Fri, Jan 22 2010, Sat, Jan 23 2010, Sun, Jan 24 2010 - Wolf Den Bunkhouse & Cabins (View Original Event Details)
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FRIDAY: Those who had to work were lucky to have a beautiful evening for the drive up to the Wolf Den. The even luckier ones were able to spend some of the day there, where the weather warmed up enough in the afternoon to call for jackets to come off outside! As various groups arrived throughout the evening, the fun was already in full swing inside. Come 9 PM or so, Christine, in true Wolf Den spirit, could be seen welcoming TOCers in the parking lot. Ben, Wolf Den’s ever-gracious owner, showed us to our respective rooms. The crescent moon’s light shone so brightly there was no need for a flashlight to see our way along the snowy paths to our cabins. Inside our warm rooms, we found stacks of quilts and blankets on comfy beds. That evening, Xin, Jean, and a few others sat at one of the dining tables on the main floor of the bunkhouse enjoying some snacks and good conversation. Many gathered in the lounge on the second floor – some chatted in front of the fire, others caught up on their reading. George practiced a blues riff on the guitar. Most people headed off for bed by midnight, but a few stayed up for a fire under the stars. Was it all that wood smoke or the spiced rum that inspired Zanita, during a hot, very late-night poker-debate with Ian, to telephone her brother in Toronto at 1:30 AM to ask whether a straight beats a flush? Zanita lost the bet, but she piqued her brother’s interest in the Wolf Den.
SATURDAY: Another beautiful day! Breakfasts were prepared in the sunny communal kitchen. Some groups had already headed out on ski trails in the area (Arrowhead, Algonquin, etc.) Throughout the afternoon, various groups arrived back at the Wolf Den to have some lunch before heading back out for more skiing and snowshoeing. Some simply enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere inside the bunkhouse, and were there to meet Ben’s mother and father, and their playful dog, Jasmine. As people arrived back after an exhilarating day in the woods, the sauna became the place to be. Shannon’s heat-induced euphoria lasted throughout the evening, and her infectious laugh could be heard throughout the bunkhouse (no wonder Perkin’s always smirkin’!). Dinner was a veritable food orgy, with food groups and countless bottles of wine coming together, leaving everyone feeling more than satisfied. Add Anita’s yummy cookies to the mix, and the word ‘stuffed’ just doesn’t suffice. After dinner, some gathered in the sunroom for a game of poker. In one of those uncanny cases of ‘beginner’s luck,’ LP won. Upstairs, David and Jim O played Scrabble. Sue, Linda, Katherine, and a few other brilliant ladies challenged a group of guys to a game of Cranium. Rob and Lacey, who were sitting nearby comparing licks on the guitar, were there to witness the women come out on top (It’s true … the vanilla bean comes from an orchid!). Following the devastating Cranium upset, Darrel, Lily, and a few others started on another game of poker up in the lounge. Watch out for Andrew F! His kind, cool demeanor is pretty consistent over time and across situations--talk about a poker face!!
SUNDAY: Stephen’s early-morning exuberance began "The Day of Broken Glass" with the inaugural smashing of the coffee carafe against the floor of the bunkhouse at 6:45 AM. Opa! Brooke, who moved upstairs to sleep in the middle of the night, woke up for the final time, leaving her with two-and-a-half hours of sleep for the day. It didn’t take long for people with really funny hair to begin stumbling into the kitchen for coffee. More dish breaking ensued. Those of us up early were privy to the first rays of sunlight reaching their way through the trees on that crisp, clear, blue morning. A raven cackled from atop a tree on a distant hill. SMASH! The glass door of the fridge fell over and shattered all over the bunkhouse kitchen floor. Poor Ben. No Kung Fu workout. As the hours passed, more TOCers awoke and appeared in the kitchen. After some BIG breakfasts, a group of people played ultimate frisbee in the snow. Many hiked a short distance to the scenic Ragged Falls up the road. Aterwards, about ten TOCers gathered by the fire with Ben, his friend Rob, some fellow trackers, and Chris Gilmore, who founded the Earth Mentorship program. Chris and Ben talked with the group about what to expect and pay attention to, before taking everyone out to do some tracking, where they saw and discussed fox tracks, among other things. Other TOCers stayed around the bunkhouse to soak up the atmosphere before heading back to the grind. As we came, so we went--according to different schedules, in groups of three and four. And yes! During the trip home, it was raining, at the end of January, hours north of Toronto!! Weird. It made for more difficult driving, but it’s always easier to leave a place like that when it’s raining!
So … all the people mentioned above ... and the rest ... had an awesome time! That’s a Gilligan’s Island joke. Matt E.--it goes without saying, the weekend wouldn’t have been the same without you! (Matt drove home alone, eating dark chocolate and occasionally laughing aloud while dreaming of the possibilities for next year’s Wolf Den festivities).
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.