The Voyageurs

The Voyageurs

The dawn is breaking and the currant is forceful.   Onward, onward the paddle pushes through the water.  The morning echoes with the wakening of new life, a new day, a song from the forest, joy!

The rugged life of the everyday entrepreneur.  Constant travel, constant hardship, work all day, work most of the night.  On and on through the vast river system, through the lakes and to the fur trading posts, with canoes laden with goods for trade.  Freedoms sings it’s song in the mind, wealth creeps into view.  The tantalizing call of riches.  The wealth of the nation is in trade.  The doors opened to the adventurer.  To those so hearty that they could travel great distances with focus and determination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyageurs

To this end the change became the hired employee.  The race to conquer the nation, to fill the shelves with fur product, to make a fortune from the wealth of the land, attracted business entrepreneurs whose goal was to have it all.  From a life of  individual trade for profit to a life of the licenced, employed trader.  The business of trade boomed throughout the country.  Still the life of the voyageur was virtually the same as his predesessor.   Now, the trade was for a merchant, previously, it had been trade for themselves.

The rivers filled with hearty, strong, determined men, venturing on a highway of water.  The canoes travelling thousands of kilometers, the negotiation for trade.  It filled our lives, our dreams, our destinies.  The world of trade.  The world of fur.

For 350 years the Canadians ventured throughout the land in search of trading partners to expand their wealth.  Trading with the native peoples, then setting up traplines of their own.  The fur trade started in the 1500’s and ended in the 1870’s.

Negotiate.  The peaceful venture of business enterprise was the most fashionable and luxurious calling of all.  Profits on both sides, wealth and adventure.   The call of the wild was a call to prosperity.  Heed the call, almighty man.

The birch bark canoe, the voyageur canoe, the life of the land.  The peaceful settling of  a nation built on trade.  A nation built from the strength of human enterprise more valuable that any adversary or foe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8rGaj2Bt7A  heart chakra earth healing meditation

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 20, 2013

www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes

National trails hiking day

National trails hiking day

Good Morning Brave hearts.  Do you feel the call to the wild today?  This great day is set aside for you to enjoy and to explore the fabulous system of national trails throughout the country.  A day for exploration, for rejuvenation, to connect to nature, to encounter the beauty, the splendor, the grandeur and the persona of a wonderful, immense country, with an beautiful multitude of trails.  The artist, the athlete, the nature lover, the photographer,  the environmentalist, the hiker, the walker, runner, the adventurer, young and old, differing fitness levels,  all enjoy our spectacular scenery and the awesome call of the wild.

To be so fortunate as to be able to hike a trail to a protected place, a special place, a place of natural or cultural significance.  A place of wonder, of immense beauty.  A place where only the few adventurous humans have the delight to travel.  A nature trail, or an historic trail, a guided trail.   Nonetheless, a trail of significance.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jasper-Trail-Alliance/168509399845259

Worthy human, you chose this trail of significance yourselves.  These are the worthwhile paths of discovery, to destinations superb, that you chose as special, protected, significant.  These destinations are your own call to adventure.

To enjoy the beauty of this great land is a privilege for most of us.  The vast system of parklands offer a diverse opportunity for all of us to experience the grandeur of nature.  That distant lake with its variety of birds, the forest with its singing songbirds, the flowers, the animals, the smell!  The trail takes you to a destination of unique cultural heritage.

Count the flowers, watch the birds, try geocaching, participate in an event.  How you get there is up to you.  You can walk, mountain bike or ride a horse, paddle a river or a lake.  The enjoyment of the trails is a national pastime.

Step off the busy sidewalk and venture into the parklands. Meet the specialists with events from hiking organizations as listed below.  Nature and its beauty are the pride of our land.  This national heritage is for all of us.

http://www.canadatrails.ca/hiking/hk_evca.html

http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 1, 2013