An Outdoor Adventurist Origin Story: Part 1

For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to outdoor places, particularly bodies of water and thick forests.

I was raised by parents who have a strong connection and draw to beaches and lake side places. I remember spending weekends having picnics or BBQs with family and close friends at local beaches or greenspaces with bodies of water close by. I remember spending as much time as I could by those bodies of water daydreaming or skipping stones, if it was not safe enough to swim.

We lived on Unceded Algonquin Territory, in the Ottawa area.

As a young girl I would spend parts of my summer at camp. I have a vague recollection of attending a Girl Guides camp one summer and still have some badges to prove it. But the majority of youthful summers, I would look forward to spending a week of my summer at the local camp with the focus on spiritual growth and community. Spending leisure time exploring trails, swimming, canoeing, fishing and hearing scary stories by a large bonfire at night. The repetitive tradition of going to this camp I think has a lot to do with my associating spirituality with the outdoors.

Once I passed my drivers test and was given access to the family car, I had siblings who were younger than me and I loved to escape to the closest beach with them any chance I could get. Was also the easiest way to have access to the family car without any question!

At 18, I moved to Anishinaabe Territory in Northern Ontario for University. A move that was hard for my parents to accept, but since it was for school they were as supportive as they could be while feeling the pressures and contempt of other folks in our little community. Our community at the time could not wrap their heads around a young woman, unmarried, leaving her family home.

Choosing a remotely located university surrounded by dense boreal forest and the mighty Lake Superior lead to new experiences that ultimately deepened my relationship to the outdoors. As well as lead me to the Yukon….but more on that to come in Part 2. 😊

Personal photo collection: The Sleeping Giant on Lake Superior, Anishinaabe Territory