle memory takes over.  I am reassured by the familiar rhythm of the paddle and the feel of the boat in the water.  As we round the bend and the road disapears, I am embraced by old friends. The river is at once familiar and different.  Banks have tumbled in, log jams have shifted, channels have opened or closed, boulders have been rolled by the massive chunks of ice carried by the spring freshet and yet, she is my old friend.

A few miles in,  deep in a hemlock wood, ice and snow stubbornly cling to the edge of the river. Every time I get to this place, I feel as if I’m someplace truly remote. For a moment, I’m on the Dumoine, or perhaps the Temagami river, days from the nearest road. It’s magical.

All too soon, it’s over. Before I know it I’m home, darkness finds me warming myself in front of the fire, reliving my day on the river and dreaming of adventures ahead. I remember now what canoeing can do for a person and the incredible possibilities awaiting just around the bend.

Back in th office, my day on the river brings meaning and importance to the rather mundane work of an off season camp director preparing for a summer full of adventure for several hundred lucky kids. The Journey is everything.

C.G.

We hope this blog will inspire you,  give you a unique perspective on young people, help you understand the value of wilderness experiences as rites of passage and their role in guiding youth through adolescence. You will find posts representing an array of perspectives on the NWL experience – participants, parents, trip leaders, directors, alumni and others who share the common thread of empowering youth through wilderness adventure.

If you find yourself  compelled to engage a young person, get out into nature, take up long forgotten dreams, celebrate small beauties, count your blessings and think about the future in terms of extraordinary possibilities, then our little blog has done it’s job.

As carved into the wall of the Langskib dining hall:

“You are not here to cry about the miseries of the human condition, but to change them when you find them not to your liking through the joy, strength and vitality within you”

Teeth to The Wind!

C.G. & Jodi

We would appreciate your comments, suggestions, contributions and stories

If you would like to contact us please click here.

Blake Shester married Katie Logan in Nashville, TN (where they also have a home) last August. Fellow NWL alumni staff Geoff Shester was best man, and Blake’s blue grass band, Off the Wagon, played the rehearsal dinner at The Station Inn.

John Booth was wed to Hanna MacNaughton in August as well; their ceremony took place on beautiful Manitoulin Island.

Blake Caplan married Ashley Kurz in December at a spectacular event in downtown Philadelphia. The Black Tie reception provided a rare opportunity for many NWL alumni to swap their Carharts for tuxes and gowns.

Thor Mann is a management consultant-psychologist living in Brooklyn, NY. He and wife Alice welcomed twins Julian and Sebastian last fall

Seth and Melissa Obetz welcomed a baby boy into the world in November. They named their new son Grady.

Jon Ehrenfeld is in the process of getting a Masters degree in International Security Studies, Energy Policy and Climate from the George Washington University.

Deshka Foster is a pre-med student at Mills College in the San Francisco Bay area while Lhotse Foster is attending the university of Montana.

Estair Van Wagner is articling in Toronto and about a millimeter away from being called to the bar

Alexandra Skinner is living in Chicago and attending Dominican University for a Masters in Library and Informational Science.

Tyler Hargreaves was admitted to the bar in both Quebec and Ontario, he is now a practicing Lawyer at a firm in Toronto.

Raurie O’Brien is pursuing a degree in Clinical Psychology at the American School of Professional Psychology.

John Bowie is in the process of getting a PhD in Depth Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Alexi Asselin is working at the Sierra Youth Coalition as the Evaluation Director for the Sustainable Campuses Project.

Petra Eperjesi is at the University of Toronto getting a teaching degree.

Laura Turley is in Montreal in her final semester at McGill studying International Development and Environmental Studies, and is currently finishing her theses on methane emissions in the livestock and agriculture sectors–any questions regarding the belching and flatulence of ruminants can be sent her way!  Most of the time Laura can be found reading in small Montreal cafes, running meetings for the McGill.

Joe Hirsch is travelling the world, and trying to make every day into an adventure

Philippe Berger is working hard at getting into McGill Physics. Rowing.

Shane Levine completed a 600-mile hike across Israel in the late fall (see blog post about his adventures!).

Laura Berger is off to France this spring for a semester of studying in Paris.

Jacob Torrey is working on a co-op in Rome, NY for the spring semester.

Swift Corwin has co-founded a foresting and arborist company in Peterborough, NH.

Liv Pedersen spent some time this fall working in the Westport office. In February she traveled to India and Nepal with Sam Obetz. She has temporarily settled in Burlington, VT and is interning with a graphic design studio.

Augusta Schaeffer is also in Burlington, VT pursuing a nursing degree and working part time at an assisted living community.

In the time since Dave and I passed our paddles on to Jodi and CG, I had the privilege of participating in a year long vision quest program. The program focus was helping us discover what contribution we might offer to a world that is facing so many difficult challenges. We gathered four times over the year at four different places, each beautiful in its own way. While walking these unfamiliar lands I had time to reflect on the past 17 years as part of the Northwaters and Langskib community and what came to me was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude–. gratitude for all of the people I had met, for all of the lakes and rivers I had paddled, and for all of the challenges which had helped me to grow as a person.

The lands where we wandered were mostly desert, but interestingly, wherever I went, I found water. Sitting next to a trickle of a stream run off, or coming upon a moss covered rock, what rose to the surface was a simple realization: without the lakes and rivers, NW/L would not have been able to provide so many young and old the opportunity to grow and learn. I recalled the joy I had experienced each summer as I swam, paddled or boated over the constantly changing waters of Lake Temagami. I also thought about the many people who had never experienced such a privilege, about those who did not even have fresh water to drink, and about the many polluted rivers, lakes and oceans around the world. All if these thoughts led to a deep longing to give back to water in whatever way I could.

As soon as I returned from our last gathering in September a friend told me about a conference called “The Water of Life”. It seemed a good place to begin my quest to learn about the current state of water in our world. The situation presented was nothing short of a serious global water crisis. Although there is not space here to discuss the many issues, I think the “water facts” above support this claim. Senator Robert Kennedy spoke about all of the legislation going on in the United States. Although I was aware of problems in many third world countries, I did not know how critical the water crisis was in parts of the US. Maude Barlowe from Canada, recently appointed the first ever Advisor for world waters at the UN, spoke eloquently of all the issues facing our planet and we previewed her new film Blue Gold — the title aptly suggesting the value of water in a world that is running out of it. Fortunately, despite the dire situation presented, throughout the conference the committed work that many individuals have already done served as great inspiration. Consistently the idea of hope over despair was emphasized, and the encouraging news from the conference was that we have the technology to bring about change.

For those of you who ever sat with me in a closing circle at the end of a NW session, you might remember that I always felt a great sense of hope when listening to the learning’s you shared upon your return. I believe with all of my heart that your generation has the potential to make a significant difference in our world. Although you may not have created the problems we face, I believe you can help bring about a solution. In fact, without the energy and idealism of young people, I do not believe that we can affect the great change that is needed.

I know that some of you are already involved in environmental projects in your own communities and are already making a difference. But, if you are not, I hope that you will get involved. In the upcoming months I will be creating a blog/ website that will include many of the issues of the current water crisis, links to organizations who are making a difference, project ideas, and articles. It will be interactive and primarily serve as a way to share ideas and inspire NW/L folks. Ways to get involved will range from something as simple as printing off a brochure to share with family about key ways to conserve water — to implementing a service project which would bring water to a community that does not have fresh water. The possibilities are as vast as the lakes and rivers you have travelled.

If you have sat on the cliff at Langskib or down on the dock at Northwaters, I trust you can conjure up a memory of the sun sparkling on the deep blue waters of Lake Temagami. So, whether you are returning this summer to Northwaters or Langskib, or it has been years since you last paddled a red canoe, if you feel gratitude for the waters that both nourished and taught you important lessons, think about how you can contribute and share your ideas. You each have something unique to offer. I believe that our collective creativity and commitment can have a profound impact!

Facts About Water

• In the past 100 years, the world’s population has tripled. In the same period, water use by humans has multiplied six fold.
• Of the 6.7 billion people on Earth, about 1.4 billion people do not have access to safe water.
• 2.3 billion inhabitants lack adequate sanitation. Most are in Africa and Asia.
• Every 8 seconds somewhere in the world, a child dies of a water-related disease. Today, 6000 people will die from lack of clean drinking water, mostly children. 7 million people die each year of water- borne diseases.
• 40 percent of the world’s population now live in water basins under stress. In less than 25 years, 67 percent of the global population will be living in water stressed conditions unless we change.
• 40 percent of the rivers and streams in the United Sates are too dangerous for drinking fishing, and swimming.
• Global water usage will increase 40% by 2020 unless we change our current habits.
• Between 10 to 15 % of the planet was in drought in the 1970’s. By 2002 the figure had risen to about 30 percent.
• 250 million pounds of toxic pollutants are permitted to be dumped into surface waters of the US every year.
• If we continue depleting and polluting water, according to the UN, by the year 2020, nearly 50 nations will suffer severe water shortages; by 2030, water sources for many cities that have existed for centuries will simply dry up.
• Only 15% of the 2,262 watersheds in the US are considered by the federal government to have “good” water
• 97% of the world’s population now live in water basins under stress. In less than 25 years, 67 % of the global population will be living in water stresses conditions unless we change.
• A faucet that leaks one drop per second wastes more than 3 gallons of water a day….equally over 1,000 gallons per year.

*Sources: Vermonters for a Clean Environment and Blue Gold by Maude Barlowe

I remember being thirteen, standing on the dock at Langskib as darkness fell. There in the distance we saw the lights of torches appear. The paddle butts beating the dock echoed the beating of excited hearts. The Bay Trip! The boys who got out of those canoes were giants in my eyes. I knew that somehow what they had just done was big. And there was the way people talked about the Bay Trip with a certain deference and respect- it all took on a kind of legendary quality. If you had told me then that in two years time I would be paddling in in one of those torch-bearing canoes, I don’t know if I would have believed you.

The first Bay trip left the dock of Langskib in 1975 and was out about 46 days, traveling over the Kippawa watershed down the Harricana river and across the bay to Moosonee where they all arrived despite having lost one of their canoes and all its contents. This of course was in a time before such luxuries as nylon tents and poly-pro.

The trip is named for James Bay, the southernmost tip of the Arctic ocean, but there is a river to paddle before one gets there. The Harricana has its source in the Blouin, De Montigny, Lemoine and Mourier lakes, close to Val-d’Or, and flows down draining a basin of 29,300 km². Our trips put in now in the town of Amos, Quebec. From there it is about 370 km down to the bay. Poplars on clay banks give way to the evergreens of the boreal. The banks become rocky and the river narrows. Each day has something memorable, even legendary- from the abandoned gold mines at Joutel, to Nudebathing Falls, to Spring Gorge, to the Bridge Set, to the Sign-in cabin, to Stormy’s Gorge, to One Mile Island, to Pink Rock, and to Seven Mile Island where many trips encounter challenges, as the river rushes over raging waterfalls, through ferocious rapids, and breathtaking gorges. Below Seven, as it approaches the Bay, the river cuts deep eskers, the topography flattens and the vegetation thins.

Many of the perils are behind, but paddling the 60 kilometers of open water across to the mouth of the Moose river and up to the town of Moosonee is no small order. Besides the tides that need to be taken into account, there’s no telling what weather may blow across the open water within minutes. The tidal flats go out until the shoreline is barely visible and there are few options for camping along the way. Trips have seen Beluga whales, and swells up to 28 feet have been recorded at the mouth of the Moose.

Most of my memories from my first trip down this river to the Bay are blurry. I do remember aching arms and back from the long stretches of flat water paddling at the top of the river. I remember being humbled by the power of the waters. I remember coming to rapids that could not be paddled with no trail to walk around. I remember the endless horizon when we reached the bay, a place of only sky meeting water. And I remember having the space to look inside myself to see where I was and where I wanted to go.

Trying to push through the bush with a canoe on my shoulders, lines catching and branches scratching, the land felt wild and untraveled. However this route along the Harricana to the bay has been traversed for many years, first by the Algonquins. In 1670, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was granted a charter by King Charles II, giving it a trading monopoly over the watershed of all rivers and streams flowing into Hudson Bay. But it was only 1801 Alexander MacKenzie mapped the entire route of the river for the first time and identified it by the name Harricanaw. In 1908, the first camps were established on its banks at the rapids. These were provisioning camps for the transcontinental railroad construction. A few years later, in 1910, the first colonists arrived and founded the town of Amos at the place where the railroad crosses the river.

When the route was traveled by those colonizers, they went up-stream bringing civilization into the wilderness. Now we are journeying in reverse, escaping civilization for the adventure of the wilderness. I believe as our lives get more and more “civilized”, there is something we are losing, something every young person hungers for. That something that cannot be learned in classroom or experienced through a video game. It can be found on the land, in the excitement of adventure, in the fear of uncertain outcome, and in the confrontation of one’s self, which can be so easy to avoid in a life with so many distractions.

I had the opportunity to go back to the Bay last summer, in a different capacity. Many of my memories from that first journey were blurred to the point that they had become much more story than experience, and that it was exciting to have their reality confirmed. Another memory that came last summer was the trust and faith I had had in my leaders; I knew that responsibility was something I now had to carry. It is a privilege and honor to be a part of such a journey, something I believe is so vital for a young person’s growth and development.

In the language of the Tema-augauma-anishinabi people, Temagami means, “deep waters.” Temagami is a lake, as well as a town of the same name. To some, Temagami is a place of vacation, somewhere to run a houseboat and go fishing. To others it is a livelihood. To me, it is the place where my heart is at peace, the home of my spirit.

Temagami is feeling, an experience. It is like a smell, something that will never be completely explained. The definition of Temagami cannot be bound by words of any language. And each person has a different definition. Temagami is the surrounding earth, water and sky. It is trust, the circle of friends. It is the flow of the water and the rush of river. It is the stillness of dusk and the reflection of the trees and the bright sky in the clear water. Temagami is the rock of the canoe and the rhythm of the paddle stroke. It is a memory and a fond sigh. It is the star-covered sky and the call of the loon. It is the northern lights. It is safety and strength. Temagami is the courage to face doubt and fear, and to triumph.

Temagami is a teacher. Each canoe trip upon her waters has its own trials; each day has its own challenges. Each challenge is difficult and demanding, yet each is overcome. I have been to Temagami and learned the patterns of myself. I have learned the simplicity and complex beauty of life. The most amazing experiences of my life have been in this wild land. I have felt incredible pride and power after lifting the canoe off my shoulders and placing it in the water. I have been afraid and doubtful, and have come out alive and grateful. I have been so tired, my mind and body were drained of any feeling except quiet joy and peace. In Temagami I have been humbled to the lowest level, and have been raised up to touch the sky.

Temagami, more than any other one thing, has shaped me, made me what I am. It is there that I have found my visions. Until I see those green trees against the clear blue water, until I feel the sway of the boat, and hear the gentle lullaby of the water, I will dream of Temagami.