BY SCOTT HADDOW
Wild Northerner staff
Andrew Glass has chosen a certain path in life. The 23-year-old Ramakko’s Source for Adventure sales associate recently graduated from mechanical engineering at Laurentian University. For this career, it would be best for Glass to go to southern Ontario and find work easily. Glass isn’t going this way. His path doesn’t head in that direction. Glass is staying in the North, biding his time for mechanical engineering, because he doesn’t want to be anywhere else. Northern Ontario allows him to do what he truly loves year round - enjoy the outdoors, especially in the winter.
“I make my life decisions around the fact that I have a sense of adventure and love for the outdoors,” Glass said. “I don’t want to go to southern Ontario where I don’t have the easy access to the wilderness I have up here. It means everything to me and it is part of me. I will stay here.”
Glass makes the most of the winter season by ice climbing, ice fishing, snowshoeing and camping.
He uses his body to do almost everything he does in the snow.
The human body can be considered the ultimate machine for the snow and ice. By using it, along with some nifty gear and good warm clothes, humans can make the most of the chilly season and enjoy nature and the outdoors.
Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are two main staples for winter wilderness adventures. Using two feet and a heartbeat, people can get to remote lakes, vistas and waterfalls, - to name a few, - and enjoy the beauty.
Sandra Slater, of Sault Ste. Marie and a data analyst for Superior Exploration, loves her time in cold temperatures. She is into running, snowshoeing, ice climbing and cross country skiing.
“It’s about staying active and being outdoors in the winter,” Slater said. “It’s contagious, but in a good way. The more I go outside, the more I want to . I like snowshoeing the most. It is easy to do. I can go for half an hour or all day. It’s nice to make your own trail because it becomes an adventure. It’s good for the soul to be outdoors as much as you can. I have yet to go outside in the winter and be disappointed in whatever I am doing.”
Ice climbing is fast becoming one of the more exhilarating ways to spend frozen days. It is gaining in popularity and many people are making its presence known. Sault Ste. Marie’s Shaun Parent has been a major influence on people all over northern Ontario for the sport. (Parent was a main feature in the 2016 summer issue of WNM.)
Ben Kovala is a 17-year-old student in Sudbury. As far back as he remembers, he has loved the outdoors. He has done a lot of rock climbing since 2014, and started ice climbing last winter. He has been skiing and snowshoeing since he was a youngster. At 13, he was working as a camp counsellor and nearly every dime of his pay went to gear for outdoors activities.
“Whatever adventure comes along, I am down for it,” Kovala said. “I don’t like being inside. No weather conditions stop me. It keeps me sane. People should always step out of their comfort zone and try new things. I wasn’t comfortable with ice climbing, but I love it now. That’s when the fun starts - when you push past your own barriers and do more. The outdoors is my obsession and I’m always thinking of my next climb or hike or paddle. There is always something else to do and see. There is always another adventure waiting. That’s why you do it.”
Fat biking is gaining in popularity as well and is an ideally suited activity for the region. More and more trails are being opened up to fat bikes.
“Fat biking is a ton of fun,” Walden Mountain Bike Club president Rob St. Marseille said. “You can ride on packed snow and also on ice. The low tire pressures allow the bike to float on top of the snow and allow for traction on slippery surfaces. Riding the fat bike on the ski trails is amazing. It is great exercise and allows a rider to experience the beauty of winter on a bike. Fat bikes can be ridden on any packed trail or along the road. It is not permitted on MSV trails. Several of the cross country ski facilities in the North offer fat biking on their trails. Our club also has fat bike days and also hosts a fat bike demo day at the Naughton trails.”
Combine any of these activities with winter camping and people are set for an unforgettable experience. Winter camping adds the element of a true adventure. Spending multiple nights in the bush in a hole dug out of snow will leave a lasting impression.
Glass goes on two or three multi-night winter camping trips. He loves camping so much that he does it year round. This outdoors experience is for hardy folk for sure. Glass has been doing it for seven seasons. He started in high school in an outdoors education program. Glass goes on two or three multi-night winter camping excursions on average. He hikes into places by snowshoes and builds a quinzhee.
“Winter camping adds a whole other level,” Glass said. “I like it better than summer camping. It’s more work, but it’s more peaceful, especially when everything is just dead still. The quinzhee is the best way to go. It gives the most insulation for the least amount of work. They are strong. I’ve had eight people stand on one and it didn’t collapse.”
The fun begins outside the door. Warm clothes, a bit of gear and a positive attitude will make sure you’re enjoying every second of it.