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West Wind Brigade 2017 - Canada Day 150

Day 1 - June 23, 2017, Arrival in Mattawa,ON

Thank you all participants for handing in their pictures.

Day 2 - June 24, 2017, Mattawa,ON to Deux Rivières,ON

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Day 3 - June 25, 2017, Deux Rivières,ON to Rapides-des-Joachim (Swisha), QB

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Day 4 - June 26, 2017, Rapides-des-Joachim (Swisha), QB to Pembroke, ON via Deep River, ON and Petawawa, ON

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Day 5 - June 27, 2017, Pembroke, ON to RiverRun Wild Water Rafting via Westmeath,ON

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Day 6 - June 28, 2017, Day of rest. Wildwater Rafting or camp Le Patro in Fort Coulogne, QB

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Day 7 - June 29, 2017, River Run to Arnprior, ON

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Day 8 - June 30, 2017, Arnprior, ON to Black Rapids, ON

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Day 9 - July 1, 2017, Canada Day 150's - Black Rapids to Victoria Island in Ottawa,ON

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Canada Day 150's

West Wind Brigade as part of the 4 Wind Brigades

The 4 Wind brigades gathered in Ottawa for the celebration of Canada's 150s birthday. One from the west, one from the north, one from the east, and one from the South, each with Victoria Island (Asinabke) in the Ottawa River at the foot of the Parliament buildings as its final destination.

The date of arrival: July 1, 2017 Canada Day

Traditionally, voyageur canoes carried cargo of furs and trade goods. But these canoes carried a different kind of payload – ideas, hopes and dreams. Our mission is to draw attention to the need for everyone, from citizen advocates to the highest political echelons live in the spirit of reconciliation - we want to see a Canada where all cultures can work and live together in peace and harmony and justice, and to reconciliation with the ecosystems that support us.

To symbolize this idea, we took bottles of water from the beginnings of the journey that each brigade followed and brought them to the foot of Canada's parliament buildings. The brigades were carried out in honour of Elder William Commanda and his vision for a Circle of all Nations, with the canoe as a symbol of how people, water, and nature combine and work together to animate peace, healing and understanding.

The 4 winds brigades all ended up at Victoria Island, at the foot of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. We have picked the Ottawa site because of its 5,000 year-long tradition in Algonquin history as a place of political evolution and cultural convergence that continued with the choice of Ottawa by Queen Victoria as the capital of Canada.

True Canadian Portage

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Kirk Wipper

An unforgettable legacy

December 6, 1923 - March 18, 2011

"Welcomed by wild clapping and cheers, friends of Kirk Wipper carefully carried a yellow Swift canoe up the steps of the Canadian canoe museum. Their colourful procession marked the end of the „Great Canadian Portage“ from Toronto to Peterborough, honouring the memory of Kirk Wipper. Hundreds of people attended his memorial on May 1, 2011, to celebrate his rich life and substantial legacy. This unique portage saw people ranging from 6 to 82 years old carrying the canoe in Kirk Wipper’s memory – a fitting tribute to a man who was passionate about wilderness, canoeing, community and Canadian heritage. ..." (Charlotte Jacklein - Canada's Paddling Magazine Kanawa, Early Summer 2011)

2013 Rideau Canal Voyageur Brigade

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Voyageurs glide into village on Rideau Canal Odyssey

August 6, 2013 - August 15, 2013

By Wayne Lowrie, Postmedia Network - August 8,2013

SEELEYS BAY - Like the ancient paddlers he emulates, Tim McDonagh isn't a big man but every inch of him screams ‘voyageur’.

On his head is a woolen toque – not the undyed wool like the voyageurs might have worn, but a bright red. On a chain around his neck is an old ivory pipe given to him from a native woman who found it in Northern Ontario, where he is from. ...

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The Power of the Canoe

Update #4 - Traveling with Shishcan-Chiman from Voyages of Rediscovery on Vimeo.

Traveling with Shishcan-Chiman

Paddling Shishcan-Chiman, the 24ft. birch bark canoe, on the lake from which it was created is The Power of the Canoe. Thinking about the story behind this canoe from paddling on the tranquil waters of Puget Sound to the mighty Columbia River, this canoe has a story to tell. From paddling with second graders on Sacajawea Lake in Longview, Washington to the Wellpinit Middle School on Turtle Lake on the Spokane Reservation, this canoe has provided powerful paddling experiences for many many people.

To return this canoe to the land from which it was created brings this canoe full circle and also to the beginning of a new story. Birch bark canoes on Lake Temagami. Canoeing has such a rich history in the Temagami area and birch bark canoes started it all.

We would like to give a huge thanks to Conor and Kim Mihell of Sault Ste Marie for helping us portage the canoe over one of the toughest portages we have done, for great company on the water and at camp, and also for being great water people!

Also a huge shout out to Tim "G-Man" McDonnagh, Voyageur Ambassador and director of the Kirk Wipper Voyageur Center. With out your paddling and portaging support we would not be where we are today. Thank you for your stories, help, and wisdom.

Most importantly our thoughts and prayers are with the Trask Family. We still need to get ya'll in the canoe and go paddling!

Please enjoy and share this update with your friends and if you are in the Temagami area, come on by and lets go paddling!

Blog: VoyagesofRediscovery.blogspot.com Conor Mihell Website : ConorMihell.com