by Bretton | Jan 7, 2018 | Gunwale Blog
The setting sun was hidden behind a slate-grey bank of snowy cloud, but the dipping temperature and a faint pink glow around the horizon alerted us to the race against daylight. When it comes to climbing in Ontario, I’d always taken the words...
by Bretton | Dec 28, 2017 | Gunwale Blog, Uncategorized
Learning how to make fire without using a match or a lighter is a very big part of wilderness self-reliance. The ability to create sparks on birch bark with a ferro-rod or a flint and steel smells and feels great, and will keep you well-heated long after your lighter...
by Bretton | Jun 1, 2017 | Gunwale Blog
It’s the kind of thing folks do on a dare or a whim. For some, it’s an impulsive decision made after a night on the town. For others, a lifelong process that approaches an obsession. As for me, I looked down at my right arm, through eyes unclouded by...
by Bretton | May 26, 2017 | Gunwale Blog
Our hearts sank as we paddled past one of the sites our most recent shoreline restoration excursions to find a massive bonfire pit and a tramped mess of freshly-planted baby cedars and dogwood. Only one week earlier, we’d raked the site clean of party debris,...
by Bretton | Apr 15, 2016 | Gunwale Blog
Edge of the Wedge #2 Experiential education has always been the lens through which I have structured activities, both with my language students and with participants of the Land Canadian Adventures. It’s a powerful methodology for continuous growth and...
by Bretton | Mar 29, 2016 | Gunwale Blog
TOP 8 TIPS for SPRING RUN 2016 All the signs of spring are here: the maple sap is starting to tail off, the buds are beginning to appear and the redwing blackbirds are repopulating the shorelines of our land of lakes and rivers. Usually all it takes is one of these...
