TORONTO, Sept. 21 /CNW/ – The award-winning Bike Train has partnered with Northern Edge Algonquin to provide a green travel option to experience Ontario’s brilliant fall colours in South River, near Algonquin Provincial Park.

On Sept. 24, mountain bikers will journey by train from Toronto to South River, with their bicycles secured in a baggage car equipped with bike racks, for an unique “Rails, Trails and Ales” experience featuring great mountain biking, beautiful fall colours and locavore fare matched up with Ontario’s finest beers.

The weekend getaway starts with a tour of the Highlander Brew Co. and a 20 km Fall Colour Ride to Northern Edge Algonquin where locavore guru, chef Gregor will host an evening of great local foods, including cooking pizza in an outdoor wood-fired clay oven.

On Saturday, participants can choose from a variety of rides on the Forgotten Trails, including double track, single trace extreme or rolling road with some challenging sections.  That evening, the bikers will enjoy a Northern Harvest dinner, with food and beer matching by beer expert, Roger Mittag, Thirst for Knowledge Inc. (www.thirstforknowledge.ca), one of Canada’s leading beer educators.

This experience provides cyclists a sustainable option to easily access Ontario’s Fall colours and to experience its unique culture and local products.

For more information, visit http://northernedgealgonquin.com/bike-train.html

QUOTES:

Living on solar power, we really appreciate that our guests and their bikes can get to Northern Edge Algonquin by train, especially when the fall colours are exploding like they are now.  The colours and the trails are just begging for exploration. – Todd Lucier, Northern Edge Algonquin (http://northernedgealgonquin.com/bike-train.html)

I’m truly excited about bringing my Thirst For Knowledge to the Rails, Trails and Ales weekend.  We all know that a beer is a great way to revitalize the body after a long ride and I’m looking forward to matching some great food with some of our very finest beers from Northern Ontario.”   Roger Mittag, Thirst for Knowledge Inc. (www.thirstforknowledge.ca)

“Riding is one of the best ways to experience Ontario’s brilliant autumn colours.” says Peter Lipscombe, Project Manager for the Bike Train initiative.   “The Rails, Trails and Ales weekend combines the best of sustainable travel – green transportation and accommodation, local foods and local culture.  It’s a getaway not to be missed.”  (www.biketrain.ca)

As summer days grow shorter and evenings cooler, it is soon going to be autumn.  While leaves falling from the trees are a sign for many that the warm days of summer are soon to be gone, change brings with it a chance for reflection and sometimes celebration of the wonderful times we had.

Over the past 15 summers, the Edge has welcomed dozens of staff who have contributed to making Northern Edge Algonquin the magical place that it is.  Many, have found their way into the hearts of guests by inspiring rediscovery, empowerment and healing.  Over the past three seasons, Alexis Burnett has shared with guests a deep appreciation of the earth and helped others make a spiritual connection to the plants and animals that call this little corner of Algonquin Park home.

At this time, Earth Tracks, Alexis Burnett and Northern Edge Algonquin are moving on and each following our own path.

We are extremely grateful to have shared Alexis’ inspiring nature awareness programs with our guests over the past three seasons. We have learned a lot from one another.  We look forward to continuing to support one another as allies as we all continue working to rediscover ourselves, empower each other and heal the earth.

Happy tracking Alexis.

~ Todd and Martha Lucier, co-founders, Northern Edge Algonquin

For all of you who have paddled with us before or are looking for something ‘more’ in your wilderness canoe trip the ‘Algonquin Crossing’ is for you. This experience will see you travelling through some of the most untraveled canoe routes while traversing the northern part of Algonquin Pak. We will leave from the Edge and dip our paddles in lakes with such names as ‘Erables’, ‘Osler’ ‘Radiant’, ‘depot’ and many others. This trip promises to push your paddling experience to a new level and bring you to a deeper understanding of what this world-renowned park has to offer.

This August and September we will be running many Wolf Howl Canoe Trips into the scenic and beautiful Algonquin Park.   Let your inner voice out as we howl and learn about the Eastern Wolf who calls this wilderness home.   This experience is one of our most popular summer canoe trips and gives people the chance to paddle and camp in the park while under the caring guidance and instruction of our qualifies wilderness guides.   For more information on this trip and the many others that we run here at the Edge Please give our office a call at 800 953 3343 or email at northernedgealgonquin@gmail.com looking forward to crossing paddles with you soon.

One of the best things about a canoe is its ability to glide silently across the water.   This helps us in many ways while trying to locate and observe the many mammals, birds, reptiles and Amphibians that make their home in central Ontario.   One of the most memorable and exciting times on one of our canoe trips is being able to observe these wild creatures in their natural setting.   Imagine watching a bull moose feeding on aquatic plants next to a meandering stream, a mature Bald Eagle as it soars gracefully over an open lake or the ‘haunting’ call of a loon as it echoes across an unnamed lake before dawn.   Seeing these animals and many others in the wild creates memories and emotions within us that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.   Here’s a short list of some of our wildlife observations so far this paddling season:

Black Duck, Mallard duck, Buffleheads, common Loon, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Northern Goshawk, Coopers Hawk, Merlin, Broad Wing Hawk, Barred Owl, Common Yellow throat, Balckburnian warbler, Raven, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Gray Jay, Winter Wren, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Canada Warbler, Canada Geese, American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Moose, Eastern Wolf, Red Fox, Black Bear, White-Footed Mouse, Meadow Vole, Northern Flying Squirrel, Red Squirrel, Chipmunk, raccoon.  Snapping Turtle, Painted Turtle, Pickerel Frog, Bull Frog, Spring Peeper, Gray Tree frog, Green frog, Wood Frog, American Toad, Garter Snake, Northern Water Snake.

Our canoe tripping season is in full-swing and we have had many great experiences in Algonquin Park. As I write this (in my notebook), I am currently sitting next to a crackling campfire under a grove of old hemlock trees beside a secluded Algonquin lake. Later I counted the growth rings on an old grandfather hemlock and it was around 276 years old! This is one of our ‘base-camp’ days and we have been relaxing all morning, taking the beauty and serenity of this place into our being. After a couple days in the park your body begins to beat in sync with the natural rhythms of Creation. I awoke this morning to the call of the loon as its surreal voice echoed off of the hillside across the lake. Walking down to the waters edge I looked south and spotted a bull moose feeding hungrily in the shallow wetland where a small creek empties into this lake. Our group sipped our morning coffee and kept an eye on this stately animal for over an hour. As the birds sing and flirt through the trees, I am reminded of our connection to all things. The invisible threads that link us altogether. There is a power and sacredness to this land that touches us all in many ways. On each of these trips it sinks further into the core of all of us and strengthens each of those ‘threads’ with each new experience.

“When I signed up, I figured I’d have a pretty good time. But I was astonished by how truly wonderful it turned out to be. And the impact that it had on me, physically, mentally and spiritually. Thanks to Wendy’s and Joanna’s gentle guidance, loving care and slightly wicked senses of humour – I not only had the best vacation I could imagine, but I was able to really relax, gain some much needed perspective, rediscover my love of yoga and the outdoors and overcome some hurdles which turned out to be more mental than physical.

Then there’s Greg’s awesome meals. Yummy.

In short, A Quest for Balance completely rocks! Once you experience it, you’ll kick yourself for not doing it sooner.”
~ Lisa Denvir, Toronto

Join us July 1 at 7 pm as we host a live online event with the World Drum and Mandaza, teaching about Peace.

Learn more about the World Drum:
http://www.NorthernEdgeAlgonquin.com/world-drum.html

Join us LIve:
http://www.NorthernEdgeAlgonquin.com/live-video.html

Greetings fellow Yogis and Yoginis I hope this finds you all well and shifting into a brilliant and promising summer. There seems to be a real and impactful current of change moving through things lately, the Emergence of such a quick spring seemed to catapult change within me and many of those around me.

Wendy Martin
Algonquin Yoga Goddess
Northern Edge Algonquin
YogaAtTheEdge@gmail.com

We invite you to join us this season for an exhilarating and rejuvenating yoga experience!
See our online calendar for more details. Or call Amanda directly at 800 953 3343.

 Here at the Edge as well as in most parts of Ontario we have been enjoying some beautiful spring weather that feels a little more like summer. It’s not only the human family that is feeling this time of new life, but the forest is coming alive. Many of our spring wildflowers and native trees have already flowered and are beginning to form seeds for the next generation. In this short post I’d like to describe a little about the animals and birds who have been tending to thier new borns and I had the priviledge to observe over the course of the last couple of days.

I watched as the starlings and robins flew from thier nests in South River at Matt’s house and worked feverishly to keep the nest clean of droppings and ‘fresh’ for thier young brood. As I travlelled home I stopped to watch two families of Canada Geese as the young goslings swim in the safe ‘eddies’ that thier parents created as they lead them down the river. On the road to the Edge there have been many deer and moose including a cow moose and twins and a lot of deer including a couple of fawns. The fox kits are up and moving with thier mothers as the vixen that I saw tried catiously to get her young from one side of the road to the other. The beavers have been working hard adding wood and mud to thier dams in anticipation of the low water levels to come this summer. On our lake there have been many species of ducks in thier courting pairs and now most females are sitting on nests. This year I’ve been able to watch wood, black, mallard, buffleheads and mergansers swimming in Round lake. As I paddle each day I love to keep an eye on these small family groups and have noticed that the herring gull that has been nesting on the rocks in front of my place has just hatched her young. The other day was thier first venture into the water and the mom and dad are quick to ‘rush’ them into the water at the first sign of danger. They were quite used to me paddling by twice a day up until the young have arrived. Now we are starting all over again in our relationship and establishing new boundaries and acceptance of one and other. The loons are calling each night from different corners of the lake and the hummingbirds have returned to the island on which I live as well. The crows and ravens wake me each morning as the sun rises and often I get to hear the shrill call of the merlin or the sharp-shinned hawk as they hunt through the tall white pines.

As the days become longer we all go through transitions as we let go of the things from the past while embracing the present moment. Last night as I went to sleep listening to 4 different species of frogs singing around the lake it made me feel alive and ready to move into this next season with a ‘re-newed’ sense of Vision and Purpose. I wish the same to all of you and hope that you can come and visit us soon.

Alexis Burnett