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Weekly UpdatesDavid Wells exudes the energetic silence of a boundless explorer. His finger points beyond the smooth rocky shore to the horizon of Lake Superior: "Look from left to right," he says. "You can actually see the curvature of the earth from here." He is right. Rock Island Lodge is at the edge of infinity.
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The Lodge is home base for Naturally Superior Adventures, an award winning eco-adventure company founded by Wells in 1994. Situated at the junction of the Michipicoten and Magpie Rivers, about six miles south of Wawa, Ontario, the property embraces the shores of the Big Water, Lake Superior. Luxurious in its simplicity, and consciously designed to appeal to all the senses, Rock Island is its own seven acres of secluded lonely planet.
Wells seems to have found the business formula which matches his own personal passions. "I was trained as a forester and ended up here as the Business Manager on the Michipicoten Reserve. Michipicoten, means Big Bluffs in Qjibwe", he explains. "The intrigue of nature is at its max around here. The contrast of the landscape, from endless hills to vast watery horizons, is enough to create an ancient ache in the pit of your stomach. This is a prime spot."
He's felt that way, it seems, from day one. "Paddling from Marathon, we rested on some rocks. I realized that possibly I was the very first person in the history of time to be there. On this shoreline, I could find spear heads and pictographs that other white people had never seen before. It was an amazing, life changing experience."
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It's the kind of altered headspace that Wells and his extremely skilled staff want to create for their worldwide client base. Wells has focussed his business model on his own inner passions - nature, art, risk, history, excellence and a love of Lake Superior. His clientele is different from the usual Circle Tour road trip types. "We appeal to personal desires for lifetime achievement, individuals who want to reach ultimate goals. They are trophy hunters of sorts. Boomers want to collect experiences, good or bad, but not mediocre. We give them a really good presentation, meaning top quality gear and excellent training. Maybe they had a bad experience on the water 30 years ago. It's important to spend 20 minutes to find out what makes them tick, and then teach the skills."
Clients are seeking adventure, usually in a Kayak. Expert Guides offer courses that range from watercraft skills to storm watching packages for photographing the gales of November. In all of this natural silence, with the potential of regaining the soul's inner quiet there is also the potent possibility of engaging in the thrill of a lifetime - simultaneously
"My first business plan didn't work. I didn't know myself then." Wells says, "We finally found our niche: "Silent Sports". Kayaks are the heart of the company. People were asking to stay here, so we added four voyageur themed rooms with large windows and without telephones. We include a hearty breakfast. I like the kind of people who are our customers: hikers, sailors, photographers, musicians, artists, folks who like to watch storms, get married on the beach, or spend a night in a tepee."
Employees are obviously top notch characters. Subservience doesn't cut it. They have to have opinions. "We have amazing staff. We don't give them a policy manual. They need to be performers, and lead actors, especially when we take a group out for a week on the Big Water. They have to understand weather patterns and respect the lake with its craggy, wild shorelines. It's dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. They must know first aid and safety procedures, but more importantly, our guides must be pro-active and people friendly, with a grasp on group dynamics."
Wells claims that Lake Superior's offerings are becoming better known in the global travel market. "We were written up in The Lonely Planet Travel Guide. We won a Tourism Pinnacle Award this year, and National Geographic honoured us as one of the top ten kayak outfitters in the world. I tell people that this is comparable to places like Greenland, but the difference is, you can drive here. We're innovative and sophisticated, yet affordable. We promote eco-tourism and ecological diversity in everything we do, and also donate 1% of our revenues to the Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council. We are very much part of the Wawa community."
Wells never tires of watching the water ebb and flow. "Back in 1994, I invested in the most expensive piece of property anywhere around Wawa. I think have horseshoes. I am where I like to be, and where Lake Superior wants me to be."
Maggie Chicoine is a professional member of the Professional Writer's Association of Canada, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and a Master Coach. She specializes in strategies to think ahead. Reach her at 1 800 587 1767 or www.theideasculptor.com" www.theideasculptor.com
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