Funding made possible in part by Blind Institute of Technology.

Blind Institute of Technology supports companies that invest in people with disabilities.

Providing Salesforce employment training, staffing, services and accessibility consulting.

The talent is there.

More at blindit.org Funding also made possible in part by Choice Magazine Listening.

Choice Magazine Listening is a quarterly collection of magazine writing professionally recorded for the blind and print disabled, a nonprofit on the web at choicemagazinelistenening.org or 1-888-7CHOICE.

Funding for Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends made possible through Creative Saskatchewan's feature film and TV production grant.

Canadian film or video production tax credit Anthony J. Towstego Philip Doerksen, EWest International Distribution Film one.

There's nothing better than the great outdoors.

I'm a blind person that likes to get out.

I don't get stopped very easily.

I do what I can to work the way around the blindness.

I can participate just like anyone else.

Whether it's fishing, canoeing, cross-country skiing, backpacking, all year round, I love it all.

People that are blind can do a lot more than they think.

The biggest thing is people hold themselves back.

Don't get in your own way.

My name's Ron Walsh.

I'm completely blind.

Get ready for Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends.

Right now, we're on Kingsmere Lake.

We're at the Southend, and what a process to get in here.

Yesterday, we had a canoe for a ways, and then we got on the railway track with the boats, and it's quite a process to get in here.

So now we're gonna do some backpacking.

And I'm here with my friend Ashlyn George.

How are you doing?

Good.

I'm excited to get hiking today.

It's going to be a long trail, but, uh, it's going to be fun.

I think so.

And also, our safety guy is going to be helping out and catching our lunch for us.

(John chuckling) -Right on.

-John McClean.

Yup.

Beautiful day.

Beautiful day.

We've got blue sky.

Calm lake.

Privileged to be here on Kingsmere in these conditions.

I'm starved.

It's time for brekkie.

We're going to have some bannock over the fire.

JOHN: The bannock dough is just wrapped around a stick.

RON: Oh, that sounds good - Can you hear it?

Cutting into the crust.

RON: It sounds-- an unleavened bread.

Ashlyn: Yeah, it almost looks like a French baguette.

(laughing together) RON: Yeah.

So once we have breakfast, let's head in Grey Owls.

I'm Doreen Kerby.

I've been coming to Prince Albert National Park since I was three months old, and I haven't missed a year in 95 years.

RON: So when you were a kid, you actually met Grey Owl.

Well, the first time I saw Grey Owl, um-- I was about eight years old.

He was a marvelous writer.

He really was.

Yeah.

RON: How many books to be write?

- Four that I know of.

And he wrote three of those, when-- up in Ajawaan.

The beaver were nocturnal.

And he couldn't leave them alone at night because they would chew the legs off his bed or his desk or his chair.

So he had to stay up all night with the beaver.

And that's when he did his writing.

How are we getting in there?

JOHN: Well, I mean, there's two options.

You can-- you can hike in or you can paddle along the lake here a little bit and then portage the canoe in and then canoe to Grey Owl's cabin.

RON: Let's walk in to Grey Owl's cabin.

ASHLYN: Swap the canoes for some hiking boots, I guess.

RON: Tighten up the boots and put the packs on and let's head up there.

Ashlyn: And then, yeah, we'll want to make sure we've got everything we need in our packs and stuff too.

So-- carry it all with us today.

RON: As you say that, I'll grab my water filter.

Yes, I've got a med kit with me.

RON: Sunscreen.

Bug spray.

ASHLYN: Definitely the bug spray.

And you know what?

Last time I hiked this trail, there's that beach section.

Saw a wolf on the beach there.

JOHN: Cool.

RON: Really?

- Yeah.

ASHLYN: So we're just about 20 meters from the water here, Ron, and we're just going to be walking down to it.

It is a fairly well trodden path here.

We'll get our canoes flipped over and-- and loaded up.

So, Ron, we're just paddling across the lake to the Westwind Campground and-- And looking out, you can see all the-- the forest comes right down to the water.

And every so often you get like a little pocket where you can see the sandy beaches.

And honestly for how windy and wavy Kingsmere can get (Ron chuckles) you got a pretty good day to be out here canoeing.

John's just pulling up to shore and we're coming in right behind him.

RON: Okay.

ASHLYN: And coming in with the waves.

And there we are.

JOHN: And we're here.

-Nice.

-This is it.

This is where we're going to start hiking from: Westwind.

RON: Woohoo!

JOHN: Take a big step to your-- farther, Ron, your good.

ASHLYN: And Ron, I want you to feel the sand on this beach.

Just how nice and soft it is.

So it's uh-- RON: Oh yeah, how fine it is!

ASHLYN: Yeah.

It's a pretty light colored sand, too.

Um-- And there's just beaches like this, that dot all around the lake.

And so when when we were paddling up, you could see the sandy beaches amongst the green forest.

- So, it's kinda nice.

- And its-- and there's no weeds in the water.

JOHN: Not here no.

ASHLYN: No, it's pretty clear.

RON: Just sandy and just clean.

Yeah.

RON: Hiking poles, my backpack and water and I am ready.

Got ‘er.

JOHN: So-- get your waistbelt done up first there and the arms look pretty good.

Load lifters here.

Just keep the pack nice and close to your shoulders.

RON: Okay.

JOHN: There's your poles Ron.

Okay.

Alright.

- Ashlyn, do you have your bear spray handy?

- Yep.

I got my bear spray packed.

I'll keep it readily accessible.

So if we do encounter a bear, we got that as a line of defense against us and the bear.

JOHN: Yeah, it's no good in the bottom of your pack.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

(laughing together) We're digging around, trying to get it while the bears charging you.

So they've got to be fairly close to be using that, so... Yeah.

Got to be within about ten meters.

So-- RON: Which is not that far.

JOHN: No, no.

Here we are at Westwind Campsite We came over from Southend, uh, where we were this morning.

And then you folks are gonna walk up the side of-- the east side of the lake here up to the Northend campsite.

That's your goal for the day.

ASHLYN: Awesome!

RON: Thanks for doing this John.

JOHN: Thank you.

Yeah, we'll see you later.

RON: Yeah.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

- Well?

- Okay-- - We're off.

- Ron, feeling ready for this?

- I am ready.

Let's go do this.

-We're all geared up.

We got our stuff and-- -Yeah.

- Let's hit the trails.

- Sounds good.

- Thanks, John.

- Thank you.

- I'll grab the map.

- There you are.

- Okay.

Ron: Good luck fishing, John.

Good luck.

Watch out for the bears!

- Exactly!

Exactly!

- We'll see you at the Northend.

- We'll see you later.

- Okay.

- And Ron, Im just going to get in front of you.

So we are just leaving the beach and we're going to head off into the forest.

It's going to be one step up into the forest, and then we'll be on the trail.

RON: Nice, it'll be nice and cool in there.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

Ready to go?

So we're just stepping up from the beach into the forest.

RON: Oh!

(cracking noise) ASHLYN: You okay?

RON: Got ‘er!

And we'll be right back with more Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends.

RON: A movie was made about Grey Owl.

Our series producer even attended the Canadian premiere at Prince Albert National Park and he sat with the producer Jake Ebert and one of the stars Annie Galipeau, who played Pony in the film?

ASHLYN: It is so cool to be hiking into the the very place it all happened.

And yes, an American company, Largo Entertainment financed an international motion picture in 1999, involving many production companies and starring Pierce Brosnan as Gray Owl and directed by Richard Attenborough.

The plot follows Grey Owl's journey from trapper to celebrated naturalist, writer and conservationist after meeting his wife Anahareo, who helps him embrace his role and fight for the environment.

Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends.

ASHLYN: So we're just stepping up from the beach into the forest.

Ron: Oh!

(cracking noise) ASHLYN: You okay?

RON: Got ‘er.

ASHLYN: Are you sure you're okay?

RON: Yeah.

ASHLYN: Did you clip your eyes, a bit there?

RON: Yeah.

ASHLYN: Let's take a second.

RON: Sure.

ASHLYN: Is your head okay?

RON: Just about knocked me out.

ASHLYN: You knock that tree pretty hard.

Yeah.

Here, I'm just going to take your hat off and brush it off.

- Wipe the brains off?

- Yeah.

-You didn't clip your glasses or anything, did you?

- No I had the nose there for safety.

(laughing) - Yeah.

- Not the first time.

You always got a good, positive attitude about this Ron.

Well, maybe not the last one of the day.

(chuckling) Yeah, maybe not, (laughing) there's a lot of trees on this hike.

- I'll complain at the end of the trail.

- I'll hand your hat back to you.

Okay, thank you.

There's still a few marks on it.

- But just, you know, war wounds - Right!

- Girls like scars.

- Yeah.

(chuckling) ASHLYN: Chipewyan Portage is three and a half kilometers and Grey Owl's cabin is 16.6.

So we'll be hiking a little bit less than that since we're camping at Northend.

RON: Okay.

ASHLYN: There are a lot of hazards along the way.

There's a ton of trees.

We're zigzagging.

This isn't just a straight path.

So, yeah, the path definitely has narrowed down from what we were walking on.

To the left-- left.

(cracking sound) RON: Got ‘em.

ASHLYN: Oh, you got that one good.

RON: I got ‘er.

Yeah.

The park's are going to charge me for doing all this damage.

Yeah, Grey Owl, I'm pretty sure he would have walked in here, like in the spring and the fall.

ASHLYN: To the right.

RON: When the ice is a little rough, and-- ASHLYN: And talking with Mrs.

Kerby, with Doreen.

RON: Yeah, that's kind of amazing to be able to-- ASHLYN: To the right.

RON: -be a part of history like that.

ASHLYN: Yep.

We got lots of roots here, Ron.

So just keep an eye on your footing.

You can probably hear them buzzing you.

But Ron, there's like, dozens of them flying all the way around you.

- These are horseflies.

We came out of the mosquitoes.

- OH!

-Let's get out of here!

- Okay, let's go.

We got our very first bridge crossing here.

It's actually is quite dramatic and beautiful.

So you'll be able to hear my poles when it hits the boardwalk here.

RON: Yes.

And then I'll-- ASHLYN: And it's about four feet Yeah.

And there is a little creek running down here.

RON: Okay.

And I tap the side.

ASHLYN: Yeah, yeah.

Kinda know where I'm going.

ASHLYN: There we go.

And then an incline up out of the bridge area.

And there's some roots here as well.

Lots of ups and downs on this hike.

RON: Yes.

ASHLYN: Oh!

Oh!

(snickering) Ron I, uh, for a second there.

There's this log up at the front about, I don't know, 30 meters.

I thought it was a bear.

You got real worried about bears now.

Tell you what, when we walk past you better make sure it doesn't move.

I'll pull up the bear spray and give it a little squirt.

(laughing) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

RON: Well, I wonder how many we walk past.

ASHLYN: We got another, uh, log over the path here.

It's probably about knee height.

Step over that one.

Right now, I-- I'm tired.

It's been a long trail.

So how much farther we got?

ASHLYN: So we got another four kilometers to go.

We're a little bit tired now, and it's-- it's a lot easier to trip up on all the roots here.

So, well take our time.

RON: So what's the time?

ASHLYN: An hour and a half to 2 hours.

RON: So roll in just right around dark?

ASHLYN: I think so.

Ron: A little after?

ASHLYN: Yeah.

And then it's going to be a really big step up onto this bridge.

ASHLYN: like it's bigger than a regular step.

And these are the big massive ferns.

RON: Okay, I remember this.

WHOA!

That's a little scary.

Yes, it's kind of beautiful in here.

ASHLYN: And you're going to walk into the ferns, but the bridge is there and you're going to just walk.

Yeah.

RON: Wow!

Look how thick that is.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

Sun's hanging on the horizon, right close to sunset.

It's that really soft golden lighting splashing in through the forest?

RON: Yeah.

If they want to come pick us up, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

Oh stop!

ASHLYN: You okay?

RON: Well, and also stumbling wears you out as well.

So it's just tiring no matter what.

There's the physical exertion.

(in the background ASHLYN:Stop) RON: But there's also the mental exertion.

(in the background ASHLYN:Go left.)

(in the background ASHLYN: Stop) RON: I'm doing a lot of thinking trying to stay on the trail.

ASHLYN: To the right.

RON: Oh!

got ‘er!

ASHLYN: You okay?

RON: Got my hat.

ASHLYN: You're good, though?

RON I'm good.

ASHLYN: Okay, so, Ron, we've got another obstacle on the trail ahead of us.

So we're going to have to duck under.

RON: Am I low enough?

ASHLYN: Yeah, You're low enough.

Left.

Left, left.

How do you feel when you're like, Oh, man, this is hard.

And I don't know.

I'm struggling in this moment.

But then when you push through, what's it feel like on the other side?

RON: Fantastic.

The idea that you got a goal and you can actually do it.

Even if you're blind.

ASHLYN: Like it's a big tree.

RON: Holy moly, is that ever big!!!

And I'm in here, I'm struggling and fallen and I'm getting back up.

I am going to make it to the end and that's all there is to it.

Life is just kind of a series of problems.

You know they'll pass.

You know, you'll solve them.

Your-- if you're unemployed, you'll get a job.

It's, uh, at the time it seems impossible, overwhelming, and you just can't do it.

But-- you take a deep breath.

You read some instructions, learn how to do it and just keep going.

Life is not a problem to be solved, it's an adventure to be lived!

So you got to have that enthusiasm for life.

And I think I do have that.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: I love doing this.

I love being out here and it is tough.

And that is part of it.

It's, uh, it's not easy.

Or I wouldn't be here.

(laughing together) This is who I am and what I do.

I'm not a person that went blind.

I'm an outdoor person that went blind.

So I didn't suddenly become an outdoor person after I went blind.

Got it!!

This who I am.

I've done it my whole life and I'm going to continue to do it my whole life.

To the end.

Life shouldn't be a downhill slope.

Life should be a cliff.

I heard this quote the other day and the guy said he just go, go, go, go, go.

‘til you're done.

But you don't stop in between.

ASHLYN: Except for snacks.

RON: Except snacks.

(Ashlyn giggling) RON: A little bit of chocolate!

ASHLYN: Stop!

stop.

Yeah.

RON: I am much too heavy to carry out of here.

(laughing) ASHLYN: I would haul you out.

RON: Wow.

ASHLYN: It might take me a while, but I would.

RON: I know you would.

ASHLYN: It be easier if I had a tarp.

Okay, so we've done about 13 kilometers.

And you know what, Ron?

We've only got two left.

So this is the tree that we're going to go over.

-Okay.

- So it's not super thick.

-Yeah.

- But I also want you to feel that.

There's just a pokey stick - Eww!

ASHLYN: And I want you to feel this one.

RON: Oh!

ASHLYN: and that one.

RON: Okay, we'll get some Band-Aids out now!

ASHLYN: Yeah.

ASHLYN: And when you slide down, you might clip those.

So you want to be careful so you don't rip your pants.

RON: Or worse.

ASHLYN: And that's kind of sharp and pokey there too.

Yeah.

Swing your leg over.

ASHLYN: Got it.

RON: Goter.

ASHLYN: Okay.

RON: Okay.

Another big tree.

ASHLYN: I'm going to guide you through this one.

RON: Okay.

ASHLYN: And you're going to grab my arm.

RON: Is there a creek, ‘er?

Yeah, and there's a log, and I just don't want you slipping and falling.

Okay, so walk straight.

RON: Yeah, I could see how uh-- ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: a person could slip and fall and-- ASHLYN: Stay off that.

Yeah.

RON: break stuff in here, especially in the dark.

ASHLYN: Oh, yeah.

And, like, honestly, the trail's getting harder the further we get on it.

There you go, RON: Boy, that's another big tree.

ASHLYN: Yeah, it's big eh?

RON: Wow!

I mean, we're literally in the forest in the dark, outside of cell service.

It's just out-- us out here, right?

And this is bear country.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

And there is lots around here right now.

You know, I'm talking about bears all the time.

And it seems like, you know, we haven't run into any, but there's lots just ‘cause we haven't seen and doesn't mean that they're not 30 feet over there watching us.

ASHLYN: We met the guy on the trail and he saw a bear right at the beginning of the trailhead.

RON: Yeah.Yeah!

ASHLYN: Right.

RON: Today.

Today, so-- ASHLYN: Yeah, they're out here.

Did you hear that?

RON: What?

ASHLYN: Oh, I don't know.

RON: Something?

ASHLYN: Yeah, I just heard some crackling in the bushes.

I don't know.

RON: Make some noise!

ASHLYN: Now I'm creeping myself out.

- Oh Ron!.

I got good news.

RON: What's that?

We are under a kilometer.

We go 900 meters.

RON: Wow!

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: Well, that is great news.

ASHLYN: That is really good news.

RON: I am hungry,-- ASHLYN: Yes RON:I am tired, and these bugs are getting me.

ASHLYN: Yes.

Ron, it's quarter to 11.

We got an hour and 15 minutes before midnight.

We're getting there today.

-Okay.

- Not tomorrow.

-Kay.

ASHLYN: And as we walked past some of these jack pines, I looked up and there's the crescent moon shining bright.

(Ron chuckling) ASHLYN: Wow!

That is amazing.

Guiding us to camp.

RON: Right.

ASHLYN: What a way to be able to relate to Ron and what the trail has been like for him all day long.

He hasn't been able to see where we're walking.

And that's what I'm encountering right now.

RON: I can kind of feel where it's packed.

And then other times I just guess.

ASHLYN: Really brings me some more understanding, deeper level of understanding and compassion for what it's like for Ron when he's out here hiking the trails.

(over two-way radio) JOHN: Hey Ron Ashlyn, how are you guys doing?

Are you, uh, gonna make it here tonight.

ASHLYN: Hey, John, good news.

We are about 200 meters out and I think I see the light of camp.

So we are coming in home.

I can look down the path and I see a couple of lights down there.

RON: Alright!

ASHLYN: John is lighting the way home for us.

Last 100 meters or so, Ron.

RON: Wow.

ASHLYN: Almost there.

RON: Well, I'm glad it's not much farther.

ASHLYN: The loons are calling us in.

Oh Ron!

- Hello!

-It's John!

- John.

You made it.

How you doing, bud?

-Excellent.

- What a day-- What a day!

Well, that was a long, tough day.

I'm sure glad we didn't stop halfway.

We made it.

(Ron chuckling) That ain't bad at all.

Wooo!

And we'll be right back with more Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends.

Here are behind the scenes on Blind Adventures.

The crew goes through a lot to get this adventure on the road.

There's carts, there's canoeing, there's motorboats.

There's all kinds of stuff.

And today we're moving the crew and all our gear up over this hill on a railway track and dropping in the other side.

This is what we got to go through to do this show.

There's lots that goes on behind the scenes.

This is, not easy, that's for sure.

But you get a bunch of people that, like adventure.

This is all part of the day.

So today we're cranking up some boats onto the railway track.

These carts are designed for boats.

We're going to pull them up on there and push it up over the top, and then grab some canoes and push them up over the top as well, down to the other side.

It's about a kilometer and then we're back on the water again.

ASHLYN: When you're snowshoeing through like knee high snow in the forest, just to get the angle of us on the trail.

RON: Surrounded by cougars.

ASHLYN: Yeah, going above and beyond and hauling a boat.

JOHN: Getting up at four in the morning to watch the the moon or whatever in the.

When you're skiing.

RON: Right.

25 below.

ASHLYN: The four AM starts, and then ten PM endings, and the long days.

And you guys are always going.

There's there's no breaks.

You just keep going.

And he always up for the adventure.

Rain or shine.

No matter what the weather is.

RON: Show must go on.

It's, not the, average job for the average crew.

So we're glad that they are able to come out and do all this and help out.

And, yeah, it's above and beyond asking them to do this stuff.

I very much appreciate everything everybody's done on this crew.

It's, It's not easy.

And I appreciate the hard work everybody puts in.

Thanks for everything.

Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends.

So we rolled in the last night after midnight, What does this campsite look like?

We're in this little clearing here.

It's about 15, 20 meters across, and there's some spruce trees, a few poplars around the odd birch.

Well, let's head into Grey Owls.

Uh-- since it is such a beautiful day, let's take the canoe in there.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

Before we take off.

Everything, everything, everything's got to be up in that bear cache.

We got another bear cache, here and it's, uh, real important that we use it.

Any time we leave, we leave everything up in the bear cache.

So, there's nothing for-- no snacks for any visitors.

ASHLYN: And, Ron, there's some marks that go up, uh-- the posts on this bear cache.

So I'm wondering if those are some-- RON: Some scratches?

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: They'd be testing it for sure.

ASHLYN: I mean, all the good smells come from up there.

RON: Yes.

JOHN: I'll take the ladder down.

ASHLYN: I'd say the scratches are probably 12 feet up.

JOHN: Let's get in the boat and get going.

RON: Alright!

ASHLYN: This is like one of those prime summer days.

It doesn't get better than this.

JOHN: Okay, and -- away we go.

RON: One more little push and we're there.

JOHN: Well-- RON: It's not little.

We've got a portage.

We've got a lake.

JOHN: Kingsmere is pretty much as close to glass calm as you can get.

ASHLYN: This is magic.

RON: X is the portage.

JOHN: X marks the spot.

With six kilometers, that's what we're walking right now.

So this is where we diverge from the hiking trail.

We're going down to the lake.

ASHLYN: Here comes John with the whole canoe on his head.

Well, guys, I think we're here.

There's some pretty steep steps down to the lake.

ASHLYN: Mosquitoes are bad.

JOHN: Yeah, let's uh-- Let's get down there.

Get out of the bugs.

You can stand in the bottom of the boat, Ron.

RON: Okay.

JOHN: Just down in the bottom.

There you go.

Walk forward and over the seat.

RON: I am in.

JOHN: There you are!

And are you ready, Ron?

RON: I'm ready.

JOHN: Oh, we're on the lake.

RON: We're on Ajawaan.

ASHLYN: It is so clear.

JOHN: Well, this is pretty idyllic scene here.

Nice blue lake, green, lush, green forest.

Well, we're more than halfway there Ron.

Oh, and there's a cabin.

RON: You can see it?

JOHN: Yeah.

ASHLYN: Oh yeah!

JOHN: Round the corner to the right, about a kilometer, 1500 meters straight shot.

(Ron chuckles) ASHLYN: Come on to the lake around the corner and-- RON: Boom!

ASHLYN: Ron, you couldn't have picked a better day to come in here.

RON: Isn't this fantastic?

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: And we're at Grey Owl's cabin.

JOHN: We're at Grey Owl's cabin.

Directly in front of us.

JOHN: Oh, there we go.

ASHLYN: There we go.

Here we go-- There you go Ron.

RON: I cant believe we're here.

ASHLYN: And Ron literally right- Right in front of us.

Just a couple feet away.

RON: It's the cabin.

ASHLYN: Yeah!

JOHN: Grey Owl's cabin.

ASHLYN: This is Grey Owl's-- like right here!

We-- So we-- we canoed and portaged and then canoed.

And then hiked and then canoed and portaged and canoed.

And now you got a tiny little hike to get in.

RON: Yeah.

Yesterday looked kind of bleak.

- Yeah.

- All that hiking and I was pretty tired.

- But-- - Yeah.

- We are here.

You know what?

You push through, you persevered-- - and we did it.

-Well, I didn't do it by myself.

- Ya.

-We did it.

We did it.

- Ya!

- Let's go check this out.

(overlapping speech) - So the cabin in front of us.

We've got cedar shakes on the-- on the roof.

Just a simple rectangular cabin.

It's about maybe 22 feet long.

Here in front of us, ASHLYN: Step up.

JOHN: The little boardwalk here.

RON: We're going in?!

(overlapping speech) ASHLYN: There we go.

JOHN: Oh, man.

Is it nice and cool in here.

ASHLYN: And no bugs.

Oh, my gosh.

JOHN: No bugs!

Let's keep the door closed.

RON: So he would enjoyed that.

No bugs in here.

Nice and cool.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: Hardly need air conditioning in here.

ASHLYN: Oh Ron, There's a-- there's a paddle on the wall over here RON: And that was-- that one-- That's a real original paddle.

JOHN: That's what it looks like.

ASHLYN: December 10th, 1937.

Grey Owl.

RON: Isnt that something.

JOHN: And then in front of you, there's an opening.

So there's no floor there.

And down to the right, there's no bottom log.

So yeah, your cane is right outside there in the weeds.

RON: Oh, so his beavers just coming and going through that hole?

We're in his Beaver Lodge Grey Owl's Beaver Lodge.

What do you think it's like to, uh-- have a couple beavers as a pet, right?

And how many people ever have done this?

- Yeah.

- Like him.

- It's like so, so unusual.

- The big uh-- big logs, like, how far would be from-- RON: From me to the wall.

JOHN: So from where you are to the other side is probably about 10 - 12 feet.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: 12 feet?!

ASHLYN: What is this, like 6 by 12?

JOHN: And about six wide.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

RON: Wow!

So the beavers almost had more of a cabin than Grey Owl.

ASHLYN: They have-- they have almost-- have almost a third of the cabin.

Really.

JOHN: Yeah, more than his bed.

So the head of his bed is basically up against the beaver lodge.

ASHLYN: There we go, so-- JOHN: There's just a bunch of logs there.

They're about one-- say two and a half to three inch diameter logs lengthwise.

And that's kind of the frame of the bed.

That's the box spring.

RON: Yeah, he did alright.

JOHN: In the corner here, kind of at the foot of the bed.

There's, um-, a little desk metal top on it.

We're finally here.

Here's a pen.

Sign your name.

There you are.

RON: Done.

Official.

Wow.

That was quite the adventure.

We made it.

We-- We are now standing in Grey Owl's cabin.

Yeah, it's official.

We signed the book.

What's the next adventure?

- I mean, you tell us, Ron.

How about we go to Kilimanjaro, Africa?

That's on my bucket list.

I would love to join you for that one!

5894 meters above sea level.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

JOHN: That's quite a climb.

ASHLYN: Yeah.

- That's quite a climb.

Think you can do it, though?

Well, I want to turn 65 on the top of Kilimanjaro.

Right on.

That's like the width of Kingsmere Lake stood up on end.

(laughing together) Funding made possible in part by Blind Institute of Technology.

Blind Institute of Technology supports companies that invest in people with disabilities.

Providing Salesforce employment training, staffing, services and accessibility consulting.

The talent is there.

More at blindit.org Funding also made possible in part by Choice Magazine Listening.

Choice Magazine Listening is a quarterly collection of magazine writing professionally recorded for the blind and print disabled, a nonprofit on the web at choicemagazinelistenening.org or 1-888-7CHOICE.

Funding for Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh and Friends made possible through Creative Saskatchewan's feature film and TV production grant.

Canadian film or video production tax credit Anthony J. Towstego Philip Doerksen, EWest International Distribution Film one.