Pre-Labour Day Update

Pre-Labour Day Update

Hi Everyone!

So sorry we haven’t been too active on social media the past few weeks, but Fiona and Mike have been having technical difficulties with their internet. Sometimes that comes with the (Northern) territory of living in the beautiful Huntsville area. (We know, must be rough, right?) It’s been over a week so far, but – paws crossed – it’s going to be fixed tomorrow. As for Preston, well … we’re not really sure what he’s doing exactly, but we do know he’s trying to get in as many trips as he can before the season is over.

Anyway, we wanted to update everyone with what has been happening in the past week or so. We’ll have some more detailed information coming just as soon as we can, but here are some short updates to keep everyone in the loop (Make sure you read all the way to the bottom):

2015-08-18-dsc01367

 Paddle Point Submissions are coming in!

We’re so glad to see everyone getting “Out There” having fun, finding all the rewards that goes with getting out in Nature – then sharing the good times with us! The Paddle Point submissions have been coming in at a fantastic pace and we’re absolutely loving being part of everyone’s adventures. And if you haven’t already shared yours, make sure you submit some Paddle Points. Submitting gives you a chance to win some great prizes (Remember: you need to submit at least one to be eligible), and adds to your Paddle Point total for a chance at more great prizes, including the Wilderness Guide – Top of Class – Grand Prize of a  – not to mention bragging rights as you gain your next PITPC Badge. And speaking of which….

2015-08-23-justgetoutthere(800x600)

We have our first Wilderness Guide!

With his latest batch of submissions, Ray Mccullough is the very first person in PITPC to achieve our top-level Wilderness Guide Badge! Congratulations, Ray! Will he take away the grand prize of a Nova Craft Canoe or will someone else catch up? For a sneak peak at our “leader board”, compare your Paddle Points or see the PITPC Badges you’ve attained, click here.

IMG_0272.CR2

There is now only 1 Paddle Left… somewhere

You may have heard about Brian Snell finding the Killarney Outfitters Paddle, but we haven’t had a chance to write up his story. We’ll share that with you soon, but in the meantime, and because we know there are many very curious paddle-seekers dying to find out where it was located, we should probably at least let you know where it was hidden. Preston and Nancy thought it would be a great idea to hide it on the small 25m portage between Norway and Partridge. (See Jeff’s Maps for reference.) Why? Well, Preston wanted to send someone out to a beautiful spot in Killarney that many people overlook because the route is a dead-end. He also thought it would be especially sneaky because not only would no one expect him to hide it on such a small portage, but also because it might reward someone for going “the long way”, as this portage is often skipped on the way to Sandy Lake, taking a short cut up the creek on the North side instead. Tricky? Frustrating? Perhaps, as we know at least a few people passed right by the hidden paddle. Preston says he’s very sorry about that. But he’s not sorry. He just wants everyone to take a moment to look around and appreciate the scenery at every portage. (We think.) 😉

2015-08-29 22.36.41

The Latest Found Paddle

Jeff B was the latest paddle finder, having found the Algonquin Outfitters Paddle hidden by Kevin Callan. We’ll have more details on that soon as well. Good luck to everyone in search for the last paddle!

2015-08-31-favouritepaddler

Big News

(That’s kind of a pun, wait for it…) We have increased the maximum size of uploaded images for Paddle Point submissions. (See, I told you.) You should now be able to add most photos taken with standard cameras or cell phones without having to re-size them. So if that prevented you from submitting in the past, we apologize and it should be easier for you now.

2015-08-25-image-007

Biggest News

We’ve decided to extend the Paddle Points portion of the Paddle In The Park Contest to after the Thanksgiving Day weekend – we’ll let you know the exact date soon. Why? For a lot of reasons: First, we’re absolutely loving the submissions, and quite frankly, we don’t want that to stop. 🙂 Secondly, we know that there are a lot of you that want to participate, and everyone has their own favourite time of year for getting “Out There”, so we figured we’d give you some more time so you’re not rushed, and you have more chances at Paddle Points depending on when you take your vacations. Finally, the submissions we’ve received so far have been awesome – creative, inventive, fun and beautiful. So we thought to ourselves, what would make this even better? Fall colours!!! You’ll probably all agree that will make for some great photos, so we just couldn’t help ourselves.

 

We hope you’ve all had a great summer, and are getting ready for a fantastic Labour Day, “Out There”. Make sure you bring your camera and PITPC Flag and keep those Paddle Point Submissions coming!

2 Comments
  • Im a deer
    Posted at 16:22h, 03 September

    When my wife and I took a trip to go look for the Algonquin Outfitters paddle, we knew that it may have already been found. We searched tireless and optimistically behind every spruce on every ridge within every reach of “the lake of origin”. Although we did not find the paddle, we were rewarded with the scars, smiles, sights and stories from the experience. Thank you Paddle in the Park contributors for giving us that extra nudge to not simply cover distance, but to get out and explore.

  • eclingman
    Posted at 16:50h, 10 September

    When are you going to decide the date pics are due? I will be on a trip 10/3-10-14 so need to know whether I will have time after that trip to submit or they all have to be in before that.