Thank you all so much for the positive support and feedback that you have given me over the past few months.

It’s great to know that so many of you (most anyway, lol) really enjoy my work.

My plan at this stage is to take some time off in order to re-evaluate my goals and work out a few new ideas.

I plan on returning, so please be patient.

In the meantime, now might be a great opportunity for you to review some of my earlier work.

Simply scroll through the headlines, and if anything peaks your interest…go to town.

Thanks to all of my fans and have a great day!

Cheers
James Ryan

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make—the better.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Brief Leave of Absence is my opinion, I have more, visit my website: James Ryan

Never was this statement more importantly accurate than in 2006 when my 10-year old son Jacob and I, went on our second annual father-son canoe trip into the vast and stormy wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park.

On the very first day, we managed to combine for over four hours of canoeing and backpacking (portaging) on route to our campsite located along the easily accessible, yet isolated Parkside Bay. I was very impressed with Jacob’s work ethic and initiative during our opening travels as he helped to carry much of the equipment and paddle non-stop until we finally arrived at our beautiful destination.

Once we had decided on an appropriate site to set up our camp, we unpacked our gear and set up our tent. While Jacob collected wood for the fire, I made sure that we had enough clean drinking water to last us for the week (fresh from the lake – delicious!) Everything was set and organized. It was the perfect start to what we anticipated to be a perfect week.

By nightfall that evening, I noticed that our large lantern was not working properly (okay, okay, I forgot to get new batteries) which forced us to cook and clean with the aid of one small flashlight only. During the night, the temperature then had dropped to near freezing which was seasonably uncharacteristic for that time of year. We put on all of the clothes that we had packed for the trip, but it just wasn’t good enough. Needless to say, we got very little sleep that night and I woke up with an incredibly sore back as a result.

After a brief discussion the following morning, Jacob and I collectively agreed that we should head back to our original launch site where there was a main supply store. There, we knew we would be able to pick up batteries and blankets and then comfortably enjoy the remainder of our trip. It certainly seemed like a good idea at the time – plus we had little choice.

We canoed for another four hours back to the main launch point in relatively calm and sunny weather. It was nice, but very tiring. We then quickly purchased the necessary supplies (including chocolate) and walked back to the lake. Upon arrival, we were surprised at how windy the lake had gotten in such a short period of time. Of course, as Murphy’s Law would have it, the wind was blowing directly towards the shoreline, complicating our plans to head back to our campsite.

Determined, we launched.

On the way back, we encountered what we soon realized was a very strong wind storm. The wind literally blew us from one side of Smoke Lake to the other. We faced white-capped waves and winds so strong that we were blown around in a full circle on four separate occasions – very dangerous in a canoe.

I am proud to say that neither of us gave up, as much as we both wanted to at times, and eventually we arrived back at our campsite six hours later. In total, we spent 14 of our first 24 hours paddling and hiking as hard as we could on next to no sleep. Talk about an endurance marathon! We were completely exhausted.

Did I happen to mention that Jake was 10 years old? I was very proud of him on that first day.

The next few days proved to be great, but also a lot of work. We continued to canoe around searching for good spots to fish and find fire wood. One of the absolute funniest and most terrifying moments (for me) came when I jumped knee-high into the water to cut a branch off of a fallen tree limb. Imagine if you can, about 100 massive spiders (I hate spiders) racing with lightning speed directly at you – no doubt pissed off that you just cut down there peaceful little home above the water’s surface. I screamed and ran for the shore, nearly twisting my ankle on a rock. I don’t remember the last time that I had ever heard Jake laugh so hard.

On the final night of our working vacation, there was a terrible thunder storm and at 3 o’clock in the morning, I had to go outside of the tent in order to fix one of the tarps that had filled with water. In the process of working half asleep in the torrential rain and wind and blackness, I cut the end of my middle finger off. Blood instantly poured everywhere.

Seeing as how we were a good ten hours away from the nearest Hospital, I scrambled to get the first aid kit from one of the waterproof bags outside and called out to Jake as I opened the tent door with one hand, being careful not to get too much blood on (or in) the tent. With my careful instruction, Jacob then, who was also half asleep at this point, had to perform first aid on my injured finger (thank goodness for the lantern). He did an excellent job and as I laid in the tent trying my hardest to calm down and fall back asleep, I couldn’t believe that even with the thunderstorm happening, Jacob was back asleep in 10 minutes or less.

“Does anything faze this kid?” I wondered.

The next morning, it took almost two hours to pack our gear (with my one good hand) and about another five hours to get back to the initial launch point. All in all, it was a ton of hard work and even more fun if you can believe it.

We’ve been back every summer since. It never gets easier.

I am very glad that my son (soon to be a man) gets to experience firsthand that the old cliché of “what does not kill you, only makes you stronger” is no cliché indeed. It’s life.

JR

Algonquin Park 2007: The Curse of Parkside Bay is my opinion, I have more, visit my website: James Ryan

This past summer, I decided that it was finally time to take my 9-year old son Jacob out on his very first canoe trip into the vast wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park.

Camping isn’t just a good way to learn about nature together. It’s a wonderful way to learn about each other as well. The experiences that we shared will last a lifetime and I have learned to understand the many beneficial effects of a father-son canoe trip such as lessons learned through; physical exercise, having fun together, and relationship building.

First of all, having always lived a very active life myself, I continuously try to pass down the values and benefits of physical exercise to my children. On our canoe trip, my son demonstrated and learned the necessities of hard work, as we both paddled and hiked as hard as we could for four straight hours in an effort to reach camp before sunset. I was very proud of Jacob, as he did an excellent job of lugging gear and helping out. With physical exercise, came the lessons of responsibility and hard work.

I also felt that this experience may have been beneficial to my son, in preparation for some of the pressures that he may experience, both in sport and in life.

Part of staying physically active, however, particularly in the wilderness, requires a great deal of safety awareness and responsibility. Many times I had to remind my son of the consequences of carelessness in the wilderness. Any minor injury could easily have become life-threatening and dangerous, as it probably would have taken no less than six hours to reach the nearest Hospital.

The second most important effect of our father-son canoe trip was simply having fun together. For most kids, earning their father’s acceptance has a profound effect on their relationship and their self-image. I wanted my son to feel like he could be himself without worrying about his ‘father’ passing judgement on him. My son is very high energy and loves to joke around and act silly. As a father, I feel that it is my responsibility to encourage my son to relax and enjoy being a kid.

One of my fondest memories of our trip together was watching my son leap fearlessly, ‘head-first’ off of a 15-foot cliff into the cold water, while other children stood around trying to build up the courage to jump – a truly ‘proud-father’ moment.

Something else to consider was the importance of not only letting my son do something that he found fun and enjoyable, but to make sure that I participated as well. An example of this would be swimming in the cold water. I hate swimming in cold water, but if I had just let my son swim all by himself, I would have felt guilty about it later. I know that my son had more fun swimming ‘with’ me, instead of ‘for’ me. As well, jumping from a 15-foot cliff made me feel like a kid again, which can be one of the many wonderful benefits for a father who plays with his children. With having fun, comes the true value of enjoying life, so have fun with your kids, and let them have fun with you.

Finally, continuous relationship building between a father and his son is a key fundamental component to ensuring that a boy has the required guidance that he will need to one day become a man. The father-son retreat is designed to strengthen the bond between father and son by working together to understand the problems that exist in the relationship and clarify what the relationship should be.

A three night canoe trip is a perfect way for a father and son to celebrate the child’s coming of age – together. It will yield a bond that lasts a lifetime. I can clearly recall sitting around the campfire as my son discussed many of his hopes and dreams of the future. Just knowing that my son trusted me enough to share this information with me filled me with a tremendous sense of pride and warmth, which until I became a father, I had never had the opportunity to experience before.

Listening to each other, offering helpful advice to each other, and learning from each other are just some of the benefits that come with enjoying a mutually respectful and loving father-son relationship. I am proud to say that I have built (and continue to build) such a relationship.

In conclusion, I believe that the positive effects of a father and son canoe / camping trip in the wilderness are truly life changing. As my son’s primary role model and mentor, my interaction with him is continually shaping his definition of what his purpose in life will be. With that being said, I believe that it is equally important to point out just how instrumental my son has been in shaping and defining my own purpose in life.

Through regular physical exercise, having fun, and relationship building, my son Jacob and I are as close as I hope that we will ever be.

Cheers

James

Algonquin Park 2006: A Father-Son Journey Begins is my opinion, I have more, visit my website: James Ryan

Happy Father’s Day James! is my opinion, I have more, visit my website: James Ryan

Being a good coach however, is a completely different (and much more complicated) story.

Some may say that I take coaching too seriously. Coaching is teaching and yes, I take teaching very seriously. Combined with the responsibility that we all have to set good examples with our youth, I might ask, why don’t more coaches and take their position as a ‘Coach’ (mentor, teacher, role-model, parent, leader) MORE seriously?

It seems that far too many coaches are failing to realize that coaching is about the players (and in some cases – their sons and daughters) and not about their dream to coach an NFL football team (or any other professional sports team).

Then again, I have met many coaches who have a definite ‘player first’ attitude towards coaching.  They have learned to keep their own emotions out of the game and they constantly provide their players with patient instruction and positive reinforcement.  In a world of single parents and multiple jobs, these men and women who try their best to make a positive influence on our youth and society are the real heroes.

The other coaches who are only involved in sport for their own personal gratification (no joke – last week, one of the coaches in our league was overheard by an Official telling his players that they were “F#%$#@* Terrible!!”), need a serious slap upside the head.

The actions of these types of coaches undermine and insult everything that is good in coaching and I for one will not tolerate this level of behaviour.  I encourage you all to stand up and do the same.

Cheers
Coach James Ryan

And so it begins… is my opinion, I have more, visit my website: James Ryan