Event | Workshop | Trip | Course | Symposium
Winter Camping Heritage
Ecology & Culture, a Living History
As snow tucks its blanket across the land, a northern wind bites the air. In the Canadian Shield region, winter is a time to slow down and listen to the silence, to live deliberately. Yet, to the wilderness traveller, it is also a time of freedom. For when the lakes ice over, the world opens up.
Our first few sessions begin at school, building our own traditional snowshoes or beaver pelt mittens while learning about traditional winter travel in Canada.
We then move to the wilderness, embarking on a 2 night winter camping trip, where we use the tools or clothing we made ourselves to experience all that winter has to offer. Covered in snow, the ecological landscape changes, as does the culture landscape. Through the making of our camp, the telling of stories, and the close participation in ecology and culture, history comes alive.
Program Details
Curricular topics addressed
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Canadian History & Geography
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Environmental Science, Ecology, Biology
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Canadian Studies
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Outdoor Education
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Physical Education
Ideal for
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Grade 8-12, middle and high schools
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Nature & Outdoor Centres
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University students
Headwaters Highlights
An experience of living in community
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A sense of belonging and purpose toward the larger group, beyond oneself. In addition to developing both leadership and teamwork capacities, knowing what it is to live in a community who rely on you and on whom you rely is a profound experience, and a rare gift
A meaningful relationship with the natural world
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Unique to Headwaters, we intentionally weave environmental philosophy, naturalist knowledge, and eco-social history into everything we do, developing a relationship with nature far more meaningful than simply "enjoying the outdoors"
Time away from cellphones
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With no cell phones or other electronic devices permitted on our trips, it is a gloriously rare opportunity to unplug and re-connect
Traditional travel
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We travel by canoe and wooden paddle, we portage on foot. We cook on an open fire that we made ourselves, preparing each meal communally. Our food consists of homemade recipes long perfected for the canoe voyage, with fresh baking savoured when we please. We sleep in tents. We awake when our bodies are rested, rather than by the clock. We gather blueberries from the land and our water from the lake. We travel as according to how the weather dictates. We take rest days whenever we find a good spot. We live without haste, for the trip itself is the point.
Character Development
All of our programs intentionally develop moral character, with a special focus on the following traits:
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Joy for life and its experiences
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Care for others and our world
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Wonder about life's mysteries
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A feeling of awe for both the grand vistas and the little things
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Respect for the wellbeing of others and our world
We place an emphasis on developing resiliency as the groundwork of moral character
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Resiliency teaches us to keep going even when things are uncomfortable. Because of this, it is the core of moral character, enabling us to ask, "what is worth doing, even if I fail?"
Where this program can take place
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On a school campus (for pre- and post-trip sessions)
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Local green space or nearby park (for pre- and post-trip sessions)
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In a wilderness setting (for trip portion)
Program length
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A few 2 hour sessions, followed by a 2 night winter camping trip and optional debrief and wrap-up sessions afterwards
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The length of this program can be modified based on the needs of the participants