I have not been posting to this site because Camp Outlook was so hectic! 
In the three months that I spent there, I was in Algonquin Park for about 40 days. Most of the other time I was training, planning and prepping for trips. As a result, I did not get to work towards my larger endeavor of the Canada Experience. However, this summer at Camp Outlook provided me with so much training and knowledge that will be invaluable on my trek that I cannot complain.
The largest realisaton of the summer came to me while meal planning. The amount of food and the organisation it will take will be in itself a huge undertaking; this coupled with the fact that I had no time to properly think about the Canada Experience means that I will most definitely have to have at least one person to help me with managing my trip.  The Canada Experience is not something I can achieve on my own.
I am, however, extremely comfortable with the prospect of living in the Canadian wilderness. My time in the park has left me yearning for more and reminded me of the importance of our wilderness.

At the moment I am on a couch, surfing with friends from Outlook. I’m in Kingston and may be for a little while. I hope to do a bit of traveling in the next few months and connect with some people that may be able to help me. I might also have a job in the next couple of weeks, more canoeing… we will see what happens. Until then I will be doing my best to land some more sponsorship deals.

I leave in six days to start my life, or my new life. I’m almost certain that I am saying goodbye to the UAE for good. It’s exciting but very strange knowing that I will never come back to a place I have lived for 10 years, and the place where I have spent most of my life. The UAE has shaped me in many ways. I have loved the experience for the sake of experience but there are many things I m glad to leave behind. I fell like this place has given me all I have to offer and there is nothing left for me here.

            I don’t paint a very good picture of the UAE when I talk about it in retrospect, it is a good place for many people but it’s not a place I feel I can thrive. It has allowed me a fairly decadent lifestyle, not to an extreme but I have been very comfortable. I hope to break away from that for a while, something that my trip and Camp Outlook will offer; a simpler and more rugged life style. I hope that my experiences in the coming years will solidify my ideas of a simple life style.

            I’ve made it through school! and now that I have there are a couple of things that I want to do, and I hope to incorporate into my trip. Music, I have been constantly stimulated with music from tapes, CD’s, the internet and now, I want to be able to create my own. I will bring a harmonica with me and perhaps an ocarina. I would really like to develop the ability to play these. the ocarina in particular as it has a sylvan quality that has always intrigued me.

I will also take a quarterstaff. I love staff fighting and defense. I am really keen to use the staff as daily ritual and as a walking stick. It is somewhat unwieldy in comparison to trekking poles but I think the combination of the two and the versatility of a quarterstaff will really benefit me throughout my trip.

I am leaving the UAE in 18 days!!! Most likely for good… I see no reason to return here. It has been a good home and served its purpose but I have no love for this place. I have begun to pack up my room which really means that everything is everywhere and I’ve had to sleep on the sofa for the last few nights.

Once in Canada I will be starting work almost immediately in Kingston with Camp Outlook, which I am very excited about. I took a look online at the housing and like the look of the house very much. I will be sharing a room with at least one other person; this will be a first for me and I intend to do my best to be a very tidy and respectful roommate. I know that some of my personal habits may not sit too well with others so I will be mindful.

 My Scarp 1 from Tarptent has arrived in Canada (YAAYY!!) and while I may not be using it at Camp Outlook, I will certainly set it up and spend some time in it. If I get all my gear together in time, I will spend a night in it before beginning work, providing my friends have a back yard for me to pitch it in.

In other news, I have been looking into getting a dog for my trip! I have wanted a dog since before I came to the UAE and this may be a wonderful time for me to get one. The two breeds I am most interested in are Alaskan Malamutes and the Karelian Bear Dog. I believe these dogs are some of the best suited for my trip and I am very interested in the mind of “pack dogs” and the training that they require. The influence of my friends leans me towards a Mal but I will be happy with whatever dog I get as long as I can be a good master and have a well-suited dog for me and my trip.

I am writing an article for a Fujairah magazine and will post it when I am finished. I will also be using the piece as an example of my writing for prospective sponsors. Hopefully, it will help me gain some more support like that I have received from Tarptent.

If you have any comments or tips about dogs or hiking with dogs, questions or comments about anything, or are interested in supporting The Canada Experience, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me!

lifeofmagic@hotmail.com

 I have sent more sponsorship e-mails out, hopefully I will hear back from someone! I heard from Camp Outlook again and they sent me information and a list of things I will need to bring with me, most of which I don’t have. If I were living in Canada, I would make a trip down to Sports-Swap or Value Village to see if I could pick up some second hand gear for the trip. Seeing as how I am going to be needing gear anyways, I have compiled a list of things that I need immediately and if it doesn’t come from sponsors, I’m looking at spending between 800 and 1000 dollars roughly 3000 dhs. I have enough for this from my personal savings but I was really hopping to be able to pay for this with donations/funding or better yet have sponsorships provide the gear. I cannot thank Tarptent enough for their trust and forthcoming offer of their Scarp 1; it has really meant a lot to me .I am hoping to find the same attitude elsewhere.

I have been neglecting my blog for some time now as my initial burst of excitement caused a drop in my school grades; I have always been very good at focusing, as long as it’s on something I want to do. If you’re interested, I’ve just posted part of my film studies project to my other tumbler: Experience Tom and I would love some constructive criticism.

I have also been waiting for news from Camp Outlook. They have offered me a position on their summer team but I was hoping to hear back from them about some specific details to post here, but I guess that will have to wait. For those of you who haven’t heard of Camp Outlook, it is a non profit camp that works out of Kingston. I will be working there as a counselor, taking “at-risk” kids from the surrounding areas on canoe trips into Algonquin Park. I am very excited for this opportunity as it allows me to gain some of my much needed camp training for TCE. I have also always enjoyed the time I have spent with “at-riskers” and am enthusiastic about interacting with them again.

Tarptent has agreed to sponsor me! They are the first company to do so and I am very grateful to them for their support of The Canada Experience. They will be providing me with their wonderful four-season tent, the Scarp 1, which I will be using for the duration of my trip. I will provide an overview of it when it arrives and a couple of thorough reviews as my trip continues.