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| Officer preparing breakfast. |
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| First Strike energy bar. |
Reveille was at 8:00am. The day was Saturday, September 23. Everyone slowly emerged from their tents,
dressed and ready to “seize the day”.
Breakfast consisted of American-made Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs). I personally prefer the Canadian-made
Individual Meal Packages (IMPs) but those are reserved for the regular Armed
Forces. Nevertheless, the MREs provided
sustenance.
The
cadets were divided into two groups. One
group would hike a small portion of the Mantario Trail while the other would
canoe in Big Whiteshell Lake. The groups
would then switch in the afternoon. I
was placed with the group that would hike the trail first. Both groups were led by captains. The cadets were assigned rucksacks and
instructed to pack as if they were going out on an overnight hike. The only exception to the rule was to leave
the tents behind. The weather was gloomy
with scattered periods of light rain so the Captain-in-charge decided not to have
the cadets tear down their wet tents. I
could see the cadets were relieved by not having to carry the added weight.
My
group was driven to the northern starting point of the Mantario Trail in blue
DND vans. Everyone disembarked and got
ready to hike. The captain in charge of
my group randomly selected a cadet to lead the group for the first part of the
trail. (A very small, small part of the
trail crosses into the province of Ontario.
We would not reach this part).
This
was my first time in Whiteshell Provincial Park and hiking the Mantario Trail. The northern portion we hiked is not
paved. It’s dirt, rock, mud, and on this
day, full of puddles. Arrow signs are
placed on tree trunks to tell hikers where to go. We walked as a group and did our best not to
step in the mud puddles. The cadet who
was the leader used a map & a compass to direct the other cadets to
go. For northern cadets, using the
compass is a challenge because the instrument is near-useless in Nunavut. (The magnetic north is located in Nunavut).
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| Lunch time. |
We
stopped at a small dock for lunch. The
cadets were instructed not to touch the privately-owned boats moored to the
dock. The dragon stoves were fired up
and the MREs were brought out. We stayed
at the dock for about an hour before packing up and heading back the way we
came. We got a little lost along the
way. I was glad I brought my GPS with
me. Turns out we were heading in the
right direction, but walking next to the main path. We met the second cadet group near the
starting point. The cadets in my group
posed for a photograph to celebrate the successful completion of the hike. They were given a short break when they
arrived at the main camp site.
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| Group photo. |
The
cadets in my group were formed up and marched down to a dock near the main
campsite. They carried their rucksacks
with them. It was now their turn to
canoe in Big Whiteshell Lake. The canoe
instructor, who was also a captain, was waiting for everyone by the dock &
launching platform. The cadets placed
their rucksacks in a line and stood around the captain. He welcomed the cadets to the next portion of
the expedition and began teaching. He showed
us how to properly unload the canoes from the trailer, how to paddle, what knots
to tie on the ends of the canoes, what safety gear to wear, how to pack a canoe,
and how to launch a canoe. The cadets
were divided into groups of two. I was
paired with the female captain who was in charge of this group. She warned me not to tip over the canoe with
her in it or there would be “grave consequences”. I didn’t want to find out.
The
canoes were launched into the lake, one by one.
We paddled out and around the dock.
We created a “raft of canoes” by coming together and holding the canoes
next to us with our hands. Once the
cadets were comfortable with the raft formation, the canoe instructor showed
them how to switch places without falling into the water. We spent the next hour canoeing a section of the
lake, getting better at paddling and keeping our balance. Everyone came back ashore dry.
Saturday
evening consisted of dinner MREs and a short bonfire. Everyone got a chance to roast marshmallows over
and open fire.
Sunday,
September 25, was a day of rain. It wasn’t
a heavy downpour; just steady streams of water droplets falling from the sky. Tarps had to be erected over picnic tables so
that everyone could prepare their breakfast MREs. Everyone put on their rain coats to avoid
getting wet. The morning was spent
tearing down the camp. Everything that
was issued was returned & packed in a large white trailer. A group photo of the northern cadets &
staff was taken in front of the trailer carrying canoes. The photograph would be sent to CBC News
North and hopefully be featured on their website.
The bus
arrived at 1pm. The cadets bid farewell
to the senior officers in charge of the expedition. The bus drove back to Winnipeg and dropped off
the Rankin Inlet & Arctic Bay cadets at the airport. The Naujaat cadets would be staying in
Winnipeg for an extra day. We didn’t
have any issues getting through security.
The Rankin Inlet cadets departed first.
My cadets & I departed for Toronto about an hour later. The flight was uneventful. The flight from Toronto to Ottawa was packed. The time was 10:30pm when we landed in the
nation’s capital.
We
picked up our bags and got a ride to the same hotel where we stayed on the way
down. Our rooms were different. We only got around six hours of sleep because
we had to be back at the airport in the morning. The cadets & I must have looked like
zombies walking through the airport. The
flight to Iqaluit took off at 9:15am. We
changed planes and left for Arctic Bay at 2:30pm. We touched down at 5:30pm. Parents & Frank were waiting inside the
terminal. Everyone was driven home. It was good to be home.
Overall, the Gold Star Expedition
was a success, despite the frequent periods of rain. My four senior cadets passed the expedition
without difficulty.
End of Gold Star
Expedition Mini-Series.
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