The Start of the Journey
April 1, 2001
Chris Komlenic, Webmaster
What, where, when, why, and how... explained.
Today not only marks the beginning of this FOT/TGA Online web site, but the start of a journey as well. It's a journey into the history of Tinnerman Canoe Base, it's Guides, it's guests, and most importantly... it's experiences. It's a journey back in time, with a focus on the future. What begins today... has no certain destination, simply a goal: To gather as much information regarding Tinnerman Canoe Base as can be found.
My idea for this site, although others undoubtedly thought of having a site for the FOT/TGA, began to grow around the spring of 2000. My years as a Guide at Tinnerman were no doubt drawing to a close, and I wished to still remain a part of what I loved. There are countless Guides who simply seem to have "faded away". They get jobs and wives and kids, and what most people term the "real world" swallows them up-- Never to be seen again. You find yourself hoping to someday at least run into these guys... but you never do. I was determined to never let this be me, and hoped to remain a part for as long as I could.
After the 2000 summer season at Tinnerman, I knew that I had reached the point: Time to give up guiding at TCB. The fall found me discussing my ideas for this site with many people, and writing, re-writing, and further editing code. My ideas became others, and others' ideas became mine, the result of which is what you now see.
For me, this site not only represents a way to gather and display information about TCB, but a way to remain a part of something which has helped me define who I am in life. Yes, it sounds banal and overly sentimental, but sometimes the truth cannot be expressed without a cliché. What's it like to Guide at TCB? ...It's a curse. It's telling, "When I was in Canada" stories to everyone you know... every day. It's somehow finding a lyric in every song you hear on the radio that reminds you of memories on the French. It's knowing that you simply can't guide another summer, and trying to convince yourself that it might be possible. A friend of mine, John Loth (Guide 1995-1996), once described to me how he had "the fever": Usually a springtime ailment that is characterized by constant thought about TCB and the French. Those who came before me know exactly what I am talking about... and to those yet to come, it happens to the best of us.
I once heard someone say, that when you find yourself living in the past, day after day, your time on earth is short. I learned long ago, that the past is just that... past. We must move forward, find new waters to paddle, so to speak. Hence I thought of this site; a new tonic for my life... something to keep my mind off of the "real world" and where it belongs, much like 3 months a year used to be for the other 9. For you, this site is a great way to remember all of your memories of TCB, while helping to support its future. After all, that is what the FOT/TGA is really all about.
So Become a Member, contribute to the Photo Gallery or send us some Stories. Find someone in the Guide Directory who you used to know and drop them a line. Find something you love about this site, and let me know... find something you dislike, and let me know. Just get involved, and become a part of the journey...