TEHKUMMAH—Manitoulin Island is blessed with a beautiful, natural landscape and there are many fun and unique outdoor experiences that those of us who live here sometimes overlook. On Sunday, May 3, the Mindemoya Missionary Church youth group, along with leaders Monique Shaw, Dale Scott and Pat McGibbon, had the opportunity to learn orienteering while solving the mystery of who killed Tim Turtle.
“They’re not prepared for this,” Ms. McGibbon said as the group arrived at Gordon’s Park in Tehkummah. “They just know they’re going to do something cool. It’s so nice the weather cooperated.”
“I love Gordon’s Park,” said Ms. Shaw, who often visited when her own children were younger. “This is our junior youth group, so Grades 7 and 8. We try to have some fun with the group, a monthly event. This is great to come here. With Paul leading, we don’t even have to do any of the planning. We’re teaching the kids about God. What better place than here to teach about God?”
Park manager Paul Beduhn led the group into the Nature Centre. “This is one of my favourite things about the park,” he said. “Just about everything you can find on Manitoulin, you can find in this room.”
“It’s cool,” one girl said, as several others nodded in agreement.
“We’re going to go out in the forest and find some clues,” Mr. Beduhn told the group and held up a compass. “We’re going to use one of these things, and I’m going to show you how to use it.”
Several compasses were distributed and Mr. Beduhn demonstrated how to find North and other directions. “Why I like to tell people about compasses,” he said, “is that you can take a GPS out in the forest, but what do you do when the batteries die or the satellite goes down? It’s a good skill to know.”
The group was divided into three and each group was given a map of Gordon’s Park hiking trails, a clue sheet and two compasses. “You’ll see Freddy the Firefly as you’re travelling around,” Mr. Beduhn explained. “He will give you a direction and distance. Using your compass and counting off steps you’ll find another yellow sheet that contains clues to solve the murder.”
The first group ran off. They ran right past the first clue. “I had these girls in Sunday School class this morning,” Ms. Shaw said. “They were just as restless. It is the first sunny day. I just thought these kids need to be outside.”
The girls climbed to the top of a hill overlooking a pond. “This is totally Mother Nature,” they said.
Freddy the Firefly’s directions took them 30 metres into the forest, under low hanging branches, over fallen trees, through large patches of trout lilies, across a stream and past a garter snake. A ruffed grouse “drummed” nearby.
“Barry Bee has Type O blood,” the clue read. “I don’t know who did it yet. It’s probably something that isn’t obvious,” James said. “There’s a strategy.”
A little farther down the trail the coats came off. The group continued along: running, tripping, laughing. Mr. Beduhn and Rita Gordon, park owner, drove up to check on the group. “Have you got your hat materials yet?” they ask. There would be a hat contest back at the Nature Centre, along with a campfire and hot chocolate.
Several times the groups learned how easy it is to veer off the path and how important to make sure they were following the compass direction. A step over a fallen tree could change their bearing. It wouldn’t be hard to get lost.
When all three groups had returned and were sitting around the campfire, Mr. Beduhn asked them to solve the mystery. Two groups answered correctly so the group with the best hat won passes for the mini-putt. Mr. Beduhn asked what they thought of their experience. “Compasses are cool,” James said. “But I know I’ll end up getting lost at least once in my life.”
