Legends of the Shield: Legendary Vacation by Canoe in Canada Viewing Pictographs

5 days / 4 nights

Legends of the Shield: Legendary Vacation by Canoe in Canada Viewing Pictographs

Package includes: Spacious tents, camping equipment, all home-cooked meals and fees, applicable taxes, professional guides/interpreters and all transportation from point of departure to point of return. Sleeping bags are not included.

Package Price:
1340.00 Can./Person
890.00 U.S./Person

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Location: Saskatchewan / Canada
Weather: LOW 11 C at night
HIGH 22.8 C during the day

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Day 1

Can you imagine the countless stories bound up in two billion-year-old rock? This rock is the oldest in the world it forms the breathtaking boreal landscape of the Canadian Shield. With the help of our geographer, we'll explore stories of this ancient rock and its boreal forest ecology. Our ethnobotanist will acquaint us with the intriguing world of edible and medicinal plants of the Shield. We'll start where the Shield starts - in the picturesque, island-studded north end of immense Lac La Ronge. En route, you'll encounter legends of Indian rock art. and campfire tales of voyageur exploits on the rivers of the Shield. We'll finish at the Cree community of Stanley Mission and visit a time-honoured landmark of the Shield - the stately Holy Trinity Church.

The Legends of the Shield Tour is an eco-education adventure combining the fields of geology, boreal forest ecology and ethnobotany. With the help of our expert interpreters we will be exploring all of these fascinating topics against the dramatic backdrop of the Canadian Shield. Of special interest will be the discussions and demonstrations on edible and medicinal plants of the boreal forest. Where the landscape offers prime learning opportunities, we'll stop to discover some of the wonders of the natural environment.

Our route will traverse the rocky island-studded north end of Lac La Ronge. Here the southern edge of the Precambrian Shield is prominent and imposing. We will follow a historic route to the famous Churchill River, traveled by trappers, fur traders and indigenous people for ages. We end with a visit to the church at Stanley Mission - a relic of missionary zeal on the Shield, and Western Canada's oldest church.

The scenery is diverse and appealing. Numerous shoreline outcrops, beautiful mossy bedrock campsites, large and small lakes, winding lily-covered creeks and well-trodden, scenic portage trails are encountered. Wildlife, and particularly larger birds, such as bald eagles, white pelicans, and northern loons, frequent the area we travel through.

On the canoeing side, certified instructor/guides teach paddling and safety skills, wilderness navigation, camp craft and environmental ethics. The route is approximately 58 km (36 miles) of flatwater travel with five portages. A modest degree of physical fitness will enhance your enjoyment of the trip, but previous paddling experience is not essential.

Related Books

			Tales of the North American Indians Stith Thompson
			Exploring the folklore and mythology of North American Indians, Tales of North American Indians captures a diverse range of narratives filled with imaginative wonderment. Grouped into various categories including mythological stories, mythical incidents, trickster tales, hero tales, journeys to the otherworld, animal wives and husbands and tales borrowed from Europeans, this engaging collection will delight readers of every age group and background. Some of the time-honoured stories within this collection include "The Woman Who Fell from the Sky," "The Creation," "Coyote and Porcupine," "Orpheus" and "The Bear-Woman."

			The Encyclopaedia of the First Peoples of North America Author Rayna Green , Author Melanie Fernandez
			From the northwest, in the heart of Athabaskan country, stretching all the way down to Florida where the descendants of the original Seminole natives reside, The Encyclopedia of The First Peoples of North America covers a wide range of unique topics about native groups from across the continent. In an easy-to-use alphabetical order, this reference not only details the on-going history of North American natives but shares with the reader stories, poems and maps in a highly illustrative and vivid format.

			First Peoples, First Contacts: Native Peoples Of North America J.C.H. King
			The diversity and complexity of native American peoples defies easy summary. J.C.H. King keeps this in mind as he provides both a survey history and a tribute to bands all over this continent, describing how each survived contact with and adapted to the Europeans. Of course contact takes place between Europeans and natives to this day and King considers this too in First Peoples, First Contacts.