After a 3km ski we arrived at Brown cabin. The sun was glorious. Lunch was the first thing on the agenda after a challenging ski in. Once our bellies were filled we grabbed our shovels and went to work. A few distractions allowed for some needed breaks including turning Alex into a snow mermaid and plenty of snow tackles. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Once the quin-zhees were built we took a much needed break and sat by the fire enjoying some Bannock. (Thank you Gillian!) Then came the exciting part; digging out the quin-zhee.
Each group had members take turns getting down under the snow to scrape away at the inside of the quin-zhee in an effort to create their cave-like dwelling. With a great deal of precaution and a little less fetal-position foot-kicking than some would have prefered (Dana), neither of the quin-zhees collapsed! It was a true success.
The remainder of the evening involved getting warm and comfortable by the wood-burning stove, enjoying a lovely home-cooked meal by the men and evening meeting with storied and games.
Bright and early in the morning we were treated to porridge and sausages. A hearty meal full of energy for the morning ski! Up the hills of Gatineau Park, we worked up a sweat and enjoyed the freedom of skiing without our packs on. After packing up, eating some delicious soup and rice, we collapsed the quin-zhees and made our way home.
With great attitudes and loads of laughter the trip proved to be a great adventure into the wilderness and an excape from reality. This is truly a phenomenal group of outdoor enthusiasts.
marisa: i really enjoyed this camping trip. it was fun learning how to build a quin-zhee and the skiing was a great workout and lots of fun. i tried many new things and discovered that i am capable of many things. The meals were very delicious and there was some really great bonding time between all the fellow campers. the weather was very nice and the outdoor activites were very amusing. i really had an amzing time on this trip and i look forward to the next trip.
ReplyDeleteDear diary of a winter camper,
ReplyDeleteI had a great time winter camping. This was only my second time camping ever, let alone winter camping. I was a little bit nervous at first, but I was also excited because I knew we were all going to have a great time together.
The ski up was pretty fun, albeit exhausting. Everything was going well until Marisa fell and didn’t take her poles off the track, causing me to run over them and fall! Things went downhill from there when later I fell behind the pack and wiped out pretty hard. I got up quickly and figured no one saw so I just brushed it off, but of course 10 seconds later I hear in a British accent, “Are you okay?”.
Like I expected we had great fun once we got up there. I ate my amazing turkey sandwich for lunch before we starting building our quin-zhees. While building, I got distracted a couple of times. Someone asked me to get twigs, so I began a solo journey into the dark forest to complete my mission... Apparently I was too destructive to nature. Later I just wanted to take a rest in the snow and everyone decided to burry me and build me into a beautiful mermaid. I was pretty offended when Mr. Ferguson called me a whale.
I can’t remember what else happened but I’m sure it was fun as well. Once again I dominated at mafia. Our dinner was pretty sweet as well.
All in all great trip and I can’t wait for the next one.
The winter camping trip was surprisingly a lot of fun. To be completely honest, I wasn't really looking forward to the winter camping trip very much, but I ended up having an amazing time. I didn't want to go home by the end of it.
ReplyDeleteThe skiing there was hard work, but still a lot of fun. Marisa and Alex made the trip enjoyable and kept me laughing the whole way. They probably didn't enjoy me as much by the end of it, considering I made them both fall twice.... but it's all good.
Building the quin-zhee was a great accomplishment that I'm very proud of. Our group did a great job of making sure that everyone contributed to building it, as well as making great memories while fooling around during our down time. (alex mermaid...haha).
The rest of the day was also great,whether it was sitting around the fire eating bannick, or hanging out in the cabin sharing stories with everyone, or thinking there was a killer outside when it was really Bradley playing with a stick. Many laughs were shared.
The second day, consisted of a long leisurely skii, that I surprisingly enjoyed very much. It wasn't as hard as I had planned it to be, but rather it was relaxing and enjoyable.
All-in-all the winter camping trip was my favorite so far, and I would gladly do it again. I had an amazing time and will remember these memories forever.
Irene
This winter camping trip was extremely enjoyable and i had a really good time. The weather was superb, the sun was shinning, the temperature was just right and there was not a cloud in sight. After exiting the bus, we commenced our journey to our cabin. The trails were perfectly groomed and shaded by the trees glistening with new snow. Although there was a mountain, it was a good challenge was was attained by each individual. The ski was an excellent work out and an activity that I have come to appreciate, due to the fact of difficulty it takes to master. Arriving at the cabin was a relief and that's when the realization of the trip finally set in.
ReplyDeleteOnce arriving we made quin-zhees which took a while but were well worth it in the end. The process is long but with some good laughs and being surrounded by good people the time passed by extremely quickly. Surprisingly ours didn't collapse, which was a good thing and it turned out to be pretty nice inside.
The cabin was amazing. It kept us all warm , and it was a comfortable place for slumber. It also came with a kitchen that was key for the amazing food we had. There was plenty of room and was complete with a fireplace to warm our clothes and ourselves. It was a great gathering room for all of us; even though there weren't many people.
So far the winter camping trip was my favorite with all the skiing, the warmth, the fires, the kitchen, and the people. I cant wait for another trip and hopefully the spring trip will be as successful as the winter trip.
The winter camping trip in Gastineau Park was a lot of fun in my mind. We started and end with two long and boring bus rides only because when we go for the trip we are all exited for the trip and when we are coming back it is a quiet bus ride back. This is the part, which I dislike the most because its quiet and nothing fun happens. The part what I enjoyed the most was sleeping in the quin-zhee even though it was just for a few hours. The thing I enjoyed the most was when we got in it was hot we had to take layers off so then because the candle that I was struggling to light had warmed it up. Waking up to leave was one of my grapes because I had a nice sleep going and I was all settled in and it was warm. Oh well its life. I also enjoyed being one of the only people who went outside and played Frisbee with mister Ferguson. The one problem that I was frustrated with was that I could only throw a backhand. The building of a quin-zhee was fun because the guys where having fun the whole time. When we stacked up the snow we planned for the length of two people and made sure that their wasn’t much room on either side because we I didn’t want the people sleeping inside it being to cold. Also the three skis that we had where enjoyable and the think that I enjoyed the most was Gillian falling it took her forever to get up. The food was amazing because there was meet in it this time and it was cooked on a stove. Thanks miss for the chocolate chip cookie. My biggest “grape” was being unable to get the tee light started in our quin-zhee. Every time I’d get it started something would go wrong my head knocking snow on it, wind coming in and me just being unable to light a match. All in all it was a good trip and I can’t wait for the canoe trip into Algonquin Park.
ReplyDelete