One local entrepreneur has made it her business to spend less time at the desk and more time in the great outdoors—and she’s taking others with her. Lesley Gaudry of St. Adolphe recently launched a new business called Nature’s Edge Tourism.
Gaudry is the company’s sole instructor and tour guide, and she hopes to provide clinics and tours to area residents all year round. In winter, she focuses on snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In summer, she anticipates getting clients into the water with some stand-up paddleboarding.
“The premise behind [this business] is just to help people get outside,” says Gaudry. “My slogan is ‘access to adventure,’ because it’s about giving people access to try something new.”
Like so many adults, Gaudry’s regular jobs keep her bound to a desk for much of the day. Working as the manager of the Economic Development Association of Manitoba and running her other company, Ohana Writing Services, means she spends a lot of sedentary time in front of the computer.
“I wanted to be a lot more intentional with my own health [when it comes to staying active],” Gaudry says. “Last year I started thinking about what I enjoy, and I love being outside and I love moving and paddling.”
The idea for the business, she says, had been simmering in her mind for a long time, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2019 that she finally decided to do something about it. First, she applied for her Resource Tourism License. Then, in the fall, she earned her stand-up paddleboard instructor’s certification through Paddle Canada, allowing her to instruct in both basic and advanced levels of paddleboarding.
She has since geared up, gathering all the equipment her clients will need to enjoy an afternoon in the snow or a summer day on the water. Her business officially kicked off in February of this year.
Despite the late start to her winter season, Gaudry has already provided a number of group snowshoeing clinics at A Maze in Corn and the Roseau River area. Each clinic covered information on the different types of snowshoes and the conditions in which they should be used. After that, participants headed out for a two-hour guided tour of the area.
Her last snowshoe tour of the season, snow levels permitting, will take place on March 15. Gaudry calls it the Sweet Treats tour, which will include a snowshoe trek through picturesque areas of Marchand, stopping en route to sample sweets baked by a local pastry chef.
“They say you can burn up to 700 calories in an hour while snowshoeing,” Gaudry says. “It’s a great activity because it’s affordable and it’s also very accessible. So if you can walk, you can snowshoe.”
And with summer just around the bend, Gaudry will soon be packing up the winter gear and preparing for a season of stand-up paddleboarding. She will offer two kinds of boards: solid and inflatable. As well, registrants will be provided a personal flotation device for safety.
“Paddleboarding is for everyone, it really is,” says Gaudry. “Even if you’re four years old, you can tandem on the paddleboard with a parent… On your own, you can do it from seven or eight years old.”
A paddleboard looks and acts a lot like a surfboard. Users can sit, kneel, or stand while paddling the board, much like you would a kayak. Gaudry says they are generally very stable on the water and don’t easily tip, making it an excellent activity for any age or level of experience.
“[Paddleboarding] has been around for quite a while,” says Gaudry. “The history of it starts in Hawaii. It really exploded about ten years ago… It has [taken off] because it is affordable and now with inflatable stand-up paddleboards [it’s easier to carry the equipment].”
Gaudry says even seniors are getting into the sport in a big way. There are senior stand-up paddleboard clubs in every province of Canada. Many of them find paddleboarding to be a great exercise for post-knee and hip replacement because it’s a low impact exercise that helps to strengthen the body’s core.
For seniors and anyone learning this new sport, Gaudry’s business is perfect. Registrants not only learn the skills needed to safely use the board in water, but they also gain valuable insight that will help them make the right board purchase for their needs.
Gaudry will offer more than just clinics to teach the sport. She also hopes to provide a number of uniquely themed tours this summer that will allow registrants to explore Manitoba’s waterways from a whole new perspective.
She’ll be kicking off her summer season on May 31 with a paddleboarding tour of Oak Hammock Marsh. Along with a nature interpreter, registrants will explore the marsh on paddleboard. Gaudry intends to provide wetsuits and water socks if the water is still on the cooler side.
In June, she hopes to build on her skills by completing a River Run Skills course, which will allow her to take groups on rivers with class-1 and class-2 rapids.
For late summer, Gaudry hopes to host a Women, Water and Wellness retreat near Pine Falls, Manitoba. The weekend will include paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing, or if attendees prefer, just reconnecting with nature through some outdoor R&R.
As well, Gaudry will be ready to customize clinics and tours for corporate events if there’s a demand.
“[I’m excited] to showcase just what Manitoba has to offer,” Gaudry says. “We have beautiful waterways and such a variety of waterways. Everything from whitewater rivers to flat, serene ponds and it’s all beautiful and fun to paddle on. If I can showcase that and teach people how to be safe in the water, it’s really about education.”
For Gaudry, Nature’s Edge Tourism is really just an extension of who she has always been. She was raised by parents who loved outdoor sports. As an adult, she’s spent much of her free time kayaking and enjoying backcountry canoe trips with friends and family.
“I’ve paddled [in canoes and kayaks] for years and years, but when I tried stand-up paddleboarding, I just got hooked.”
Her children, too, have been infected with Gaudry’s love of water sports. By the age of four they receive their own kayak. By the time they reach six years of age, they know how to independently use their own paddleboard. Gaudry family trips usually revolve around enjoying Manitoba’s beautiful bodies of water.
