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Diaries of a Lodge Owner
In 2009, sheet metal mechanic, Steve Niedzwiecki, turned his passions into reality using steadfast belief in himself and his vision by investing everything in a once-obscure run-down Canadian fishing lodge.
After ten years, the now-former lodge owner and co-host of The Fish'n Canada Show is here to share stories of inspiration, relationships and the many struggles that turned his monumental gamble into one of the most legendary lodges in the country.
From anglers to entrepreneurs, athletes to conservationists; you never know who is going to stop by the lodge.
Diaries of a Lodge Owner
Episode 102: Heat Wave Survival Guide
When the thermometer pushes past 30°C at a wilderness lodge, everything changes. The heat transforms more than just the comfort level—it reshapes the entire rhythm of the north, from fish behavior to guest experiences and staff management.
In this scorching episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner, I take you through the unvarnished realities of managing extreme heat in the wilderness when air conditioning isn't an option. Drawing from years of experience on the Upper French River, I share how different fish species respond to rapidly warming waters—northern pike retreating to cooler depths while muskies embrace the warmth, and how largemouth bass can actually turn more active during that first heat wave of the year.
Beyond fishing strategies, I reveal the behind-the-scenes challenges of keeping both guests and staff comfortable, healthy and happy when the mercury soars. You'll discover my secret weapon—the "ice fairies" who delivered fresh ice to cottage porches daily—and why simple touches like this became guest favorites. I share candid stories about kitchen staff working heroically in sweltering conditions, freezers breaking down at the worst possible moments, and the unexpected opportunities that extreme heat creates, from wildlife viewing to magical evenings by the water.
Perhaps most valuable are the hard-earned lessons about preparation, adaptation, and turning potential disasters into memorable experiences. From moving dining outdoors to creating evening jam sessions by the dock, these strategies didn't just help us survive the heat—they created some of our guests' most cherished memories.
Whether you're planning a wilderness adventure, managing your own outdoor business, or simply curious about life at a northern lodge when nature cranks up the heat, this episode offers practical insights, heartfelt stories, and a genuine appreciation for those who find ways to thrive when conditions get extreme. Join me for this deep dive into one of the most challenging aspects of lodge life—and discover why sometimes the hottest days create the coolest memories.
the most important thing. Number one is hydration, hydration, hydration and um. We would always talk to each other and I would always remind the staff about hydration and heat stroke, because heat stroke is a very real thing. This week on the Outdoor Journal, radio, podcast Networks, diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North. The sun is relentless, the thermometers are pushing past 30 and for the first time this season you can see the heat coming off the rugged Canadian Shield. It's past 30, and for the first time this season you can see the heat coming off the rugged Canadian Shield. It's official. Summer is here and it is not being polite about it.
Speaker 1:On this show we're diving headfirst into what the first true heat wave of the year means for life at the lodge, for Life at the Lodge. We'll talk about how a surge in heat reshapes, everything from fish behavior to guest satisfaction and staff management. Whether you're behind the desk or out on the dock. When the heat hits hard, the entire rhythm of the lodge shifts and we're covering the good, the bad and the downright sweaty truths of a midsummer heat wave. So if you love the untamed heat of northern summers or want to know how a seasoned lodge owner adapts on the fly. When things get hot, literally stay tuned. Things get hot Literally Stay tuned. This episode will give you an inside look at how to thrive, survive and maybe even enjoy a few unexpected wins when nature cranks up that dial to the max.
Speaker 1:Well, folks, thank you once again for joining us here at Diaries of a Lodge Owner. I'm your host, steve Niedzwiecki, and boy oh boy, it is hot, hot, hot out there in southern Ontario. I will tell you what I can't remember a time when we've gone from such a cool, cool spring and I do take a little bit of credit for the spring taking longer to warm up than it should have Because on one of our past episodes, matt O'Brien and I were talking when we were up at the lodge and we caught a real short sniff of some summer heat and we then declared that it was going to, that summer was starting and it was way too early, obviously, and then we got like six weeks of cold. You know, kind of like we were the groundhog guys and we made the wrong call. But anyway, now we are in three, four days of heat and I thought it would be it would be appropriate for me to talk about how the heat affects lodge life, and I will first start off by saying we did not have air conditioning at the lodge and it was a huge, expensive endeavor to try and outfit all of our cottages with air conditioning. And outfit all of our cottages with air conditioning, although I did think about it, it was not something that I had done and I don't think it is done yet, but, believe it or not, the heat waves that we went through up there, when you're on the water and under all of that cover in the bush, it really wasn't terrible. So, having said that, that heat, it just changes everything and it changes the whole atmosphere, atmosphere, actually everywhere, when you're talking about fishing, when you're talking about the lodge life itself. But let's start with the fishing. You know, in that heat you're always looking for a consistent weather pattern, number one, and that consistent weather pattern is it can be consistently cold, it can be consistently hot, it can be consistently inconsistent, believe it or not. And when you start getting into those consistent weather patterns, the fish like it. But heat is something different, and it's something different because the fish behavior tends to change and this really is a species-specific thing when we talk about heat. So why don't we fire things up with northern pike and northerns. They're a colder water fish. They prefer colder water, at least the big ones and the smaller ones too. When you start getting into this type of heat wave where the surface temperature can get up into the mid to high 70s, right quick, and those fish they're going deeper Once you start hitting that late June, july and beginning of August, summer peak, those northern pike, especially in these heat waves, are deeper and about the best way to find them and catch them is to I like to troll.
Speaker 1:You cover a lot of water. Look for those breaks in 20 feet of water down into 50, 60 feet, um, if there's, if there's northerns in your lake and I'm not like I mean you can have lakes that are that have different uh depth and range scales but look for the deepest areas in your lake, back off onto mid-water shelves in that you know 18 to 30-foot range that drop into deeper water. 18 feet might be as deep as you get. Look for that. Even a 16-foot hump in 18 feet. Just look for some sort of structure that drops into that and and uh and troll, um deep diving cranks over top of it. Uh, you know, a lot of times at this time of the year we would get, uh, bigger northern jigging for walleye. That's now. That's a battle to to try and get them in at that.
Speaker 1:But you're looking for that type of thing, smallmouth. They're kind of in the same boat. They're tough to find in shallower water. They're making a transition right now off of the beds into their summering areas and again, depending on your lake, it's very difficult. But start with those rocky shoals, points, boulders, and you're looking again into deeper water. You're looking into that.
Speaker 1:Anywhere from 10 is shallow, right into they could be down as deep as 30 feet, could be down as deep as 30 feet and in the heat, especially smallies, you can look deep. If you can't find them anywhere else, look deep Largemouth. They're really not going all that deep. They'll retreat back into that 10, 12 feet, maybe a little deeper. And you know that 10, 12 feet, maybe a little deeper. And you know Pete Bowman is one of the best, um, best guys. Well, I think he's one of the most talented large mouth fishermen in this province anywhere.
Speaker 1:And, um, I, I think that, um, when it comes to those large mouth in these heat waves, um, you're looking in those 10 foot breaks and you can also find them like. I mean depending on water temperature, because right now this is our first heat wave of the year. So if you've got one of those heat waves where the surface temperature has warmed quick but there's not much of a thermocline and it's still fairly cool underneath, or it's still fairly cool in a sense that you're not into that deep mid-summer heat, I'll tell you what largemouth can turn on heavily in that kind of situation. I just had that with a good buddy of mine, mark Plant. We were out on the beginning of this heat wave and really cracked the largemouth good and they were some active. So you know, largemouth that's one of those fish that in this type of heat wave and this type of situation, mouth, that's one of those fish that in these, this type of heat wave, in this type of situation, get out there, get into that, you know, anywhere from 15 to 3 feet. Uh, undercover, they'll be looking to they. They look undercover especially, you know, if you can get one of those situations when we're talking about the first heat wave of the year and the way that this year set up, if you get it so that your water has been fairly cool and you move into one of these rock and heat waves, that shallower water underneath those lily pads and everything else that'll heat up faster and turn those largemouth on.
Speaker 1:Muskies are the same way. They are a warmer water fish. They prefer warmer water, unlike northern pike who are the opposite, and you can find muskies up in that shallow water. The one thing I will caution you with with the muskies in the shallow water is it's very easy to to exhaust those fish. So when you're fishing in in summer peak, use proper gear. Make sure that that you've got gear that's that's strong enough that you can get that fish to the boat and in the boat in an appropriate amount of time. You don't want to let that fish go on 13 runs and exhaust it to the point where they will die from exhaustion in hot water, because the oxygen levels in hot water are a lot lower than they are in cooler water. And to exhaust a fish and musky is a good example, because they're bigger and they fight a ton and they just don't like. If you let them exhaust themselves in hot water, chances of losing them is very high. So that's the one caution with that, you know.
Speaker 1:But as a lodge owner, managing these heat waves for me was something that I'd never really thought about, and a lot of it has to do with how you manage your guests, because, you know, I'm one, I'm not a big heat guy and when it comes to sleeping in the heat, that is is extremely tough and, uh, there were times that we run into heat waves, where it would get stifling hot outside. But there were always things that we would do and you know, first of all, there's a lot of things that you can do to manage your guests' expectations, manage your guests expectations. So I would always, when I knew it was going to be extremely hot, we would start our mornings a little earlier in our with our guides. You know, we we, a lot of times we would structure our musky guides so that you do you would fish in the morning and then you would fish the evening and you would come back to the main lodge for lunch and a bit of a siesta. And that was a lot of times, not so much due to the heat but due to um, our guides wanting to um maximize their time on the water.
Speaker 1:When it comes to the, to the major and minors, which are basically when they're the moon phases, but the daily moon phases. So a major is when the moon is horizontal, so it's directly, actually sorry. A major is when the moon is directly above your head or directly under your foot, and the minors are when the moon is coming up on one of the horizons, either rising or setting. So depending on when that would happen, they would kind of schedule their day around that. But also when we got into these and they're fairly rare, maybe one, two heat waves a year for a couple of days here or there we would also schedule our guides around the heat. So go out early in the morning with a boxed breakfast, come back, have your lunch at the lodge, have a siesta. You know the screen porches. We had fans. Those were great to unsung heroes really.
Speaker 1:When it come to the heat, with no air conditioning, like I mean to go back at noon under the canopy of the bush on the Upper French River and to just sit in the screen porch with a nice breeze coming through or the fan there. There was rarely a time when things were so hot that it was unbearable, but there were always things that we did. We always would encourage people to swim off the dock. We had our swim platform off the dock and for the most part, like I mean, you would have to have a really, really hot summer for the water to go above 81, 82 degrees. I don't think that there's been many times that I've ever seen it go much hotter than 82, 83.
Speaker 1:Maybe it there was. There was one time where it was up to 85. And again, that that's just the surface temperature, so you can feel, and it was up to 85. And again, that's just the surface temperature, so you can feel. And it was a thick. Actually it was a fairly thick thermocline and it takes a lot of heat and calmness on the water, so not much wind to build a thick thermocline that you could feel. And this one year in particular, it could have been last year or the year before. The thermocline was about my ankles, so when I jumped in the water it was basically 85 on top and at my ankles it was still 80 degrees. But it's funny how quickly that can change once you get a stiff wind and a thunderstorm, because it just stirs everything up and it cools, it cools down.
Speaker 1:But yeah, like I mean, swimming was one of the best things to do and then you know we've got. We would take people to jump off of Lunge Rock or go out and jump off the boat and swim in the middle of the river or Lake Nipissing I know Billy is famous for if he's out on a hot day with guests and he himself will just jump right in off his big boat and have a quick dip, because that's key and it's also fun and you do your shore lunches in places where you can. While we're doing shore lunches, you can get out of the boat and you can go and you can go for a swim right there. And one of my absolute secrets for beating the heat and this I did all year from start to finish, but it was key for beating the heat is I had my ice fairies, which were my girls.
Speaker 1:Heat is. I had my ice fairies, which were my girls, and I would have them go and deliver ice at every cottage. We had ice buckets and at four o'clock well, by four o'clock every day. So they would go out on a run between three and four o'clock, take about 10 bags of ice, maybe more, and stop at every cottage and in everybody's screened porch I had an ice bucket and we would fill that ice bucket right full so that when you come in off the water at you know, 4.30, five o'clock, dinner was at six. You could have a pre-dinner cocktail sitting in the screened porch in the breeze, and I'll tell you what just having that there for people was amazing because it was something. It's one of those little touches that and I can't claim it for my own Jerry Noel, the guy that owned the lodge before me that was something that he did and that was something that I adopted because it's awesome and it totally helped and it's one of those little touches that you don't see at other places and it's one of those little touches that you don't see at other places. And it was, it was, it was awesome.
Speaker 1:You know, the other thing that you kind of really got to watch in these heat strokes is, you know, staff and guests safety, especially the staff. You know not that not that that guests are are any less important. Obviously they're not. It's just that guests have the option to hide a bit. Staff, they got work if you're down on the dock, right. And the most important thing number one is hydration, hydration, hydration. And we would always talk to each other and I would always remind the staff about hydration and heat stroke, because heat stroke is a very real thing. Um, you know it's. Uh, I remember, I remember this is back before I owned the lodge Um, I, uh, I was a contestant, and this is really how I met Angelo Viola Um, in, uh, in 2004,.
Speaker 1:Um, I was working in the sheet metal shop. My good buddy, eric Poole, had just he was in a car accident in February of 2003 and passed. And I was still working the sheet metal shop in the spring of 2004 and um, I heard these um advertisements for this reality tv fishing show and this was right when Survivor first come out. And um, I, uh, I thought you know, and how, and and after Eric uh passing, and and I just, uh, you know I was, I was feeling like I wasn't going to let anything slip by me, that I felt I wanted to do so. Anyway, I applied for the last call.
Speaker 1:I actually was driving home from work from Williams Parkway and Airport Road in Brampton, heading toward North to Shelburne, heard the commercial on the fan 590 and wrote the phone number down on my hand in pen as I'm driving on airport. And, uh, I phoned and um, um, uh, Peter Bowman answered the phone. I couldn't even believe it. I thought that there would have been like you know, secretaries and staff and everything that they would have because, like I mean, they were only the most watched television fishing television show in the country. It'd be like phoning Don Cherry and Don answering, but that's beside the point. So, anyway, peter said, yeah, yeah, send the, send your application down, but you, it ends tomorrow. So I had to make my audition tape that night and I've told the story on on on a podcast before this.
Speaker 1:But I went over to Ray's, made the audition tape that night, took me forever, took us actually it wasn't just me and I drove it all the way to Oshawa the next day and anyway, I got chosen to be on this reality TV fishing show. But when I got down there, like when I got to the the show, it was in North Bay on Lake Nipissing, and we stayed at the college there and I remember, um, geez, it was, I think it must have been the tournament day, might have been the tournament day or the day before. Yeah, it would have been the tournament day. It was hotter than the hubs of hell, like it was a scorcher, and um, uh, I drank lots of water and everything else, but uh, my foot my left, my right foot, I think, swole after the at the end of the day, like I mean, and it swole right up and it looked bad, like it was all colored and like red blotchiness and swollen right up. So I'm like, oh my God, and I'm there with all these people and everything else.
Speaker 1:So I got in my truck, drove to the hospital while I got sun poisoning. I'd never even heard of it before. You know sun poisoning, it didn't hurt, but my foot swole up and everything else. And I'm doing this the last call, this reality TV show. Anyway, long story short, they found out it was sun poisoning, they gave me something for it, I put it on and I just covered it up with my sock and pretended like I didn't have any problems and then carried on. But that's one of those things that you learn that out in that summer heat.
Speaker 1:And now actually you know, years later, now that I'm I'm a co-host with the Fish and Canada television show watching that heat, hydrating yourself is is so key. And sunscreen I know this Peter's squawking in my ear. I've been hearing him for the last two minutes as I've been talking Sunscreen. So those are important tools and at the lodge, as far as the staff, I'd have everybody watching each other for signs of heat stroke. You know the little bit of queasiness that you could get in your stomach, you know you just look and feel off. Make sure that we took time to go and drink and breaks were a little longer. We would have to watch each other's back a lot. You know I'd have freezies some days down there for them and you know it was just about make sure we maintain everybody's morale, keep everybody in good spirits and look after the guests as well, and we would have to watch the guests for the same issues.
Speaker 1:And inevitably, as a lodge owner, in times where the heat was immense, that's when my fridge and freezers would break down. I had a walk-in fridge and a walk-in freezer and I learned again. Uh, in my first year, in the first heat wave of the year, my walk-in freezer broke and it had a like a plant on the outside of it. It was about the size of a large cooler and there's this box with fans and condenser units and all kinds of electrical shit in there and switches and solenoids. And you know it was big, it was, it was.
Speaker 1:I didn't understand it, but the one thing that I did understand was it's now the hottest day of my first year and I don't have a freezer that works and I'm on the middle of an island in the upper French River and just spent $5,000. One of the first times that I had spent that kind of money on food that was in the freezer prime rib, all of this stuff, right, perishable everything. So I ended up getting on the phone to and luckily there was a sticker for the service guy who serviced it the last time. And you know, sometimes when these people will put a sticker on your car when they worked on it, or stickers on things, it kind of annoys me a little bit here or there. Didn't annoy me one bit there, I'll tell you what, because I had no idea who to call. And looking at that sticker was where I got the phone number for the local freezer repairman in North Bay, go figure, right. And he come out and got me running. Well, he come out the first time, looked at it and didn't have the right part and then went back and come back and then got me going the next day.
Speaker 1:But you know, being able to keep that door closed and Daryl, I think, was my first chef at the time. You know you make a list of what you need. That's in there and open the door, run in and close it behind you and I'll stand outside. And as soon as you bang that door and open the door, run in and close it behind you and I'll stand outside and as soon as you bang that door, I'll let you out. You run out and I'll close the door again, you know, to keep it cold.
Speaker 1:And from that experience I learned well, this was a two-fold thing. You remember I was telling you about the ice fairies. Well, my ice makers would never keep up to so that we could do. You know, at least it was more than 10 bags, it was probably 15 or 18 bags of ice just for the cottages. And then you're looking at ice for people's coolers and ice for drinks and ice for all of the water at dinner and all of the. I just couldn't keep up when it come to making ice, especially when it was hot like that, because you know the kitchen and that's a different. That's another topic we're going to touch on. But I would.
Speaker 1:I had the girls stockpiling ice in the uh freezer and that way, instead of um, instead of uh, uh, running out of ice and having the uh, the ice maker totally empty at three, 34 o'clock every day when the girls were going out doing their ice run and then would come back and there wouldn't be enough ice in the ice maker to put in all the water pitchers for dinner at six. We just stockpiled them. I'd get ice bags and I'd have, anywhere from you know, 50 to 100 bags of ice stockpiled in the walk-in freezer and in turn. The next time the freezer quit which wasn't a broken freezer the hydro went out. But that ice in the freezer helped keep everything in there frozen right Because it kept things cold. And that was huge because there were a few times over the years where the hydro went out.
Speaker 1:And eventually I did get a generator that would run the fridge and freezer, because there's just so much inventory at any one time in there to run the risk of losing it because of a power outage or a broken freezer that it just wasn't worth it. So stockpile your ice. That's the moral of that story. When you're in the wilds of northwestern Ontario you need gear you can trust and a team that's got your back. That's Lakeside Marine in Red Lake, ontario, family owned since 1988. They're your go-to pro camp dealer, built for the north, from Yamaha boats and motors to everything in between.
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Speaker 1:And then there's the kitchen. Well, our kitchens are hot on a good day because you got your convection oven, you got your conventional oven, you've got your flat top, your deep fryers, your you name it your heat lamps for the plates. Like, I mean, this place is doing nothing but producing heat from every direction. And those poor chefs in there, man, I'd have to really watch them. We had an exhaust fan and then another fan, that just basic that was up in the peak of the roof, that basically we could turn on and it would just ventilate the airspace high up by the ceiling, because the heat in there in the summertime was excruciating. It really was.
Speaker 1:And those boys God bless you guys. I'll tell you what you do a hell of a job. Not just I was, I w, I was blessing my guys, you know, um, uh, phil and and Daryl and and, uh, dave and and all the guys that worked for me in those conditions, uh, but I know that there's hundreds, if not thousands, or hundreds of thousands of you guys out there that are working in kitchens in these heat waves. And God bless you boys too, and girls, because that, right, there is a job, you know, and one of the things that I used to always do was make sure. Number one, make sure that they're drinking. And I would take we would just use those pouring jugs like our jugs and I'd fill them with ice water and ice and just set them there for them to drink. But also tell them to keep dipping a towel in ice water and put that towel across the back of their neck Because you know you got to manage that staff. A towel in ice water and put that towel across the back of their neck because you know you got to manage that staff Like they were. They were hugely important to me. People weren't eating if they weren't feeling good. Right.
Speaker 1:And it's very easy to get preoccupied when you're under stress and you're you've got deadlines. Like really there was one area of one position at that lodge that had a hard deadline every day and not every day, three times every day and that's the chef. He needed to have his breakfast, lunch and dinner ready at the right time and there were times when we were late for meals. But it's not nice, especially when it's dinner. You know, when you've got everybody in at six o'clock wanting to eat quickly and get back out on the water and all of a sudden, you know, some shit's happened where we're not going to be ready for a half an hour 40 minutes. That's a tough conversation to have, with everybody in the dining room saying, hey, you know what, we're real sorry, but we're going to have to steal 45 minutes of your fishing time because we're late, right. So you know, it's one of those things where those guys are unsung heroes, you know, and the heat is just another way of throwing a wrench in the works that makes it difficult for that position. And again, this is going out to my boys. Thank you, fellas, for all of that hard work that you did and everything that you've done for me. And, speaking of that, I've got to get a few of these guys on. I know Philly, phil is one that I'm going to have on here at some point. But yeah, absolutely that stuff and the heat to manage all of the equipment, like I said, was huge.
Speaker 1:Again, I remember and I shouldn't say I didn't, and this is an admission that I've not made to a lot of people, but I did have an air conditioner up in the room that I slept in in the main lodge and there were nights when and I'm a sweater, like I mean not, I don't. I like wearing sweaters Like I mean, I am a a sweater, I sweat like a pig and I remember I would have to buy the proper clothing so that you couldn't see sweat marks. You know, my mom and I agree like sweat marks are no good, especially when you're walking around in a dining room. I would throw those clothes on and I would stand up in the office in front of the the um air conditioner with my arms spread out like a a tea and the wind blowing in my armpit hole on one side through my shirt like a bag that's covering me and holding this wind in and out the other side. I looked like the state puff marshmallow man, but I was getting cool and dry and I would run downstairs, out into the dining room and try and get my rounds done before I was absolutely soaked again because I'm a sweater and you know, go from there. But there was a lot of stress, underlying stress when it comes to those heat waves, underlying stress when it comes to those heat waves, and you know I would always try and make the best of it and this is where I would try and bring people together.
Speaker 1:We always did jam nights in the main lodge and those nights when it was so stifling hot, I would always do a jam night, but not in the in the main lodge down at the dock, because you know there's nothing. Yeah, you know what these, the daytime heat waves where we're hitting like 34 degrees, 35 degrees, feels like 40 degrees in the day. At night, there's nothing like being down at the water and it being a warm breeze, you know, and everything is warm, yet you don't have the blazing heat of the sun. And then couple that with a campfire and pull the guitar out and do a jam night around the campfire with 30 people at the lodge and pass around the guitars and get three or four people playing at the same time and all the staff asking people if they wanted drinks and this and that and looking after our guests down on that main dock area. Those nights were absolutely magical and in the heat of the summer they're such a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1:And when you get into these heat waves, these really really significant heat waves, especially early in the year, it helps to kill off the bugs, like I mean it really it helps to kill off all of the mosquitoes and black flies, because I'll tell you what, um, the black fly season was was. It was a good one this year, but, um, if it was still hanging around, it's gone now For sure it's gone now. And we're just coming into the height of the mosquito season. Usually around Canada Day, july 1st, it is a nightmare up there. But when you get this heat wave I'm certainly hoping that it dries up all of those puddles in the bush and puts a dent in the mosquito population, because it very well can do that. And you know, when you're talking about the way that it affects the bugs, it affects the wildlife as well. Bugs, it affects the wildlife as well. And what it does is it like? I mean, the fish just don't. The fish aren't the only thing that move.
Speaker 1:In the heat you get a lot of bear, moose, deer, bigger game, even small game. You know wolves, coyotes, fishers, you name it. You never know what you're going to see. And the heat pushes them down to the water, down to the shoreline, and you keep your eyes peeled when you're out on the water. I always would tell people in the heat wave, you know, watch the shorelines, because you never know what you're going to see. Um, we had some wonderful shots. Um, I forget. Um, it may very well have been zane and deb lumley zane, if you're listening, and deb, I love you guys miss you. Um, we were out uh and it, and they would always come up in early September, but it was hot, it was really hot, and we come upon a moose and sat and watched this moose out on the shoreline, and a lot of you know what those moments too are amazing. They were money for me. I wish I could recreate that more often than not, but you can't, although your chances of seeing the big game like that are much better in those heat waves. Just be watching in the shade down by the water, because they like those areas as much as I do and you do, and at the end of the day, you would make the most of it. We would do our fish fries down at the dock rather than in the dining room.
Speaker 1:The one year we had a real tough heat wave going and on the hottest day what we did was we brought the barbecue outside the front of the main lodge and we cooked outside, giving the chefs a break in the heat, and all of our guests got to pick their steak. We had all of the steaks lined up on that were raw and it was kind of like you know, you pick your steak and then we throw it on the grill and you stood there and told us when you wanted us to take it off, which was perfect, because you don't mess up anybody's steak that way when the guest is telling you exactly how long to leave it on and, yep, that's ready. You know what I mean. So there were a lot of other pluses with that and it's funny. That trend started with a heat wave but it carried on and lived for a couple of years just because of that fact and it made for such a great social way of doing dinner and again, it was a wonderful, awesome thing.
Speaker 1:And that brings me to, like you know, when you go through these heat waves, it is so important to follow up, find out what their experience was like, what they loved the most and what was challenging. Do that for both your staff and your guests. And that way, going forward, I could improve on. You know what I could improve on? The little things like making sure that we had more paddle boards down on the dock and, and I went out and I got a pedal boat and you know different things like that making sure that I always had freezies on hand so that you know, when it got that hot down on the dock I could take them down to the staff. And I'll tell you what. I couldn't give you a cold beer because you were working, but a jumbo freezy on a scorching hot day. That's a little bit of a pick me up. I got to tell you. So you know, follow up on that stuff.
Speaker 1:People out there that have businesses and you're dealing with these things and hey, listen, it is not an easy thing to deal with Heat, power outages, all of that different stuff. But when you're sharing that experience good, bad or ugly with people out there that you're with, find out what their experience was like so that you can make yourself better and your business better and the experience for the people that come to see you better, even when things go sideways. You know what I mean. So you know the sun sets on another scorching day and it's clear that the heat wave is more than just hot air. It's a test of preparation. It's a test of preparation, patience and ability, like I said, and it challenges every part of the Lodge life, from how your guide and guests act to how you support the team that you have doing it. It's really one of those things that you've got to take control of and it's a badge of honor. A lot of these things that I've dealt with in the past heat waves especially, and getting through them I wear that like a badge of honor and one of the best badges.
Speaker 1:I know I was going into a bit of a conclusion and wrapping things up, but I think the worst heat wave that I ever experienced at the lodge was one in which we did a Cooper Tire event and this was in concert with the Fish and Canada television show and we shot a two-part video two years in a row where Cooper Tire would bring all of their top-selling sales associates to the lodge. And the second year in particular, we had Roland Martin there as one of our coaches. Like I mean, this was a big, big deal. And the dinner, the banquet dinner on the last night was stifling. It was stifling and with all of those things that we said and the other key when you're, when you're in a situation like that, um uh, ice, like I said, but booze, you know, make sure people have lots of booze, make sure you tell them to bring their, their drinks, make sure you know, and, and let them loosen up and let them let it fly. And we got through that with flying colors. A lot of people ended up in the river swimming and we made the best of it, and those really are some of the best memories that I have, and it's around these extreme things that happen and, uh, and how you get through them.
Speaker 1:So, thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate you getting to this point. Um, thank you to our producer, anthony mancini, and, uh, dean taylor. I know dean has his hand in there too, so we'll thank him because I love him Not more than you, anthony. Well, I love you both the same. It's like being a parent, right? You can't tell one the other. Anyway, thanks, boys, really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Head on over to FishInCanadacom and I would tell you to get into these free giveaways, but I've heard rumor that the Countess is putting a stop to all these free giveaways. But I've heard a rumor that the Countess is putting a stop to all these free giveaways. But you better go check the Fish and Canada websitecom and find out. I'm not 100% sure. That's what they were talking about on the Outdoor Journal radio show. So hey, I guess we can't argue with that. And on that note, this brings us to the conclusion of another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner. Stories of the North. I'm a good old boy, never meanin' no harm, I'll be all you ever saw, been railin' in the hog since the day I was born, bending my rock, stretching my line.
Speaker 2:Someday I might own a lodge, and that'd be fine. I'll be making my way, the only way I know how my way, the only way, I know how working hard and sharing the north with all of my pals well, I'm a good old boy.
Speaker 1:I bought a lodge and lived my dream, and now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems yeah, we're talking about how life can be as good as it seems.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Hi everybody, I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete. Bowman, now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's favorite fishing show, but now we're hosting a podcast. That's right. Every Thursday, ang and I will be right here in your bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio. Hmm, now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week? Well, you know, there's going to be a lot of fishing.
Speaker 2:I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors, from athletes.
Speaker 2:All the other guys would go golfing.
Speaker 1:Me and Garton Turk and all the Russians would go fishing.
Speaker 5:To scientists. But now that we're reforesting and letting things breathe.
Speaker 2:It's the perfect transmission environment for life to be.
Speaker 3:To chefs If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated, you will taste it.
Speaker 5:And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you are.
Speaker 3:outdoor journal radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside.
Speaker 4:Find us on spotify, apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts as the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Gerry Ouellette and I was honoured to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal use by Indigenous peoples all over the globe.
Speaker 4:After nearly a decade of harvest use, testimonials and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession and I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. Places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. Find Under the Canopy now on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcasts.