As much as we love the long days, loon calls, shaking leaves and mosquitoes, the days are starting to get shorter. And you know what that means… Winter Is Coming! That’s right folks! We are getting in gear now just like the red squirrel to gather our seeds and nuts.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t enjoying the summer. Both Dave and Kie are out this week guiding separate groups on the pristine Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. Dave is leading a group of youth down the historic French River and along the coast back to Manitoulin Island. While Kie is heading out of Britt with a bunch of Wild Women who need to take in some deep breathes with a yoga/kayak combo.

If you plan on making orders, that is fantastic, thank you! Just know that we are out and about this week and will not be able to fill your orders until late next week (July 30th). Thank you for your patience and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.

We’ve got a fun-packed sewing fall ahead of us. We would be thrilled if you joined us this season for some good ‘ol fashion hand-crafting!!

Check out our schedule here.

Our little cubicle is nearing completion!

It’s done!!! Well, the exterior anyway. What a process this has been. From felling the tree, hauling it out of the forest, milling it. To slowing installing it wall by wall as the ground freezes and the white silence hugged the new building. Come spring we installed the live-edge bevel boards in the gable ends. We then wanted to preserve that golden colour that we love as much as the dragonflies so finished it with an eco-friendly stain.

Our little office is ready for interior siding from which we also milled from a spruce that fell over a year ago. It is in cue, drying and just about ready for the planer. Then comes the shelves and new burlap curtains! We are almost all set-up and will be ready to run the business in style out of our perfect off-grid, by the water cube!

Springtime is here and we are welcoming it with open arms!

At the Lure basecamp, or Golden Pond, (ongoldenpond.ca) we have been working steady now for the past month getting preperations in order for the next snowwalking season.

With projects like cutting wood, clearing the site for our new guest accommodation and peeling logs for woodsheds we are waiting for the break-up so we can get our boat in the water!

With all of the wood we have been preparing we thought we should show you how we try to make it as productive as possible with this short video on the use of a rubber tire!

Holding the Sun on the Arctic Ocean

What a season! It was quite eventful in many ways:

Blowdowns!- We had to clear many of the portages due to strong winds and heavy snow at the start of the season on our Ishpatina Expedition;

Slush! – We got plenty on the Missinaibi Headwaters Expedition. Our team members were nothing short of experts at dealing with the frozen slushy madness by the midway point in the trip;

Cold!- This year has been our coldest season to date! With temperatures dropping consistently below -30*C and several times -40*C in a row, we were consistently trying to convince our team members that winter isn’t always this cold;

Wind!- The strong Arctic winds were a reliable beast for the first week of our Explorer’s Club Expedition this year. Like clockwork she arrived at 8 AM and would bare her teeth until we would nestle into the Black Spruce around 4PM;

Sun!- The second half on our journey to the Arctic Ocean we experienced some very strong spring sunshine that tanned our faces as if we had been to Cuba for a month;

Fun!- The people we had the opportunity to share our winter with made all of the obstacles manageable and enjoyable! Thank you to all that accompanied us this year. We hope you are warm by the fire and are ready for Spring!

We are now settling back in to the simple life at the Pond. We are going through emails and catching up on orders now. If you have made an order this winter we are going to be processing as many as we can as soon as we can. Thank you for your continued patience!

To see photos from our season click on the respective link:

Ishpatina Expedition;

Missinaibi Headwaters;

Pontax River Explorer’s Club

• Part 1;
• Part 2;
• Part 3

Snowshoers Walk into the Sunrise

Please note, we’ll be spending 4 of the next 5 weeks out on trip.  In the time between trips we’ll be cleaning gear and packing back up.  From Feb 5th until ~ mid March there will be no one answering emails or filling orders.

Feb 5 – 21: Missinaibi River;
Feb 28 – Mar 15: Pontax River;

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, and do regret that we cannot continue crafting and shipping out clothing and equipment until the end of winter.  Upon our return all orders will be filled in the order in which they are received.  If we cannot fill an order in a timeline that is satisfactory to you, we will cancel the order and refund the cost in full.

Thank you very much for your understanding.  We hope that you too, get an opportunity to get out and explore the great white north as we head into the best part of winter!

The 2015 Ishpatina Summit Crew (plus Kielyn!)

We’re back from a wonderful romp through the Temagami wilderness to the highest point in our great province!

Find the photos here.

Next up: Two weeks on the Missinaibi River from Feb 5th to 20th!