Always more to come
It has been a heck of a journey so far.
In June 2015, I, along with the help of a lot of good people, launched the Wild Northerner Magazine. It was a dream come true. I had always wanted to publish my own magazine. It had been something I had thought of in one form or another since I was a teenager.
This issue represents the third anniversary of the publication. It also represents the will and passion of the people involved in making this magazine a reality. We will celebrate with a small cake and a paddle around a local lake.
I am happy to call northern Ontario and Canada my home. I will raise a frosty brew for this during the summer. I would not want to live anywhere else. I am fortunate to have rugged wilderness moments from my doorstep. Not only does it need to be celebrated, it needs to be appreciated, experienced and respected.
The Wild Northerner has grown since launching. Each issue we surpass unique reader views from the previous issue.
I was nervous and a little bit scared when we put the first issue out a few years ago. I wasn’t sure how the publication would be received considering it was a digital format. It has been received well and I get messages constantly from people all over Ontario about how they love it.
This is easily the best part of owning the publication – feeling the love from readers who make genuine connections to the original content in the magazine. It’s amazing how a few kind words can be motivating and encouraging.
This brings me to the latest issue – our third summer issue. I am pumped for people to read it. I try and run the magazine with an open mind and concept. I don’t have any fixed departments or many regular features. The magazine is like a present – you have to open it up and see for yourself the rewards inside.
There are neat stories on paddling, working in the outdoors, the adverturous soul, food, epic trips on epic lakes, fishing and all kinds of awesome summer fun. I am also proud to announce we have another new contributor who will add to the variety and range of the publication.
I hope everyone gives a warm welcome to Bruce Murphy. He will be supplying a regular column on birds and what is going on at the Hilliardton Marsh, a wetland centre where bird banding, research and education is undertaken.
Speaking of new things, I will continue to learn fly fishing this summer. I started last year, but didn’t get a lot of time in to enjoy it. I lost my July and August last year recovering from groin surgery. It sucked. It was tough to take. LOL, one of the hardest things I had to do. I plan on making up for my lost summer this year. I only got out for one family camping trip last season. Things will be different this time. My wife, Arielle, and I have planned a two-week trip through northern Ontario where we will stop at several provincial parks and a national park. It’s going to be sweet. As for the fly fishing, I will just plug away at it. I caught some small smallmouth bass last year. I would like to hook into a real honker this time around and have a real jolt of excitement.
Enjoy your summer and all the fun things you will do. Be safe and stay wild in the North.
-Scott