| |
|
|
| |
Low Temperature
12 F
High Temperature
40 F!
Movies Watched
6
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
Lesson
Plans
|
|
|
|
 |
Tent Talk
Listen
to today's Audio Update!
|
Daily
Dilemma
|
|
|
Now that Dylan and Andrew have joined the
adventure. There are four more hands to help
with chores. Who will do what chores? Remember
Dylan and Andrew are strapping young lads
compared to the two old timers, Dave and Adam.
|
|
 |
Click To Learn More About Fennel
|
| I cannot tell a lie. We are not winter camping.
Since arriving at Island Lake we've been holed up in a
house, eating fresh fruit and watching movies on HBO and
Cinemax. "Old School"-hilarious. "Silence
of the Lambs"-scary.
Let me grovel. We were hoping we might be able to camp
on the 15-mile stretch of Island Lake between the communities
of Wasagamack and Garden Hill. But our dogs have turned
into such machines they made the trip in 2 hours, with
Dave and me riding on the sled.
|
Click Image to Enlarge
How far do we have yet to go? Dave gets some local
advice about some shortcuts the team can take. Don't
forget to Cast
Your Vote!
|
|
|
Suggesting we stay in our tent seemed an offense to
our hosts, hence the house. As for the movies, Dave
just enjoys some good cinema from time to time. Plus,
it hit 40 degrees F today--is that winter camping? Still,
we both can't wait to get back on the trail, but until
then, we are enjoying our time in Garden Hill.
Left: Taking time re-pack and double check our food
rations. What would you pack to eat on a learning adventure?
|
| The first thing we learned about Garden Hill was a thing
called "Dog Days." Sounds fun? Many communities
have problems with stray dogs. Dog Days is a time when
all the stray dogs are gathered up by the the locals and
handed over to the dogcatcher (who isn't very nice). Obviously,
we are triple-checking our dogs to make sure they are
securely chained to their stakeout line.
Besides the potential threat to our puppies, Garden
Hill has greeted us with tons of enthusiasm. Many of
the kids from the elementary school played with our
dogs and the adults told stories of times past when
dog teams were the preferred method for hunting and
fishing expeditions instead of snowmobiles.
|
|
|
We also received two new learning adventurers
yesterday, Dylan Wajda-Levie and Andrew Jones from Philadelphia,
PA. Dylan and Andrew are high school seniors working on
their senior project for 3 weeks with the Wilderness Classroom.
Needless to say, it will be nice to have some fresh workhorses
along so Dave and I can relax in the tent and give orders
for fresh water and firewood. Both young men are experienced
winter campers and are a welcome addition to our posse. |
| I've just been reminded that I promised
last week I'd tell you the secret to ice fishing with
nets between two holes.
The secret is in the ice jigger, or the power ice jigger.
We will focus on the first. An ice jigger is a long
board with a spike attached to it in the middle with
a hinge. The blunt end of the spike is attached to a
rope, which in turn is attached to a big spool. Still
with me? Good.
|
|
Click Image to Enlarge
Each day, a new coat of wax must be applied to the
bottom of the team's skis. This helps the skis glide
over the snow more smoothly. |
To use the jigger, you first drill one hole
and slide the board under the ice. Once in place under
the ice, the motion of pulling on the rope causes the
spike to hit the ice and propel the board forward a few
feet. By putting your ear on the ice, you can hear the
spike and figure out how far the jigger has traveled.
Once it has gone the length of your fishing net, you simply
drill a second hole, pull out the ice jigger, and use
the rope under the ice to string your net between the
two holes. |
| Simple. Did you figure it out on your own? Me neither.
That's about it. Dave is telling me I have to finish
up before "Operation Dumbo Drop" comes on
in 15 minutes. We'll be back to winter camping before
you know it. We promise.
|
|
|
|
