Our trip to Tinnerman this year was a great success. It started out with an overnight bus ride from Brecksville to the Hartley Bay Marina. We made a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and get a snack. The last stop included a hearty breakfast at the Hungry Bear restaurant. Once at Hartley Bay Marina we boarded a water taxi for the quick boat ride to Tinnerman Canoe Base. Upon arrival at the base we met Bobby, our guide for the next week of adventure along the French River. He went through some basic check-in procedures and then we took a refreshing swim check in the river (brrr!). The crew then assembled their personal gear along with the crew gear and food for our trek. It wasn't long before we were on the river paddling to our first campsite.

The entire trek of 70 miles or so would take us from the Canoe Base out to the Georgian Bay and back again. Our first stop was at Pike Lake a secluded inland lake with calm waters and a great campsite overlooking the whole area. We set up camp, ate dinner and tried our hand at fishing (no luck). In the morning we had a quick breakfast and made our way to Cromby Bay. This part of the trip was very scenic taking on a quiet section of the Wanapitei river. There were a few bays along the way were the wind kicked up and always seemed to be directly at us, but we made it to our site by around 1pm. This site was an established campsite in the Provincial Park and we cooked up bacon on an open fire. It was also an excellent fishing spot where several crew members caught Northern Pike. We ended up staying out too late and the mosquitos were on us and even made their way into several tents. Everyone hunted them down in the tents before going to bed with one of the crew exclaiming, "Die, Die, Die! Mosquitos!"

The next morning we started earlier than usual because this would be our longest trip segment at 16km. It took a long time to get from Cromby Bay to the Fingerboards. Along the way we had a few portages and a small set of rapids. Looking back it would of been a good idea to stop for lunch along the way. We were very hungry by the time we reached our campsite. After lunch we waited a few hours and then made dinner. The food went down rather quickly. It was a nice area to kick back and relax. A few people washed their clothes and took a dip to get cleaned up. Others went for a short paddle or fishing. It didn't seem very long before the crew turned in for a well deserved nights sleep. We woke up at 5:30am for our trip across the Georgian Bay to Bustard Island. Our guide wanted us to leave without having breakfast, but after yesterday's lunch delay the crew overrode that decision and had most of the breakfast meal. It was a nice day to travel out to Bustard Island. Along the way we met up with another crew heading back from Bustard Island on Bustard Rocks to share stories. It was fun talking with them and hearing what they experienced so far. After about 15-20 minutes we pushed on to our next campsite. The wind from the West picked up toward the end and we tried to located a site that provided some shelter from it. At this site we had plenty of time to goof off. We played cards, took a nap, went swimming in the coldest water ever, explored the waterways in the island. One group even built a sailing rig on two of the canoes and gave it a go. The wind and rough water was a little too much for the make shift craft, but it was worth a try to go sailing. The meals were pretty good and allowed us to recharge. With the high winds there were no mosquitos, it was interesting to see them mass behind the tops of pine trees. When ever they tried to move away they would get blown back to the tree.

On day 5 our trek would take us to Genessee Bay. Even with an early start the weather was against us. The high winds and rough water made it difficult to make good time. After rounding the edge of the island and making it to the Southeastern point we stopped for lunch and had to decide if it was safe enough to cross the open water to the mainland. We thought it would get worse, but instead our lunch break turned out to be the right thing to do. The weather died down and made it possible to continue to our planned site. Once we finished crossing the bay we took a power nap on the warm rocks. It still took a while to get to our campsite at Genessee Bay. It turned out to be a really nice site for us to have our steak dinner with all the trimmings.

We continued on the next morning to Eastern Pick. Finally no wind and only 8km of paddling on inland waters. The birds were singing away and there was no sign of other people. One downfall on this segment was the two portages. The second one was extra long, but then it was a quick paddle to our campsite. This campsite was sheltered from any wind and we spent a good portion of the day working on canoeing merit badge. We all had fun dumping the canoes, working on strokes, and learning a great deal about canoeing. A few commented it would have been good to know all this before we started the trek. More food, swimming, and relaxing. The morning was spent fishing and relaxing at the site. After lunch we got our gear together and headed out for the last day on the river. At the start we were hit by a quick and abusive storm forcing us to rearrange canoe partners. After that though the traveling was pretty smooth even taking a wrong turn. It wasn't bad though, just had to retrace our steps a little bit and then get moving again. On return to the base we put away our gear and took showers. Then there was a spaghetti dinner followed by the patch ceremony. It was great to get some regular food and snack on what the trading post had to offer. That night all the scouts stayed in small cabins and the adults stayed in the main lodge.

Our final day we awoke and had a quick breakfast with fruit, oatmeal, and hot chocolate. The trip home was longer than usual because of delays on the water taxi and then some traffic during bus ride. We kept ourselves occupied on the bus by watching movies, reading, or taking a snooze. Parents and family were waiting for us when we arrived at the service garage. It was nice to be home and have great stories about our experiences to share. Members of the 2007 Tinnerman Crew were Andrew, David, DJ, Kevin, Kurtis, Ryan, Mr. Makowski and Mr. Sewell.

Tinnerman Photo Album

Trip Information

INTRODUCTION: Our trip to Tinnerman is coming up fast and there are a few last minute preparations that need to be completed. It is important that everyone in the crew realize that going on a high adventure trip is not like going to summer camp. In May, the crew met and went over the leaders guide together to get an idea of what to expect. The time has come to fill in the blanks and see if everyone is ready to go.

PRE-TREK SHAKEDOWN AND GEAR ISSUE: On Tuesday, June 19th at our regular troop meeting we will hold a shakedown and issue crew gear for our trek at Tinnerman. Each member of the crew must come to the meeting as if they were getting ready to board the bus for Tinnerman. For this to be successful, your backpack needs be loaded with everything you plan to take. We will go through every item on the personal equipment checklist in the leader's guide. Any extra items will be questioned and any missing items asked about. Once that is complete we will issue the crew gear such as tents, cooking stoves, fuel bottles, water containers, rope, etc.

LEADERS GUIDE: Contains information about the trek and a list of recommended personal gear.

MEDICAL INSURANCE CARD: If you have not already done so, please turn in a copy of your personal medical health insurance card. This may be needed to receive medical treatment if you become ill or injured.

PHOTO ID OR PASSPORT: Required for border crossings. All members of the crew must have a government issued photo ID and a certified copy of their birth certificate or a passport.

CLOTHING FOR THE TRIP: The complete Boy Scout uniform will be worn for the trip to Tinnerman, the Saturday evening meal, and the return home. This uniform may be left at the base in crew storage during the trek.

CHARTER BUS TRAVEL TO TINNERMAN: The bus will leave the Brecksville Road Transit service garage at 7885 Snowville Road, Brecksville (just east of Route 21 on Snowville Road) at approximately 8:00pm on Saturday, June 23rd. Please arrive before 7:30pm to load and facilitate an easy departure. We will return to the same location at approximately 8:00pm on Sunday, July 1st.

MONEY: Canadian currency should be obtained prior to the trip for use on your way home during meal stops. I've been told that the Tinnerman Trading Post will accept either Canadian or U.S. currency. The amount you bring is left to your discretion.