Visit from Toronto school group

Friday May 6th,

I had a class from Toronto on an exchange to Winnipeg come out for the day. Fifty students in all with Four teachers.

They all seemed to have a good time. The tent was a big hit. They were full of questions first about wild animals and then about the plants and trees.

After briefing them on the area with the aide of a blown up aerial photograph with the ski trails on it and showing them poison ivy as a plant to avoid I let them know about wood ticks.

When I described ticks and how to deal with them it didn't take long before someone got the idea to take a piece of big bluestem and start tickling anothers neck causing shrieks and lots of laughter.

I took two groups of twenty five on an hour long hike to look at different trees, flowers, prairie grasses and talk about the topography and the history of the area. Then switched to map reading and using a compass.

We had a lunch of hotdogs and cookies.

In all they walked about four miles around the ski trails. No complaints from the kids at all.

The teachers that escorted the group had some questions and enjoyed the chance to get out of the classroom themselves. To my surprise none had ever see a Prairie Crocus before. There are a lot on Reggies run and all over Ken's Prairie.

The weather was great. We got a few drops as we were walking back to the parking area. Other than that it was sunny and warm. A perfect day for wandering around.

The next course planned is a teachers instructional weekend going over basic camping and other related bush craft skills for taking groups out.

New season

I have been busy lately evaluating the needs and designing specific survival courses for a northern airline.

Early in May I have 50 students coming out to Ken's Prairie for a day of hiking, simple bushcraft and a bonfire complete with hot dogs and marshmallows. Half of the students are from Toronto and have never been out of the city. Weather cooperating they should have a blast.

The winter season was fun but I am looking forward to more groups and teaching different outdoor skills.

Loppet Post EX

The loppet on the whole went very well. For my part in it the tent worked very well and provided heated visiting space for 45 people. Peak numbers were approx 35 at one time.

Valuable lesson learned. DO NOT BURN CARDBOARD IN THE WOOD STOVE! I burned a cookie box in the woodstove without thinking anything of it. The wax and colorings in the cardboard formed a deposit in the spark arrester partially blocking the stove pipe and reducing the heat generating capability of the stove. The warm cosy atmosphere in the tent was reduced partly due to the stove malfunction.

The entry way for the tent was also an issue as constant opening and lack of effort closing of the velcro flap released a lot of heated air which was not being replaced. Next year I will build a door way which should reduce the heat loss and be easier to use.

Over all I was happy with the way things went and with some minor adjustments I will be able to support large group outings and activities in remote or difficult locations.

Feb 11 and 12th

With the help of Pam,Ross and Laura we got the tent moved for the Loppet.

The weather was too warm for my taste.

Striking and setting the tent up in the new location took a little under 4 hrs. Over all everyone put in a good effort and worked together. I only wish we had a little more time to relax and have a beverage afterwards.

The next day the continuing warm weather thawed the ground enough that many of the tent stakes got pulled out and needed to be reset.

The weather for the loppet is supposed to be around -7 which should be ideal.

Thanks everyone for your help and we will see you on the trails.

Last week and this week

I had gone out with the intention of building igloos with Don but we were unable to find suitable snow.

I spent the night in the tent again this time without heat. The US sleeping bag worked very well after it was closed properly. Temp went to -30s I slept soundly for 6hrs and stayed in the bag for another 1 1/2  trying to convince myself I didn't have to get up. But the call of nature was too strong. I got up at about 6am and discovered my boots were frozen solid from tramping through snowbanks the previous day. After some difficulty getting them on I snowshoed back to the cabin and made coffee.



Feb 5th

I went out to check on the tent and shovel the snow off the skirts on Saturday. There was about 2 feet of snow which had fallen from the tent creating a really good seal around the bottom. I was very pleased that the ice from the melt didn't stick to the tent and fell off easily as I shovelled the snow off. This as all in preparation for moving the tent on Feb 12th for the BitterSweet loppet in two weeks. Cousin Ross and Laura will be there to help but one or two more people to help would make a difference.

Equipment tests Part One

I spent most of the evening out in HQ. The temp outside was -18 C but I got the temp inside the tent to a balmy -8 C. Unfortunately the tent does not retain the heat for long without someone stoking the stove regularly. It is a 1952 army tent stove rated for a smaller 10 man tent. The new stove I have coming puts out twice the heat, is a newer design and intended for the tent I am using. I am hoping that after loading it up and choking the air down it will heat more efficiently longer.

My main purpose was to test the air mattress and the US army arctic sleeping bag I purchased before ordering 30 of them. The Air mattress was great. 2 1/2 inch foam core inflatable from Cabelas. It was pricey at 180.00 but is well worth the expense. I did not feel the cold from the ground at all. The sleeping bag did well. I had neglected to zip the inner and outer sleeping bags shut and had only zipped the goretex over bag. Initially it was fine and I fell asleep cozy and warm. However I woke up around 3am feeling a draft into the bag.  It functions a little differently than the Canadian model. I didn't actually get to the point of feeling cold but couldn't get back to sleep feeling the draft reemerge each time I moved. Other than not shutting the bag properly it worked well. I am looking forward to trying again next time I go out.

Delayed

I had planned to be out at Ken's Prairie tonight but have delayed. The highway report said conditions were bad and I figured one less vehicle on the road would probably be best. I plan to head out early in the morning. The temp on Sat is supposed to go below -30. I am planning to stay out on the Prairie Sat night to prove some of my equipment.

Anyone out on the trails is more than welcome to come and visit when I am there.