![The Team Hardwood nordic team at the beach during their summer junior camp at Tobermory, about 300 kilometres northwest of Toronto in southern Ontario. (Photo: Patricia MacDonell)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/08/groupbeachshot.jpg")
Southern Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula hosts perfect summer training camp
(August 14, 2014) — When Team Hardwood Head Coach Ron Howden chose Tobermory as the site of his August training camp, he knew the area – renowned for its rugged beauty and crystal clear waters – would offer plenty of scenic trails and quiet roads for training. It turned out that the location was just the start of everything good. With great food, welcoming hosts, sunny skies and 20 enthusiastic skiers, the camp turned out to be, well, pretty much perfect.
Pulling a trailer loaded with luggage, training gear and no fewer than eight coolers of homemade food, the group rolled into Tobermory on Thursday afternoon. While coaches and chaperones found their rooms, athletes set up tents on the spacious, tree-lined grounds of the motel. Comfort was important, especially so for the National Talent Squad athlete who brought along a futon to squeeze inside the tent he shared with a teammate.
A quiet loop of road nearby served as the site of the first rollerski workout and was followed by a BBQ dinner and a bonfire under the stars.
![Some Team Hardwood juniors at the beach in Tobermory. (Photo: Patricia MacDonell)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/08/beach.jpg")
On Friday, the team hit the Bruce Trail, with athletes completing varying distances of running and/or ski-walking, depending on age and personal training plans. The rocky trail wound its way along the edge of Georgian Bay and each group finished at the Little Cove cobble beach for the first swim of the camp.
After lunch and a rest, the group donned fins and masks and explored the shipwrecks on the floor of the peaceful inlet of Big Tug Harbour. In the clear, calm water under the late-day sun, the scene below was hauntingly beautiful; it was almost two hours later before athletes, coaches and chaperones reluctantly got out of the water and headed back for dinner.
Saturday was an early start. The athletes headed to the Visitor Centre of the Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park where coaches Ron Howden and Andrew Kerr led them through a power workout. Groups of athletes repeatedly scaled the 112 steps of the fire tower three-and-four at a time, while others used ropes and various pieces of training equipment among the trees and rocks. By the time the tourist crowds started to arrive, the workout had concluded. Before leaving the area, the group toured the interpretive exhibits of the Visitor Centre. Reports of a less-than-pleasant odour during the visit to the centre cannot be confirmed.
![Team Hardwood explores shipwrecks in Big Tug Harbour. (Photo: Patricia MacDonell)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/08/underwater.jpg")
In the afternoon, the group headed to Singing Sands Beach – part of the national park on the Lake Huron side. The huge, sandy beach was perfect for swimming or just splashing around. After a couple of hours, it was back to the motel and a roller ski technique session led by the senior athletes. After dinner, if one looked closely with a flashlight, the athletes and coaches could be seen running and playing games among the tents and campfire for several hours.