"Last Blast of Winter" Family Camp

Twenty JFW Families converged on Jeannette Lake in the Meadow Lake
Provincial Park for an unforgettable weekend March 18-20th 2011.  It
really doesn't get any better; Great facilities, super food, agreeable
weather, beautiful scenery, really excellent instructors and, above
all, lots of highly enthusiastic wardens!

Camp Oshkidee is a first-rate camp with many amenities.  This is the
first time that the Woodlanders have been able to afford such a nice
facility, thanks entirely to our hard-working parents and volunteers
who have put in many hours at bingos!   The comfort and convenience
made it possible for all of our families to take in the entire three
days.

Challenger leader Richard Dabels was in charge of the camp's
well-equipped kitchen, and with numerous helpers made sure that
everyone ate like royalty.  Wardens took their turns in the kitchen,
too.

Instructors and special guests gave freely of their time, and in some
cases traveled a long way to contribute their knowledge and skills.
In order of appearance:

Tony Vandenberg - knife sharpening instruction, up-and-coming knapping
instructor, as well as a handy guy with a snowplow!
Brenda Larocque-Hill & Robert Hill - Project Wild games & icebreakers
(Brenda is our Bingo Queen!)
Richard Dabels - tin can candle lanterns (very effective lights for

dark winter trails) and cooking instruction

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Nancy Carberry & Shawn Perry - Storytelling, survival pack, shelter
building & survival demonstrations, endlessly helpful and very
knowledgeable
Rhys Beaulieu - Interpretive nature hike, skiing lessons, maker of
custom curling 'rocks'
Kirt Bennett - Animal ID, Talent Night facilitator, Magician, and a
real talent for keeping a large crowd organised!
Mark Dallyn - Spoke to us over lunch about his wildlife rehabilitation
operation.  We want a tour!
Michelle Vandenberg - Introducing a project to turn 12 years of JFW
photos into some impressive scrapbooks!
Doug Allen & Norm Arcand - Flint knapping.  Kept a large group of
people enthralled with making arrowheads, arrows & flinty necklaces.
SImply awesome!
Tim & Angela Jeske - A local family who had lived in the high arctic
for 5 years, and brought us an after-supper presentation of their
experiences there.  (When JFW gets going in Nunavut it will be known
as Junior Frozen Wardens)
Garry and Larry Nelson - Sunday morning team competitions, campfire
stories & adding to the fun at every turn

Also travelling a long way to to join us were JFW families from Cold
Lake, Ardmore, and Edmonton.  The best part of JFW gatherings is
getting together with people from other clubs, swapping ideas and
sharing experiences.  Thanks for risking those Saskatchewan roads to
be with us!

Other weekend highlights included curling, skating, tobogganing &
snowball fights on the lake, fire lighting & log sawing challenges,
some 'trapping knowledge', zipline, moonlit night hike, coyotes
howling, late night campfires, a Bronze Badge award,  and some really
great adult visiting time.

Club Coordninator Carmen Dabels (in addition to lots of
behind-the-scenes organizing) put together a web-based evaluation,
which elicited many insightful comments in the week since the camp.
The main 'complaint' was that the weekend wasn't long enough!

Many thanks to everyone who helped in any way, and especially to
everyone for being there!

- Your winter camp organising committee

Sask Members attend Yellowhead AC Camp

Meadow Lake's AC's are always ready to put on some miles to get to a great event, and that's what a few of us did on January 28-30 when Dillon Stock, Grayson Marsh & Neil Marsh attended the first-ever YACs (Yellowhead-Adventurer/Challengers) Regional camp at Camp Encounter. The Yellowhead ACs are a very active group and take the lead in planning their own special events, with an emphasis on leadership development. They have some excellent mentors, in the persons of Martin Schiebel and Kirt Bennett.

The weekend's activities included various challenges, outdoor games, and some planning and preparation for their next event – a 24-hour 'camouflage camp!'

Grayson and Dillon's accounts of the event are as follows.

“I had the time of my life playing Capture the Flag at Junior Forest Wardens in Lac La Nonne, Alberta. There was so many things to do but my favourite was watching Kirt work his magic. I got to see old friends and make new ones. The weather was great for all the outdoor activities, such as Capture the Flag, climbing low ropes, Dodge ball, Treasure Hunt and the obstacle courses.

“The drive from Meadow Lake with my fellow Junior Forest Warden members was long but worth the trip. We were provided with great food, an excellent camp area and the activities were well planned. I enjoyed playing Dodge ball (in the snow), but especially enjoyed the cup of hot chocolate and relaxing afterward. I had a great time at the camp and I look forward to attending upcoming camps.”

- Dillon

“The YACs camp, January 28-30, 2011, was a good time for all. There was some good stuff happening there, like the games, the magic show, and the bacon¹. Also there were some good people: familiar faces and new friends. The youth organised it all, with the guidance of mature adults.

“The games were very fun. We revelled in events such as low ropes, capture the flag, and other lollapalooza. The low ropes were really tough, but we managed. Multiple times. You had to move across a steel wire without losing your balance. Capture the flag was a blast that the YACs poured hours into. We changed the rules a couple times. It was an experiment for an upcoming event: 24 hour Capture the Flag (later this spring). It will be awesome!

“Kirt Bennett is a talented magician. He has an extensive repertoire of Hocus-pocus at his disposal. He even shows the audience the inner workings of some of them! But there is always a veil of mystery that he keeps around them. His show certainly brightened the night.

The YACs camp was a good time for all. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. There were lots of activities to participate in. All in all, it was a great weekend at the beautiful Camp Encounter².”

- Grayson

1The bacon was very good, not too tough, full of flavour. It became synonymous to awesome! Thanks, staff!

2 Camp encounter is a beautiful camp west of Legal, AB