48
MOUNTAINLIFEBLUEMOUNTAINS
SPRING2016
NELSONPHILLIPS
Mymost satisfyingcapture is thisphotoof apot
of lake-water coffeepercolatingonamorning
campfire inAlgonquinPark. Iwasonassignment
for amagazine, retracingTomThomson’s steps
throughCanoeand JoeLakewithmy father and
acoupleof friends.Wehad toomuchboozeand
hardlyanywaterwithus.Wehad toboil lakewater
for everything.Mymemoryof that trip is so strong
that I’ll probablynever forget that cupof coffee;
the firewasbuiltwithpineknots, so itwas spitting
andgrumpy, likeus. The sunwas low in the skyan
houror soafter sunrise. I remember thinking that
becauseThomsondrowned in the lake thatwe
wereabout todrink the remainsof thepainterwho
sparked theGroupof Seven.
Dylan Johnson, ScottHlynialukandPatMiller
compare their respectivebeer shotgunning tools
at theMiller/Given familycabin inPikeBay. Part
of thecabin’smanifesto involveswearingoneof
themany sacredGiven familyballcapskept in the
pantry. Noone isallowed to take themhome; they
must remain for thenext trip. Note theBayRoberts
RecHockey,WomenWantMe, FishFearMe, and
Ski-Doochapeaus. I snapped itwhile insisting that
I couldn’tpartakebecause I can’t chugbeer. Egos
wereunearthed, andeveryonehad towhipout their
favouritepocket-knife to re-establishdominance.
My first photo shootwithadronewas for theBrucePeninsulaMultisportRace in2014. Iwokeup late, and
had todriveanhournorth toNeyaashiinigmiing (CapeCroker) tocatch the launchof the longcourse. Imissed
it, and thought, “Oh shit, I’mcovering this for thenewspaper, and I’vemissed the shot.”But I caught upwith
the short-course racers comingacrossColpoy’sBayandknew therewere shipwrecksnear thepier atMallory
Beach. The suncameout and Imanaged tocapturea fewkayak racersover thewrecks from70metresup.
