Why Does the Air Feel Cleaner On the Water?
If you’ve ever gone canoeing, kayaking or fishing on bodies of freshwater, you might have noticed something different about the air quality. The air around lakes, ponds, rivers and other freshwater sources often feels cleaner, more breathable and more pleasant overall. This sensation isn’t just your imagination. The air surrounding freshwater tends to be cleaner for several significant reasons, and some of them might surprise you. Forests – Earth’s Natural Air Purifiers The most important reason air feels cleaner on…
A Tourist in Whitehorse
Whitehorse is a very unique provincial capital. There are no buildings above 8 storeys tall, it's home to the world's largest weathervane, has a population of less than 30,000, and is known as the Wilderness City. I visited Whitehorse in 2019 while guiding canoe trips on the Yukon River, and I can't wait to go back someday. The friendly welcoming atmosphere, thriving culinary scene, art and creativity everywhere you look, easy access to outdoor pursuits, and quirkiness of this small…
How to Become an Outdoor Guide
How does this sound… You're paddling down a technical rapid in the beautiful boreal forest, the sun shining above. Around you are eight other people, visibility ecstatic as they take their turns. In the evening, you cook up a delicious pot of chilli and bake coffee cake over the fire, while everyone sits around and replays the day. You fall asleep in your tent under the stars. This isn't vacation for you… this is your job. If that sounds appealing,…
MHO Skill Levels
All of our trips at MHO Adventures aim to provide you with comfort and education on how to travel through the backcountry. No matter the skill level, each trip offers beautiful landscapes, fun river travel, delicious food, and different camping, portaging, and paddling challenges. While there are aspects of a canoe trip that we can control (quality of our gear, gourmet meals, and our guides), there are many aspects that are out of our control. Things that are constantly changing,…
Chiniguchi/Laura Lake
Wolf Lake... a seemingly mystical land of old growth red pine, quartzite white cliffs, and waters so clear and blue you can see right down to the bottom. For years, I have wanted to visit this lake and witness firsthand the beauty and history that exists in this area. The opportunity finally presented itself when I got to plan a short flat water trip for Thanksgiving weekend. After a bit of research, I found that the Chiniguchi/Laura Lake loop…
Wilderness Archetypes
At MHO Adventures we offer a wide range of adventures in many different areas around Ontario and Quebec. Our adventures range from 3 days in the Haliburton Frost Centre (with your family or on one of our Duke of Edinburgh journeys), to paddling the entire length of the Missinaibi River over 25 days. Due to the variety of expeditions we offer, we have the privilege of meeting people of all ages, coming from various corners of the globe with a…
Cooking Over a Fire
Cooking over a fire… Has a romantic ring to it don't you think? Getting in touch with your roots, your inner woodsman, your primal instincts! None of that setting a convection oven to exactly 350oF and a timer for 12 minutes for perfectly baked cookies, no setting your stove to low and letting your tomato sauce simmer for an hour. Cooking over a fire is roughing it, it's how we were meant to cook! If only it were that simple.…
Gratitude To The River
This summer I was fortunate to be able to Guide with MHO and be on expeditions in many beautiful places around Ontario that I had never been before. Each of these trips was so different not just because of the area, but also because of the wide range of incredibly unique and amazing humans I got to meet and spend time with in these remote and wild places. As different as they all were there was a similarity amongst all…