A schoolteacher has turned his love for the great outdoors into a part-time job.
Despite teaching full-time, Carmine Minutillo, who resides in Parham, Ont., has found time to do research and head writing for Backroad Mapbooks, Canada's leading outdoor recreation guidebook series.
Minutillo's full-time job is as an elementary teacher at a
rural school near Kingston, but his true passion is outdoor
recreation. To satisfy his desire to spend more time outdoors,
he recently began writing outdoor recreation guidebooks for
Ontario. New this year is the Backroad Mapbook for Northeastern
Ontario that he authored.
"The research is a ton of fun, but the sheer amount of the
writing can be overwhelming at times," Minutillo said.
"Luckily, I am able to balance the demands of teaching with my
family and writing."
He is proud to say he has travelled and camped in almost every
province and territory in the country.
His long-time friend and editor of the Backroad Mapbook series,
Jason Marleau, introduced Minutillo to guidebook writing.
"We've paddled, hiked, fished and camped together all over the
province. Some funny things have happened along the way. One
morning we woke up in Northern Ontario to find all of our gear
shuffled around the campsite with bear tracks all over.
Unbelievably we both slept through the visit. Good thing we had
hung our food pack in a tree, otherwise the bear might have
still been there in the morning," Marleau said.
Minutillo has always enjoyed the outdoors.
"I think I first started fishing when I was three years old and
I paddled my first canoe by the time I was 10."
One of the more unique experiences he has participated in is
spending a night in a quanzee or a winter shelter made of
snow.
"It's definitely not toasty in a snow shelter," Minutillo
noted. "I don't think I'd do it again, but at least I know I
can survive in that situation if I had to."
The chance to research for Backroad Mapbooks opened Minutillo's
eyes to the amazing recreational opportunities in Ontario.
"I always knew Ontario was a recreation haven, but I remember
when I did the research for my first book, Northwestern
Ontario, I literally could not believe the endless amount of
recreation possibilities. It's both the biggest blessing and
the greatest curse of researching and writing these books. I
discover so many interesting places to go: trails to hike,
campsites to visit, and rivers and lakes to fish and paddle.
More than I could possibly ever do in a lifetime."
Minutillo continues to enjoy the great outdoors and is
currently researching a Backroad Mapbook for eastern Ontario.
The Backroad Mapbooks series has expanded across Canada with
over 20 titles coast-to-coast. They are the most comprehensive
outdoor guidebooks available and combine detailed maps with
information on all the recreation activities in the given
area.
The mapbooks can be found at bookstores and outdoor stores or
visit
www.backroadmapbooks.com
for more information.
