Northway Lodge!
I had a really hard time deciding whether I should go to Northway or not. With one year of school, tuition and bills left the though of next to volunteer work seemed threatening. But as with so many things in my life, my mom was the inspiration. As soon as she uttered the words 'I would be extremely surprised if you did this', I knew I had to go.
As it turns out, it was by far one of the best decisions of my life. Before going I knew little, if nothing about tripping, but I left an experienced guide with 40 days of trips under my belt. Had I not done this, the West Coast Trail would have been a much different experience.
In summary the summer was broken into 13 day quarters, 10 days of tripping, 40 total. For the first half I was with Northway (the girls camp) on trips ranging from 2 to an amazing 7 day trip from the NW corner all the way east then back down. The other guides were amazing, I learned more than I ever expected, the campers were great, giving endless hours of entertainment and finally the counsellors were great, essentially doing all the dirty work with the kids while we did all the other stuff. On each trip there were 2 guides, 1 counsellor and 3 kids, so some pretty spectacular 1-1 ratios.
The food was mostly powdered and carbs, but some of the most delicious I've ever had, entirely due to the appetites we had after jogging portages.
After the half I moved over to Wendigo, the much (7 boys) smaller boys camp for a 7 day and a 3 day. I got to plan out the 3 day which was an awesome experience, it ended up being a bushwack in the SE corner just north of the highway.
Then I got a pretty big compliment for a first year guide, I was sent on the Counsellor In Training (CIT) trip, for 10 days in Temagami. I also got to plan part of this one out. We got ourselves to the fire tower on Maple Mountain, then down the Montreal river to the Ottawa, then up the Matebychewan and back to the NE arm for a pickup.
I literally got paid to go on canoe trip in one of the most beautiful places on earth for an entire summer. Depending on a Canada World Youth application I hope to go back in Rob Morgan's (soon to be) newly refurbished cedar strip.
West Coast Trail!
The trail was pretty epic. I started out with a 70lb pack at km 77 from Port Renfrew, which just so happened to be the hardest end and made my way up to Bamfield. I was aiming to do it in 7-8 days, as I had some time to kill before making my way to Tofino, but a heavy storm on evening 5 pushed me to do the last and extremely boring 25 km in one day, finishing it up in 6. Although I hiked alone, I met several others at campsites and by night 3 we had quite a roaming possy. There was a couple from Vancouver as well as 3 20 year olds hiking with their parents who started separately but met up along the way. Campfire games included Cribs Creek Olympics feature the taber toss, discus, shot put, greco roman wrestling and tug o' war, sponsored by some vile rum 151. In fact we kept touch and are going on a hike sometime early October.
I would definitely do this trip again, it was by far the most beautiful and entertaining hike I have ever done. Because of its fame it gets a lot of non-hikers heading out on it, which provides the entertainment, but the coastline is some of the most beautiful I have ever trudged along. Pictures to come! If you decide to go, the later the season the less rain (supposedly), though people hiking towards us told me they just had 3 straight days of pouring. Be sure you're in shape, just because its famous doesn't mean its easy, there are endless ladders, fallen log walks and shifty boardwalks to make your way along.
Tofino/Vancouver!
After finishing the trail in Bamfield and meeting some other survivors for beer, I made my way to Ucelete and then Tofino for 4 days of surfing. Tara, Andrew and several others drove up the next day and we met for several epic days of sunrises and sunsets. Twice we got up to watch the sunrise, once making hash browns on the Tofino wharf with a side of oatlmeal and Baileys. We also trekked down to a beach two nights for a sunset, the second night with a bonfire and dinner on driftwood. Truly a time to remember.
Through various means everyone then headed back to Vancouver for several days of touristing and partying. I went to hang out with the every welcoming Jason and Kelly which was an awesome time as always, then went back to see the other guys for a hike and a bike around Stanley Park. Not to mention various degrees of all you can eat Japanese and Mongolian.
Calgary!
Calgary is good! Despite the odd hours at the pool, I decided not to work much this year so am depending on OSAP for such necessities as groceries, activities and trips across the country. Despite 6 courses, I signed up for ultimate, dodgeball and triathlon club which should keep me busy for a little while. Classes are going alright, I'm pretty happy this is my last year though.
Ha! I did it! I hope everyone is doing amazingly, if anyone reads this. I'll be home for Christmas and look forward to some winter camping and road trips up to Algonquin. Pictures to come!!
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