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TORNADO WARNING: Camping and Canoeing in Severe Weather in the Canadian Wilderness, RAW FOOTAGE

Description

June 2017, I canoe across the boreal forest of Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Northwestern Ontario, Canada with Joe Robinet. We paddle through severe weather during a tornado warning and narrowly escape death at the hands of a severe thunderstorm which blows trees over around us as we take shelter from the storm in a burned out landscape. It's the windiest, nastiest and of the most dangerous days I've ever spent in the wilderness. The severe thunderstorms sparked some forest fires in the region as well, which caused us some entirety as we smelled smoke in a few areas as we paddled from lake to lake.

Links to gear used in this video:

Northstar Polaris Canoe and paddle

http://northstarcanoes.com/

Agawa Canyon Boreal 21 Saw

http://amzn.to/2BPV6OF

Mora Knife

http://amzn.to/2BOiv35

Canon 6D

http://amzn.to/2EdaZjs

To see what I’m up to during the rest of the week, please follow me on my other online channels;

Website: http://myselfreliance.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/

Personal Facebook Page (Shawn James) – https://www.facebook.com/shawn.james.msr

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 20042

Barrie, Ontario

L4M 6E9

Canada

Tags: Self Reliance,alone,wilderness,survival,bushcraft,forest,solo,woods,My Self Reliance,canoe,woodland caribou,canada,ontario,tornado,tornado warning,camping,canoeing,paddleon,raw footage,severe weather,canoe trip,provincial park,camping and canoeing,canadian wilderness,canadian,woodland,caribou,camping in a provincial park,shawn james,boreal forest,fishing trip

Video Transcription

buycks Michelle mm got this storm ahead of us right where we need to go it looks like it's moving this way so it's gonna do what we can to find some shelter but this whole area burned we didn't anticipate being in this spot this time of day so we're gonna have to maybe make a makeshift campsite we will get some shelter from this storm open this point upwards good enough trees we could get behind let's just call this miscalculation where so we're on the blood vein River surrounded by a burn from 2011 we were told we're also told there's no campsites on this Lake we were told that I think 6:30 p.m. as we arrived here from the long day of paddling well actually not a long day we're paying for starting their day a little bit early a little bit late I guess and going off route but as you can see we're making the best of it but thunderstorms coming down either side of us missed us and actually I'm looking over to my left here and I see we are gonna get hammered we're a little exposed at the open here but we're lower than the high ground here there's some trees still standing I think something's gonna get hit by lightning snot gonna be us to me this was actually the most interesting day fishing wasn't very good I cut a couple of pike it was first in this morning I didn't catch anything else all day Joe cut nothing until we got to this lake that he caught a nice big walleye so that was uneventful but the scenery was was pretty cool and then we reached this lake surrounded by a berm really dramatic skies thunderstorms just we're you know we're camped out in the middle of this burn in 2011 like I said so all the underbrush is growing up pretty thick so we literally could not find a campsite on the entire shoreline of the lake to make do except for this flat somewhat flat rock but you can see the angle of the tent to the background there it's not going to be the most comfortable night but pretty exciting I'm actually like this cool we're surrounded by burnt trees like we've got charcoal all around us Joe was cooking up some some chili she's having dehydrated chili that's maybe actually I think I might have dehydrated meat'll meal as well so I think I'll do that instead of trying to get out on the water to catch a fish so pretty cool state - and lots of excitement from us what a wild landscape look at this place as far as you can see we got burns and lush green growth and the big Aspen or poplar in the background I got storm clouds all around us a rainbow one side I'm to go to bed what time is it like eight early night what yeah we've been going to bed late like 11:00 a lot of nights because light till that time but look at this this is insane weather and we are look at the color look at this green against that dark sky oh yeah lifter that there is a tree tree just fell over and not one looks like it might go these trees around this falling after that one fell but steady oh three above like higher up than the trees are upwind of the trees this protection but it's gonna be cold without this raincoat so a little law on the wind action I'm gonna grab this put it on and rejoin Jo calm after the storm I mean you can't I can't even tell you it's hard to even explain all the emotions we went through today the wind was wicked first I wake up we actually got wind bound yesterday first of all wind bound on an island campsite which is never a good situation where you hope it's gonna calm down or wind direction change the next day it didn't do that in fact it might have been stiffer this morning no debris the wind might have been stronger this morning so we changed our plans completely we decided on a route going downwind and that was great for a good part of the day at her back but as soon as we hit this big lake it was getting dark we saw thunderstorm on the horizon so we started panicking and started searching very quick cooking her pace so we quickened her pace and headed for what we saw is the best potential for a campsite it was there was three islands that had no burn on them still fully forested in the entire shoreline except for one little part where the where a cabin was a note post cabin and a bunch of guys were staying at know so so there was three islands that we were headed for we were hoping one of them is gonna have a campsite on it turns out there's no campsites on this lake so we you go back and forth across the lake and wicked wicked waves that you know I was little literally you know fearing for my life watching Joel getting tossed around in his canoe and I knew I was getting tossed around in mine and just holding on nice kind of braced on the side of the boat so dramatic and just just hurt racing so we racing along the shoreline the winds pounding against this lightning in this guy I would find this brutal looking campsite from the shoreline or from the water and now here we are and just experienced an amazing amazing sight storm clouds all around us most of us pass through and now we've got blue skies beautiful sunset happening and you know just very emotional time but a very emotional day lots of ups and downs at you Jody you think you summed it up buddy that's exactly I felt very very excited to get to a site and excited in an excited fashion not excited happy but like nervous like I need to get somewhere before the storm rolls in and there was nowhere to go this isn't a campsite this is a burn with a flood flat-ish Rock it's a 45 down shawne's tents on the angle mines hence on an angle but like this was this was it this is our only option we couldn't paddle anymore it was it was sketchy very sketchy in water but like Sean said this is just this is epic man we could I can't even again I can't describe it words don't do it justice mm-hmm you

About the Author

My Self Reliance

My Self Reliance

Shawn James Canadian outdoorsman, photographer, guide and self-reliance educator. Writer for Ontario Tourism. myselfreliance.com Outdoor adventures, including survival, bushcraft, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, fishing and camping.

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