<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Charlie's Blog]]></title><description><![CDATA[Follow the Tracks]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:54:16 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.followthetracks.ca/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The First Snowfall of 26’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The date was Friday October 16, and temperatures on this fall morning had dropped precipitously since the relatively warm sun reigned during the previous weekend. Though rays of sunshine did eventually emerge through the glum pack of grey clouds, it was not enough to quell or counter the wind's aggressive gust of chilly air. It was clear, as I zipped up my light jacket in a failed attempt to decrease direct contact with these discomforting elements, that we had reached a new season in earth’s...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/the-first-snowfall-of-26</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ad64d022b3a4d8e8261f7bd</guid><category><![CDATA[Atikokan Progress]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:12:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_a412ac339ff64bc29bd037c21de4d03a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Horseback and Duty]]></title><description><![CDATA[I rode upon horseback for the first time in my life on this Sunday afternoon. The local equestrian club was hosting their annual weekend derby, where eager folks from around the region of Northwestern Ontario come and explore the rather sophisticated and beautifully rugged trail system here in Atikokan.                                                        {A ride on Sully. Truly a dream come true} Around me were a mix of families and old timers, all camped out in their trailers and circled...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/horseback-and-duty</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab0aa20ed85621288bec6c9</guid><pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:39:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_3a60a77db2bf49b2803366cca0c0af03~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 10]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 25th, Cascadia  Every traveler needs a rest. I don't mean the type you get in a hotel room or one of those road-side truck stops, where darkness and tired eyes puts consciousness to a close. What I needed, before embarking again through the inner depths of Cascadia , was a conscious replenishment. Before leaving Grand Forks, British Columbia, I took a seat alongside the southeast-flowing Kettle River, dimmed my eyes, and took in the waves of beaming sunlight, in all of its Glory. {The...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-10</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c4ca8660f0b8e1134cb319</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:42:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_d6d3e41a829c4c4e945d7d9782058f1b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 9]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 24th, From Crows to Kootenay At the end of a walk up the crackling stairs upon retiring to my bedroom in Longview Alberta last night, a middle-aged man with a cowboy hat nodded his head at me from the room that presumably was his office.  {The lone hallway} The Twin Cities Hotel is not your average rest-stop for the evening. This establishment was founded in 1938, amidst the height of an oil boom in the region. Moreover, it was founded by three players of the National Hockey League...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-9</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c37dbd8f0e652aaa30a9b2</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:09:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_731b15b3bcee4ec79ec0394e94e7376c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_576,h_689,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 8]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 23rd, Calgary, ‘Berta Strong the Free  There is one fact that nearly every Canadian citizen and business-person knows about Alberta, either from travelling through essentially any region of the province, or reading about it in a headline, brochure, or economic textbook. This is, of course, the fact that there is a high concentration of carbon-based energy, such as coal, natural gas, and oil underneath the Albertan ground. Typically, it is the latter that receives the most attention -...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-8</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c23807adda444fefb08f95</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:48:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_092d6911f3e744b7b4d447cbe13718ca~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings, Day 7]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 22nd, The Old West The Old West lives on in small-town Saskatchewan. At least, on the surface. Taking a walk around Maple Creek’s main street before the church-bell rang on Sunday morning, there was nobody to ask about the history of the downtown, before I went ahead to snag a photo. I wondered whether the features of the frontier - rectangular wooden structures, low to the ground sidewalks, other intangibles - were a remnant of how it was built originally, or had been added later, for...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-day-7</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c0dae76e2d813924919e18</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 06:42:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_dcaeb83473da4c178364b9529b60ac4d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 6]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 21st, Buffalo  The man at the Gas Station stared former Prime Minister Mackenzie King up and down and straight in the eye. “Do you often get fake bank notes”, I asked him, wondering why he was so skeptical of my $50 dollar bill. “All the time”, he said. “I have to check every one”. After filling up my tank, and being cleared of any suspicions of currency fraud, I rushed out of the city, eager to visit a friend to the west.  Leading up to its provincial ascendency alongside Alberta in ...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-6</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bf76206e2d8139248e35da</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 04:55:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_e6e73c3b38db42b49e0ed121be3a1bc6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 5]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 20th, Regina  I woke up on the top floor of an A-frame house in the (technical) city of Melville, Saskatchewan (with a population of only 5,000!). My friend, Kincaid Bierwagen, showed me around, took me out for a drink at their only bar, and was kind enough to lend his home for the night. In a sense, it is a simple town; the streets are laid out as a near perfect symmetrical grid against the south-side rail line, no doubt planned as such by the Railway in conjunction with the Dominion...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-5</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69be3915cf14a7a450cb3382</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 07:05:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_8e0333fed5dc46839b5a0435f9facf40~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 4]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 19th, Portage La Prairie  I left Winnipeg far too late in the morning for any sort of sight seeing, due to a combination of miscommunication, and several rounds of competitive Euchre the night before (my partner was not pleased with me, even though he was polite enough to hold back outward frustration). It was warm. I thought about what this cooling Spring weather would have meant in an earlier time, for those warm-blooded fur traders starting a trip from the Winnipeg forks, and up the...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-4</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bce796bec251fc0baa708e</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:48:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_b34f4f917dca44c196245de302925dd6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 3]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 18th, The Paris of the Prairies Steinbach, Manitoba: the legacy of Russian Mennonite farmers migrating to the Prairies during the age of Nicholas II; a former hub of Canadian auto manufacturing prior to de-industrialization; and for one night, the home of this reporter. Dirt roads surround the town, as a 5 minute drive in any direction from the centre leads to farmland. The downtown, too, reflects the agrarian core of Steinbach, as, even beside those all too ubiquitous modern atrocities...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-3</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bba6fb392d3386b9273cb7</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:58:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_ccf265add2b048bea18b57fbb8677d09~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 17th, The Ecotone My last jotting ended with a questionable analogy, so, to repair my relationship with the Gods of pedanticism who cast down upon those who abuse the name of literary devices, I must provide you, dear reader, with a better one.  Heading north at the junction of Highway 11 and 71 (finally leaving the former in my tracks), up past the farmland that surrounds the town of Emo, through the twists and turns on the eastern shores of the famous Lake of the Woods (re-entering...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-2</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ba3491fde2f1f6ed2a1dc5</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:45:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_6bc343f140304a13b1c4b04355142822~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 1]]></title><description><![CDATA[March 16th, Highway 11 Persistent hugs and handshakes aside, I swiftly departed from Atikokan around 1pm. It was not that I didn't think twice as I drove by the last town sign before reaching the highway, but that my trip was a matter of inward necessity , and therefore was not worth the time of reflection and doubt. The man of action understands that the world has natural constraints, and, when making any decision that inevitably discriminates against certain possibilities, does not hold on...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b8f1bfbae3e800161c6c0b</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 06:24:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_e15bcd2c49a74f58abd1def06a792f46~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jottings West, Day 0]]></title><description><![CDATA[Atikokan Ontario Tomorrow is the day I leave my professional cocoon, and, with scarce second thought over the modern benefits so omnipotently provided, venture west into the wider world, with but a notebook and laptop to remind me of what I have left behind. The westward road trip begins in an atypical place, far off from those Toronto towers driving people to travel to see true greenery, in a town that even the moderately curious Ontario MPP may have trouble recognizing.  I have spent the...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/jottings-west-day-0</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b790bfbae3e8001619032d</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 05:31:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_9272510218964087b6889afea6e3b83e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Prairie to Shield]]></title><description><![CDATA[{This article was originally published in the Atikokan Progress, October 9th 2024} I always thought of Manitoba as but a lush and vast prairie region; and indeed - it is vast, boasting more than 14,000 farms province wide. But as I drove home after a trip to Winnipeg, first through the town of Ste. Anne, passing by the water park near the Paradise Village neighborhood, then into Richer and beyond, the view outside my window transformed. Seemingly within a blink of an eye the plains vanished,...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/from-prairie-to-shield</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b32fd660bf8f6bb4f08a13</guid><category><![CDATA[Atikokan Progress]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:41:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_2293f7818b0e455782ad82cbf73eab50~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_697,h_502,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Exploration to Development: A Conversation with a Gold X2 Representative]]></title><description><![CDATA[About halfway between the city of Thunder Bay and our town of Atikokan, only a few kilometres from the height of land, lives the village of Kashabowie, just up the north-bound highway 802. South from Kashabowie, past Burchell Lake and near Snodgrass Lake one arrives at the site of the Moss Gold Deposit, the mining rights of which are owned by a company that readers of the Progress  have become familiar with: GoldX2. Their operational headquarters: a warehouse in Kashabowie leased from the...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/from-exploration-to-development-a-conversation-with-a-gold-x2-representative</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b0e9c28f76f8fccfb546f1</guid><category><![CDATA[Atikokan Progress]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:09:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_2824840d59e145978f891413c2dd0cd4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is Blockchain the Solution to Low Engagement on Campus?]]></title><description><![CDATA[This article was originally published in Imprint, the University of Waterloo, in February 2024 The University of Waterloo is home to a variety of ambitious student organizations that aim to innovate campus life and administration. One among them is UW Blockchain, a club that works with and develops blockchain ecosystems (such as Web3), hosts events to help foster startups, and connects members with potential employers. Over the last several months, the club has been developing a blockchain...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/is-blockchain-the-solution-to-low-engagement-on-campus</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b0d8da22bc04bb87fa6469</guid><category><![CDATA[Imprint]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 03:23:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_e4ee7f2ec2994dda957dd2a5bf647e18~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evaluating the University of Waterloo Student Union's New Governance Model]]></title><description><![CDATA[This article was originally published in Imprint, UW's student publication, in November 2023. This term has been rocked by public criticism towards WUSA’s new governance system. Among the channels where this discontent has been raised is the Discord server “WUSA Reform,” an informal group created to promote discussion and civil debate. On Oct. 4, several leaders associated with the WUSA Reform server carried out a protest  in the Student Life Centre, during which students discussed pressing...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/evaluating-the-university-of-waterloo-student-union-s-new-governance-model</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b0d75222bc04bb87fa60e6</guid><category><![CDATA[Imprint]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:49:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_4fac5d6da1b749f6aeaf6a5f3a14c0fd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Oil Prices Boom as new Gulf war rages; Gasoline costs set to explode: Why conflict in the Middle East increases the price you pay at the pump]]></title><description><![CDATA[Since the last issue of the Progress , global oil prices have increased dramatically. On Wednesday March 4th, the price of Western Canadian Select (WCS) – the name of the crude oil product from Alberta – was around $63 USD. As of Monday the 9th, it is $82. This staggering week, of course, is the result of active warfare between Iran, Israel, and their respective allies, causing great danger to shipping companies operating in the region, and great risk to their insurers. Throughout history,...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/oil-prices-boom-as-new-gulf-war-rages-gasoline-costs-set-to-explode-why-conflict-in-the-middle-eas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69af9682de5ad9153e0c5bc9</guid><category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:58:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_2049defa329549a294e046d8067ed019~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_259,h_194,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Price of Gold, and Government: Exploring the Value of Gold as a Central Bank Asset]]></title><description><![CDATA[Originally published in the Atikokan Progress, March 4 2026 On February 5th, GoldX2 CEO Michael Henrichsen announced the discovery of two ‘mineralized shear zones’ 2 km south of their Moss Lake site, in the midst of an “aggressive exploration program”. Due to ongoing findings within the area of ‘Reasonable Prospects of Eventual Economic Extraction’ (RPEEE), the exact lifespan of the mine site, as well as total extraction, is currently unknown. Also unknown, based only on rough estimates of...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/the-price-of-gold-and-government-exploring-the-value-of-gold-as-a-central-bank-asset</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69af956e1b8e90b2a7e9f32d</guid><category><![CDATA[Atikokan Progress]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:55:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_f997247d624b4391ad3be594dbbe4c6c~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_864,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Future of Reforestation]]></title><description><![CDATA[(Originally published in Sans Pulp Press Magazine, Vol1) When all is said and done, the winds of change will whip across the way and wipe out even the most ancient of willows. Or so that damn poet says… The vocation of tree planting — as hard as it may be to swallow — is not immune to evolution. Much like other industries and spheres of society, reforestation could soon endure the effects of what has been called ‘the 4th Industrial Revolution’ (4IR), characterized by technologies such as the...]]></description><link>https://www.followthetracks.ca/post/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-and-the-future-of-reforestation</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69af8d47c674490e6e213f0e</guid><category><![CDATA[Sans Pulp Press]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:29:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bbd70a_0facf1e5e60d40b8b5c7ad07fbfe8c03~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Charlie Dickson</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>