wilderness

Check out Native Traveler's full-length KILIMANJARO show!

 
 

Contributor Ann Abel entitled her heartfelt feature for this show I Lost My Job, My Marriage, and My Home, So I Climbed Kilimanjaro. Ann won a North American Travel Journalists Association Award for this story. Deservedly so. It's a compelling kickoff to our exploration of the routes and wonders of summiting Africa’s highest peak, even drilling down to what to bring. And then we talk girl power in tackling such challenges, and other places where women and wilderness are coming together. Cue Mother Superior's solo in The Sound of Music.

 

Ann Abel//Award-winning travel Journalist

Aka Girlie Badass—Native Traveler feature contributor and award-winning travel journalist for Forbes, Robb Report, Departures, Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Brides and more. Will try almost anything once.

Aka Girlie Badass—Native Traveler feature contributor and award-winning travel journalist for Forbes, Robb Report, Departures, Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Brides and more. Will try almost anything once.

 

Dervla Pinto // Kensington Tours

Dervla Pinto is a “Destination Expert” for Kensington Tours, a custom-tour company based in Toronto. She’s traveled to 58 countries across six continents and studied in Tanzania, where she climbed Kilimanjaro at age 22. Not surprisingly, she’s an Af…

Dervla Pinto is a “Destination Expert” for Kensington Tours, a custom-tour company based in Toronto. She’s traveled to 58 countries across six continents and studied in Tanzania, where she climbed Kilimanjaro at age 22. Not surprisingly, she’s an Africa specialist, but also has a soft spot for countries like India, Vietnam, and Bolivia.

 

Jennifer Haddow // Wild Women Expeditions

The owner of Wild Women Expeditions, Jennifer Haddow. She's also Editor-in-Chief of the new Wild Women Magazine. See below an excerpt from the first issue's letter from editor.

The owner of Wild Women Expeditions, Jennifer Haddow. She's also Editor-in-Chief of the new Wild Women Magazine. See below an excerpt from the first issue's letter from editor.

"I wanted to read stories about these wild women, who favour cooperation over competition, connection and compassion over ego and fear. Women who are bold and brave adventurers and warriors who protect what we love. Women who are deeply dedicated to the conservation of wild places and who step lightly on the land..."

Check out WWM's first issue:

 

Rozanne Pilbeam // MEC Brand and Event Management Specialist

 

Scenes from Kilimanjaro

(From travel writer, Ann Abel)
(From Kensington Tours Tanzania expert, Dervla Pinto)
(From MEC, Rozanne Pilbeam)

Check out Native Traveler's full-length ALGONQUIN show!

 
 

Here we celebrate ice out on the lacework of lakes and waterways across Canada, but specifically that of Algonquin park—Canada’s oldest provincial park three hours northwest of Toronto. We talk lost canoe routes and tripping techniques. We take a look at one of Ontario's most beloved wilderness lodges. First, though, we mark the 100th anniversary of the death of a Canadian art icon, Tom Thomson, in Algonquin Park and the making of a Canadian legend.

 

The Happy Camper

 

A Perfect Fall Day on Canoe Lake

Sundry Algonquin Tips

Off the Lake

Whitewater raft on the Madawaska River. Hike and mountain bike on park trails. Beckon wolves to answer at evening Wolf Howls.
 

Local Chow

Book ahead for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Arowhon Pines—a historic wilderness lodge with food rivaling top tables anywhere.


Wildlife

Watch for moose, deer, fox, wolves, beavers, loons, blue herons, etc. Hang your food in a tree and make noise in the bush so as not to find black bears.


Rituals

Ice out, of course. Spring fishing for lake trout. A visit to Thomson’s Cairn and Totem Pole Memorials on Hayhurst Point. Tripping Big Trout Loop.


The Experts

A Canoe Lake fixture, the Portage Store offers complete outfitting, tripping advice, and guides. See here for park info and attractions.


Other Required Reading

Northern Light by Roy MacGregor—a crash course in local lore. The Last Guide: A Story of Fish and Love by Ron Corbett.

Death on a Painted Lake: The Tom Thomson Tragedy

Tom Thomson, one of Canada’s most influential painters of the 20th-century, was last seen alive around mid-day, July 8, 1917, when setting out alone across Canoe Lake to begin a fishing trip. He was familiar with the area, having visited there a number of times – while working in the Park as a fire ranger, a guide for fishing parties, and of course, pursuing his painting. Within hours of his departure, his empty canoe was spotted floating not far from the dock he had left from, and more than a week later, his body surfaced in the lake. His untimely death helped transform the aspiring artist into a cultural giant. Read more...

Wild Silence

Wild Silence

I've never been so cold in my life. It's January in Yellowstone National Park and we're on the prowl for the park's famously elusive wolves. My watch lights up with the time: not even 6 a.m. But our guide insists that the earlier the better so we're up before dawn, packed into a van and crossing our frozen fingers that our efforts will pay off. He spots a National Geographic photographer he knows just pulling over ahead of us. If anyone knows where the wolves are, it's this guy.