sport

The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas
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The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas

Hail Brave Hearts

The great wild is calling,  An adventures awaits.  Dutifully we don our apparel for yet another great holiday in Canada.  It’s summertime, and the sun shines gloriously on long days of warmth and outdoor activity. Canoes and kayaks entice us into the waters of lakes and rivers.  The iconic Canadian transportation system, lures us into the paths of our history.  Build your canoes, build your kayaks, follow in the steps of legendary people who navigated the waters this way.

The great wild calls us to develop the skills of history makers who charted the seas, mapped the coastlines and stamped the approval of the ownership of this land.  This is ours.

The great lands of the Haida, tucked away in the northern islands, north of Vancouver Island.  Isolated and rare, a gem of discovery.  This land is our land, protected by a great nation of peoples, the Haida people of Haida Gwaii and the Gwaii Haanas National Park.  It belongs to them and their stories fill the islands.

We arrive by plane, for the trip of a lifetime, into the land of the Haidas.  Remote and alive, the area fills with eagles.  The ocean is calm and the days are warm.  We’ve packed for a week long kayak adventure into Gwaii Haanas.  This area is a paradise of wilderness ocean adventure.

Seagulls meet us, reminding us that God is here.  In the call of the birds, we clearly hear Gods name.  Seals bask on the rocks and a river otter swims past.  An Oyster Catcher stops us.  His antics catch our attention as he jumps around on the rock in a aa unusual dance.  His five chicks huddle close together in the nest and his mate slumber close by.  He is a father and proudly shows off the nest.  A thirteen year old bird, whose making a noise that sounds like Barack.  We name him Barack then, pleased that he’s shown us his fine family

Black Oystercatcher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Our luck with the weather holds for this trip.  There are seven of us on this  July excursion, with a guided kayaking and camping company.  The Pacific is mainly calm and peaceful towards us as humpback whales surface and feed in our sights.  One comes close to us.  It’s a pleasure.  The wildlife sightings are superb, with black bear, dolphins, orcas and sea lion to add to our list.  The bird life is unusual to us as well.  Ancient Murrelet,  seagulls, falcons, puffins, rhinoceros beaked birds and red footed pigeon guillemot to add to  our list.  It’s a list of some rare bird and animals  in an area filled with ocean life.

Then, there’s, the people.  We visit the Haida of the ancient totem poles.  to see for ourselves the carvings of great masters and to hear their stories.  A far flung people, out in islands in a remote Pacific location.  An area of impressive beauty molding a nation of seafaring people, who live from the sea.  The builders of ocean going canoes paddling the great seas.  A people of unique culture, surviving in an area of wildlife wealth.  The ocean provides.

This was a dream holiday in our great land.  So much to be proud of, so much to enjoy.  The land and the people, the ocean and the wildlife.  A place of unusual prosperity.

parks.canada.ca › pn-np › bcGwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine …

The sun shines brightly on Haida Gwaii and the warm summer breeze encourages outdoor adventure.  This was a wonderful, unique  holiday in Canada’s superb wilderness backyard.  We congratulate ourselves for this choice of adventure.    We’ll be back

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 27, 2023

Gun Control
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Gun Control

Good Day Brave Heart

It’s seldom a bad day with so much to do.

Exit the warm contentment of the cozy, familiar structure to the bright snow-covered future that awaits you in the outdoors.  It’s a fantasy world of snow laden trees, martins leaping along the way and birds chattering to each other.  What do they say?  Only your own spirits will determine their message.  The sundog shines in a glorious ring around the sun, indicating a weather pattern on its way.  The brightness of this glory world is the psychedelic wonder of yesteryear.  It’s no wonder that they thought that LDS was safe.

Minds bend in the staggering difficulty of the task.    The unfathomable human experiment of the day.

Hunting and trapping, the need to survive, the human is a new predator in this place.  Now the competition for the food supply has increased and new hunters are on the land.  Hunters with families and small mouths to feed.  Tiny tots with growing pains, hunger pangs and shill cries.  Feed us! cloth us! save us! The howls stop when the hut vanishes in the snow and the hunt for animal tracks begin.

This new human brings a new kind of weapon to the wild world of big game hunting.  Gone is the bow and arrow, now it’s the rifle.  Guns.  Guns to protect us, guns to hunt with, guns to be dependent upon.  Guns for survival, guns for livelihood, guns for trade and barter.  Guns.   Only the need for ammunition is a drawback in the use of guns.  Stock the larder with as much provision for the winter as you can, and don’t forget the main one, your gun.

Unlicensed weapons have as many as you want to.  No one is watching.

The stealthy aboriginal makes his way to your shelter.  Maybe you don’t have to hunt today.  Maybe all that you have to do is to trade him a good gun and a round of ammunition for a side of moose, a rack of elk and a hind quarter of deer.  Maybe he will give his own much needed furs, from that rabbit, for a gun.  The indigenous people need the fur more than the fur trader do, but wildlife is plentiful, and trade brings wealth to this family.  Wealth to one, survival to another, a deal is struck.  It seems like a win, win situation.  The stealthy aboriginal so experienced in the ways of this land, looking to improve his own lot in life.  A gun for his hunt, a gun for his prosperity and a gun to protect him from the devil.

The homesteader is saved.  No more psychedelic sunshine.  No more mind-bending winter exposure.  No more lethargic, seemingly drug filled indecisive wanderings.   He is saved.  Saved by the aboriginal bell of necessity.  The gun is more powerful than the bow and arrow.

A shot rings out on the still land.  The skilled new hunter has already conquered.  More will come looking for this kind of trade.  More will seek the European for guns.

Guns for survival, guns to protect us.  Guns.  A new way of life.

The Wild Canadian Year: Canada’s toughest season, with only the hardiest prevailing – Winter – YouTube

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

 

 

A Day for Planet Earth
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A Day for Planet Earth

Hail Brave hearts

It’s still out there.  The adventure awaits.

April brings us warm, sunny weather.  A perfect day for a perfect outing.  Into the great wild we go.  The conditions are perfect for us today,  snow pack, snow bridges, flat trail.  The river crossings are easy and the destination is close by.  A mere 5 kilometers of snow covered terrain.

This is an easy destination for the adventurer, in a time when exploration of the area was crucial.  The need to know the area, so that the land is familiar and accessible.  The need to know every inch of the surroundings, so that we can travel safely, intelligently and explore the land.

We’re on a seldom used and little known trail.  Awesome!  Lucky for us, that we are the explorers of this day.  We travel easily. The terrain is flat and accessible, opening up to a world of stark beauty.  A flock of pretty robins flutter in the forest and run along the snow.  It’s a surprise to see them, especially in this location.  Then we spy it, our destination, the glacier.  The source of our water supply, the beginnings of the rivers.  Since it is a warm day, we watch avalanches slide off the glacier into the moraine below.  We are silent.  Only us, in this great wilderness place, all to ourselves, on this fine day.  Perhaps the crowds of tourists have come before us, but we know they haven’t.  There’s still some wilderness left in the great wild.

A few days later, we hang up our snowshoes and go crocus hunting.  It’s an unusually cold spring.  Global warming?  Climate change is a better phrase.  Sometimes we see these early spring flowers at the end of March.  This year, they’re still struggling to appear and it takes until mid April for these showy purple heads to blossom.  Once they start, they’ll carpet the fields and hillsides in glorious purple.  More wonders and beauty to behold, and so easy to find.

The protected wilderness areas are a significant contribution to our health and lifestyles.  A daily walk in the park to spectacular views,  precious wildlife, blooming wildflowers.  The joy of the living planet, giving us air, supporting our lives, giving us recreation and wonder.  It gives us peace and clears our minds to wander in the great wild.  Always a fantastic scene to behold, sometimes by accident, sometimes by creation.

This great day is Earth Day.  One day, for our awesome, awe inspiring planet?  Only one day to take a look at the marvelous creation of this great planet Earth.  This day is every day.  A day for the joy of your senses.  A day to breathe the fresh air and cleanse your soul in the beauty of the earth.  This adventure is not just for today, but for all of your time here.  Time to explore, time to live, time to enjoy the life on this Earth.

Lucky mortals, to be alive on this great planet.  Intelligent mortals, to save God’s great, good earth.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

Earth Day, 2021

A Man’s Best Friend
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A Man’s Best Friend

Hail brave hearts.

Your company is here!  Fast and furry, friendly and happy, this is your very best friend.  Your dog is your companion for life.  Easy to care for, easy to please, all they want is a warm home, to be fed, and to be included in all of your life.  We have nurtured the companionship of dogs for a long, long time.

A trainable friend, a fiercely loyal companion, a lovable pet, your dog is a strongly supportive part of your life and your family.  Train him to do whatever he can, fetch a ball, play with sticks, swim in the lake, take a walk, guard the premises, guard you, pull your sleigh, be your business, own the  company, take him wherever you can.  This is not just a pet, this is a big part of the family.  This is the pet that can be your eyes, alert you to danger, pull you to safety.  This is the pet that can be trained to be a working dog, taking care of the disabled, protecting the property, protecting the people.  This is the pet that lives for you, you are all of his life and it can be a wonderfully fulfilling time of mutual companionship.  Take the dog for a walk, to play in the park, to stroll down the street, to meet your friends.  This is an important part of his day.  A little fresh air, some exercise, the walk will do  both of you some good.

Dogs are with us in history, helping us to build a nation.  Sled dogs carrying people and supplies, opening trade and transportation routes, bringing people together in a sparsely populated country, where no roads had gone before.  Great explorers like David Thompson, used the sled dog to carry him across the country,  adventuring and exploring along the way.

 

 

Train the dog to be a part of a team, pulling the sled, running for joy.  Most dogs welcome the activity of a good run and the dog team is a companion sport, dogs and humans in the cold winter time, speeding across the countryside together in a sleigh.  It’s an age old sport of Canadian history.  Run the dog team to an adventure, to exploration, to connect to one another.  It’s an unusual and clever idea, to hitch a dog to the sleigh, run him over to the neighbors farm, over hill and over dale, running through the snow.  The fast, light dogs enjoy this too.  They can run for hours through the snow.  Winter coats and hats, boots and pants, pull on your warm attire.  The season of winter fun is here.

This is a sport that you might want to try, just to experience the historical culture of the nation.  Imagine being the master of a dog team, sliding along in the wintry chill, sled piled high with trading goods, to sell at your next stop.  How far will it be today?  20 kilometers only, or maybe an all day stint, rushing through the forest, sliding across the lake, the trade routes are open, come out all of you, to experience the skills  that a life like this  would take.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

December 17, 2017

The Great White Mountains
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The Great White Mountains

Hail Bravehearts

It is with great pleasure that this winter is warm and snowy, and that it brings us sport.  Fabulous pleasure, a great day for a ski.  Downhill skiing is the easiest sport in the world.

The balmy mountain weather hovers above -10.  A warm, sunny February, brings us out of our snug homes, to smile and greet yet another sunny day.  Stay home this winter, no need to travel south.  As the snow birds fly away each year, to sunny summer climates, in the warm tropics, those hearty winter lovers, stay home, for the delightful winters time.  Peace to us all.  This is a great one.

The drive to find snow, this year, has made this an easy, more carefree year.  The pussy willows are out, a sapling in a warm spot has started to bud,  the snow melts on the sidewalks, energy bills plummet.  Global warming is a nuisance. It brings too much cold in the East and fabulous, warm, sunny skies in the West.

A day on the slopes, warm enough to stay out all day!  Our weekly snowshoe day has taken us on excursions to find that soft fluffy snow. We lather on sunscreen and snowshoe in our shirts.  Too warm for winter coats.  The birds sing to us as we pass and flocks gather in the trees.

It’s beautiful and warm and a day on the ski hill is just so easy.  No frostbite, no frozen cheeks, no frost beards, or icicle eyelashes.  No chalet skiing, from days too cold to stay outside.  No complaints of frozen toes and frozen fingers, too long in food lines and too long drinking hot chocolate.  The warm winter weather gives us a boost of excitement. We can play outside in the snow!

I push off from my spot at the top of the mountain and fly down my usual terrain.  Easy, easy, it’s just so exhilarating. After thirty years of this, skiing is easier than walking.  The mountain is so familiar, I know these runs well. Perfectly groomed, all the holes have been patched and we compliment the groomers on yet another year of snow moving, that makes the mountain more enjoyable and less dangerous.  No slipping over rocks and crashing down the hill.  No entanglements with saplings as they catch your skis.  No snow monsters or snow snakes, tripping you on your way.  No, this is just perfect.  It’s a perfect day for a ski.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilRI4zKoBPo  extreme skiing

Global warming has it’s drawbacks, we gloat to one another, as the snow is starting to fall.  Our winter wonderland of fluffy white stuff is now a drive away.  Smiles and nods as the weather is co-operative.  The roads are open. Tourists flock to us and fill our town.  Trapped.

I know that the joy of today, is the doom of tomorrow, as our glaciers are slipping away.  As yet another natural wonder crashes off the mountain, and our water supply is threatened. That harsh reality will rear it’s head again this summer.  But for now, push off that mountain and glide your way along those dreamy snow covered slopes.  Fill your mind with winter.  Winter fun and winter play and how much we still adore it.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 2, 2016

The Wonderful Winter
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The Wonderful Winter

Hail, all you awesome ones!

The temperatures fall.  It’s cold outside.  Time to pull out the woollies, change to thermals and warm, specialized fabrics.  Time to pull out the sleighs, toboggans, skates, skis, snowboards, snowmobiles and snowshoes.  Time for winter!  Time for that specialized season of cold!

The sidewalk is bare from constant shoveling, drifts pile high and the car won’t start.  The giddiness of the festive season is upon us.  Bright lights, holiday cheers, warm welcomes, smiles and gifts.  A fabulous start to the quiet of winter, as we spend our money, plan our holidays and wish each other well, as winter’s nasty colds poke their way in. The headiness of a bustling summer is behind us.  Time to take a break and relax by the fire, bake up a storm and be happy.  Happy to relax, to watch our favourite sport, to sing holiday carols and to play in the fantastic snow!  Our economic wonder, snow!  A blessing that we don’t pay for, brought to you by the great planet.  Enjoy your winter!

We head off to ice caves, ice water falls, frozen rivers and slippery surfaces.  We head off to natural wonder, to awesome delight in the planetary change.  We are tourists in our own town, visiting the sites, bragging about the awesome wonder of the scenery, drinking the local brew and listening to the home grown bands.  We know everyone. Every face is familiar.  Each store has it’s unique specialty and the restaurants offer discounts to us starving hoards, who savor the goodness of every bite.  Laughing and playing, we love this season.  It gives us time to visit.

As wonderful as life is in the carefree summer, winter brings it’s own delight.  For those of us here in this tiny, multicultural town, winter brings us time.  Time to refresh, time to enjoy, time to stay awhile, to visit and to reunite with each other.

The festive season is starting, preparations are being made.  Holiday parties, good friends, family and cheer.  The warmth of the season, when the cold is put at bay.  A change in season is good for us.  It lets us rejoice in a whole new splendor.  Indoor coziness, outdoor frigidness, harmony, balance and avoiding frostbite.  We love this cold winter weather, when the great outdoors turns on the lights early, and we can view the splendor of the stars, planets, even the northern lights in an early, after dinner hour show.

The moon shines a path of white and the glistening snow sparkles and shines our way.  The sun sets early and rises late and the dark is upon us.  We rise in the dark, go home in the dark, and are thankful for the blessings that inventors make.

Hot chocolate and ginger snaps, sweets and treats, this is the time of year to be happy.  A blessing to share, carols to sing, a jingling of jingle bells, rings and rings.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

November 29, 2015

It Calls Us
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It Calls Us

Hail to the almighty human!

The awesome planet sings the praises of its being. The life springs forth from the rich earth and the world sings with the songs of spring. A paradise of co-habitation, plant, human, animal, contained in a small space of grand proportions. Life, live and joy in this great part of the earth, where all things live in the beauty of the great landscape. The majesty of the magnificent mountains, the lush, green forest, the sparkling waters and the clean, mountain air. This is the land of the almighty human, where athletes soar in competition and sport. A playground of adventure where the trails lead to precious views of unrivaled beauty, and the mountains dare the climbers to try them.
“Come!” calls the great planet. “Come to the joy of your being!

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/index.aspx the nation’s first National Park, Banff National Park, established in 1885

Test your strength oh brave hearts! Stretch your legs in the vast wilderness of parkland that entices you. Listen to the call of the wild, as it sweetly sings in your ears.
The birds call their courtship melody as we pass by their homes. Busy and intent, they build their private homes to protect the precious, demanding lives of their offspring. Soon there will be babies. Soon the roadsides will be bustling with delighted tourists, as they meet the wild and their wild new born. The brave bear with its tiny young, the sheep and goats with their nimble kids, and the deer and elk with their calves. Soon the wild will give birth, and the land will change to a robust new beginning.
The quiet of winter is past and for the next few months a new generation of life unfolds.
“Come to the wild!” calls the great planet. “Here the world of the daring adventure begins!”
Since the dawn of our beginning, the wild of the earth calls to us. The mighty oceans demand a crossing. The pinnacles of mountain tops, demand to be reached. The forest lures us to views, and challenges the senses with unknown obstacles.
“Reach for this height!” calls the mighty glacier, where the well waters of our rivers are born. Now, in the spring, when the world is divine, when the congenial planet warms us with warm, spring breezes and the deep chill of winter is past, now we venture forth into the land that was too precarious in the winter.
This is the land of the almighty human. The land, brought to us by the daring fur trader, the skilled negotiator and the kind and compassionate human who saves it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5NW3h6_VYw the bluest lakes on earth, by David Huting

The land whispers to us as we pass under the branches of the greening trees. Hail brave hearts, protect these great lands, for you and only you, can save it. The adventure of your lives has always been in the great forests, the great landscape and the great wild of this nation. The great peace is among us, the great negotiation of land and people, of adventure and fun, of wealth and beauty. Remember the past, oh brave hearts, the negotiation saves us still.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
May 13, 2014

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The Ride to end MS

Praises to the almighty human!

Strength and fortitude and daring! The almighty human rises to a call of his own making. Shining spirit, shining tower of strength, rising to a height of daring and human competitiveness, known really only to themselves.
The devastating ravages of disease and failure, of a weakened body, so frail and hurting. Rise to the glory, almighty human! Shine in the glory of a feat of daring, of life sustaining, of work and endurance, for a goal of compassion. Hail to you, oh great spirit, for the quest of your achievement. To rise above it all, to conquer the foe, to beat the devil and to smile that victorious win.
A milestone of human endurance, another thousand kilometers of road. Snow and harsh wind, icy rain and unbearable heat, the weather is a task master of doom and hardship. Regardless of all humanity and preparation, the weather is the merciless master of it all.
Praises, almighty human, dauntless of it all. No sickness or obstacle can defeat the bold and daring. Another storm, another kilometer, another technical breakdown. Onward and onward to pursue the goal of victory and awesome challenge, for as yet an inconquerable beast. Still no cure for this dangerous illness, the Muscular Sclerosis Society needs help.
http://endms93.com/yellowhead-highway-16-the-next-adventure/about/ Greg Van Tighem, riding his fat bike from Masset BC to Winnipeg, Manitoba, March and April 2014.

The fragile bodies of weakened beings, a diagnosis still without a cure. The sinking masses of humanity, falling into the plight of incurable illness. A dangerous endevour, a risky undertaking, a drive for a cure of a devastating illness.

http://www.youtube.com/user/endms93 Greg Van Tighem on the road for a cure of Muscular Sclerosis. The endms93 bike ride from Arizona, USA to Jasper, Alberta along highway 93, 2013.

The pledge drive for $93,000.00 has still not been met, yet the campaigne drive for the cure is still ongoing. Another kilometer of road, another grateful pledge, the master of wheel and fortune persists in charity and hope, to quash the life debilitating monster that sickens the soul. Crush the body with evil illness, ruin the health with pain and agony. A struggle to overcome the sinking sadness of loss and despair. Another kilometer to ride for the cure, to bring hope and possibility to those in pain. Another kilometer of painful riding, of unknown road and lonely travel. A conquest of trust and preparedness, of single travel, without support. Day after day the road winds its weary path to follow. The body accepts the command of the mind. Rise in the morning, fulfill this challenge. The mind demands and the body obeys. Mind over body, mind over illness, mind over matter.
Whatever befalls us, on the great road to living, be it in sickness or in health, the road winds onward for us to follow.
Awesome human, masters of destiny, find comfort and support in your brethren there. Today is a day for the great joy of living.
Rise to your calling, almighty human. Follow your road.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes
April 15, 2014

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The Olympics

Good morning brave hearts.
Another beautiful day to warm your hearts and brighten your spirits.
In this lofty time of games and sport, we look to the awesome might of the champion. Skills and perseverance, an aptitude at it’s finest, carefully controlled, carefully focused, nurtured, cultivated, practiced and finely tuned. Mankind at his highest peak, the role of the champion.
http://olympic.ca/
The feats of daring, the pursuit of excellence, the flexing and strength of hours and hours of laborious training, all to answer the call, the one call of courage and daring, the call of the almighty human, the champion.
The days stretch out before us as we watch in thrilling wonder at the power and versatility of the human mind and body. We watch in captivated admiration for a tested skill, so brilliantly executed, such fine minds, such fine bodies, such extreme sport.
That strong, perfect muscle,so conditioned, so obedient. A gift of rare connectivity from mind to body. That perfect control, that instant demand, that power, that courage, that skill.
The body flows with the sharpened wakefulness of a conscience of it’s own. The brilliant mind thinks it and the body enacts it. The oneness, the syncrenosity, the immediate response.
Feel the power as your body soars, it’s mission, to accomplish the demands of the mind. The higher the aptitude, the stronger the will, the more successful the performance. No cowards there. Only the strong, almighty human, with control, persistence, wakefulness and focus.
Your eyes see the play, your brain enacts the result, your body obeys as it’s conditioned to do.
The training of the body is a long and ardorous journey, filled with pitfalls of injury, sore muscles, pain and exhaustion. The weary body, fighting the demanding mind. The weary body crying for rest. The weary body screaming pain and injury. No more!
Oh, but the strong and demanding mind remains focused to it’s goal, to the one lofty end that is in sight for this simple human body with a spirit and brain that outmatches it. The body is controlled, it performs accordingly. Training! To train the body to accept the demands of the mind.
Oh, lofty almighty human, in these days of reckoning, who has persevered and trained their body to succeed. Who has demanded of their body, more than the body can give.
Inspire us, oh great ones. Your time has come. For athletic ability is part of the human condition and part of the human spirit. To soar with the eagles, to reach the summit, to swim with the dolphins to conquer it all.
Here, where the indomitable spirit of the human, conquers all, saves us and immortalizes us. Now to play, as only the strongest contestants can play. To play for sport, to play for competition, to play for fun and to play for glory.
Almighty human, we applaud thee, we reward thee and we thank thee. For again,the spirit of the indomitable human is the focus of the day.
Hail bravehearts, you serve us well. Your brilliant minds and impeccable bodies thrill us.
Hail brave hearts, for us, today and always, you are the almighty man.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
Feb. 8, 2014

Dog sledding
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Dog sledding

Good day, you awesome human

Today it has snowed. The chilly wonder of a winter’s delight. Our nations most favourite past times are here.
The dogs whine and climb out of their white, snowy blankets. A new day of mushing and racing is upon them. Friendly, eager playmates in a life of Canadian made fun.
The sun pierces the sky and casts it’s golden warmth upon us. A fabulous, chilly -35C. A perfect day. A day of winter delight, of breakneck speed through the wild land, of wind on your face and warmth in the air. A day of endurance, strength, preparedness, fun! The great planet calls to us from the landscape and we’re off. Off to an adventure, off to another day of grand pursuits.
The eons of time travels quickly with us. Generations of dog sledding flies past our feet. We must. In our minds we know that we must. Carrying on the history of nation building, the travels of voyageurs, the present day sportsman and adventurer, the tourist. In a land of long winters and brilliant dark sky the endless preoccupation with the joys of winter fun is a must.

As Canadians, these traditions fill us with joy and wonder. The long race of dog sledding, a time of daring adventure, a feat of a thrilling pursuit. An age of discovery, when dog sledding helped to open the country and helped to transport goods, food and people across the land. A method of transportation for early explorers. Across the great white, snow covered plains of the Arctic. Dog sledding carrying us, as Canadians, all across the land.
Mile upon mile the dogs will run, day after day. The race. Such a thrilling adventure for dog and man.
The dogs stretch their limbs and howl. Run! they cry and off we go.
The winter!
The transportation corridors change and sometimes are easier with ice and snow. A frozen lake is a short cut, the marshes and bogs are easily crossed. Better to travel in winter with ice and snow and the howl of dogs in your ears. Faster and less dangerous than running rapids with canoes and the winter forest shines with snow.
Culture!
What we do to save ourselves, to explore, to open trade routes, to fulfill our negotiated contracts.
The dog team is an integral part of our culture. It’s a need fulfilled. Across the great land to explore, to reach communities with goods for trade. To fulfill business contracts and to live.
Here, almighty human in the great white north is the destiny of a lifetime of adventure. It called to the early explorer. Come to Canada! Live the adventure! And so they did.
Criss crossing the nation from trading post to trading post with sleighs laden with supplies. A life of business enterprise. Dog and man, racing across the great plains of the provinces, dog and man, racing east to west and back again. Dog and man racing to the north, racing to the south.
Culture and tradition whistling in our ears.
The dogs, our coveted friends.
Praises to you brilliant mankind, for the peace of trade and for the joy adventure. The negotiated peace that saves our lives.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
November 12,2013