December 2018

Mew Lake Winter Camping with The Outdoor Kind – 113018-120218

By |2018-12-11T18:34:21-05:00December 11th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, camping, campsite, Canada, carcamping, cold camp, cold camping, Exploring, hike, Hiking, hiking trails, hot tent, Mew Lake, Ontario, ontario parks, Outdoors, scenery, scenic, snowshoe trails, snowshoeing, waterfalls, winter, winter camping|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have been chatting with an awesome guy online since November 2017, John Van Barriger from The Outdoor Kind.  We connected through social media due to mutual friends and similar interests and I have always thought what John does is really cool! After chatting for a year, I finally got to meet John at the Ontario Winter Camping Symposium.  He drove all the way from Wisconsin to attend the show and meet a bunch of [...]

Hot & Cold Camping in Killarney w James, Dympna & Molly

By |2018-12-04T21:22:22-05:00December 4th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, cold camp, cold camping, enthusiasm, Exploring, Hiking, hot tent, killarney, Killarney Provincial Park, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, ontario sea kayak centre, Outdoors, pulk, pull in, winter, winter camping, winter Wonderland|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the years, I have done quite a few trips to Killarney, but I have not once stayed in the George Lake Campground. This weekend that would change. I headed out around 7am on Saturday, November 17th with my hot tent in my vehicle.  I expected to arrive at the campground around 9:15-9:30 and would be meeting my kayak instructors Jame and Dympna from Ontario Sea Kayak Centre there. I was pretty excited as I [...]

August 2018

Little Blackstone Lake – The Massasauga – 081118-081218 – Recovery & Rest

By |2018-08-28T14:45:48-04:00August 28th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, algonquin highlands, alone, animals, backcountry, backcountry camping, camping, camping food, campsite, canoe, canoeing, Exploring, great blue heron, Massassauga, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddling, Provincial Park, solo trip|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Every time I look at a calendar, I feel a sense of panic.  It's AUGUST! It's August and one of my two most favorite months of the year to camp, September being the most favorite.  I need to go,  go go and I can't stop.  I have to get out. That is what I hear, constantly in my head.  Not only is it August, but I missed 5 months of camping due to 2 concussions [...]

Algonquin 4 Day Cedar Solo – Days 3 & 4, Aura Lee, Varley, Gull

By |2018-09-11T08:58:42-04:00August 28th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, alone, camp, camping, campsite, Canada, canoeing, enthusiasm, Exploring, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddling, portage, portaging, solo trip|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I left off Part 1, Days 1 & 2 heading to bed on my portage campsite on Varley Lake.  I was a bit disappointed that the site was on a portage and a little nervous someone would just come walking through the site and scare me to death but otherwise, it was a nice site...... I headed to bed early as I was exhausted from the day of portaging in the rain and got a [...]

February 2018

My 1st Backcountry Canoe Trip – Algonquin 2002 – Canoe Symposium Presentation Part 2 of 2

By |2021-02-14T08:09:58-05:00February 20th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, animals, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear Barrel, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, canoe, canoe camping, canoeing, disoriented, enthusiasm, Exploring, hiking trails, inspiration, kw canoe symposium, Mew Lake, Nature, navigating, navigation, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, Provincial Park, Up north, water, waterways|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Part 2 of 2 To see Part 1, Click Here: Part one left us lost on the Track and Tower Trail new Mew Lake Campground!  See what happens next!!! After about an hour of walking, in the humid hot sun, we put the canoe down and all our bags and sat at the side of the trail totally exhausted and really really upset. We were yelling at each other and it was definitely not a [...]

My 1st backcountry Canoe Trip Algonquin 2002- Canoe Symposium Presentation Part 1 of 2

By |2021-02-14T08:11:37-05:00February 13th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, animals, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear Barrel, camp, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, canoe, canoe camping, canoeing, enthusiasm, Exploring, Hiking, inspiration, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Outdoor Adventure Show, Outdoors, paddling, portage, portaging, Presentation, Provincial Park, Up north|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I was little, my family rented a cottage up north, and for one whole week every summer, I was in total heaven. It was awesome and I have some very fond memories of my time there, even though sadly, we never canoed or paddled.   We did do a lot of really fun things… like looking for tadpoles and frogs, trying to catch minnows in our sand pails, roasting marshmallows beside a big huge [...]

January 2018

New Years at Mew Lake in Algonquin Park – 2017/2018

By |2018-01-16T18:30:55-05:00January 16th, 2018|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, camp, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, carcamping, cold, cooking, enthusiasm, Exploring, hike, Hiking, hiking trails, homemade, hot tent, Mew Lake, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, outdoor products, Outdoors, Parks, Provincial Park, scenery, scenic, teepee, tent, tentcamping, tipi, Up north, walks, water, waterfalls, winter, winter camping, winter Wonderland|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While saying goodbye to 2017 and welcoming the new year, it was only proper that I mark the occasion by camping. I spent the last day of 2017 and the first day of 2018 in a chilly winter wonderland in Algonquin Park, with some of the awesome people I've met through a shared passion, a love and respect of the outdoors, that brings us all together. I arrived at Mew Lake early Saturday morning. It [...]

December 2017

Hot Tent Trial Run – Mew Lake – Dec 9 & 10, 2017

By |2017-12-26T17:30:51-05:00December 26th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, alone, camping, campsite, Canada, Exploring, hike, Hiking, hiking trails, homemade, hot tent, inspiration, learning, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, outdoor products, Outdoors, Provincial Park, solo trip, winter, winter camping|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I completed my new backcountry hot tent just in time for the weekend.  It was a tough and stressful week, but I made it and I was super excited! I had created a new hot tent recently to use in the backcountry as my DIY Tipi was just too heavy.  Before I took it out into the backcountry though, I wanted to test it out somewhere safe, so as with past trials, I decided to [...]

November 2017

East Paint Lake – Relaxing with Snakes

By |2017-11-21T19:34:52-05:00November 21st, 2017|Categories: Adventure, alone, backcountry, backcountry camping, camping, campsite, Canada, Exploring, fish, fishing, kayak, kayak camping, kayak portaging, Kayaking, Nature, Ontario, ontarios highlands, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, scenery, scenic, solo trip, sunrise, sunset, swimming, tent, tentcamping|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had been go go go and I needed a bit of a break. I,  of course, didn't want to stay home though, so I planned a quick trip to one of my favorite areas, the Haliburton Highlands Water Trails.  I found a site on a lake called East Paint Lake that was all by itself.  To get there I just needed to do a short paddle and an 823m portage. Easy peasy!  Booked it [...]

Fall Paddling Trip to Nunikani – Snorts, Surprises & Snow

By |2017-11-14T17:14:16-05:00November 14th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, algonquin highlands, backcountry, backcountry camping, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, canoe camping, canoeing, cold, cold camp, day trip, Exploring, fall, kayak, kayak camping, kayak portaging, Kayaking, Nature, Ontario, ontarios highlands, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, recipes, tarps, tentcamping, waterfalls|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was a great weekend, it was cold, it was wet, it was windy and I vowed momentarily not to camp again until next summer, but it was a total hoot! I had been in correspondence with Mike Burns who had provided me with a huge amount of advice and information regarding my recent solo trip to Killarney.  I had met Mike at the 150 through another friend Derek, from Paddling Adventures Radio, a podcast [...]

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