Our last hunting trip

For the first six years of our marriage Mike and I went houseboating at the very end of the season when most of the other houseboats were up on shore. It was a time to really relax knowing that another busy year was almost over. We say we went hunting but really we usually did more hiking than hunting. Oh, Mike carried a gun and has a small game license but that doesn't mean we'd come home with our fill of grouse. One year we had fun shooting squirrel for pate at our Chamber of Commerce's Wild Game Dinner because there wasn't a grouse to be seen. It was entertaining to say the least and we did a lot of joking about our big catch!

I don't know if we make too much noise - Mike has tried to train me but perhaps it is useless - or if the grouse are already spooked by the time we get out in the bush but we just don't seem to have that much success. Nevertheless we always have a great time. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. The crisp air, the colourful leaves, the frosty nights, the anticipation of my very favourite season - winter, and the winding down of another busy season all combine to make it a special time.

The last chance we had to go hunting was indeed a memorable one. Our houseboat was the very last one in the water and we headed out a week later than usual. I don't think we caught a single grouse but we certainly had a lot of fun hiking in the bush, playing our favourite German board games at night and relaxing. Our big catch that year was a collection of beer cans to cash in at the liquor store to buy us a nice chicken dinner when we arrived home!

We had a friendly squirrel on the small island we were camped at. He visited us regularly as he busily stored whatever he could find to get him through the coming winter months. Our first morning there we woke up to the sound of him dropping pine cones on the roof of the houseboat.We had fun helping him stock his larder with good things and laughing at his antics.

The most memorable thing about that trip however was our last morning on the lake. We woke up to two inches of snow! It had been a bit chilly at night but the heater had kept us comfortable and warm. The snow was perfect for snowmen and we built this one before we left for home. It was such a special return trip: the water was a deep charcoal and perfectly still and calm. The snow laden trees contrasted beautifully with the lake's dark calmness. There wasn't another boat to disturb our trip through the heavy, still water all the way home.

It seems that our hunting days are over for now with little Abby here but the time will come again when we'll be able to go 'hunting' in the fall. I know our little girl will love tramping through the bush and playing in the leaves but I'm sure we won't ever be quiet enough to catch anything, not even squirrels!

Houseboating and the environment

It was a few years ago now that the realization hit me that my garbage doesn't just vanish when it goes to the dump. I know that's a fairly elementary idea but I really hadn't thought about it before. Living in a small town we do not have curbside recycling so it is much easier to say that it's too much work to recycle. It was an article in National Geographic about our high tech garbage ending up in third world countries where people scavenge it for the precious metals by burning off the plastics that cover them. I was horrified to realize that my world is so neat and tidy because I allow those who go without to deal with my problem. That was when I began to recycle and to compost and why I've chosen cloth diapers. Having to deal with my own garbage is certainly more messy than just sending it off to the dump but I believe it's worth it. It's a bit overwhelming to personally take all of our houseboaters recycling to the blue bins but I did do it until our little girl was born. Now it really is too much but that doesn't mean that each of our customers can't take their recycling to the bins when they return from their vacation.



With our houseboat rentals we have tried to make them as environmentally friendly as possible. Protecting our environment is about taking responsibility for the garbage we make, protecting our natural resources and limiting the amount of pollution we create. We live in a nearly pristine part of the world and we want to keep it that way. But the question is how do you define environmentally friendly?As long as we use motors on our boats some people will say that they will never fit the definition. At the same time we can say that we are using very fuel efficient motors thereby making our houseboats better for the environment as well as more economical. Our Yamaha 9.9hp four stroke motors may seem small but they are designed to push barges through the water very efficiently. They motor along at about 5 miles per hour - just the right speed for enjoying a beautiful day on the lake. And when you don't run them at full throttle a little bit of fuel will take you a long way.



When people inquire about our houseboat rentals we are often asked if we have showers and running water on board and the answer is no. For one thing our holding tank does not allow for that much water usage. The other option would be to have the grey water from your sink or shower run directly into the lake but we would rather not see that happen. Lake Temagami is a beautiful lake with clean, clear water and we want to protect our water quality as much as possible. Just remember that whatever is dumped into the lake is what you will be swimming in later in the day and using to wash your dishes. We encourage guests to take their grey water up on shore to dispose of it and give the soil a chance to filter it before it reaches the lake.

Our houseboats are also equipped with garbage cans and toilets. We hate to receive reports from our guests who have arrived at a campsite only to find it strewn with garbage. We encourage our guests to leave the campsites they visit as clean as when they arrived. We live in a beautiful part of the world and we want to keep it that way. It's simple to burn what you can in your campfire and to pack the rest out in your garbage can.

Also because our boats do not travel at high speeds they have little impact on the shoreline because they do not create a large wake.  They are unlikely to cause damage to cottagers' property or to wildlife habitat along the shoreline like this loon's nest.

So back to my question: how do you define environmentally friendly? What more can we do to limit our impact on the environment?
Post Script: I did a quick search and found that the National Geographic article is available online at the following link if anyone is interested in reading it. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text