Jimbo,

Part of the draw of a guy like Q-Dave, is that he's a little local guy who's trying to eke our a living doing something he loves ;)

I think we all would like that, but in most cases financial burdens/family responsibilities make that next too impossible. If your one of the lucky ones who's making a living do what you would do for free, count your self blessed.

Part of a northern trip for me, is letting go of that 24/7 service idea that most of us have come to expect. Whether as a consumer or provider, we all seem too have become slaves to the machine.

My first trip into the Q was thru Canoe Canada. Excellent service, no complaints, but there was something lacking, at least for me.

I wanted some one on one time with a local guy who I could get too know, and talk about other things besides trip related things.

I looked forward to talking too Dave before the trip. We fired up the grill, drank some beers and talked about everything under the sun that had a bearing on HIS life. I even managed to get some Q info along the way ;D

Dave was his own man. Some here probably wouldn't like his laid back personality, but he always got me there and picked me up although not always on MY time line ;D

He's an Up-North character, from posts, I'm sure Doug Chapman is cut from the same cloth. I like that.

Atikokan as a community hangs on by the skin of its teeth. Dave has worked at the mines, for local contractors, anything to be able too run his business when he could. Unfortunately all the things Jimbo mentioned are working against the Q-D's of the outfitter world.

Hopefully, he'll resurface sooner than later? My concern is for his personal well being, I hope he and his family are doing okay.
Whether he's providing a service too me or not, I plan on looking him up the next trip I take. We'll fire up the grill, have a few Blue's  and tell some stories 8-)