PASS THE LIGHT

For the ones we love,

For the Alphas we know,

And the ones we don't.

CHERISH THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE

Please join Alpha-1 Canada in lighting our annual multipurpose Ecandle.

What better time of year to spread awareness, education and support about our disease locally, nationally and internationally in combination with your Season's Greetings.

All you have to do is forward this Ecard (using the forward button below) on behalf of Alpha-1 Canada, to your family and friends and ask them to do the same.

We thank you in advance for your participation and we look forward to making this simple activity a resounding, annual, global success.

Wishing You All the Blessings of the Season.

Staff and the Board of Directors of Alpha-1Canada

Duck Hunting

I went duck hunting with Christine and her dogs. She has a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and a yellow Labrador Retriever. She is an adventurous young woman with a knack for dog training.

Christine likes to write a bit of poetry and short stories, so take a look at http://www.arctictoboggan.com/ArtistsCorner.html and look for some of her work.

She also won the Photo Contest for Sled Dogs In Summer. Her winning Photo can be found on http://www.arctictoboggan.com/Contests.html

Falling Behind

Well, I suppose I should update this blog.

I have been working a lot on finishing the sled orders for the year, and training a new litter of puppies. All in all, I have fallen behind on posting updates on the internet, but hopefully I will get everything updated this next week.

Batoche

The sign from the river indicating the Batoche historic site.


There used to be a ferry here.


At the top of the hill there is a parking spot and an outhouse.


A map of the area made it easy to find our way around.


Lots of information, but I am not going to write it out here. Hopefully the pictures will be large enough for blog followers to read.


I couldn't get a very good shot of this placard.

Before and After

Here is a great comparison picture to show the physical change that took place this summer.

In the first picture (which is posted early on in this blog on May 13th) I had cycled my first 100km day. I had also been cycling for about a month before the picture was taken. My health had already improved dramatically.

The second picture was only taken a week or so ago when Will and I were stopped for a break on a tiny little sandbar having lunch and enjoying a rare visit from the sun.

There has been almost 4 months between the two pictures.

Thanks to all the Alpha 1 Antitrypsin support groups and charities, who published lifestyle and dietary options for those of us suffering from Alpha 1. You have made this incredible change possible.

Autumn Colours

Autumn seems to be coming early this year, but then again we had such a long cold summer, that it is a welcome change.


Here the leaves are only just starting to change.


Lots of poplar in this shot. This was taken near Nisbet Provincial Forest.


There were so many overcast days while we were out on the River. In fact I don't think we had more than two days in a row where there was sunshine. I wonder if we will get a lot of snow early in the year? If so, the ice won't be ready for travel until well after Christmas.

A Mix And Match Of A Few Pictures

Adjusting some gear and the balance of the canoe. We had too much weight to one side and consequently kept drifting toward the port.


This buck stood majestically at the crest of a hill. He was too far away for my little camera to get a clear shot. Standing still for so long just watching us, he reminded me of the scene from Bambi where Bambi's father was standing on top of a hill watching over his children.


The banks of the river were quite high here, but it made the river very peaceful. Just over the banks were houses and traffic and the hustle and bustle of urban life.


Will and I found a tiny island the looked more like a sand bar covered in willows. Since all the land on shore is owned and we did not know who owned what, in order to ask permission to camp, we just made camp on this little sand bar of an island and hoped that we didn't wash away by morning.

End Of Season

Sadly, this will be the end of the canoeing season for me. My health is holding, but I have run out of funds for this year's adventure. I do plan on continuing my canoe trip across the province next spring. So I need to get back to work and save more money to fund the next stage of this adventure. Remember, any sled or book that I sell this year will go directly to the Alpha 1 Adventure For Life fund. So please pass this on to anyone who has dogs and might be interested in a dog sled or book. Lots of different breeds of dogs love skijoring and kicksledding, so don't worry if your dog is not a husky. Any dog can be a snow dog!

I will also be able to get back to updating my web site on a much more regular basis. I have a brand new litter of skijoring dogs that I will be training this winter. They are wonderful dogs, with wonderful attitudes. I will get to posting a few pictures of them later in the week, so keep an eye on my site www.ArcticToboggan.com

I will continue to post several more pictures of my canoeing expedition thus far. So come back and visit often, and don't forget to donate a few dollars to Alpha 1 Canada. Just click on the red leaf button on the right of this page. The only known cure for kids with Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is a liver transplant, so lets all contribute and see if we can find a better cure.

Thanks Again to all my sponsors and supporters

A Break From The Wind

Last night Samuel and Will stopped to explore the Batoche National Historic Site. They enjoyed exploring this very important Metis Heritage location. Of course as soon as they stopped the wind died down completely, but the boys were exhausted from fighting the wind all day so they decided to camp there for the night.

The weather man is calling for SE winds today, so we're hoping the wind will funnel up the river behind them and give them a boost.

More Wind!

After camping on a small island last night, Samuel and Will are on their way again. Unfortunately, the weather man was correct and they are facing NW winds of 20 Km/hr. They are travelling in a fairly NE direction so they have to hug the NW shore of the river just to make any headway.

The weather man is calling for South wind tomorrow, which would be wonderful, but I certainly wouldn't place any wagers on it.

At least the sky is clear and the boys have sunshine to light their way!

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS:

Are you worried because your child is a high school drop out and can't find a job? Tell your child to become a meteorologist. Where else can they get paid an enormous salary for being wrong 90% of the time!

Heading Into The Wind

Samuel just called me and he and Will are having a hard time paddling into direct headwind. According to the weather channel they are paddling into a north wind of 25 km/hr gusting to 37 km/hr. They have to paddle like crazy just to make any head way at all, if they stop paddling, they are actually blown upstream! ... But at least it's not raining :)

More NW winds are predicted for tomorrow, but maybe this will be one of those rare times when the weather man is wrong ;)

Heading out of Saskatoon!

It’s been awhile since I updated everyone on Samuel’s position. He left Saskatoon this afternoon and has traveled 28 km as of the last time I spoke with him. He has Will with him now to help out with the paddling and they are having a great time out on the river. Let’s hope the rain passes them by and they have lots of sunshine!

Outlook Saskatchewan

Outlook is only about 30km from Diefenbaker Lake. It is a nice clean little town. Here PJ took a few pictures of Will and I paddling under the bridges.


This old bridge is no longer used for traffic, but Outlook has plans to use the bridge as a tourist attraction.


There we go on down the river. There was a man standing on shore fishing. We rarely see people fishing from shore.


We stopped in Outlook to see the sights. Well one sight really. This is the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion at the walking bridge spanning the South Saskatchewan River.


The longest walking bridge in Canada. It was made from an old train trestle bridge.


Here is a view up river. The two bridges that we canoed under are barely discernible.


Here is a view down river from the top of the walking bridge.

Here is an interesting canine interest story

Just follow this link.

Hound found underground | hound, medora, underground - Local News - The Telegraph

Gardiner Dam

On approach to the Gardiner Dam at the north end of Diefenbaker Lake you can see the Dam's power structures. If you see this you are too far east.


A little way to the west I came across the Dam's water control structure. There is a line of bouys that block the way. It would be a fast ride down the dam.


Further west the canoist will come across a warning sign. Better late than never!


Finally on the north east corner of the lake there is a boat launch at Danielson Provincial Park.


There is PJ waiting at the boat launch to help us around the dam.


Everything is loaded up, ready to portage around the dam.


To get down to the other side, you just go straight across the highway and down a windy road through a hay field. Here Will and I are posing with the canoe. Will has been a great help, especially on Diefenbaker Lake.


The view down river from the top of the dam.

3 comets at sunset

Here's something you don't see everyday.
Click on this picture and see a larger version.
The sun had just gone down and I went to take a picture of the sunset and saw these three comets.

Sunrise and Sailing

A sunset always makes a beautiful picture, but this sunrise was stunning.


One day, when the wind picked up, I took my little tarp and some driftwood and manufactured this little sail. It was quite nerve racking when the wind would gust. I thought for sure I would end up swimming for shore. The problem is, most of the time I do not have a tail wind, but I have had to fight against the wind an awful lot.

Lots Of Moose

There are mornings on the river when all the wildlife come out to play. I am sure the moose hunters would love to be out on the river on a morning like this, but the tranquility was so serene that I would never tell them.


Two cows grazing in the early morning.


A family of moose on an island. I know the picture is a little dark, but there is a cow and calf and bull in the picture.


A second family of moose. The bull, cow, and calf can more easily be seen in this picture.


A second bull moose was on the same island, only a couple of hundred metres away.


I think this elk was on the same island as the first moose family.


A short distance away, I saw this family of deer swimming across the lake in front of my canoe.

All in all, a very pleasant morning.

Brighter colours to brighten the day

A nice bright yellow flower.


Beautiful aquatic blooms


Rosehips are quite tasty and a great source of vitamin C


Wild Choke Cherries. These berries were growing on a small island, and were very sweet.


Wild grain

Health Issues

I have been having small lapses in health while I have been out on the River. Mostly a bit of rest and lots of protein has been helping my recovery, but the large amounts of rain recently have been too much for me to handle. I have come home for a few days to dry out and hopefully recover more quickly. A symptom of Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is that the body takes a much longer time to recover from illness. I will keep everyone updated for when I am able to head back out on the river. Please follow the Alpha 1 Canada link on the side of the page and donate a few dollars to the Charity. There are many kids out there with Alpha 1 that never even get the chance to experience a canoe trip. Any donation helps move Alpha 1 sufferers move toward a higher quality life.

Wildlife Sightings

An island full of seagulls.



A young moose watching intently from behind the bushes.



A calf watches me, while it's mother is resting.



This tree was just standing alone, so I thought I would take a picture of it.



A buck on shore. This is probably a very popular place in the autumn when hunting season starts.



A deer walking along the shoreline.



Another deer hiding in the bushes. The deer stand very still and are difficult to spot. At times like this, I dream about spending a thousand dollars on a much higher quality digital SLR camera, with a strong zoom lens.



Another beautiful sunset on the South Saskatchewan River.



I tried to take a picture of myself sitting by the campfire, using the timer on the camera, but I can barely be seen. The camera focused more on the few willow branches than on me. On this trip, I should be able to get a lot more practice taking pictures.



Here is a much clearer picture of my campfire. I love sitting by a crackling fire at the end of a day of paddling.