Cool adventures south of the treeline

PETER MOON

GERALDTON, Ont. — Ten Junior Canadian Rangers from Nunavut completed a week of advanced training in Northern Ontario last week, which introduced them to experiences they’ll probably remember for the rest of their lives.

“They’ve been having a lot of fun and they’re going home with a lot of memories,” said Canadian Ranger Isabella Inuksaq of Kugaaruk (Pelly Bay), an escort for the Junior Rangers. The Junior Rangers on the trip ranged in age from 12 to 17, with eight from Kugaaruk and two from Chesterfield Inlet. Another six came from the Northwest Territories.

They joined 108 Junior Rangers, mainly Cree from across Northern Ontario, for a week-long advanced training camp on Springwater Lake, near Geraldton.

The Junior Rangers from Nunavut were astonished by the ferocity of the mosquitoes they encountered. For many, it was their first opportunity to see trees and swim in warm lake water.

They were fascinated by ant-hills, and many made pets of caterpillars.

Coming from a territory where the midnight sun allows youngsters to be active in the middle of the night, they found it hard to be in bed by 11 p.m. and up at 5.30 a.m. the next morning, in time for physical training at 6 a.m.

“If their parents could see them here they would be amazed,” said Warrant Officer Eamonn Barry, a Canadian Ranger instructor from Yellowknife.

“They are used to going to bed at all hours of the night during the summer. Here, they are so busy having fun, as soon as the day is over at 11 o’clock, they are in their beds and they are asleep. And they are up at five the next morning for PT [physical training].”

It was quite an experience for Junior Ranger Rosa Oogaq, 14, of Kugaaruk. “I don’t like getting up early,” she said. “We don’t do that at home in the summer. But it’s been fun.”

Personal safety on land and water was a major part of the advanced training given at Camp Loon.

The camp was run by 40 Canadian Rangers from Northern Ontario and 35 other members of the Canadian Forces. There were four resident elders and several specialists who provided instruction in sailing, firefighting and sports, such as Tae kwon do, a Korean martial art. Other instructors lectured on gangs, and alcohol and drug addiction.

Training emphasized safety on the land and water, and instruction included surviving on the land, wilderness first aid, emergency shelter building, cliff-climbing and rappelling, and the safe use of firearms and boats.

The bus that drove the Junior Rangers from Nunavut to the camp hit and killed a moose on the way, giving the youngsters their first sight of the large animals that are a major road hazard in the forested area of Camp Loon.

Temperatures soared above 30 C on several days, which made living in a tent difficult for youngsters who are used to cooler temperatures. It also took them a few days to adjust to the louder behaviour of the Cree Junior Rangers.

Their first morning in camp produced a moment of panic for many of them. Warrant Officer Barry saw the girls suddenly running for their tents and the boys run in the other direction.

“They saw a dragon fly [which grow up to five inches long in Northern Ontario] flying toward them,” he said, “and they thought it was a huge mosquito.

“I had to get them together and explain that dragon flies are harmless and good, because they eat mosquitoes. But they are still a bit leery of them.”

He said the Junior Rangers were bewildered by the abundance of fuel for the wood fire that burned in front of a tipi for the length of the camp. He said he had a hard time convincing them that there were more than enough trees to keep the traditional campfire burning without exhausting the supply.

The Junior Rangers quickly made friends with many of the Cree Junior Rangers, and exchanged postal and e-mail addresses so they could remain in contact.

“They will have memories of this camp for the rest of their lives,” Warrant Officer Barry said. “That’s the goal of this kind of camp: to show them a healthy lifestyle, show them what’s available and to try and steer them away from the evils in life, get them into their cultural traditions and let them have something to remember, how happy they were at this camp.

“If we can prevent one kid from taking his or her own life because of the memories of this camp, then it’s worth every minute of it.”

Major David Scandrett, who commands the Canadian Rangers in Northern Ontario, said the camp was a success, because “the Junior Canadian Rangers had a lot of fun.

“We tried to convey a safety notion, that you can have fun, you can go out on the land and the water and live your life. But if you address just a few safety principles, you can have a better time and live a better life and have the opportunity to do it again.”

Sgt. Peter Moon is the public affairs Ranger for the Third Canadian Ranger Patrol Group in Ontario.