Author Bill Steer is combining digital technology and old-fashioned trekking in a new book about Northern Ontario adventures.
Steertonorthernontario.ca, a Guidebook of Adventures Found in Northern Ontario, takes readers off the beaten path to discover the region.
“All our gems are off the road in Northern Ontario,” said Steer, who heads the Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa. “We have vistas, waterfalls, interesting rock formations and natural and cultural features that many people don’t know about.”
Steer said there is a real need in tourism to provide enhanced or better information in digital form. In his book, all adventures he describes can be located with an accompanying CD that contains different files – KMZ (Google Earth), GDB (Garmin), GPX (GPS compressed).
“These are the experiences not found in the usual travel and visitor literature,” he said. “The locations are not necessarily difficult to reach, since it could be just off a road or trail.
“This is all about providing the needed information, the directions, and the maps to find those natural and cultural heritage treasures.”
The places are not hard to find and include destinations in northwestern and northeastern Ontario. Maps can be printed from the CD and the file extensions can be uploaded in a GPS unit, or a Smart Phone, that contains a program to read them.
Steer has been exploring the province for a few decades and now has enoughmaterial to write a few more volumes.
“I will certainly be writing one every year,” he said.
Stories and personal comments accompany the descriptions of the destinations and he purposely included only one or two photographs for each adventure.
“I could do video, and I could include a lot more photos, but I don’t want to spoil people’s adventures,” Steer said. “The photos simply help to just get there.”
He has been to every destination featured in the book and has returned to many in different seasons. Some require a short walk while others may include a challenging hike or paddle across some waterways.
“You can certainly pick and choose what you want to do,” he said. “You can be a Sunday driver or take on more of a challenge.”
One of the destinations is a 150-metre, 2.2 million-year-old fault cliff that is about a 20 to 30 minute walk from a road.
While many locals in the Temiskaming Shores area may know about Devil’s Rock, there are no signs directing others how to reach it.
“It’s one of the best vistas in the province,” Steer said. “And it is quite accessible once you know how to get there.”
More of his favourites include railway tunnels at Jackfish Bay and Mink Bay in northwestern Ontario. A short distance from one of the tunnels is a plaque that commemorates the last spike between Montreal and Winnipeg.
“I never realized the railway was built in two sections – western and eastern – so it was really quite exciting to see the plaque.”
Steer refers to himself as a “recycled explorer” and when he meets people, he is sure to ask them what their favourite places are and why.
His website also acts as a repository and hopes that others will share their adventures there as well.
“It isn’t about me. It is about all these wonderful places that exist,” he said.
Tourist operators can also promote these types of excursions by utilizing the digital information available in his book or by creating their own.
“The technology is there so we should use it. We should be embracing this more,” Steer said.
Anglers and hunters that he comes across are not open to divulging their favourite places, nor are people who know locations of cranberry bogs or other private spots.
“I can certainly understand that but I really want people to explore Northern Ontario and utilize the local entrepreneurs. I am hoping it can direct some traffic to those in the tourism business.”
Steer, who has been involved with GPS training for several years through his work at the ecology centre, said the book combines his love of the outdoors with modern technology.
He also reminds those who use the book to head out with a map, compass and GPS to be safe.
“We really need to know more about our backyards,” Steer said.
