October 2016

Kawartha Highlands – Paddling Secret …. shhhh

By |2025-04-23T12:19:13-04:00October 25th, 2016|Categories: Adventure, alone, backcountry, backcountry camping, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, day trip, Exploring, kawartha, kawartha highlands, kawarthat, kayak, kayak portaging, Kayaking, Long Lake, Loucks Lake, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, Provincial Park, River, Secret Lake, solo trip, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of spending some time with my favorite friends in the Kawarthas at their property.  I met Karen online through posts following the journey of the Woods Explorers and we had both applied for the dream job the advertised.  We hit it off and always said we would get together and last year, we finally did just that.  I was invited back again this year, and so happy [...]

Grundy Backcountry solo trip – Do not put hot rocks in tent!

By |2016-10-04T18:49:54-04:00October 4th, 2016|Categories: Bear vault, bearproof, camp, Campers, camping, campsite, Chairs, day trip, Exploring, fall, fallcolours, falls, grundy, hike, Hikers, Hiking, hiking trails, homemade, inspiration, kayak, kayak portaging, Kayaking, leaves, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, portage, portaging, pots, Provincial Park, River, rivers, solo trip, Uncategorized, water, waterfalls|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My very first blog post was after Canada Day weekend 2015 where I spent an amazing 4 days at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. I loved the park and had vowed to return and check out the backcountry soon!  It had taken a while but this weekend I was on my way and I couldn't wait! Grundy Lake PP is only about an hour and a half drive from my new home in Port Carling.  I [...]

September 2016

Portaging a kayak to Scorch Lake – Algonquin PART 2 & Re-Hydrating eggs

By |2016-09-27T17:09:21-04:00September 27th, 2016|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear vault, camp, Campers, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, Exploring, hike, Hikers, Hiking, hiking trails, hikingtrails, homemade, kayak, kayak portaging, kayak rack, Kayaking, loons, malone, navigating, navigation, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddle canada, paddling, Parks, portage, portaging, Provincial Park, River, scorch, scorch lake, sleep, sleeping bag, sleeping matt, sleeping pad, sunrise, swimming, tent, tentcamping, Uncategorized, walking, water, waterfalls|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A CONTINUATION POST FROM Portaging a kayak-3x2 at Scorch Lake - Algonquin Park PART 1, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THAT POST! It had been a very long day yesterday,  starting at 5am for me and earlier for Joyce. We had spent yesterday taking 9.5 hours to portage and paddle to get to our site on Scorch Lake, one that was clearly the worst site on the lake, even the privy was [...]

Portaging a kayak-3×2 to Scorch Lake – Algonquin Park PART 1

By |2016-09-21T18:04:04-04:00September 21st, 2016|Categories: Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear vault, camp, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, cooking, Hikers, Hiking, hiking trails, homemade, kayak, kayak carrier, kayak portaging, kayak rack, Kayaking, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, Outdoors, paddle, paddle canada, paddling, portage, portaging, Provincial Park, scorch, scorch lake, tent, tentcamping, Uncategorized, Up north, walking, women|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When my friend and fellow blogger  Joyce asked me if I wanted to do a trip to Scorch Lake with her, I said yeah! When she told me there were 3 portages totaling over 3 km's, I said ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  I mean, I paddle a kayak, not a canoe, and I have portaged my small kayak,  but never that far. I suggested we rent a canoe, then I thought about it for the night.  Then [...]

Brent Campground – Relaxing W/E…Well… til I hit a deer

By |2016-09-14T06:53:02-04:00September 14th, 2016|Categories: Adventure, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, alone, beach, Bear vault, bearproof, brent, brent campground, camp, campchairs, Campers, camping, campsite, Canada, carcamping, cedar lake, clean up our parks, creek, creeks, Exploring, glamping, hike, Hiking, hiking trails, hikingtrails, kayak, Kayaking, loons, malone, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, Provincial Park, solo trip, summer tent, swimming, tangii, tent, tentcamping, Uncategorized, Up north, walking, walks, water|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have always wanted to get up to Brent in Algonquin but it was always way to far for me to go. Now that I live in Muskoka, the drive is the same as what I used to drive to get from Niagara to Hwy. 60 in Algonquin, 3.5 hours, so I figured it was time for a visit.  I had made some plans to go camping with a friend that weekend but she got [...]

August 2016

Moon River – kayaking & cleanup

By |2016-08-31T06:33:17-04:00August 31st, 2016|Categories: #crownland, Adventure, alone, backcountry camping, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, clean up our parks, creek, crownland camping, Exploring, kayak, Kayaking, Moon, moon river, moon river cottages, Muskoka, Nature, Ontario, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, Privy, River, rivers, solo trip, swimming, tangii, tentcamping, Up north, water, waterfalls|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have been camping almost every weekend since I moved up to Muskoka. It's been amazing but on this weekend I'd decided to take a break and head home to see my family.  That left the Sunday open for a day trip though and I had been hearing about this place called Moon River since I'd arrived, so I figured it was time to check it out! I put my boat up on my truck [...]

Kioshkokwi Lake – Algonquin Park aka Kiosk

By |2016-08-23T21:08:30-04:00August 23rd, 2016|Categories: #frog, Algonquin, Algonquin Park, Algonquin Provincial Park, backcountry, backcountry camping, Campers, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, Exploring, kayak, kayak rack, Kayaking, Kioshkokwi, kioshkokwi lake, kiosk, learning, malone, Nature, Ontario, ontario parks, paddle, paddling, Provincial Park, rack, rack system, summer tent, sunrise, sunset, swimming, tarps, tent, tentcamping, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had not camped in Algonquin Park since February when it was minus 42.  It was time to change that.  My roommate Molly had been asking me to take her on a backcountry trip with me since we'd met, and this is the weekend we decided on.  As Molly has never backcountry camped previously, I didn't want to do anything too difficult, plus we only had 2 days and one night to spend somewhere. After [...]

Getting Lost at 3am…at The Massasauga PP

By |2016-08-17T22:11:20-04:00August 17th, 2016|Categories: #lost, #Massasauga, alone, camp, Campers, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, disoriented, Exploring, Hiking, Massassauga, Nature, navigating, navigation, Ontario, ontario parks, Ontario Trails, Outdoors, Privy, Provincial Park, tent, tentcamping, Trails, Uncategorized, walking, walks, water, wildernessnavigation|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Have you ever gotten lost in the forest in the middle of the night? On a recent trip in the backcountry, it happened to me! I have been debating for a few weeks now if I would actually publish this post. In the end, you can see who won the battle because here I am telling the story to you. Yes, it is embarassing , but, even so, I am hoping that people will see [...]

Navigating to Snake Island – Paddling Beyond Handrailing!

By |2016-08-09T19:45:08-04:00August 9th, 2016|Categories: Adventure, backcountry, backcountry camping, Bear vault, bearproof, Campers, camping, camping tips, campsite, Canada, Chairs, compass, Exploring, kayak, kayak rack, Kayaking, learning, malone, Nature, navigating, navigation, Ontario, ontario parks, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddle canada, paddling, rack system, tarps, tent, tentcamping, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Before taking the Level 2 Sea Kayaking course with Ontario Sea Kayak Centre , I would've never attempted to camp out in the middle of Georgian Bay, on crown land, without being with someone who was experienced in doing so.  During my entire history of backcountry camping, I have used a method called handrailing and never knew how to use a compass.  I basically brought the map for the area I was in, and used landmarks, [...]

July 2016

My New Rack!!! – Easy Peasy! My 100th POST!!!

By |2016-07-27T23:01:09-04:00July 27th, 2016|Categories: alone, Campers, camping, camping tips, Canada, day trip, Exploring, glamping, kayak, kayak carrier, kayak rack, Kayaking, learning, malone, Muskoka, Nature, new beginning, newkayak, Ontario, outdoor products, Outdoors, paddle, paddling, Port carling, rack, rack system, tangii, Uncategorized, Up north|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

For the last few years since purchasing my kayak I have been playing the foam blocks game.  I put them on the car, then I put my boat on them, then I strap the boat down, reverse, repeat, reverse, repeat.  Except for three times now where I've forgotten to take the foam blocks off and they have ended up somewhere else, possibly with someone else. I have no clue why 2 foam blocks cost $40, [...]

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