December 2017

How to Make A Hot Tent Camper Christina Style – Part 1

By |2020-05-19T13:48:22-04:00December 5th, 2017|Categories: camping, Canada, cold, DIY, education, enthusiasm, Exploring, gear, homemade, hot tent, inspiration, learning, Muskoka, Nature, Ontario, outdoor products, Outdoors, tipi, toboggan, winter camping, winter camping tips, winterglamping|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In November 2015, I built a DIY Tipi hot tent.   It is awesome and I love it dearly, but unfortunately, the tipi is not made for the backcountry. I took it on a few small trips last year and very quickly realized it weighs a tonne.  I hadn't realized how much until I had made a statistics sheet about it for winter in the wild and was amazed to see that it weighed about 65 [...]

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 [...]

September 2017

Algonquin Kiosk Loop – 5 Day Solo Canoe Trip – Part 1

By |2022-03-31T10:08:43-04:00September 13th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, alone, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear vault, bearproof, camping, campsite, Canada, canoe, canoe camping, canoeing, creek, creeks, Exploring, inspiration, Kioshkokwi, kioshkokwi lake, kiosk, lakes, Nature, navigating, navigation, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, Provincial Park, scenery, scenic, solo trip, sunrise, sunset|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In 2002, I went on my very first backcountry trip. Five days, four nights and for someone who'd barely canoed, a huge challenge.  It was a loop full of portages and lots of tests and I had thought about doing it solo for quite some time now.  After a great deal of thought, I came to the conclusion that doing that loop solo, just wasn't realistic or feasible, and so I put it out of [...]

Kayaking with Kevin Callan – Herb Lake, Haliburton Water Trails

By |2017-09-12T19:33:35-04:00September 12th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, algonquin highlands, backcountry, backcountry camping, camp, Campers, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, cooking, education, enthusiasm, Exploring, food, inspiration, kayak, kayak camping, kayak portaging, Kayaking, learning, Nature, navigating, Ontario, ontarios highlands, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, scenery, scenic, sightseeing, sunrise, sunset, tangii, teach, teaching, training|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Ever since my first trip with Kevin Callan, The Happy Camper, in June of this year, there has been a challenge set forth for Kevin the (mostly) canoeist to go on a kayaking trip with me.  Our second trip over the Canada 150 long weekend, brought us canoeing once again, but I was promised a kayaking trip at some point and I was going to make sure it happened, no matter how short or the location. [...]

Killarney Days 3 & 4 – Magic Mountain to Silver Peak!

By |2017-09-05T17:00:24-04:00September 5th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear Barrel, camp, camping, Canada, canoe camping, canoeing, day trip, enthusiasm, Exploring, Fun, gear, girls, hike, Hikers, Hiking, hiking trails, hikingtrails, inspiration, killarney, Killarney Provincial Park, morel, morels, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, Provincial Park, swimming, women|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had been waiting for this trip since last year and was so glad I was finally here.  In the last post, Killarney Days 1 and 2, Rainy Plains to The Magical Mountains, I left off at the end of day 2.  We are staying on an amazing campsite on David Lake where we have a view of Silver Peak and on Day 3, the plan is to hike to the top of it.  I'd [...]

August 2017

The French River – 4 Day Solo Kayak Trip – Worst Site, Best Site- Post 1 of 2

By |2022-03-31T10:13:10-04:00August 15th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear vault, bugs, camp, camping, campsite, Canada, Exploring, Fun, georgian bay, kayak, kayak camping, Kayaking, Nature, navigating, navigation, Ontario, ontario parks, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, Provincial Park, Rapids, scenery, scenic, solo trip, tangii, tent, tentcamping, yolo|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to visit the French River.  I had no idea where to go, where to access, what to see, etc and so the trip kept getting delayed.  Finding myself suddenly available on the August long weekend and dying to do a 4 day solo, I decided the French River was where I would go. My awesome friend Kevin Callan had been there and had written about the [...]

July 2017

Solo Camping Tips with Michelle -THE VIDEO 1 of 2 – Wow Auction Winner – McCrae Lake

By |2017-07-27T08:53:14-04:00July 27th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, backcountry, backcountry camping, camping, Canada, Exploring, inspiration, kayak, kayak camping, kayak portaging, Kayaking, loons, McCrae Lake, Nature, Ontario, ontario sea kayak centre, outdoor products, outdoorproducts, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, sunset, tangii, training, Uncategorized, women|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Solo Camping Tips with Michelle – Wow Auction Winner – McCrae Lake

By |2017-07-25T21:24:12-04:00July 25th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear vault, bugs, camp, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, conservatationarea, Conservation areas, conservationarea, enthusiasm, Exploring, food, Food storage, girls, inspiration, kayak, kayak camping, kayak portaging, Kayaking, loons, McCrae Lake, Nature, Ontario, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, swimming, tangii, teach, teaching, Uncategorized, water filter|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When my kayaking coach Dympna from Ontario Sea Kayak Centre, asked me to consider auctioning off a weekend of camping with me, for the Women on Water Paddling Festival silent auction, I thought she was off her rocker. The auction was very successful and proceeds went to the Georgian Bay Biosphere, a great organization that takes care of a place I love to play in and it is a good cause.  I agreed to proceed, [...]

Opeongo Backcountry Camping by Water Taxi- w Maryann & Randy

By |2017-07-18T19:03:00-04:00July 18th, 2017|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, backcountry camping, Bear Barrel, Bear vault, bearproof, camp, camping, camping tips, Canada, canoe, canoe camping, Exploring, glamping, kayak, kayak camping, Kayaking, loons, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, Provincial Park, scenic, swimming, tangii, tips, water taxi|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Since my Level 1 and Level 2 Sea Kayaking courses, I've been wanting to do a trip with my friends,  Maryann and Randy, that I met through the courses at OSKC. This weekend was finally it and I was so excited to be camping with them after all this time! They had advised me of a cool way they sometimes camp in the backcountry, or should I say glamp?  And that is to go by [...]

My 1st Solo Canoe Trip – Haliburton Highlands Water Trails

By |2017-07-11T14:35:06-04:00July 11th, 2017|Categories: #solo, Adventure, backcountry, backcountry camping, camping, Canada, canoe, canoe camping, enthusiasm, Exploring, fish, fishing, loons, morel, morels, Nature, Ontario, ontarios highlands, outdoor products, Outdoors, owl, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, training, Uncategorized, waterways|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My first solo backcountry trip was 2 years ago at the Massasauga Provincial Park.  It was by kayak and since then I've done many solo kayaking trips and a few solo winter camping trips both by tipi and by tent.  I had never gone on a solo canoe trip, however, until this past weekend. At the 150 for 150 event on Canoe Lake the weekend before Canada Day, Jon from Backcountry Custom Canoes answered my [...]

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