Okpik manual

Mary Simon wore on her installation day. For one, it was made especially for her with the help of Inuit designers. And for another, the two-piece garment was designed, sewn and beaded in a very short time frame. Designer Victoria Okpik, originally from Quaqtaq, Nunavik, in northern Quebec, was asked by Simon to make a garment for the investiture ceremony on Monday, when Simon was officially sworn in as Canada's 30th Governor General — the first Indigenous person ever to hold the position.

Simon had wanted a special outfit that was made from her home region, Okpik said. Okpik — who has more than 20 years of experience as a seamstress and designer — was the first Inuk to graduate in fashion design from Montreal's LaSalle College. Julie Grenier, a beader originally from Kuujjuaq, also in northern Quebec, was in charge of the beading on the dress after Okpik reached out to her. Just as the boys begin to get restless, the single track opens in a wide yawn.

At its throat, a white abyss glimmers in the distance, its flat surface enveloped by snow. Beneath the layer of white? Flash Lake. Hiker-sled teams cautiously spread out across the surface, listening closely as if the lake might crack open. But the freezing temperatures have cured the top into a foot-thick skin of durable ice. With the frozen lake as their new home, the campers get ready to test their classroom knowledge in a cold — albeit fun — reality.

Not many people face the cold with a smile and cheer, heading out the door as soon as the mercury limbos beneath the freezing line.

Jim Varcho above, left , 67, does exactly that. In usually whitewashed Minnesota, Varcho explains that snow is scarce this season. And then Kelly smiles. Dressed in layers of fleece and topped with wool hats, the adults and teens sit hungry for knowledge. Adam Reitelbach, a Virginia Eagle Scout volunteer and former Northern Tier summer staffer , hollows out the center of a quinzee.

BACK ON THE ICE , growling stomachs remind the pink-cheeked hikers that in cold conditions like today — especially during exercise — the human body burns up a great deal of fuel, requiring upward of 4, calories to keep going. Make your own Hudson Bay bread using this recipe. This inch-thick, nutrient-filled granola square satiates the team — especially when they slather it with jelly or peanut butter.

While it seems puzzling that the group would choose an icy surface for their base, camping on frozen lakes is preferred because the temperature of the ice remains 32 degrees — an important fact when the temperature of the air and ground can dip far below zero, making camping on land significantly colder. Plus, a campsite on a frozen lake easily meets Leave No Trace goals because evidence of an overnight stay including footprints, snow-shelters and more melts away when the mercury rises.

To help reduce the weight of the group on the ice, the Okpik crew — throwing on an extra layer of clothing — splits into two separate camps a quarter-mile apart. These structures, which appear similar to an igloo, require nearly two hours of shoveling and carving snow. Digging, shoveling, lifting, scooping — the Scouts quickly work up a sweat.

Layers of clothing lie discarded on the sleds. The group wrestles with a Polar Dome tarp that helps shape the mound of snow into a tidy arch. Suddenly, one flap of the tarp falls open, splashing snow back onto the ice. In real life, it proves tougher than they anticipated. Adam Reitelbach, an Eagle Scout and unit commissioner from Virginia, opts to repair an already-standing quinzee a hollow-domed shelter, similar to a Polar Dome built by an earlier group.

Once they finish building, several campers grab cross-country skis and head out for a loop around the lake. A Field Uniform will be required to be worn again for the graduation ceremony at the end of the practical weekend.

As for equipment, standard camping equipment will be needed for the practical weekend, and again the course will cover how to adapt your tent and sleep system for the cold weather, along with high tech and low cost options.

Some items discussed can be made at home, others can be borrowed, you do not necessarily need to own or purchase everything. Okpik is taught outdoors, so cold and snowy weather conditions are likely to be encountered, and walking through hilly and possibly snow covered ground is also expected.

Heide Kuhns, Okpik Course Director at: heidekuhns comcast. David Steffenhagen, Okpik Course Coordinator at: dasteffenhagen gmail. Register Now. Why should you take Okpik?