canadian adventure
In terms of people and experiences, nothing has changed my life more than the six eventful summers I spent up at AWANA Canadian Adventure, a wilderness camping experience for teenagers north of Lake Superior in Ontario. I started going as a camper at the age of 14 in 1994, and ended at the age of 19 as a camp kitchen slave in 1999. I was already a Christian, but I think of Canadian Adventure as the place where God took ahold of my life and redeemed my future. It is also the place where I learned how to work well in a group dynamic -- occasionally in potential life-or-death situations. It's where I learned to be silent, to sit and be still. And it's where I learned how to make do with what's available, take chances, and jury-rig whatever needs it.
I don't know what will be available for my kids when they are teenagers, but I hope for a similar sort of earth-shaking, life-changing experience for them as well.
Since all my pictures are preserved in paper photo albums or on slides (remember slides?!), I stole some of outrageous_joy's scenic shots for this entry. She met both my brother and her fiance at Canadian Adventure back in 1998, and the three of them have been friends since. She returns to Canada every summer to work as the kitchen slave, so most of her pictures are recent:
1. A gorgeous view of an iconic Canadian Adventure landmark -- Mount Sinai! I climbed to the top of it every year but one.
2. Me with the males from my group on top of Mount Sinai in 1998.
3. Watching my buddy Joe draw pictures as we waited to be picked up from a remote location. If I remember correctly, a fierce Canadian thunderstorm rolled through just after the picture was taken, and of course the truck was several hours late. We huddled under an flipped canoe and prayed for deliverance.
4. With one of my groups at the base camp, wasting away some time.
5. There has always been a golden dog at the base camp, for as long as I can remember. This one is named Annie.
6. The only dependable way in and out of the base camp is by train. Here's the tressel it crosses above the Montreal River Dam before making its stop a mile up-trail from the camp.
7. Canada, oh Canada. I relax just looking at this scenery.
8. Mount Sinai as seen from the base camp at the close of summer.
9. A group hiking up the Golden Staircase path.
10. The reward at the end of the hike -- the fourth "step" of the falls!
11. There are waterfalls all up and down the Montreal River, however. Barely a day goes by without having the chance to cool off in one of them. This is Ten-Mile Falls, a good stopping point on the long trip up the river to the outlaying cabins.
12. Campers shivering in a forest pool -- this might be the lower set at Hidden Falls downriver?
13. The water was really low this year. I believe we're looking at a stream leading to the Cow River, up by Indian River (is there an Indian River anywhere?) cabin.
14. Canoeing is bliss. Except in storms, or when there's water being let out of the dam.
15. A view from the island of Patmos, another iconic Canadian Adventure location. Everybody stays there at least one night!
16. Another view from Patmos, I believe.
17. Here's a sunset view from one of the cabins. Ahhhhh...
18. This is one of the power company's roads leading from the dam down to Lake Superior. When not blocked, washed out, or restricted, it goes to civilization!
19. Fog rolling off the river near the base camp.
20. Slaving in the kitchen and enjoying every minute of it, in 1999.
It's not an AWANA camp any more, but the property is still there and accessible as a wilderness retreat center. You have no idea how often I dream of going back, and of how jealous I am that my brother's going to be honeymooning there in a few weeks. But at the same time ... I'm a little fearful of going back and finding that my memories are bigger than the actual places and events. Does that make sense?
I don't know what will be available for my kids when they are teenagers, but I hope for a similar sort of earth-shaking, life-changing experience for them as well.
Since all my pictures are preserved in paper photo albums or on slides (remember slides?!), I stole some of outrageous_joy's scenic shots for this entry. She met both my brother and her fiance at Canadian Adventure back in 1998, and the three of them have been friends since. She returns to Canada every summer to work as the kitchen slave, so most of her pictures are recent:
1. A gorgeous view of an iconic Canadian Adventure landmark -- Mount Sinai! I climbed to the top of it every year but one.
2. Me with the males from my group on top of Mount Sinai in 1998.
3. Watching my buddy Joe draw pictures as we waited to be picked up from a remote location. If I remember correctly, a fierce Canadian thunderstorm rolled through just after the picture was taken, and of course the truck was several hours late. We huddled under an flipped canoe and prayed for deliverance.
4. With one of my groups at the base camp, wasting away some time.
5. There has always been a golden dog at the base camp, for as long as I can remember. This one is named Annie.
6. The only dependable way in and out of the base camp is by train. Here's the tressel it crosses above the Montreal River Dam before making its stop a mile up-trail from the camp.
7. Canada, oh Canada. I relax just looking at this scenery.
8. Mount Sinai as seen from the base camp at the close of summer.
9. A group hiking up the Golden Staircase path.
10. The reward at the end of the hike -- the fourth "step" of the falls!
11. There are waterfalls all up and down the Montreal River, however. Barely a day goes by without having the chance to cool off in one of them. This is Ten-Mile Falls, a good stopping point on the long trip up the river to the outlaying cabins.
12. Campers shivering in a forest pool -- this might be the lower set at Hidden Falls downriver?
13. The water was really low this year. I believe we're looking at a stream leading to the Cow River, up by Indian River (is there an Indian River anywhere?) cabin.
14. Canoeing is bliss. Except in storms, or when there's water being let out of the dam.
15. A view from the island of Patmos, another iconic Canadian Adventure location. Everybody stays there at least one night!
16. Another view from Patmos, I believe.
17. Here's a sunset view from one of the cabins. Ahhhhh...
18. This is one of the power company's roads leading from the dam down to Lake Superior. When not blocked, washed out, or restricted, it goes to civilization!
19. Fog rolling off the river near the base camp.
20. Slaving in the kitchen and enjoying every minute of it, in 1999.
It's not an AWANA camp any more, but the property is still there and accessible as a wilderness retreat center. You have no idea how often I dream of going back, and of how jealous I am that my brother's going to be honeymooning there in a few weeks. But at the same time ... I'm a little fearful of going back and finding that my memories are bigger than the actual places and events. Does that make sense?