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/

Of course, it was hard to listen to this lecture and not make parallels to the ideals of Northwaters and Langskib Wilderness Programs and the reverence for childhood and adolescence that is honoured there.  By giving young people the opportunity to unplug, remove themselves from the expectations and norms of their home lives, and be with the land in a safe yet challenging environment, we create beautiful opportunities for personal growth.  We don’t need much to have powerful and formative experiences.  In the case of NWL, it is the bare necessities:  a tent, paddle, canoe, essentials that fit in to the canoe, a small group of supportive peers, and the quiet, solitude, and rawness of the Temagami Wilderness.

At Northwaters and Langskib each participant has an important voice and vital role within the group – it is difficult to blend into the background when one is considered critical to the group.  Often, we see young people come to our programs feeling disconnected and self-conscious.   But when given the opportunity to be with nature, a supportive community and, most importantly, with themselves in a reflective way, we often see these same individuals head back home feeling strong, empowered, and with a newly-found realization of their unique gifts and those of their trip mates.  The skills and lessons learned on a well-thought out wilderness program, such as trust, communication, integrity, honour, discernment, and confidence are skills that will aid young people in the navigation of their lives well beyond their time on trail.

Northwaters is committed to sharing the magic of this experience with parents as well.  We believe that the environment, culture and components used throughout youth programs have great value for families and individuals.  Waypoint is a week-long program at our Langskib basecamp designed specifically for parents who would like to renew their vision of what is possible within themselves and their family.

I felt compelled to share my experience of Kim John Payne’s lecture and of Northwaters with other parents as a message of hope in demanding times.   Kim John’s message reminds us to look at childhood and adolescence as an unfolding process rather than an enrichment opportunity.  In this way we can support our children’s healthy development in to grounded and responsible adults.   The work of Northwaters and Kim John Payne continue to influence my life, and who I am as a parent, by plainly reminding me that simple is powerful.

Bannock is a yeast-less bread that we cook every night in our convection ovens. It is a very simple recipe that uses baking soda and baking powder as leavening agents. Although we eat it every day, this trail staple can easily be jazzed up so that lunch doesn’t get boring. People have added cheese, garlic and onions; tomato soup mix and basil; chocolate chips; and cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s been made into dumplings and cooked in soup, as well as fried and covered in cinnamon and brown sugar to make Beaver Tails. Below is the recipe for bannock so you can make it yourself at home. However, bannock is best when cooked over an open fire.

Bannock:
8 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup powdered milk
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp Salt
1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)

Dry mix the ingredients, including the Crisco, well. Then, slowly add water, kneading it into the rest of the mixture. When it is the right consistency throughout, it will stop sticking to your hands.

Add the mixture to two grease 12-inch cake pans and spread evenly. Bake for around 20 minutes at around 350°F or 176°C. The temperature and time are approximate, but when it is golden brown on top, it is probably done.

Below is a picture of Bannock based cinnamon buns about to go into the reflector oven.  How’s that for a midnight snack!

Although we are on islands, far from convenient stores and large shopping centers, we still receive a great deal of fresh food and so our meals are always extremely delicious, varied, and well balanced. It is all made from scratch – no mixes, no pre-made frozen meals. Some of my favorites are the ginger and carrot soup, our fresh bread (from the wood fired oven), and the banana and chocolate chip muffins. It makes it so much more wonderful to come back from trail knowing that there is a home-cooked feast waiting for you.

Although not as sophisticated as the food in base camp, our food on trail is also delicious and nutritious. My favorite trail dinner is our noodles with Thai peanut sauce. We start by sautéing onions and garlic then add cumin, soy sauce, peanut butter and a splash of Tabasco sauce – this is then poured over fettuccini. I’ve made it at home with friends and family, always to rave reviews. Because the staff eat the food for a good part of the summer, every summer, we try to get as creative as possible with our meals. In 2007, as part of our staff training we had a cook-off to see who could make the best trail food – using, of course, the ingredients that we take with us on our trips.

In addition to dinner, our bannock lunch for the next day must be prepared each night. We usually bake it (along with other treats such as muffins, breads, cakes and pies) in our reflector ovens. Breakfasts are often a variety of hot cereals with dried fruits and toppings, lunches are some combination of breads/bannocks with spreads, soups, pasta’s, cheeses and sometimes dinner leftovers (if there are any).

While Trail food at NWL may not be quite as civilized as our Basecamp menu, it’s creative, flavourful, comforting and diverse. All the right things at the beginning, middle or end of an adventurous day in the wilderness.

We are very lucky here at Northwaters and Langskib (NWL) to have three great chefs in our community. Robin Young works at our Northwaters Basecamp while Lynne Brach and Elizabeth (or 2D, as we call her) work at our Langskib Island basecamp.

Our Northwaters cook, Robin Young, grew up in Toronto. Her father inspired in her an appreciation for good, fresh, seasonal food by planting a garden for her when she was little. Now she has four children of her own who all love to cook. As part of her development as a chef, Robin has attended classes at The San Francisco Baking Institute, the Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ireland, the Beverly Burge Cooking School in Toronto, and the Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco. She has also been to Italy to test bread recipes for the award-winning cookbook “Piano Piano Pieno.” Currently she is a member of the Slow Food Movement and has been member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America. She has both taught cooking classes as well as run her own catering company.

When she’s not working in Temagami, she volunteers her time at the St. Andrew’s Church in Toronto where she is in charge of menu planning and producing meals for the Out of the Cold program – a six-month program that feeds 200 guests weekly. In addition to being an amazing cook, Robin is a dear friend to staff and directors and creates an atmosphere of home and welcoming in her kitchen.

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