Travelling Lumsdens

DrJHG, where I currently work, offers International Baccalaureate programming. Part of the requirement and standardization is regular training for staff involved in teaching and implementation. This year it was my opportunity to queue for IB training, as an IB School administrator. Most often the professional development training requires international travel and most realistic options were being offered in the Southern US. After a roll of the dice, I landed on the “Big Easy”, New Orleans, for PD to occur in December 2017.

Thus, the obligatory registrations and reservations were aligned and purchased. With course, flights and accommodations in place, I’ve begun to pick away at websites and online resources for getting the most out of my visit. New Orleans, from the meager research I’ve managed, is having a real Renaissance from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I’m hoping to explore the city during some of the IB downtime (hoping there isn’t too much homework). So… I grabbed a few Twitter feeds, looked at some Google mapping, and scoped out potential attractions and events. Looks like the WWII Museum is definitely a “MUST”. As November rolls along the pieces of the puzzle will, I’m sure, fall into place (See New Orleans ’17).

Mid-October… and a perfect opportunity to be outdoors! Who better to get “out and about” with than Jan and Chris from “A for Adventure”. These gents have become close family friends after their arrival in Canso in August of 2013. Brassy as all get out, they were part of a team that left Canso Harbour in a kayak and paddled to Sable Island in aid of Brigadoon. Since, they have become annual visitors to our end of the Eastern Shore, regular over nighters at the home of my parents, and key volunteers at Stanfest.  A for Adventure has a mission… they are all about inspiring people to get outdoors and experience adventure.

So, after Stanfest ’17 we synced calendars and picked an October date to head for Smelt Lake and some exploration time! To be honest, I did tiptoe into the weekend with some trepidation. These youngsters are hiking, paddling, lugging and dragging through wild and tame areas all across the Atlantic Provinces. I’m an “almost 50” vice-principal that walks high school hallways through hordes of teens. I was worried that I may get left behind or even more ego bruising… carried back! However, I was game for anything. After meeting at the first portage, we were quickly setting up at Camp Lumsden early Friday evening and preparing to hit the water in the morning for a day of exploring.

Saturday was spent with kayaks and SUP (cool acronym for Stand Up Paddle Board) as we portaged the Cooeycoff trail and navigated some of the fairly choppy freshwater lake that abound in this part of Guysborough County. Circled by the Canso Wilderness and Bonnet Lake Barrens, the rugged landscape is a mix of deciduous tree, a dash of hardwood (dressed in all its fall colour), and the low lying scrub and glacial erratics of the barrens. We checked out a nearby waterfall, boated the leeward side of the lake and went on a 5km trek on an abandoned path along the southwest portion of the lake. Evening saw food from the grill and guitars into the wee hours. All in, I had an awesome trip.

I learned a lot through the weekend.  It was fun to see an area I’ve roamed for the past 40 plus years through the eyes of another. The questions Jan and Chris asked, pictures they took, and their keen sense of curiosity were infectious. I realized that in so many ways some of the most interesting and meaningful lessons are not found abroad, but in our own backyard. We left with the idea that this may become an annual trek… and I’m all in for that! Many thanks to A for Adventure for the much needed visit. Cheers guys!

September saw all hands heading back to school. For the first several weeks it was warm and busy work… with lots of humidity in the classroom and plenty of organizational hours during weekdays. Thank God for the camp this time of year, as we found reprieve and restoration at the edge of the lake. I think I got into Smelt Lake every weekend of the month… Stretching out the summer (great weather this year) and relinquishing enough to start winter preparation.

Big accomplishment at Camp Lumsden this year was the introduction of an alternate, green power supply through the installation of solar panels. The experiment started in June… prompted by a Canadian Tire Special which included controller, inverter and panels. After a couple of rudimentary internet searches, I collected up the necessary pieces, being sure to purchase components that could be expanded upon should additional panels be desired. The roof of the new shed proved perfectly positioned for panels as it is south facing and open (with the removal of three/four trees). Set-up was easy… as I’m no ‘lectrician! By summer’s end I’d even expanded once, to a complement of 4-100W panels storing power on three deep cycle marine batteries.

In all, we were very pleased with results. It eliminated almost all requirement in regards to running the generator.  I used it once or twice to run the grass trimmer… that’s it.  The 5 litres of gas picked up in the spring (all I had to purchase) ran the outboard for the summer. Beyond fuel savings (and lugging), the solar has really changed the complexion of evenings. Lots of light through the night on demand… safe and clean.  Plus… not a sound. The purr of the little generator can now be saved for work trips and other heavy load jobs.

So, all in, a $1500 dollar investment. I’ll be a while getting my money back… but really thinking about supporting more environmentally friendly practices at the camp (Janie’s ideas are finally taking root). As the pricing for this type of project continues to drop (while efficiency improves) I can see it being an even more affordable solution for off grid living!

Janie and I live in very fortunate circumstances. Our immediate family and friends are in great health, our careers remain close to us while our educational work is productive / rewarding, and we continue to strive for and treasure new learning experiences. August of 2017, in many ways coincidentally, saw us sharing travel, conversation and celebration with some of those we hold dearest.

It was a month for family milestones. For instance, August ’17 marked the 50th Wedding Anniversary of my parents. No small feat and in so many ways, a model for living happily. We had an awesome celebration in Canso that tied nicely into Regatta activities for those that visited. The number of family and friends involved reached into the ’90’s. We gathered at Camp Glasgow, not far from our homestead, and broke bread, shared a glass, and sang into the wee hours. Special evening for all involved.

Later in August, Monica turned 16 and hosted a raucous affair, planned by the careful hands of Aunt Kathleen! That old beginners licence trickled in shortly thereafter. And, of course, there were also moments of complete quiet at the edge of Smelt Lake with family and friends listening to the crackle of softwood and call of the loons. It was a very good summer at the camp, with multiple jobs tackled and several improvements / maintenance tasks completed

We also reconnected with many friends. What says catching up for MtA Alumni more than taking a booth at Mel’s for coffee and picture sharing! Great to see MacKay. And how about an evening watching the Home Town Heroes and Trews in Truro with long time pals Tammy and Mike. After their many trips to volunteer in Canso at Stanfest it was about time we picked up our sorry butts and headed to Chez Chitty!

We did manage one major excursion that we have detailed in our trip section of the website… A real bucket list trip to Boston made possible by our friends Andrew & Lori Graham. In so many ways a very special and overdue road trip! A jam packed three days in “Bean-town”, culminating (twice on separate evenings) with a Pats vs Jags match-up at Foxboro followed a day later by James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt at Fenway! Can you say “whooah”! You can trace our steps, laden with samples of the food, drink, and entertainment that fine city has to offer, by clicking Boston ’17.

I suggest, as summer ends and the school year takes hold, we’ll look back to this month fondly and remember our good fortune to be blessed with such opportunities!

June was a mess! Janie and I were both flat out from start to finish with work commitments, ending in one of the wettest Stanfest weekends ever. Eeeks! However, we changed gears quickly by hiding away the first week of July at the camp. Random sleeps, some paddling, good grub and sitting out to watch the sun rise and set were the order of the day. Recharging the batteries!

Weeks #2-3 of July saw us tackle two staycation travel loops to Nova Scotia’s National Parks, Kejumkujik and Cape Breton Highlands. The plan was to get to these parks, do some exploring in the outdoors and spend some time getting back to basics (sort of) while experimenting with a variety of Parks Canada accommodations. We were in the mood for “lesser seen” places and spaces in NS. Caught up with a few new craft breweries too. I’ve articled the trips and supplied links/tips that may catch your interest!

… Canada 150 – Parts I & II

Ahhh… Camp season is underway. First trip in found things exactly as they were when we shut down in November. Unfortunately… that included the healthy woodpile (seems the trolls didn’t split that for me over the winter). My first trips found below zero temperatures overnight but sunny days with shelter from the “coolish” breeze behind the camp. A slow and steady persistence saw this season’s softwood / hardwood complement stacked and piled over a span of two weekends. Being outside, swinging the axe, schlepping in supplies and cooking on the grill all seemed like food for the soul.

It pays to service machines. Outboard, generator, chainsaw… all worked as expected. Couple of bucks up front, but first pull starting on a cool spring morning makes it all worthwhile! No huge plans / major projects scheduled for this year. I do see a little exterior maintenance required on the back of the entry that would make a great weekend excuse to lug in a bundle of shingles. It was one of the areas that was far too exposed to water prior to the addition of the eave around the building. However, I’m mostly looking forward to some R&R this year and enjoying the peace and isolation of our hideaway.

In early April we began to put together a shared file (Google Docs) that could be used to plan a couple of summer excursions to our regional National Parks and National Historic Sites. We listed the bulk of the options, then pared away the spaces we’ve already visited (i.e. Newfoundland 2013 & PEI 2015). The notion is we’ll do NS via a couple of separate travel loops. For example, we’ve planned (early July) a three-four day loop that takes us from Antigonish and routes us through the South Shore, across through Keji, and return through the Annapolis Valley. Will do a similar loop with Cape Breton as well! Little chunks of travel like this are economical, and also leave important time aside for “camp” trips!

Staying active will be the goal. We hiked daily last summer on our way through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. This time around we hope to keep that piece of healthy living while adding some biking and kayaking to the “to do’s”. Further, looking forward to snagging some of the Parks Canada alternative lodging options, including yurts and maybe even some “glamping”! We tried “Otentiks” when they first came about and loved the option. The itineraries are being created well in advance, as we expect the parks will be busier than normal this year and if one wants to ensure a wide variety of choices then early reservations will be important. If the initial loops go well, we may even do a New Brunswick – Quebec trek that takes us further down the road.

So… early December we decided that we’d hop online to order our own Parks Canada Discovery Pass. It arrived three weeks later. The Discovery Pass gives you unlimited opportunities to enjoy National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across the country! We’re hoping to set-up a series of parks / sites this summer and take full advantage of the excellent programming taking place across the country. Monica is keen on helping to plan so we’ll see where it all ends. In essence, if we can squirrel away some time this July I think we will hit the road and make good use of the pass.