 |
|
|
 The Story of Voyageur Quest
Voyageur Quest came from an idea I had during a long arduous canoe trip in Northern Ontario. I was working for another company at the time, a company that specialized in taking people out of their comfort zones for 23-day canoe trips. The days were long and the food limited. The scenery however was spectacular. Waterfalls, jack pine forests with sphagnum moss, caribou swimming across lakes, pike and walleye on every second cast. It was so unfortunate that we had to rush through it on another day paddling and portaging from sunrise to sundown. Why couldn't we come back here and stay for a week! Have nowhere to go! Explore, swim, fish, - and bring lots of good food! Why not come back with friends and have a comfortable time in the wilderness ! The idea of a comfortable wilderness vacation was born and Voyageur Quest took out its first comfortable adventure to Algonquin Park the next fall. It was 1991.Over the last 15 years, Voyageur Quest has built all of our trips on the idea that a trip in nature can be a vacation- something fun and enjoyable.
Choosing Algonquin Park, and more specifically the northwest corner of Algonquin Park, to be our home was less arbitrary. The Algonquin area has deep roots in my family.
My mother Marion Langford (nee Barker) was Head Counsellor of a summer girl's camp, Camp Inawendawin on St. Mary's lake near Dorset, Ontario in the 1950's. Her days were spent tripping through Lake of Bays on sailboats or into Algonquin in canoes. Prior to working at Inawendawin, my mother spent all of her summers on Lake Nipissing and Powasson. In the 1920's to 40's, my mother's grandfather (my great grandfather), Thornton Reid lived and worked in Powasson and had a cottage at Lighthouse Bay on Lake Nipissing.
He was an expert fisherman and loved to eat fresh pickerel for breakfast every morning. The picture to the right is of my Grandmother and great grandfather sitting on the shores of Lake Nipissing. The picture below is of my grandfather, Elzwood Barker, fishing for speckled trout on the South River in the 1920s.
Powasson and this part of the South River are just a short drive away north from our present day lodge and canoe trip outpost locations on Surprise and Kawawaymog Lake.
On the other side of my family, Ken Langford, a cousin of my father's great grandfather, started one of Canada's oldest canoe companies Langford canoes, located in Dorset, Ontario. My love for the Algonquin area, canoes, and a sense of adventure come from these family roots.
Since taking out our first trip in the summer of 1991, Voyageur Quest has evolved from a one-person operation to one of Canada's most recognized adventure travel companies. Our journey has been immensely satisfying. Growth has been slow and steady- one customer at a time. Our customers are what have made this journey feel so special. Our business is small and unique, not exactly the type of place you find in mainstream travel agencies. Our customers have had to search to find us and when they did find us, it was like a reunion of old friends. Kindred spirits who love to be off to be off the beaten track. We have been so incredibly lucky to work in a business that attracts such interesting and well-traveled guests.
Our adventure vacations today are considered best in class. In 1998, the Canadian Tourism Commission selected our 3-day Algonquin Park winter adventure, Footsteps of the Pioneer as the Best Winter trip in Canada in the learning and culture category.
1n 1999 and again in 2000, Voyageur Quest was again selected by the CTC as one Canada's top 50 Ecotourism and soft adventure companies. We are proud of our past but continue to work very hard to find new ways to improve our trips and offer excellent value to our guests.
Our Algonquin Log Cabin, built in the fall of 1997, was created as a way for our guests to enjoy a wilderness trip but avoid sleeping outside. Our new Algonquin Cottage Outpost purchased in 2000 and renovated in 2003, offers deluxe solar -powered comfort for those couples and families looking for a private adventure.
Over the past few years we have been developing a Canadian - wide adventure company which offers our guests new and exciting experiences to other iconic destinations in Canada. We are proud to introduce, Langford & Company, specializing in family and corporate travel across Canada and in the Caribbean. The philosphy of Langford and Company mirrors that of Voyageur Quest, providing fun and educational learning experiences this time, outside the borders of Algonquin Park.
Voyageur Quest today is a small team of hard working individuals who are determined to provide the best possible adventure experience to our clientele. Collectively, our mission continues to be to introduce people to the outdoors in a fun and comfortable way.
John Langford
Director and Owner
|
 Sustainability at Voyageur Quest
Voyageur Quest operates with the cornerstone intention for our guests to experience the essence of the natural world. To witness the beauty of unspoilt wilderness, to learn, to restore ourselves through activity. To share the wonder of discovery, and beauty of experience with enthusiastic guests. Voyageur Quest does this in an environmentally ethical and sustainable fashion. The personal benefits of experiencing the beauty of Algonquin Park do not come at the expense of the very environment we so cherish. In contrast, a visit to the Log Cabin or Cottage Outpost and the facilities presence offer a net benefit to society through the engendearment of understanding our collective role in our natural environment. Our operations are a positive force by sustainably strengthening local communities and regional economies, with our consumption streamlined and minimilized when ever possible. Voyageur Quest does not sit still, but rather continues to strive for improvement. The effort to improve on our sustainability is constant...New directions and methods are continuously sought out and our ‘modus operandi’ continually questioned, not complacently accepted as The Way.
Our Green Traditions. Environmental and social ethics and sustainability have been guiding principles throughout our close to two decades of operation. Since Voyageur Quest began in the 1991 our focus has been on experiential learning and rejuvenation through activity. The programme has been sought to be in-tune with the natural environment we visit and live in.
We are based around ‘Self Powered’ and ‘Naturally Powered’ outdoor-adventure experiences. Our broad base of programmes is comprised of unique and creative experiential trips into the wilderness. In the summer and autumn months we share the wonder of Algonquin Park with many participants through guided custom canoe trips.
In accordance with Algonquin's regulations, group size is limited to eight, enabling a group to travel and camp with a light footprint/impact on the beauty and resources of the Park. The Guides are professional and experienced in their profession, being knowledgeable about local Flora and Fauna, natural and human history- offering informative insight providing local context on the Park, the surrounding area and all its inhabitants.
In the winter we provide winter camping experiences. Travelling by ski and snowshoe and incorporating a traditional wall-tent, we demonstrate long-term viability of traditional lifestyles and travelling methods. Even when staying at the comfortable and rustic Algonquin Log Cabin or Cottage Outpost, our goal is be out of doors.
Our situation at the North West corner of Algonquin Park is/was deliberate. It is far from the busier Highway 60 Algonquin experience, and from Toronto. This isolation contributes to the genuine experience, with the Log Cabin and Cottage Outpost being surrounded by a vast tract of Crown Land. We are on the Shield, so it is a representative Canadian experience, with the forest and geographic features undergoing several shifts during the journey from Southern Ontario. Our relatively high elevation and latitude means we are home to reliable snow conditions throughout the winter. While winter may be disappearing from the Toronto experience, it is very much alive and well at the Algonquin Log Cabin and Cottage Outpost.
Getting to and from wilderness destinations has proven to be considerable challenge for those without personal transportation. We seek to eliminate this prohibitive obstacle that has traditionally stood in the way of conscientious urbanites from getting out into the countryside and experiencing Canada’s wilderness. Also, we are pleased to say that a considerable percentage of our guests take advantage of our dedicated shuttle service from Toronto, take the Ontario Northlander train service leaving from Union Station in Toronto, or carpool. This goes a long way to reducing the carbon footprint of the most impactful element of the Voyageur Quest experience, the transportation to and from the stay.
As Voyageur Quest came of age and looked for a home we built the Algonquin Log Cabin, a ‘purpose specific’ building designed for us to carry out our wilderness adventures in rustic style. We are off the grid, avoiding unnecessary amenities, with a rustic unpolished appearance.... it was built a decade ago with what now seems to be considerable prescience, having employed progressive sustainable building practices. A local builder was employed, and locally sourced materials were used, with red pine and spruce from the region used in the construction. The rustic feel and sense of place, that this has engendered continues to be a source of pride and a defining characteristic of the Cabin.
We are off the grid, and heated by wood stoves. And the kitchen and lighting runs on propane. Our water needs are met by our well, and our waste water goes to our septic system. Our two toilets are ‘low-flow’. In the summer outhouse use is more common. We run our generator once a week to pump water from the well, to an interior holding tank, thereafter utilising gravity fed toilets and hand pumps.
Our newer facilities, The Algonquin Outpost is a small lake-side cottage facility that runs on solar power and provides guest with a more comfort-conscious venue from which to stage their self-catered and unguided excursions from.
Voyageur Quest has been operating nature - orineted adventuress the same way since 1991… before the "Eco"trend. In 1994 an industry critic considered our product, a three-day or four-day canoe trip into Algonquin Park too extreme, and while admiring Voyageur Quest’s attitude, predicting that it wouldn’t appeal to customers at large. VQ’s ‘Adventures for the Inquisitive Spirit’ have since proven to be very popular, tapping into a then unproven desire of travellers for something unique and genuine. We are now market leaders in responsible and sustainable wilderness experiences in North West Algonquin.
With the desire to build on the base of this popular demand and long-time success in delivering sustainable adventure, the company continues to move forward. It is the cornerstone of our Green Policy that the evolution towards an ever more sustainable and progressive model is continuous. It is our belief that we must continue to identify areas we can improve, and to make concerted efforts at progress in those directions. Setting ambitious, attainable goals is important. We believe that in striving to attain those goals we are also improving the business. It is a core belief that further integrating our operations into the local and natural economy, and by improving our environmental standards, we are also improving the quality of our product and the quality of the experience.
|
 HUMAN RESOURCES AND DIRECTOR
Eva Langford joined the Voyageur Quest team officially in 2007, but has really been a big part of Voyageur Quest from the start!Eva has a Masters Degree in Education - Psych. Counselling and over 15 years of sales and event planning from the pharmaceutical industry. Eva's facilitation centres on team - its effectiveness, its culture and its leadership. Eva was a facilitator on our first group in 1991, guided numerous canoe and kayak trips in the mid nineties not to mention building docks, decorating Cottage units and helping on the Toronto Islands. Eva has also recently taken on the role of Director for Langford & Company, Voyageur Quest's new partner in providing exceptional made to measure services and adventures for family and corporate groups
.
|
 OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT - TORONTO
Tracy Dalgleish runs our Toronto office. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in Tourism Management from University of Guelph, Tracy's passion is travel and the outdoors. She is the friendly voice who takes care of your reservation and ensures all aspects of your trip are organized to perfection. Tracy is a great skier, loves good wine and spending time outdoors.
Tracy has also been a correspondent for some of our Langford & Company Tropical Escapes, including a recent trip from Belize. You can read about her adventures here
|
 ALGONQUIN CANOE GUIDES AND NATURALISTS
Algonquin Park guiding is what defines Voyageur Quest. At the Algonquin Log Cabin, adventure naturalists lead unique excursions to the forests, lakes and rivers around Surprise Lake. Our canoe and sea kayak guides lead trip into the interior of Algonquin park and out into the 30, 000 islands of Georgian Bay. Voyageur Quest guides are skilled outdoorsmen and women who are there to ensure your canoe trip is an adventure of a lifetime. On top of being well versed in the natural and cultural history of Algonquin and northern Ontario, our guides are selected for their love of the people and the land. All Voyageur Quest guides are qualified professionals and trained in wilderness first aid. Our guides and naturalists are warm and friendly and make your experience memorable.
|
 ALGONQUIN SUPPORT TEAM
Often out of sight, our support teams do all the little things before, during and after your adventure to make sure your experience is seamless. As drivers, shoppers, cook, and cleaning staff - they are the backbone of any trip. A New York City Fireman, Dan Girard was recently at our Log Cabin and described our team in these words, "Having been a New York City fireman for the last 20 years, your staff put on an amazing demonstration of what effective teamwork is."
|
 2009 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Working full or part time with Voyageur Quest is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, learn new skills and have some fun. Voyageur Quest operates two small lodges and a canoe trip outpost at the northwest corner of Algonquin Park.
Voyageur Quest is currently interviewing for the following positions for the Spring/ Summer 2009 season :
* Team leader Algonquin
* Outpost Logistics Algonquin
* Algonquin Canoe trip Guide
* Adventure naturalist
For more information please click here for a job description.
Please e-mail a resume and letter to:
Jobs@voyageurquest.com
|
 NEW! LANGFORD & COMPANY
Langford and Company is a Canadian adventure travel company dedicated to offering select authentic adventure experiences to individuals, friends and families, small groups and colleagues.
Our adventures are - “Made in Canada” - each stirred by personal connections to our Langford team of “in the know” adventurists featuring the places we love. Our expertise is the natural world – spectacular iconic destinations aimed at those who want to be active, to be outside and to feel inspired. Our trips appeal to uncompromising enthusiasts who want to explore raw beauty while supported with exceptional made to measure personalized services.
Our Langford Corporate Adventure series offers original team building adventures, retreats, select speakers and workshops to corporate groups.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
