MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Summer 2018

16 ML BLUE SUMMER 2018 NED ITORIAL GLEN HARRIS SUMMER ’18 SPECIAL ISSUE: THE TRIPPY 50 Out in the Mink and McCoy Island chain, one doesn’t need much to be happy. A frisbee, some friends, a reliable boat, and well-chosen supplies will about do it. On a paddling trip a few years ago we found shelter here in a tiny bay where we could tuck away our kayaks from the wind and waves. Along the exposed rim of Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands, weather can come at you from all directions but due to the sheer amount of glacier-riven Precambrian geology, shelter is almost always at hand. On this smooth, pastel-hued expanse of crown land, we were free to throw frisbee, fish the surrounding shoals, or lie in the shade on beds of moss and think or talk about matters back home that suddenly seemed distant. We didn’t paddle far, but we felt like explorers—not of the unknown, but of our renewed bond with the natural landscape, and its meaning in our lives and in the world. In this issue we offer trips to 50 places we hope will encourage more such exploration. You’ll notice that not every one of the 50 is an A to B journey. Some are events; others are experiences. The theme they share is the outdoors. Some trips may not take you very far from home, and some may feel like time-travel—stretches of the lower Beaver River feel Jurassic. Likewise, the Gros Morne National Park landscape is one of the world’s most ancient.We hope to lead you to a finer appreciation of the environment, as on a trip to Wye Marsh, or to explore a new sport, like a gravel bike ride around the Kolapore Uplands.Whatever route you choose, we hope you find much to explore anew. —Ned Morgan, Editor Not every one of the 50 trips is an A to B journey. Some are events; others are experiences. The theme they share is the outdoors.