ways of the wilderness to people. She sees them as role models. They keep her coming back for more.
“As a guide, Kielyn always has the cohesion of the group in her heart,” Rizzotto said. “She would often bring us into appreciation for our environment and that always gave me strength. Kielyn is powerful and steady. She knows our individual experiences and our sense of belonging and competence are vital to the success of the trips. She is self-reliant and breaks the gender stereotypes that often exist in our culture. Dave has a great sense of equanimity that I always want to emulate. He is steadfast in his purpose. He is very conscientious in his every day life and would always inspire me to slow down. As a guide Dave is an unflappable pillar, the calmness in our sometimes stormy journeys. He methodically thinks through his decisions and I always felt safe following his footsteps. What made all of my experiences with Kielyn and Dave so remarkable was that they were a connected team. They found strength in each other and that gave me strength in myself. Although their roles as guides were sometimes different, no characteristic was ever less important than the other.”
Kielyn and Dave have spent considerable time and effort developing their remote home property they call Golden Pond. At this base of operations, the couple can host people for training camps and work shops. The training camps are three-days of practical training to prepare a person for the rigors of winter travel by foot. People learn to gather firewood, pack toboggans, chisel ice holes, do winter cooking and baking, and about ice safety and everything else they need to enjoy the trip. Workshops consist of people making their own clothes and footwear for outside use as well as other handy items such as baskets and snowshoes. The couple also does work shops on the road and on requests.
“It is cool to make something and then use it,” Kielyn said.
LOTN is always doing something new and exciting. Stay in touch and in the loop or find out more information about trips and experiences with Kielyn and Dave through their website (lureofthenorth.com) and various social media sites.