In the day and age of Google maps, satellite photography, and the internet, many people believe there are few places left to explore in the world. These people also believe that there are few areas of the world that have been unseen by human eyes.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I teamed up with cave expert Jeff Collens and author Mick Gordon to try and find one of these areas. Sworn to complete secrecy, we travelled 6 hours north of Niagara Falls to a remote hardwood forest. As I walked barefoot through the woods, I could feel the cool, moss covered rocks under my feet. As we stepped off the trails I could smell the faint garlic aroma of wild leeks. The area was completely covered with young trout lilies.

As I approached what appeared to be an old farmer’s field, Mick explained “This wide open area was once a lake bed. If you look around the edges you will see they are much higher than the valley we are in.” I looked out across the landscape in awe that Mick could so quickly identify this information.

Slipping back into the woods, I noticed several large depressions in the ground. Mick advised me “these depressions are called sinks. These were left over from the last ice age” Mick went on to explain how water running underground slowly eroded the softer rock in a process called solution. Eventually the cave roof collapsed and left the sinks.

One of these sinks had a small manhole cover sized hole in the bottom. “There it is!” Jeff exclaimed.

The forest was silent, except for the roar of wind blowing through the almost bare trees. The beside me lay what looked like a spring run-off channel, which ended in a hole in the ground.

The last time that Mick and Jeff were at this cave entrance, they found dozens of ancient Rib, back, and some other bones. They also found a tooth. As a result, this cave was named “Tooth Tube Cave” as the cave is what is known as a keyhole solution cave which lay under the original water table.

Quickly, Mick and Jeff removed their packs, put on their caving equipment and got to work. They started digging gently to remove the soil and sediment which had plugged up the cave entrance over thousands of years.

I stood at the top of the sink, with a bucket attached to a rope. Mick and Jeff took turns coming in and out of the cave entrance with shovels of ancient dirt and filled the bucket. I scattered the buckets full of soil at the top of the sink.

“There’s a skull in here!” Jeff yelled out. He took his camera and photographed what appeared to be a skull, near the top of the cave, off in the distance. He furiously dug through the soil to get closer to the skull.

What kind of skull could it be? Maybe even an ancient, extinct animal like a Mastodon or even a Woolly Mammoth!

After some time digging, Jeff reached what he thought was the precious skull. Sadly, it was not a skull but a flat, pancake like deposit of calcium. This deposit formed over thousands of years when the water dripped from the roof of the cave onto the dirt. It had never – ever seen the light of day before now. No humans had ever seen this rock formation. It was spectacular to behold!

After several hours of removing bucket after bucket of soil, it was time for me to climb into the cave entrance and be the third human who has ever set eyes onto the walls of the cave.

I slipped into the hole, and my head torch lit up the walls of the small cave.

The smell of dirt filled my lungs. The environment felt cool and damp. The light illuminated beads of water which defy gravity and collect on the ceiling of the cave. I was the third human being to have ever seen this sight.

Small stalactites (which “hold tight” to the ceiling) hung down, over my head. In the distance, I could see the cave opened up to a much larger cave. Who knows what hidden treasures lie in the unexplored section of the cave.

Directly in front of me, a small tube extended deep into the ground. About fist-sized, this hole extended into another cave system which lay directly beneath the present one.

I Looked behind me to see that I was inside this cave about twice my body length. I could see the cave disappeared into the distance, and opened up significantly. This find by Mick and Jeff will be a significant cave system in the near future when it has been cleared out of centuries of debris.

After an afternoon of digging, hauling, and exploring the cave system, we packed up.  Walking back to the car I reflected on the fact that I was one of the first humans to ever set eyes on the inside of a new cave system in Ontario Canada.

It is simply amazing that in this modern day and age, there are still unseen sections of the earth that intrepid explorers still manage to seek out and find.

I don’t often venture into the concrete jungle, however I did this day, and brought two other YouTube producers with me.

The first video is an invitation to the meeting, followed by Part 1 of the interviews. Part II will follow as I only release 1 video per week.

Invitation to come to the YouTube Gathering:

The actual gathering itself featured some amazing YouTube talent, some of which I had the opportunity to interview.

YouTubers Interviewed in part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/couchpotatotheatre
http://www.youtube.com/kingciggy

This story is not for the feint of heart. I have waited for years to publish this story, pending copyrights and frankly, because of the number of times I’ve been asked why so many sailors wear toe rings, I thought it was now time to tell the story as it was written to us.

Captain’s Stanley and Sylvia Dabney
C/O Sea Cliff Hotel
Water Island, USVI 00802

Dear Captain’s Dabney & Dabney:

I have been asked by my dear friends the Bidwell’s, whom I understand you have had the recent misfortune of meeting, to do some investigative research into the background and history of TOE RINGS. Quite frankly, I have no time for such exhaustive study as this task would entail. I prefer easier research like splitting the atom, or World Peace, but the TOE RING story has been common lore in my family for Centuries and I am happy to share it with you. For your general information, my family surname of Tale is well known throughout the South Pacific Ocean, as my family have all been seagoing types whose love of the Sea and the happiness and joys it brings, became legendary. I was the first Tale to not go to sea and have become left out of the will, so to speak. I am a man incapable of telling a lie and am actually quite a bore, but since the TOE RING HISTORY has not been shared with you – here goes.

The Tale sailing and ocean ventures go back, long past such rookies and upstarts as Columbus, Magellan, Cortez and the rest of those upstart types. It is a family requirement that on the 16th birthday of each child – Male or Female – a series of 10 true Tale adventures are told to them by their father. The theory of this is that this ceremony helps to perpetuate knowledge of not only our beloved forefathers, but passes on and in the History of the Tale Family, only one story has the commonality factor, each and every father in our family chooses to tell each and every one of his children the same story, as one of the 10, “THE HISTORY OF THE TOE RING”.

“Centuries ago, while the Earth still was belching fire and lava in an attempt to form itself, in the South Pacific lay an Island known as Gnu-Gnu, which lies 109 nautical miles south of what is now known as Tahiti, (previously Good Coldbru). Each year, on the first full moon following the seasons first hurricane, 5 Virgin Girls were selected for a sacrificial affair that occurred on the Cusp of the Setting of the Red Planet (Mars), behind a large tidal cave that became visible due to the weird tides, only once each eight years.

This was a supreme honor to be chosen, and each Native girl who was chosen was the envy of the rest of the Native girls and held in highest esteem by the Males. Although this ceremony required the ultimate sacrifice of life, in a rather gruesome ceremony, the 40 chosen Natives thought no greater honor could be bestowed and awaited their end with Valiant apprehension. The ceremony involved days of partying and merriment prior to this auspicious day. The women were prepared in the following manner. They were first stripped of all clothing and lain on the alter side by side. Each Native girl being sacrificed, had a special gold ring placed on a finger by the Native chief, this ring made of solid gold was to represent the shining aura it created as the Native woman’s spirit traveled to the Gods for whom the sacrifice was made. The Native maiden was then wrapped in mud from head to foot as though mummified. This process was repeated 40 times. On the 21st girl, all the Native men would start drinking excessively, (thus the reason the legal drinking age requirement is 21), not because you are mature at 21 years, like most think). At the 30th girl, the Native Men began to gather massive amounts of firewood and placing the wood under the sacrificial alter containing the “VALIANT 40″, as they had become known. On the 39th girl, the gathered wood was doused with a special Native Flammant (now known as 151 Proof Rum). Upon completion of the 40th Native, the fire was ignited and all the men cheered as the fires engulfed the Native women and their spirits soared to the skies of the Gods. Unfortunately, in this particular year, many things went wrong. First, the Chief had become so excited after wrapping 39 virgins with mud, that he forgot to place the gold ring on the 40th virgin, prior to wrapping her. (His personal consumption of the Native Flammant probably was a contributing factor also). Coincidentally, this had been a dry season and the wood was really flaming much faster than usual, and his Flammant induced friends had loaded up way too many logs, making the fire an inferno. Fortunately for the Chief, all the rest of the Natives were so blind, that none had noticed his forgetting the ring, still, he was the Chief and he did not want to incur the Gods wrath by sending up a Native Spirit without the Gold Aura to guide her to his kingdom. There was no way to unwrap her completely and place the ring on her finger – the mud had already hardened and the fire was burning much too fast”.WHAT TO DO??? WHAT TO DO??? Finally, in a fleeting moment of brilliance, the Chief rationalized that it made no difference WHERE the ring was placed, just so she had it with her.

As the flames engulfed the platform the Chief grabbed a rock and struck at the 40th mud pile. The rock hit with sledgehammer-like force and a large chunk of the mud flew away, leaving the Maidens foot exposed. With lightening speed, the Chief affixed the ring to the Native woman’s toe and backed away from the blaze, just as the fire became full. In addition to the dry year the Island had just gone through, an inordinate number of huge Volcanoes had destroyed each of the immediate surrounding Islands and the Chief and his Natives knew the time for their Islands biggest Volcano to explode and thus destroy them all, was rapidly approaching. Well, you guessed it!.just as the Chief and his men sat back to watch the Native Maiden Sacrifice, the Volcano erupted with such violence that the entire Island was fragmented with such an explosion as the South Pacific had never seen before!!! At this point, an amazing phenomena took place. The #40 Valiant Native, the one with the not completely sealed mud coffin, received a blast that was very powerful. However, the power was directed at the hole in her cocoon by her foot, where the Chief had struck. This power acted as a booster and actually launched the mud muffled Native to the heavens above. She landed on an Island 30 miles to the North and hit on the soft sandy beach with a force that shattered the mud shell that acted as a cushion in her fall and left her unconscious, but alive on this beautiful uninhabited Island. She began to explore this new found paradise!!!

Coincidentally, as our Maiden begins exploring,a young man fights for his life, 109 miles offshore as he lapses into and out of consciousness while clinging to a life jacket, adrift at sea. The young man in the water was one of my ancestors, his name was Tella. It seems Tella was serving aboard one of the King’s ships, as a merchant seaman. Tella got caught stealing money and then lying to the Captain when confronted about it. The Captain, a real disciplinarian, immediately sentenced Tella to the maximum penalty. Cutting off both hands so Tella could never steal again and also cutting out his tongue for lying. He would then walk the plank into the Ocean. After the sentence was made, it was carried out forthwith. With his hands chopped off and his tongue cut out, Tella balanced at the end of the gangplank waiting the final step. Just as he hit the water, a huge explosion from afar, came sweeping across the Ocean and shattered the ship he had just jumped off of, leaving no ship nor survivors, safe Tella. Fortunately for Tella, he was under water as the force raced over him and destroyed his ship and mates. A life jacket had blown off of the ship as it had exploded into a million pieces and Tella had grabbed onto it (even back then, PFD’s were required equipment). Tella held on for dear life, finally surrendering his fight and letting the sea have her way with him. Poor Tella finally passed out hoping the wind and currents would take him to a shore, thus sparing his life.

The Native girl who had been blown to this island, found Tella and spent weeks nursing him back to health and helping him remember who he was and where he had come from. Love bloomed for them, during this time. Finally, he remembered the first two things he saw after washing up onshore, the Native and the Sun,thus the paradise became known as the “NATIVE SUN”.

One day, while cavorting on the beaches of their beloved “NATIVE SUN”, Tella and Sylvania (Tella had since named his Native wife after the Queen of Sylvania, a province near his homeland,the Queen’s family later became Appliance and T.V. dealers), saw a large ship at anchor with a launch coming to shore. The four people that came ashore were amazed to find anyone living on the island, they were looking for fresh water. Tella and Sylvania were so happy to see other humans, that they immediately set about giving them a tour of “NATIVE SUN”, took them to all of their favorite swimming places, got them fresh water and finally ended the day with a big beach picnic. The four people returned to their big ship with tales of the wonderful couple they had met on “NATIVE SUN”. Instead of leaving the next day, two more couples came ashore and Tella and Sylvania shared the Island again with the visitors. After the beach party and before returning to the big ship, these couples left Tella and Sylvania with salt, flour, beef and a host of other goodies in an effort to repay them for showing them such a good time on “NATIVE SUN”. This tour scene repeated itself for 5 days and by the time the big ship had sailed away, Tella and Sylvania had enough stores to last a month.

Over the next 7 years, Tella and Sylvania shared this same experience with all the visitors to “NATIVE SUN” and led a grand lifestyle. It seems that each visitor would return to their homeland and describe the beautiful place they had visited; the mellow attitude of the two wonderful people who wore rings on their toes had been a contributing factor to the visitors trip and word spread far and wide about “NATIVE SUN”.

The King of France, Whatta, (another forefather of mine), had been doing a big real estate deal and really needed a rest. He heard of the idyllic “NATIVE SUN” and the two wonderful people who acted as guides. Whatta decided to take the Queen, Fan, and kick back for a few weeks. When King Whatta and Queen Fan arrived on “NATIVE SUN”, they were amazed to find the host was their Great Nephew Tella, whom everyone thought had been killed in the volcanic explosion of years past. King Whatta was so happy Tella was alive, that he forgave him the sins of stealing and lying and the four of them had a glorious week on “NATIVE SUN”. Tella and Sylvania had grown somewhat burned out giving all of these tours and selling boats to people who wanted to try to sail back home on their own boats, rather than the big cruise ships and they shared this fact with King Whatta before he left. It seems that this fit the King’s situation nicely, as the real estate deal he had just closed involving a large track of land in the Northern Hemisphere needed a ruler. He immediately assigned Tella and Sylvania to rule this land on behalf of the King and Queen. King Whatta, left guards on “NATIVE SUN” to protect it in Tella and Sylvania’s absence. With much sadness, Tella and Sylvania left their home and headed to the new country known as “BOYAREWE NORTH”, (now called Canada).

Here they were received like heroes by the country’s inhabitants and even thought there was a big communication problem, Tella and Sylvania, as always, became very popular rulers. In fact, the people of “BOYAREWE NORTH” actually began to idolize them. Tella and Sylvania set up their headquarters in the Western area of this country, in a place called “WELL DIGGERS”, which was aptly named due to the cold temperatures there. (This area now known as British Columbia). Tella and Sylvania did not do well in the cold and they longed to be back on “NATIVE SUN”, but they decided to stick it out for awhile. As I mentioned, the inhabitants loved Tella and Sylvania so much they wanted to do something for them to prove their endearment. This was a hard thing to do because of the communication problem, for Sylvania knew only her native tongue of Gnu-Gnuese. (Now you might wonder how Tella was about to speak without a tongue, but if you believe in miracles, you will understand that when his Uncle Whatta forgave him, thunder rolled and lightening flashed and that very night, Tella’s tongue began to grow back). Finally, the citizens decided on proper recognition for their rulers and on the first (and only, I might add), warm day, they threw a huge party for Tella and Sylvania. The citizens gathered in a large circle with Tella and Sylvania in the middle and at the appointed time, removed their foot coverings (now shoes), and each person proudly displayed a single Gold Ring on the toe of one foot, in honor of what they thought would endear them to their heroes,which it did!. Sylvania immediately broke into tears and Tella banned foot coverings forever! Life was good for the next few years and as the population grew, it did Tella and Sylvania’s hearts good to see all the people wearing Toe Rings in their honor. One day however, “WELL DIGGERS” was invaded by the ferocious SEA CLIFF tribe and its dastardly leader, Captain Mayk R. Tell. The toe ringed citizens were no match for the ferocious warriors and immediately surrendered to Captain Tell. Tell immediately demanded that all people remove their toe rings and give them to him in exchange for the privilege of living in the territory under Tells rule. T0 a person, the citizens all told Mayk R. Tell, NO! Tell immediately banished all who told him this, to another territory out of his jurisdiction. Thus, Tella and Sylvania led the entire population, Toe Rings and all, on the Southward trek to a new home. They finally settled in a small community nearer the Ocean, called “LOTSARAIN” (now called Seattle).

The toe ringed people were still very loyal to Tella and Sylvania, but with all the hassles with Mayk R. Tell, Tella and Sylvania longed for their “NATIVE SUN” and began planning the long trip to their beloved Island. However, because they were such cool people, Tella and Sylvania wanted to leave a legacy of sorts, for the people who had been so loyal to them, something of real meaning. Since the Toe Ring had become such a prominent symbol, they decided to leave this legacy somehow around the Toe Ring theme. By now, there were thousands of men, women and children wearing Toe Rings and the meaning and symbolism had somewhat been forgotten. Tella and Sylvania thus decided to form a committee to study the situation. The committee, Fraternal Association of Ringed Toes (F.A.R.T) decided that the Toe Ring should be worn only by a chosen few, thereby keeping its importance and stature in the community as special. It was therefore decreed by Tella and Sylvania, as their last official act, that only couples who were married and had extraordinary, exemplary and perfect love for each other, be allowed to wear Toe Rings. Each couple would submit their Toe Ring Application to the Association as to their qualifications and await approval. This was then known as passing a F.A.R.T. Once passed, the couple would then have to journey to “NATIVE SUN” and get Tella and Sylvania’s personal approval. Upon passing this review, the Toe Ring wearing was then blessed and the couple returned home as Official Ambassadors of Tella and Sylvania and were treated as Royalty by the people. By using this methodology, only truly worthy and loving couples were allowed the honor and privilege of the wearing of the Toe Rings!.

As generations passed and Tella and Sylvania had long since gone to the Islands in the sky, the Toe Ring wearing came to signify that which it had meant to the first Toe Ring wearers, Tella and Sylvania. That significance, being the great love and caring which couples must have for each other, the respect required to each other to make relationships last and that every couple must strive together for the perfect harmony and happiness that Tella and Sylvania enjoyed on their beloved “NATIVE SUN”.

This then is the TRUE HISTORY OF THE TOE RING, as told by generations of Tale’s and if you too are contemplating the exchange of Toe Rings – please remember that you still must pass a F.A.R.T. before wearing one. If you too are already wearing these rings, you must be VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE.

To you then, my best wishes for your continued happiness. Good Winds and Good Sailing to you Both.

Yours Very Truly

Dr. I. Tolda Tale, Ph.D.
World University for Exhaustive Study
Washington

(Taken from http://www.yachtworld.com/offshoreatlantic/offshoreatlantic_11.html)

Niagara Bushcrafters April Campout
by Wolfmaan

Sunday, April 8^th the Niagara Bushcrafters met for the first official camp-out of the year. The air was cool, and the smell of fresh earth filled my lungs as I walked past acres of grapes to a wooded area located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. One of the members was fortunate enough to be able to host the gathering.

Walking toward the edge of the woods, the ground felt cold and we under my bare feet. We all had our large overnight packs, complete with tents, axes, and of course knives.

The woods had a tear-drop shape opening where we were greeting by a small field of freshly cut grass, a pile of cut wood, and an inviting fire pit. We all looked around the area to find the best spot to pitch our tents.  Sean decided to use his new Gransfors Bruks axe to split some wood into small pieces to start the fire.

The wind was coming directly into our small clearing from the vineyards which surrounded us. Ed, Dave, and I set-up a tarp as a wind break.  It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to enjoy the land and feel the camaraderie with such people of like mind.

Ed had been given a tent. This tent was not like any other tent. “The tent from the Future!” Ed laughed as he pulled it from its large bag.  His tent was a large 3-man dome tent with fiberglass poles and bright, silver exterior. We laughed at it, but it was better than no tent at all.

It was the Easter weekend.  All of us were full from family dinners which we had all partaken in earlier in the day.  No one was hungry.

Tents and tarps set-up, we gathered by the fire to relax for the evening, and exchange stories about our latest adventures, including the canoe trip which Sean and I went on just a few weeks prior.

The sun slowly slipped into the horizon, and the evening dew settled over the land. Laughter and stories of adventures, now more grandiose than ever before echoed through the woods.

Around midnight, we heard some rustling in the woods, and saw someone moving. As they approached, they tripped on one of the bright orange guy-wires from one of the tents. “Dean!” I shouted out loud.

“Mind the guy wires!” Sean yelled out laughing as Dean danced around trying not to fall to the ground.

We talked about permaculture patches, earth ship homes, dome homes, and even the possibility of buying some land for the group. The night wore on. The wind picked up.

The wind caused the campfire to swirl like a tornado. No matter what we did, the smoke rushed into our eyes, and burned. We all took turns squinting, although I think the squinting made the burning worse.  “I don’t think I have a piece of outdoor gear that doesn’t smell like smoke” Dave commented.

“If you did, you won’t now” I laughed.

Around 02:00 I decided it was time for me to head to bed. Dean slipped away into the darkness.  The wind was blowing a gale. The tents flapped furiously, as if they had decided to run away from home as fast as possible. Over the years, the sleeping bag and tent have become more comfortable than any bed for me. I lay in my tent and wondered if Ed’s tent would survive the night with the vicious wind.

Dawn came and I awoke to a beautiful, sunny day in the woods. I could hear the crackle of the morning fire. Chickadees “hee-hawed” in the distance. I peered out my tent, to see smoke rising from the fire.

Surprisingly, Ed’s silver future-tent survived the windstorm. “If it did not survive, it would have become a large bivy” he laughed.

Sean awakened and brought out some beautiful bacon. He made a spit using some wood, and we had smoked bacon over an open fire for breakfast.

The bacon slowly darkened and firmed up as we all waited in anticipation of our morning outdoor feast.

As breakfast slowly made itself ready, we packed our tents and gear and started thinking about our next adventure.

We lingered by the fire for a few hours, and enjoyed the beautiful, bright, crisp morning.  Sadly, all of us had things to do for the day, but we always make the time for a quick get-away into nature.

This 50cm (2o inch) hand saw is designed as a back-up tool to quickly and effectively cut through wood in the back country, or around the yard. The saw weighs in at only 308 grams (.68lbs)

“Let go of your end” I said as I looked across the canoe at Sean. He looked down the hill, and released his grip on the large, red, heavy Coleman RAM-X canoe.

I gave a tug on the canoe, and it quickly, but gently began to slide down the snow covered hill, and came to rest on the bottom. “Good thing it’s a tough canoe, or we couldn’t have done that.”  I said. Sean looked on in amazement.

Sean and I collected our gear from the Jeep and made our way back down the hill. While heading towards the canoe, my foot caught on something. I didn’t pay any attention to it, until I stepped forward and very slowly, and gently was brought to my knees – still holding lifejackets and other safety equipment. It was a gentle fall. Sean looked up and said “what the hell, we’re not even in the water yet!”

Together, we put on our life jackets, (including one on the dog) checked our kits, and pushed the boat into the water. The ground was partially covered with snow and I could feel the cold wind pushing at us. Sean said “I really hope we don’t end up in that water. We won’t last 20 minutes” I agreed and suggested we don’t stay far from shore. A canoe instructor once told me to never be father away from shore than you want to swim.

This area of the Niagara Region is fortunate that over the last 100 years, there has been little human interference. The waterway has been allowed to completely naturalise. Nature has taken over quite nicely and the area has become home to fish, birds, and other animals.

As the canoe drifted under the QEW highway, a Great Blue Heron stood proudly in the shallow water. I have seen him there several times over the years. It must be a prime fishing spot for him. When he saw us, he flew off into the distance to let us pass.

Sean and I paddled the canoe into the open water of the 16 mile creek. The cold wind blew at our backs and the chocolate milk coloured water had large ripples in it from the wind. The wind was at our backs, which for a quick paddle. We hoped the wind would either die down, or change direction later in the day.

Canoeing in this water body was a strange experience in late spring. Unlike summer canoe trips, I was all bundled up with a ski-mask, thick jacket, and multiple layers of clothing. The ground was dotted with glistening patches of white snow which lay between leafless trees.  The skies were grey and overcast.  You could smell the cold.

Paddling close to shore, you could easily see what the forest canopy normally hides. Piles of rubbish, old wooden skids, blue plastic barrels and a plethora of other human made objects dotted the landscape.

Rounding a bend in the 800 metre wide “creek” we could see a series of white dots floating on the water. I pulled out my binoculars to expect to see bleach bottles, foam bricks, or other rubbish floating about. I was surprised to see large white swans in the water.  I counted 6 of them.

“Honk! Honk! Honk!” I heard as I looked up to the sky. Several Canadian Geese had decided to fly over and land in the water. I also saw a black Cormorant fly by as well.

After about an hour of paddling, the island came into view. A small 2 hectare island jutted up from the water line. It was quite steep on most sides, and surrounded at the base by fallen trees. The beach lay on the south side of the island.

“Ramming speed” I called out laughing as we headed toward the beach and beached the canoe. I stepped out and dragged it out of the water. I lifted my dog out of the canoe, and Sean stepped out last.

Examining the island, looked like no one had visited it this year. The snow had cleared on the island, and it was quite muddy. A large silver tarp had blown onto the island during the winter. “This will make a perfect shelter” Sean said as we walked over it.

“It looks like there is a mating pair on the far side of the island” he said.

I turned around and saw an existing fire pit from last year. I gathered some light, small sticks from the island and started to set-up a fire. Sean used his Gransfors Bruks hatchet to split some deadfall. It didn’t take long to get a small twig fire started in the fire pit someone had built sometime in the past.

The wind started to pick up and we used the silver tarp to create sitting pads as well as a windbreak to make our stay more comfortable.  Sean curled up in his wool blanket with my dog and we relaxed and enjoyed the fire.

After some rest, Sean decided to make a warm lunch for himself of Raman noodles (Mr. Noodles in Canada) and tea. I ate my cold lunch which I had packed earlier in the day.

The island was dotted with mature oak trees. Some of them created beautiful deadfall in which Sean whittled. He made shavings using his knife and then slowly dumped them onto the fire. The afternoon slowly wore on, and the skies cleared. We found ourselves under a beautiful warm sun, with no wind.

I completed my journal and we packed up our kit, disassembled the tarp, and put out the fire.

We ensured the fire was completely out by pouring several pots of water on it, and stirred it around with a stick. In the distance I could hear the distinct “Hee-Haw” of the black capped chickadee.

Packing our kit, and the dog in the canoe, we set-sail under blue skies with the waterway being as smooth as glass. It was a beautiful, easy paddle back.

“Hard to starboard!” I shouted as I looked ahead. Sean paddled hard and the bow swung to the right. As the boat silently glided through the water, we could see what appeared to be a large sunken cable of which had come to the surface. Thankfully we did not go over it

Moments later, in the distance I saw a large, majestic bird swoop down onto the water. His large dark body accented with bright white tail feathers, head, and a glistening yellow beak. I shouted to Sean “Look at that – a bald eagle!”

About four years ago I was paddling through this area and had seen the bald eagle which had called this area home. I reported it to the local Ministry of Natural Resources who confirmed there was a mating pair of bald eagles in the creek. It was a beautiful sight to see such a large and beautiful bird in the area.

Pulling the boat ashore, Sean and I removed our life jackets, and put on our backpacks. We carried the heavy canoe back to the Jeep and mounted it securely on the trailer. The morning snow long melted, the paddle turned out to beautiful. The cold day had kept everyone away from the park, and we had the entire area to ourselves.

There is nothing like taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather with a canoe paddle, and fire on a deserted island.

Product Features

Product Description Size: 7″H x 6″W x 2″D

Color: Available in Black, OD, Tan, ACU and Multicam.
Manufacture: Condor / Phantom / Pantac.

The following supplies are required:

• Thin, round rock
• Green wood (freshly cut) handle
• Leather strapping
• Salt
• Water
• Sturdy Knife
• Stove

Please watch the following film for complete instructions

While we geared up, we showed off some of our new gear that we had acquired since we last met. Ed had a home-made wood gas stove made of two tin cans, Sean had a new paracord bracelet which he purchased at an outdoor show, and I showed my new Nalgene military canteen. They are identical to the original military canteens but made of opaque plastic so you could examine the contents. They were also BPA free.

We stepped out onto the trail, and noticed right away how different the land had become compared to previous years at the same time. The air smelled damp and alive, the trees were waking up, full of buds. Wild grasses had started to show. Wild onions, Garlic mustard, and other herbs were green and vibrant on the forest floor. The ground was warm and dry.
In the distance, we could see the countryside of Niagara-on-the-Lake with its’ rolling tender fruit farmland spreading out for kilometres.

Walking through the woods, Chuck scouted on ahead while the rest of us laughed, and exchanged outdoor stories. I shared some funny stories from the children’s nature camp which I had worked at in the previous week.

Making our way through the woods, we came the old Queenston Quarry. For over 100 years rare, Queenston Limestone was mined here in a large open pit mine. Remnants of it are still visible today. Queenston limestone gets brighter as it ages, rather than darkening like most limestone. We also saw some butterflies, chipmunks, and even a snake sunning himself on the trail.

We stopped for a rest at an old piece of history – a DEW tower. The Distant Early Warning (DEW) towers were a first line of defence against a nuclear attack from the Russians during the cold war. This tower was used to test new units made at a local aerospace company at the time. Thankfully the parks commission has decided to let the tower stand as a reminder of our past.

Further up the pathway, we discovered an old capped well. The well was very large and had a hatch welded on top of it. Chuck took some photographs of us examining the hatch and said out loud “Previously on LOST…” We all laughed.

Arriving at the entrance to the Queenston mines, we removed our packs and relaxed in the bright sunlight. It was a beautiful day for a hike. We sat around and enjoyed the beauty of the area.

We were surprised that the large fire ring had been covered in stones. The local volunteer trail commission had decided to put an end to the misuse of the fire pit. Ed decided to bring out his woodgas stove.

The wood gas stove is a special stove system which re-circulates the smoke from a small fire and re-burns all the unburnt particles. This creates a much more efficient stove than wood burning alone. It is very simple to construct, and does a great job burning all the secondary gasses.

Relaxing around the small woodgas stove, we decided to explore some of the safe areas of the mine, and enjoy the beauty of the day. It was very quiet, and no traffic noise could be heard. We could hear the spring peeper frogs, chorus frogs, and even a woodpecker in the distance.

During the day, I was shaving a deadfall stick to get shavings for the wood gas stove, when Sean tapped me on the shoulder and motioned to the distance and said “Hey, check it out.”

I looked over to find a young woman and her tall, barefoot partner watching us from a distance. He had a very nice looking vintage canvas pack on him.

“Hey Guys! Come on over!” I yelled out in my camp counsellor voice. They cautiously approached.

We introduced ourselves, and I commented on his bare feet. The man introduced himself as John from Toronto and said he had recently gotten into barefoot hiking through reading Christopher McDougall’s book “Born To Run”.

I mentioned that I have e-mailed Christopher several times and he is a very great resource in the field of barefoot hiking and running.

Over the next few hours we shared some coconut water, as well as other healthy concoctions that John had made. He was a natural food market owner in Toronto and we really learned a lot from him about Genetically Modified Corn, and other foods which are so commonly available.

Sean had been shaving a good sized stick for shavings and decided it would make a fantastic fire starting stick. I suggested that we try to get some embers using the bow-drill method, as we have a great spindle.

Sean walked into the brush and found a great split log which would work as a fire board. He asked for some cordage to make a bow drill. He did not appreciate my suggestion to unpick his para-cord bracelet and use that cording.

I prepared the fire board by first cutting a notch into it, then making a small hole in the board to prevent the spindle from slipping off

After creating the burn board, I checked to ensure the board and spindle matched up by using what is called the “hand drill method”. This takes less tools, but is a difficult method to start a fire.

I pulled some para-cord out of my pack and wrapped it around the spindle. We all took turns using the method and worked together until we were too tired to pull on the cord. The spindle created some beautiful brown powder, which poured from the notch onto our tinder bundle made from a cotton ball and jute twine.

After several minutes of using the drill assembly, and switching between myself, Ed, and Sean we finally managed to get an ember to form using the drill.

During this time, Ed had found some dry reeds to make a nest for a tinder bundle. The moment the ember came to life, Ed dropped it into the tinder bundle he had created and blew gently on it to encourage the spark to create fire.

A few moments of blowing on the coals, Ed breathed life into the fire and the tinder bundle came to life. Fire had been born! We all cheered as the bundle burned a beautiful orange colour. Ed dropped the bundle into his stove.

Curious hikers looked on from a distance during our merriment. The area filled with the sweet smell of wood smoke. There was much rejoicing (yay!)

None of us could have asked for a better day in the woods, or a better day for practicing our skills. We met some new people, and had a fantastic time. It was also one of the earliest times in the year I have ever made a 6km barefoot hike.

Wolfmaan shows how to create fire starting candles is a simple process which requires just a few supplies:

• Clean animal shavings
• Candle Wicks
• Wax
• Pot
• Egg Carton

Fill each of the egg carton holders with the clean animal shavings, then pour in the hot wax.
Insert the candle wicks into the wax, wait for them to cool off.
Cut the candles into sections