Greetings from the Edge of Algonquin Park,
We’re excited to announce that we now have a fan base of 200 as of today on Facebook! Become a fan and keep updated on special events, great new images and video.

Thank you for the support and we look forward to a wonderful Winter season full of memorable experiences. Hopefully by this time next year we’ll be sharing that we have 400 added to the list.

Kate and Wendy in the office.

Todd and Wendy are chatting about the last of the fall colours.  Todd is hosting Ontario’s Digital Economy in Huntsville, then heading to Manitoulin Island to help the community develop new tourism experiences and bring them to life.

Also, Newsweek and Explore Magazine inquire about Tracking retreats at the Edge.

Congrats to the team for wrapping up a great season this week!  Learn more about Yoga and the Zen of Winter by calling Wendy or Kate at 800 953-3343.

Hello Everyone

I hope the beautiful fall colours are treating you well. The reds, yellows and oranges are spectacular up here right now. Fall time is in the air as we turn the corner on summer here in Algonquin Park.

Just wanted to let you know that I just had a talk yesterday with writers for both Newsweek and Explore magazine and they are going to both be spreading the word about one of our upcoming winter programs —- The Science and Art of Tracking. This class will be running February 6-9th in 2009 and all the pertinent info can be found on our website Wilderness Arts page.

What better time to follow and learn about the animals that live in and around the park. We will be spending our days snowshoeing and following tracks of many mammals including deer, moose, otter, wolves, marten, fisher and many others as we begin to unravel the many mysteries that they leave behind. At night we will share stories around the fire and deepen our knowledge and understanding of the natural world. This informative and educational program will take place at our eco-retreat center and is going to be a whole lot of fun-filled learning and adventure. Keep an eye out in the next month or two in ‘Newsweek’ and ‘Explore’ magazines and help spread the word.

We look forward to seeing you in the park this winter.

Alexis

Hello Friends of the Edge,

Chris Gilmour here (guide for this years Heart of Gold Canoe Trip). It is Wednesday afternoon and I sit on my couch watching the leaves drop outside my window. Yesterday at this time I was fortunate enough to be paddling west across Kawawayamog lake (I wonder if that is spelled right?) with a nice gentle eastern wind behind us. This was my second year in a row leading this fall colors trip and I can honestly say my heart and spirit feel like gold right now!

We left for the park last Thursday, a beautiful sunny fall day, just as the fall colors were begining to peak. Each day ( and even every few hours) the colors looked a little different. Patricia, my canoe mate for the week, commented that on the first day the landscape looked like a bright acrylic painting and by day 5 it looked more like a fading old oil painting, warm and familiar.

I don’t know if I could pick one highlight of the week but a few that really stand out to me include our early morning paddle out to bigger lake where we watched a large bull moose, a cow, and baby moose feeding along a marsh edge. We were able to get with in 30 ft of them for some great photo’s. The following day we decided to go for a hike along the portage trail out to Cayuga Lake with a picnic planned on the other side. While hiking the trail we came across a very fresh wolf track that may have been hot on the trail of a running deer (we found the deer tracks as well). After putting a bit of the story together we were hooked and spent most of the hike staring at the ground looking for more tracks and another part of the story of the wolf and deer. We also came across some very fresh fox tracks on that same trail.

That night, after a rice and peanut sauce stir fry, we gazed at the brilliant sky above and used our star chart to find a few of the constellations. No one on our trip should ever have trouble finding north on a clear night again!

Other highlights of the trip included: loons calling at night, swimming under a waterfall, smores on the camp fire, of course incredible colors, and great company.

Fall is probably my favorite season to be in the park, the mosquitoes and black flies are gone, the water is still warm, the nights are cool, and you almost have the park to yourself. Before heading out I was having a little trouble accepting that the summer is gone and the winter on it’s way but after this trip I think I am ready, I have a warm Golden Heart to warm me during the cool nights to come.
Thanks to all who participated in the trip and everyone who helped make it possible,

Warm Greetings to the Northern Edge Community and all their Friends,

Chris Gilmour

Wilderness Guide/Outdoor Educator

In video, Todd Lucier chats with Kitchen and Garden Manager Greg Waters about slow food and local food at Northern Edge Algonquin.

The Edge strives for sustainability and guests benefit from and appreciate food that is local and slow: Learn how we support the locavore food movement and provide our guests with fresh food grown in our garden.  As well, we buy locally grown and organic food, and connect with local food producers in our area on Facebook.

September is our busiest month at Northern Edge Algonquin, with a number of school groups and executive teams joining us for canoeing in Algonquin Park. In addition, Alexis and his team are leading canoe trips for adults looking for a late summer getaway through the month.

From our Heart of Gold - 7 day adventure, to weekend Fall Colours Wolf Howl Canoe Trips, there is a getaway that fits your schedule.

Is Algonquin Park calling you? Call Wendy. 800 953-3343

As our final summer yoga and sea kayaking retreat draws to a close, Wendy and Northern Edge Algonquin adventure retreat facilitators are already dreaming up new experiences! In the next few weeks, our new winter yoga retreat will be online, and at least a few new Quest for Balance retreats will come into being this fall.

2009 will also see the highly anticipated return of Quest for Balance II, our yoga and sea kayaking trip on Georgian Bay which has always been a popular one.

As the sun dips lower on the horizon, it’s time to get back into the routines of fall. Remember to take time to appreciate the slow quiet moments and find stillness wherever you are.

10 Years ago, I guided a small group into Algonquin Park on a short canoe trip. I remember scant details from the trip, aside from the fact that it rained buckets and we had a wonderful opera singer from Europe on the trip who remarked,

” The Outhouses in Algonquin Park are nicer than those in the Concert Hall of Azerbaijan.”

Markus Landenberger-Schneider was a wonderful bright German man who always had a smile and delight at the beauty, tranquility and wildlife of Algonquin Park, particularly the birds. Upon departure from that trip, Markus remarked that he would return some day in the future with his daughters who weren’t yet old enough for such an experience in Algonquin Park.

This morning he and his eldest daughters 15 and 12, joined their friends from Germany and headed into Algonquin Park on a family canoe trip, fulfilling a promise that was made 10 years earlier. As we embrace, recalling how things have changed and become more beautiful at our home on Kawawaymog Lake, Markus laments that his wife is not able to come this time because she is at home with their 3 year old daughter.

Nevertheless, I gather, when Markus and company return from their canoe trip later this week, there may be another promise to bring his wife and youngest daughter on another trip to Canada to experience Algonquin Park with us. We look forward to their return visit

Fall Colours

Five things I love about fall:

• Crisp air,
• afternoon light from a sun that sits lower on the horizon,
• colourful leaves dazzling the eye,
• the smell and crunch of leaves underfoot
• comfortable temperatures and warm fires

Algonquin Park

Five things I love about Algonquin Park:

• most of the summer folk have gone home, those that visit at this time of year enjoy a sense of tranquility and privacy in Ontario’s largest most accessible nature park.
• harvest moon rising over the lakes, occassionally punctuated by the sound of wolves howling
• the call of the loon echoing off the hills
• morning mist rising off the lake
• the first frosty mornings of the year that bring out the photographer in everyone

Algonquin Park Fall Colours

What I get out of Algonquin Park Fall Colours here at Northern Edge Algonquin:

• time to nourish my soul in the solitude and tranquility at this special time of the year, in this special place; to think about who I am, where I’m going, and how I’m getting there. Time with family and friends in our home that feels as big as the 8000 ha Algonquin Park. That’s about 80 km by 100 km in layman’s terms.

Consider joining us for one of our Fall Colours Canoe Trips including Fall Colours Wolf Howl Canoe Trips and Heart of Gold.

Learn more about Algonquin Park.

Sustainable Travel is the focus at the Algonquin Park solar powered eco-lodge

Todd Lucier, co-founder of the Edge, gives a behind the scenes tour of the solar powered operation, showcasing a variety of sustainability practices that are a part of the site design and operations at Algonquin Park.  Learn more about trips and getaways offered by Northern Edge Algonquin.