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TV: 2006 Chevy Avalanche LT Z71 aka: WhiteWolf, or 1972 Chevy Custom10 P/U aka: SnarlingWolf
Spokane, Wa.
Eric aka: Lone Wolf
T@Bit@t 2015 S Max Outback, ‘18 V6 4Runner
Preamble
The Adventure Crew’s biggest trip ever has come and gone. I know there are at least a few people who are curious to hear a little more about how it went, so here comes another trip report. Due to the length of the trip (17 days), it is a rather large collection of memories. It’s almost 9,000 words. Just going through and editing the photos has been quite the task. I end up tweaking most photos, often in ways that would only be noticed by myself, but I’m picky like that. In order to keep my ramblings somewhat coherent, I took a few daily notes to remind me of each day’s major events. So, I’ll present the trip mostly in a day by day fashion.
Preparation
So, where did we leave off? At the end my failure ridden Charleston Lake trip report, I introduced our new tow vehicle, the 2018 GMC Sierra. The owner’s manual gives some recommendations for the break in period. Unsurprisingly, they don’t recommend immediately hooking up a trailer, and dragging it up big hills. I don’t necessarily agree with implementing all the recommendations to the letter, so I chose a course of action that was “inspired by” the recommendations. The jist of it all is to not go too hard on the truck too soon. So, I had about two and a half weeks to pile on some easy miles. Since my commute is now short, trips to the Paris Fair, and a meet up with my buddy Vivek in Hamilton helped the cause. I tried to test all the trucks functions before heading out on the trip. Sometimes new vehicles have some kinks to work out. But, I did not find any concerns. In a happy stroke of luck, the ball mount I was using on the Canyon, is also just the right amount of drop for the Sierra to tow the T@b nice and level. I spent some time pulling all the tools and gizmos out of the Canyon, and loading them into the Sierra. I took the T@b for a short and easy tow, to ensure there were no issues there. The truck was ready to go.
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Getting the truck ready was just a part of the preparation though. Getting ready to hit the road for over two weeks involved a lot more preparation than our weekend trips typically do. This trip was unique as well, since it would involve both camping in our T@b, as well as backpacking. Starting from scratch, and gathering together a good set of backpacking gear has been something Erica and I have been working on since the start of the summer. We had done pretty well. There were still a few items we felt might need further adjustments, depending on the weather. But, we knew we would have shopping opportunities along our route if needed. Rain and cold weather we knew might prompt a few buys, but we did not know exactly what to expect, since weather forecasts are not reliable 15+ days in advance.
The other area that required a significant amount of preparation was food. We made a Costco run to stock up on snacks, and prepared a number of dishes in advance. We made lasagna, chili, taco beef, and pulled pork. We portioned it into meal sized containers, so that we could easily re-heat the right amount in a pan.
We talked a bit about what toys to bring. We decided that since the weather would be cooler, and we would spend much of our time on Lake Superior, the canoe would stay home. But, we decided the bikes would come along, as they are a fun way to explore campgrounds. We picked up an extra large tote to store our large backpacks, and some of the associated gear.
After a busy week of preparation, we got the truck packed, and ready to go on Thursday night.
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Day 1 – Friday September 14
Friday came, and though Erica was off work already, I had to put in one more day. I hoped to escape work early, but knew that would be conditional on wrapping up outstanding tasks. As the day played out, I was able to wrap up everything I was in the middle of, but I did not get out early. It was nice to leave work without any lose ends heading into my vacation, but it left me with an ambitious driving goal. We were aiming for a Wal-Mart parking lot in Sudbury ON, if I could stay awake that long.
As we started knocking off the miles, our minds were working to identify what items we may have forgotten. Two items did come to mind. The first was our pillows. Whoops. An en-route trip to a Wal-Mart quickly solved that issue for a low price. We could use the extra pillows around anyways. The second whoops was not one we were about to solve though. We were intending to cross into the USA for some of the drive home, to see the views along the opposite shore of Lake Ontario, as well as make a stop and pick up some of Erica’s favourite coffee, which we can’t get in Canada. However, we left our passports at home. Since we were not planning to stay in the USA, passports never really crossed my mind before we left. I was not too concerned about the mistake, but Erica was pretty bummed she would not get any of her favourite blend from Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters.
Fortunately, fueled by the excitement of starting our trip, some coffee, and the comfortable and quiet drive of the Sierra, we did indeed make it through some fog, and the rough roads of Sudbury, and reached our target landing spot for the night. This was the first time we’ve planned to stay at a Wal-Mart. It made sense for this trip though, as we just needed a place to sleep through the night, so paying for a campground stay would not add any value. We pulled in sometime after midnight. We cleared the bed of the T@b, and planned to close our eyes real quick. I was however approached by a young man who was trying to get his old Chevy running. It was having some electrical / computer issues, and the owner was hoping to use my phone to help him troubleshoot. I did give him the chance to look up a few videos and such, before ducking into the trailer. But, after a few minutes, I got a knock on the door, as he was looking for a little more help. A few more quick searches and he went on his way. Based on the fact that the truck was still there in the morning though, it seemed he was not successful.
Day 2 – Saturday September 15
The traffic noise and the exposed feeling location meant we slept somewhat lightly, but well enough. We got up early in the morning (for the only time on this trip), and hit the road again.
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It was a bit out of the way, but we decided to head to Manitoulin Island, and hike the Cup and Saucer trail. It was a great way to break up the driving, even if it did mean more total driving. Since we did get an early start on the day, we hiked to the lookouts with almost no human traffic. The trail was very enjoyable, and the weather was bright and warm. The views were definitely picture worthy.
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On our way back from the lookout, you could definitely tell it was a warm sunny Saturday in September, as we came across many other hikers, who had started their hikes along the out-and-back trail a little bit after Erica and I. We completed the hike in about 1:45:00, and had a little lunch back at the trailer. We would need to do a little bit of re-tracing our drive, before we were back on highway 17, and heading toward Sault Ste Marie.
For those that don’t know, I have a little bit of history in Sault Ste. Marie. I lived there for 8 months (September to April) 8 years ago, while on a co-op work term. During that time, I rented a room in a house from Sandy and Dave, who had made a habit of renting rooms of their house to students. It was a fantastic living arrangement for me at the time, since it still gave a bit of a family feel, while I was far away from home, with no friends or family nearby. Since then, Sandy had kept in touch with me via facebook, and often chimes in with positive comments on my posts.
So, when I knew we would be passing through Sault Ste Marie, I thought it would be nice to reconnect with my previous hosts. It was something I kept in the back of my mind, but did not directly schedule into our trip’s itinerary, as I did not want to try to be keeping an hour by hour schedule, and instead wanted to have flexibility to change plans on a whim. After finishing up our hike on Manitoulin Island, I knew we would be cruising straight through to the Soo, and would be there in about 4 hours. So, I shot Sandy a message on facebook, and as luck would have it, they had a nice little window of time in their schedules for a short visit. Perfect. There were plenty of rough roads along the way. For some reason, Hilton got a little car sick a couple times on this leg of the journey. That is fairly uncommon for her, but fortunately, it was not a reoccurring trend on our trip. Also, by this point of the trip, Willard had chewed the corner off one of my brand new floor mats. The “kids” were doing their best to break in the new truck, in a way that only kids can.
As we arrived in the city of Sault Ste Marie, I noticed that things did not look exactly the same as they did when I was there last. There were several new buildings and such. I guess 8 years is a long time. Anyway, we made it to Sandy and Dave’s place, where we got an enthusiastic welcome, provided in part by the two newest canine members of their family. It was a nice warm day, so we gathered in the backyard, for a snack, refreshment, and some good conversation, while the dogs played. It was great to catch up a bit, as well as break up the driving. Before long though, we were on the move again. Before leaving the Soo, we stopped at a grocery store for some ice, bread, and meat. Re-stocked, we pointed the truck towards the highway again.
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After some more highway miles, we arrived at Lake Superior Provincial Park, where we would camp for a few days. We headed towards the electrical sites by the water. Since it was a Saturday night, all the best sites seemed to be taken. So, we headed inland a bit, and settled on a non electrical site with some good privacy. We had some dinner, and it was not long before we ducked into bed. Unfortunately, on this site, you could hear a bit of noise from the not so far away highway as you fell asleep.
Day 3 – Sunday September 16
After the previous day’s early start, sleeping in on day 3 was a no brainer. We made a habit of that, for almost every remaining day of the trip. While I can certainly handle early morning starts, they are not to Erica’s liking, so I typically extend my slumber to more closely match Erica’s. I’d still typically rise first, feed the dogs breakfast, and wash the dishes from the day before. Once the coffee was brewed, I’d see Erica emerge, recharged, and ready for a day of adventure.
On day 3 we started our adventure with the Agawa Rock Pictographs trail. This trail takes you to the edge of Lake Superior, with a tall rock face constraining you to a somewhat narrow strip of rock. When the big lake gets stormy, it can easily wash you off this rock, since there is nowhere to run, when you see that big wave coming. For that reason, this trail is closed to hikers in the cooler season, and this day was the last official open day for this trail. I thought it might be kind of lame. The highlight of the trail is some ancient pictographs that were drawn on the rocks hundreds of years ago, and still remain visible today. The trail to the pictographs is only a short loop, under 1km in length. So, there was no reason not to do this trail. It turned out to be pretty cool. While the pictographs themselves were neat, the vertical rock face itself was pretty spectacular. Every step of the trail was interesting too. So, all in all, it was a great trail to sneak in before lunch.
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After lunch, a nice thing happened. Some of the campers who were occupying the lakefront campsites rolled out, as the weekend drew to a close. Since we would be sticking around this park for a few nights, we decided to hitch up the T@b, and roll it to a spot closer to the water. Our campsite setup is not elaborate, so it was not too big of a chore. The site upgrade was definitely worth the trouble.
After setting up on our new site, we still had plenty of day left to explore. We chose another shortish trail, the 6km Sand River trail. This trail takes you along a river that features numerous waterfalls. Not easy, but not too demanding. The views did not disappoint.
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That’s a wrap for day 3.
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Day 4 – Monday September 17
On Day 4, we woke up to the sound of waves, which more than drowned out any sound of the highway. When we rolled out of bed, we were in no rush to get going. We both spent some time reading. I’m not much of a book reader myself. Erica was not even sure I knew how to read a novel, since she’s never seen me read one. That’s a fact. But, I knew we would have some downtime on this trip, and Erica certainly likes to read, so prior to this trip, I walked into a Chapters, and took home the second book I picked up on the “best sellers under $10” rack. It was a tale called “Nothing Short of Dying,” which certainly held my interest. While it was not a story about camping, it did have some camping weaved into the story.
Eventually though, we got the itch to get up, and go for a hike. On this day, we decided to tackle the Orphan Lake trail. This trail offered a nice climb up to a lookout, as well as a nice little stretch along a pebble beach.
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With the hike taking us under 2.5 hours, this day proved to be fairly relaxing overall. To wrap it up, we spent more time at our wonderful campsite.
Day 5 – Tuesday September 18
Day 5 had been marked for the Awausee trail. I had done this trail on a day trip to Lake Superior PP, back when I was living in Sault Ste Marie. I was young, and rather fit back then and I remember the hike as being very challenging, with a lot of climbing. So, I knew we were going to get a good workout.
Here’s a throwback photo. It was taken just a little bit later in September, when the colours were near their peak.
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As I warned Erica, most of the climbing is concentrated in the first 2.5km of the trail. So, not much more than 50m into the trail, we started our climb. Climb climb climb we did. Somehow, we briefly got off trail, but after a short bushwack, we were back on track. As I knew it would, the climbing did eventually reward us with some great lookouts, and some interesting terrain in between.
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And of course, as they say, what goes up, but come down. All that elevation we hiked up, we next had to descend. Fortunately, conditions were pretty dry, so any stream crossings were traversable without getting our feet wet, and there was no significant standing water in low lying areas.
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We wrapped up the hike plenty tired, but in one piece. Back at the campsite, we were more than happy to do a little more relaxation. But, being tired, Erica and I probably exchanged too few words. The result of that was neither of us taking charge and actually cooking up a meal. The result was eating a lot of snack food, and feeling a little less than great after. Whoops. We decided we would try to avoid that mistake in the future.
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Day 6 – Wednesday September 19
After a little discussion, we decided this would be the day we would roll out from Lake Superior Provincial Park. We had originally thought we might spend one more day, but we were happy with how much exploring we did, and were eager to move our adventure further north. We did not want it to be only a driving day, so we hit the Nokomis trail before we exited the park. Well, technically, that’s not true. Signage was a little less clear than we were used to, so when we drove past the parking lot, we had to continue a fair bit before we could find a good spot to turn our trailer around.
Anyway, back on course, we parked, and hit the trail. Once again, we did some climbing, and enjoyed some views. It was a routine that described pretty much all of our hikes at this park.
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After getting a good dose of fresh air, and eating some delicious sandwiches, we hit the highway again for a good drive. The scenery continued to be pleasing. We took advantage of one or two of the scenic lookouts. At one of the lookouts, we met a couple from Colorado who were driving across Canada in their Colorado Duramax. They felt inclined to apologize for their President, and ask us for our thoughts on the matter. Of course, I did not really want to get too far into it, but could not dodge the subject entirely. After enjoying the view a bit more, we continued along our way.
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We continued into the dark, and later arrived at our stopping point for the night, Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. The park is divided into two campgrounds, the larger Whitesand Lake, and Rossport. Unfortunately, the Whitesand Lake campground was closed for the season, which we discovered when we found it gated off. So, we headed to the Rossport campground, which was pretty small. But, we found a nice little campsite, and backed in the T@b into its resting place for the night.
Day 7 – Thursday September 20
We began our day by taking a short walk around to check out the campground. It was not what we typically look for in a campground, but our site was sufficiently private, and plenty good for an overnight stop. We decided to head to the Whitesand Lake area, which they opened up for day use. We wanted to check out the Rainbow Falls trail, so that’s what we did. It’s definitely worth checking out.
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After that, we also did a quick jaunt along the Superior trail.
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Continuing to make the most of the day, we gave the dogs a break, and hopped on our bikes to further explore the campground. Being closed for camping, of course it was exceptionally quiet. Taking it up a notch, there was even a “Back 40” campground, which is no longer used. It was neat to see. The number posts and the fire pits were gone, and nature was slowly reclaiming the sites, with tall grasses, and fallen branches not being picked up. I don’t imagine the sites are needed, since the campground is not near major population centers. As a result, it does not see the extremely high occupancy rates that the parks further south see, although this park does yield higher occupancy rates than many in the region. It is popular with the RV crowd, due to its location between primary destinations, and close proximity to the only major highway in the area. However, if demand ever dictates, they could certainly restore the campsites in the future. I would have loved to poke around a little more, but Erica was perhaps as not captivated as I was.
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We then concluded that we saw the highlights of Rainbow Falls, and there was no need to spend a second night. So, we cranked up the stabilizers on the T@b, and hit the highway. Our next night would be spent at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Before laying eyes on the Giant, we had identified that there was a sight to see along the way. I’m a fan exceptional geological features, so the Ouimet Canyon was obviously worth a stop. However, when we got near Ouimet Canyon Road, we found that the road was posted as closed. I was not too sure of the nature of the closure, so we pressed on, to find out from later signs that it was due to bridge work. I then concluded that we better head towards the detour. The detour consisted plenty of red gravel roads. Combined with the rain that was falling, it was sure to make a proper mess of the truck and trailer, but that was hardly a concern. The detour was well signed, and we approached the Canyon. Signs were posted to unhitch trailers and leave them in a designated area. It was not too clear why, and I figured it was likely unnecessary with a strong truck, and a short trailer, but I took the sign’s suggestion, since it was easy enough to comply with.
As suspected, though there was a bit of a hill before the trailhead parking lot, I certainly would have had no issue with T@b in tow. Anyway, the rain was still falling, but since it was only a very short walk to the canyon, we were not deterred. That’s one thing I like about Erica, she’s not afraid of a little rain. When we made it to the canyon, we were not disappointed by the views. There were several viewing platforms, and a little bit of information. One factual tidbit pertains to some of the vegetation that is found growing on the canyon floor. Some of the plants way down there are typically only found much further north.
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After snaking our way back along the detour to the highway, we drove along highway 17, until we got to the 587, which would finally take us to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. This is the park we were looking forward to the most. The 587 was somewhat rough, but not any more so than other roads we’ve bounced the T@b along before. We pulled into the campground, and selected a campsite by the water. It was well after dark, so we would have to wait until the next morning to enjoy the view.
Day 8 – Friday September 21
We awoke to grey skies. When checking in at the park office, we checked the weather forecast for the coming days. We found that the weather forecast for the next couple days could be summarized by cold and wet, colder than I was expecting actually. This was concerning, since we were aiming to do a 4 day backpacking adventure. When we left the sunny south, the long long range forecast said overnight lows were to be about 8C and above. But, what we were seeing now, was lows dipping down to 2C, and even a chance of flurries. Not great tent weather. It looked to improve a bit after the first two days. We were a little concerned that we might have to shorten our time in the backcountry, as we waited for the weather to improve slightly.
There were only two things we could do; prepare ourselves the best we could, and wait and see. So, this day focused on preparation. We had some laundry to do, so we started with that. I had tried to get it going the night before, but failed miserably. After getting lost on the way to the comfort station in the dark, I accidentally loaded the coins into the dryer before I got the washing machine going. Then, I did not have enough coins left for the washing machine. After a good night’s sleep, doing a load of laundry did not seem so hard, so we got that wrapped up.
We then decided to head to Thunder Bay for a few things. We were pretty determined to make our backpacking trip happen, even if it was cool and rainy. We had rain jackets for ourselves, but not much else to help us combat rainy weather. We were somewhat concerned for the dogs’ comfort. We went to PetSmart, to look at rain jackets and parkas. After trying a few different choices on the dogs, we left empty handed. It was a cool and windy day, and our next stop was an Atmosphere store. We don’t have one of those close to St. Catharines, but they are part of the Canadian Tire / Mark’s / Sport Chek family of companies, with their focus being camping gear.
Erica was not confident her borrowed Woods sleeping bag would keep her warm enough with the forecasted overnight lows being 5C or possibly lower. So after considering a few options, she decided on a new down filled Marmot sleeping bag. Erica also realized that her Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair was not suitable for use when the ground was wet, as it would lead to a wet sleeping pad. Thus, she got a Helinox Chair One, similar to the Woods chair I had got for myself earlier in the season. She also grabbed some fire starter cubes.
For myself, I was pretty sure my Woods bag would be just good enough for me. I was a little more concerned about the rain than the cold. After walking around in the rain a bit at the Ouimet Canyon, I found the rain was running off my jacket, then through my pants, between my legs. That was not comfortable, so I picked up their most inexpensive pair of rain pants. I had also been wanting a thin Icebreaker merino toque for cool weather hiking and sleeping, so I decided now was the time to get it. All of these purchases were made easier to swallow by a nice sale on the sleeping bag, along with a “Friends and Family” sale discount on all the items. Finally, I was able to redeem about $70 in Triangle rewards points from my credit cards.
We still needed to think about the dogs’ comfort though. I decided that what we needed to do for them was get them a sleeping pad. Sleeping on only the tent floor would not be comfortable for them, as the cool ground would act as a big heat sink for them. The result would have been them trying to battle Erica and I for space on our sleeping pads, which would impact our quality of sleep. The priorities were light, and cheap. So, a blue foam roll up from Canadian Tire was the obvious winner. It was a good thing we went with the 3-man tent, so that we would have floor space to roll out all three mats.
We also grabbed a roll clear trash bags for waterproofing items inside our packs. So, after buying yet another haul of backpacking gear, we felt we were ready for the cool, and possibly wet fall conditions we would need to face.
On the way back from Thunder Bay, the weather was not too bad, and the dogs had not gotten out much. So, we decided to drive to the “Thunder Bay Lookout” in Sleeping Giant PP. A sign warned of a “rough road” and it was not joking! That did not bother me though. There were plenty of puddles, rocks, puddles, and small washouts in the unpaved road. It was a lovely fall drive for a boy in a truck. It would not have been a comfortable drive in a car, though it was possible, as evidenced by a late model Honda Civic that pulled into the lot as we were leaving. I suspect they heard a few scraping sounds along the way, since the driver was doing a circle check for damage, after he got out of his car. The lookout itself was lovely, and added a nice highlight to a day that was mostly spent in the city, in and out of stores.
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On the way back to our campsite, we spotted a couple of Red Foxes, as well as a family of deer.
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When we got back to the campsite, we decided to load our backpacking packs, while we had some daylight, and clear weather. Of course I was all riled up, as we laid out all the gear we would need. How on earth would we fit that all in our packs? Erica told me to calm down. And sure enough, we were able to either stuff it in a bag, or strap it to a bag. The weights seemed reasonable too. Due to the cooler weather, we could get away with carrying a little less water for the hike that we would need in the high heat of summer.
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Day 9 – Saturday September 22
We had one more day to spare before we needed to hit the trail. There was some rain in the forecast for the day, and we did not want to strain ourselves too much, so we were fresh for the start of our backpacking adventure. One of the activities Erica was hoping we would be able to fit in our schedule was a trip to a nearby amethyst mine. It seemed like a great fit for the day. We were not sure exactly what it would be like, but I went into it with an open mind. It was a scenic drive up to the mine. We were greeted by a very friendly woman, who was eager to tell us and another visitor a thing or two about amethyst, and the mine itself. We saw some cool samples, and learned a bit. We then proceeded to browse some of the larger garden stones they had up for sale. After that, we proceeded to what I think many would agree is the highlight of the mine. They have a large area, where they dump amethyst containing rock. You can then go, and search for your own treasure. We spent quite a long time looking at rocks, and starting small collections of pieces, to see if we could find one we might want to take home with us. Eventually, after eliminating contenders one by one, we found a small piece of amethyst containing rock that we were willing to pay $3 / lb for. We then browsed the gift shop, before heading down the road back to the highway.
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Of course we still needed to do a little more exploring at Sleeping Giant. There is a small section of campsites, (the 300s) that are either car accessible or short walk ins. These sites promise a more rustic experience, as they are situated on a lake, well spaced, as well as nice and private. They are placed far away from the gatehouse or comfort stations. It sounded pretty cool, and we wanted to check them out. However, they were closed for the season, and they had the road barricaded off. The day before, I had contemplated just moving the barricade, and driving down the road, but thought that might be inappropriate. So, we decided to hop on our bikes and explore that way. We parked the truck at the barricade, and then started pedaling. It turned out that there were several downed trees that would have made it impassable for the truck anyway, so the bikes were perfect. There were a few hills, and we had a few km to go. Perhaps a few more km than Erica was hoping for on that afternoon, but soon enough, we got to check out the sites. There were a few gems back there. I bet they are highly sought after in the summer months. It’s a really cool layout that I think more of the larger parks should implement. Why do huge parks have to cram all the campers so close together, when they have so much land? It started to rain just as we were finishing up our ride, so our timing was pretty good on this day.
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Once again, on the way back to our campsite, we saw our deer friends.
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Day 10 – Sunday September 23
The day to start our backpacking adventure had finally come. While we had a few km planned, we knew most of the terrain would be fairly easy, so we did not need to rush in the morning. We packed up, and said goodbye to the campground, and went to park in the large parking lot at the trailhead.
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Oh, and I have to mention, that there are a lot of cool mushrooms in the woods, along the north shore of Lake Superior. If I stopped to photograph every cool mushroom I saw, Erica would have been displeased, but here is one picture of a nice little mushroom.
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Anyway, after waving goodbye to the truck and trailer, we hit the Kabeyun Trail. With the rain from the night before, there were plenty of puddles, and in spots the mud was a little slick. The first photo spot is a rock formation called “the Sea Lion.” The rock does not look exactly like a sea lion, since its head eroded away long ago, but it is still worth a look.
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Many visitors choose to do the trek along the Kabeyun Trail, then up the Top of the Giant trail as a day hike. To make the distance more achievable, many use a bicycle to cover the start of the Kabeyun Trail. We had considered that as an option, but did not feel that it was an option well suited to the dogs, so we decided to make it a multi-day hike, which would allow us to do even more exploring. It turned out that was a good decision for us for several reasons. While I could have done the trail on my cyclocross bike, it would definitely be more comfortable on a mountain bike. Erica would certainly not have enjoyed the rocky and muddy sections on her hybrid. She prefers cycling on smoother terrain, and her tires are not suitable for slick and muddy conditions anyway.
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Fuelled by excitement, and carried by fresh legs, we were making great time. Tentatively, we thought we might camp at Lehtinen’s Bay, but when we got to Tee Harbour, we knew that we absolutely did not want to camp anywhere near the shore of the big lake. The wind was very strong, and it was going to be a cool night.
So, according to our map, it looked like the next option for an inland campsite was on Norma Lake. That would mean a fair bit of back-tracking to get to the intersection with the Top of the Giant Trail. We were feeling goo though, so it still seemed like a reasonable plan. However, not long after passing the Top of the Giant trail, we came across a campsite. Well, a small, rather weathered sign indicated it as a campsite. There was no sign of a thunderbox, and it was not indicated on our map. Hmm. We checked it out, but the only place we could put our tent was fairly sloped. Not loving the campsite, we decided to continue on to the Norma Lake campsite, hoping for a better quality site.
However, what was not clear to us, was that the terrain would get much more challenging before reaching Norma Lake. We carried on for a bit, but when we realized that we were starting to do a significant amount of climbing, we started second-guessing our plan to press on. Tentatively, we carried on a bit, until we were looking at a bit of a wall to climb. It was a very steep climb, which went on for a while. What if the next campsite was not really that good? Would the climb be worth it? We decided that a scouting mission was in order. So, I dropped my pack, and went and charged up the climb, telling Erica to expect me back in about 20 minutes. The climb was steep, and included a significant rock obstacle that I thought might be a problem for the Adventure Poodle. I charged up quickly, and in about 8 minutes, I made it to the top, where I found a campsite. Well, it looked like a campsite, even though I did not see a sign indicating it as such. Again, there was no sign of a thunderbox. Being solo at the site, I had to make the decision on my own where I would recommend we spend the night. I knew the climb would probably take around three times as long with the packs. The site was ok, but it seemed like too much of an overshoot past the Top of the Giant trail. So, I decided the site we passed earlier would be the better choice. Backtracking downhill would not be too hard.
So, I charged back to where Erica was waiting with the Adventure Poodle, and communicated my conclusion. She accepted it without hesitation. So, after our little backtrack, we set up our tent on the spot we judged best. The slope was what it was. We could not change it.
We had our dinner, and Erica decided to try and get a fire going. It was day 10 of our camping trip, and it was the first time we even tried to light a fire. Erica is not a fan of having a campfire, just to watch wood burn, so unless we are planning to cook over the fire, we don’t usually bother with one. We have had plenty of hot dogs and pie iron pizzas this summer, so those were not planned on the menu for this trip. Anyway, the first attempt did not pan out. After building a better teepee, Erica did get a small fire going. There was plenty of deadfall around, but the temperatures were cool, and the wood was a little damp, so it was definitely a chore to keep the fire going. After hanging our food, we ducked into the tent.
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This night would prove to be chilly indeed, but I had plenty of clothing on, and Erica had her fancy new bag, so we stayed warm enough. The slope was a bit annoying as expected. A little rain fell overnight.
Day 11 – Monday September 24
Fortunately, the tent fly was dry by the morning, so packing up would not require any special care. However, due to the good location of the campsite, we would leave our tent set up, and carry only the gear we would need for our hike to the Top of the Giant.
We filtered some water from a stream, had breakfast, and headed out along the trail. We never worried about carrying any water for the dogs, as there was usually plenty of opportunities for them to drink.
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As I type this section of the trip report about a week after doing this hike, I really don’t remember the climb being that tough. Sure, there was plenty of elevation to gain, lots of slick roots from the rain, and the trail was not always smooth, but it was well within our limits. Hiking with a reduced pack weight really helped too.
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So, without too much struggle, we made it to the iconic view. It was every bit as awesome as I was hoping it would be. We took a quick peek, but then ducked away from the windy edge to cook up some lunch, before spending more time celebrating reaching the point we had been looking forward to for so long. After lunch, we even got a glimpse of sunshine for a few of our pictures.
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We got the pictures we wanted to take, and got to enjoy the view all by ourselves. When hiking in parks like Killarney and Algonquin, if you are there on a sunny Canada Day long weekend, the iconic views always draw a crowd, which certainly changes the feel of the experience. It is exceptionally wonderful to enjoy natural wonders, without a crowd. The northern parks in the fall provide this experience.
While the hike up and down was not extremely hard, it was not easy either, so we were happy to take a little break when we arrived back at our campsite.
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After packing up, we had to tackle that tough climb that I had scouted out the day before. Fully loaded, it was a grind, but for me, knowing exactly what I was up against, and when it would end was helpful. We took it nice and slow. It was so steep. When we got to the rock obstacle I was worried about, the Adventure Poodle was able to make it ok, with just a slight boost from me. It’s hard to capture steepness in photos, so you’ll just have to trust me when I say it was steep.
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After the climb up to the night’s campsite, I worked a bit to smooth and level out the ground where we would put our tent. Rocks, a pocket knife, and my feet were the best tools I had, but I was able to make a meaningful difference.
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Once again it rained overnight.
Day 12 – Tuesday September 25
I’ll mention that outside of snacks, for this trip, all of our meals were dehydrated pouches of food. We ordered a nice bucket of Mountain House meals online from Costco at a reasonable price. We had also gathered a few other meals from Alpineaire and Backpacker’s Pantry. They were all at least ok, and many of them were quite delicious. Erica was not a fan of the eggs at all, but overall, we were very happy. The dehydrated food helped keep our packs light, and meal prep was as easy as boiling water, pouring it into a pouch, and waiting, usually around 4-8 minutes.
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We saw a touch of sun that morning, which made Norma Lake look quite beautiful. With each day that passed, the fall colours seemed to get a little better. Unfortunately, the lake was not great for our filter setup. We should probably get the MSR Silt Stopper, because the filter was getting clogged very quickly, which made water filtration a slow process.
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We proceeded to pack each part of our tent into plastic bags, since we were putting it away wet, and did not want the wetness to spread. We then continued on along the Talus Lake Trail. Not too far into our hike, we were faced with the toughest obstacle of the trip.
It was a boulder field. We started on into it, but very quickly, we found that the Adventure Poodle was struggling. We took off his pack to help him out, and tied it to Erica’s pack. It still was not working out for Willard though. The steep faces of the boulders would cause him to slide, and crash. After seeing him crash a time or two, we knew we needed a new plan. I dropped my pack, and quickly surveyed the area. A detour did not seem too practical, so it was up to me to help Willard through. I tried just hoisting him over tough parts, but it was awkward. He’s a big guy, and tips the scales at over 60 lb. That’s a lot of weight for a scrawny guy like me. Ultimately, I found the best thing to do was to throw him over my shoulder fireman style, and be as careful as I could. Willard was not 100% ok with the arrangement, but he handled it pretty well. I’ll admit it was a struggle, but after some time and some grunting, I deposited the Adventure Poodle on the other side of the obstacle. I then had to repeat the obstacle with my pack, which comparatively was not so bad. Hilton on the other hand is far more steady on her feet, and is almost unstoppable on the trail. She traversed the obstacle without incident. She really is an incredible little Adventure Mutt.
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Since I’m on the topic, I’ll take this opportunity to say that the dogs were simply fantastic on this trip. Willard helped carry some dehydrated meals and toilet paper. Both dogs always stayed reasonably close to us, much of the time right at our heels. Willard was a little over excited the first day, but beyond that was very well behaved. The only time they made excessive noise was when we had them tied up out of our reach, while we were doing tasks like setting up the tent, and could not keep a close eye on them.
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Anyway, after crossing the boulder field we continued on toward the Chest trail. When we got to the intersection, we stopped for lunch. We then hung our food, and left our packs in the woods to make the climb easier. We did the climb, and viewed the view.
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After the Chest trail, we headed to our final camping spot for the trek. Compared to the previous two campsites, the sites at Sawyer Bay were luxurious. They offered a nice view of the water, a bearproof food locker, and even a picnic table. Wow!
We did not set up camp on arrival, because we still had another climb up the Head trail. We did not have a ton of daylight left, so we had to hustle. We travelled light, packing only minimal items in Willard’s pack. The trail up to the head was a steep and steady climb. I was excited to get to the top quick, so that we could get back to camp and relax. Erica was not super impressed by the trail that only went up, without any easy steps or flat sections. I did my best to be patient, and we made it to the top for the view.
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The trek back down had Erica a bit worried, due to how steep the trail was. We were well accustomed to being careful on slippery roots, since the trails were always wet, due to rain every day. We stepped carefully, and encouraged the dogs to take it good and slow. We got back to camp without issue, and we were very happy to have seen all three views from the Giant. It was great to not have to hang our food that night, and it was also great to have a large flat grassy area to set up our tent. Still though, we had the wonderful nature, all to ourselves. That really was a wonderful part of this hike. The only people we saw over 4 days were within a few km of the trailhead. The solitude was spectacular.
Once again, it rained that night. Yup, it rained every night of the trip hike. That’s not bad though, because the only rain we got during the daylight hours was a tiny sprinkle while hiking down the Head trail. Yes, the rain kept the trails slick, but it was wonderful to crawl into the tent dry every night. Our tent kept us sufficiently dry every night too. So all in all, the weather that we feared could be quite bad, actually turned out to be ok.
The trail that remained between our campsite and the trailhead was all fairly easy. There were some rocks, puddles, downed trees, and rolling hills, but we made good time. Under grey skies, we finally made it back to the truck and trailer. We were both very happy to get off our feet.
Once we got sufficiently packed up, we did the most logical thing; b-lined it for the showers! While hiking in the cool fall weather is nothing like sweating under the summer sun, we were definitely not fresh at the end of our hike, so the showers were very welcome.
After getting cleaned up, it was time to bid farewell to Sleeping Giant. We truly enjoyed our time there. We kind of wished we had more. We’d love to go back, and do more backpacking around the Giant. Why do we live so far away? Anyway, we hit the highway, and talked about all the highlights of our big hike. All our preparations paid off, and we truly enjoyed ourselves.
We had a long drive ahead along highway 11. Not surprisingly, Erica fell asleep for quite a bit of the drive. As darkness fell, the driving was a bit of a chore. But, eventually, we pulled into Kettle Lakes Provincial Park to get some sleep, back in our nice cozy and comfy T@b.
Day 14 – Thursday September 27
I woke up fairly early in the morning. Perhaps I was excited to see where we landed. I got up, and took the dogs for a short walk, to check things out. The morning was sunny and bright. The campground was basically deserted. I headed back to the T@b, for a bit more snuggle time with the family.
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Once we got going, we decided that a bike ride was the best way to check out the park, before heading further east. We checked out the campground, which was quite nice. The sites were more private and spread out than many parks. There were trailers set up on seasonal sites, but we only detected life inside one of the trailers. The best thing we came across was an awesome old school playground. It had all the classics. It was made from wood, and had monkey bars, balance beams, swings, a fireman pole, a tall bridge, a metal slide, and even a tire swing! Erica and I decided to be kids, and really enjoyed it. There was nobody around to judge. The tire swing was a real highlight!
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After our youthful play, we had to hit the road. We needed to stop for dinner, so we decided on Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. We were there last year, and found they had a wonderful day use area. So, we pulled in, and cooked ourselves up something tasty, while enjoying the view.
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After dinner, we pressed on. As night fell, I struggled a bit with fatigue. I did not get any coffee on route, which was a mistake. I snacked on some dried mangoes, and managed to stay awake. Our destination for the night was the McFadyen farm. Exhausted, I pulled in collapsed on the couch. Our camping trip was over. Well, mostly. We did end up sleeping in the trailer that night.
Day 15 – 17
We spent the last days of our vacation hanging around the farm, and attending a wedding for a friend. I won’t go into the details, but we had a lovely time in Smiths Falls. By the time we had to travel home, we were about ready. It had been a wonderful and long vacation. In short (ha!) we had the vacation we were hoping we would have. We were both very pleased with all the memories we made, and experiences we shared together.
This map shows our approximate route, less a few of the side trips. All in all, we did about 4,000km of driving.
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Thanks for reading.
Happy camping.
TV: 2006 Chevy Avalanche LT Z71 aka: WhiteWolf, or 1972 Chevy Custom10 P/U aka: SnarlingWolf
Spokane, Wa.
Eric aka: Lone Wolf
Last spring, we had a fantastic trip south in April, so this year, we planned to head south again for our first trip. We decided to dial it up a notch, and head even further south with our T@b than ever before. We kept our plans somewhat loose, but did make reservations for the three weekend nights of the trip. We aimed to get as far south as Roanoke Virginia, and hoped for a few days of warm sunshine, though we knew a bit of rain was likely. We had 5 full days of freedom, and were excited to hit the road.
Our journey started on a Wednesday afternoon, where we would depart from home, and head for the Loleta Recreation Area in Pennsylvania, about 3.5 hours away. As we rolled out, the truck asked me to service my trailer brakes. Uh-oh. I’d want those operational for the mountains we would be descending. Fortunately, a clean, and re-clean of the 7-pin connector on the T@b fixed that up.
Crossing the border always makes Erica and I a touch nervous. You never quite know how that might go. Fortunately, this crossing was another smooth one for us, and before long, we were cruising the USA. As is typical for Erica and I departing after a work day for me, we arrived at our destination after dark. Not being familiar with the area, finding a closed gate, and searching down a dark gravel road, we found ourselves heading in definitely the wrong direction. How long did the gravel road go on? Who knew? We looked for an area to turn the rig around. We did find a gated uphill turnoff that would allow for a three point turn. It was a little sketchy, but after spinning some tires, and some scraping, we got turned around. A short while later, we found the campsites we were looking for, and settled in for the night.
When morning came, we had some coffee, and took a quick look around our surroundings. We gave the dogs a quick walk, but did not waste too much time before hitting the road, and continuing our trek south.
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A little ways into our drive, Erica received a message from her loving father, warning of some potential severe weather in the southern states. We had been watching the weather before leaving home, and were expecting a fair bit of rain on Friday, but did not put too much trust in long range forecasting. Now, closer to the weekend, we had to give some serious consideration to the risks. We pulled off the highway, and used the truck’s Wi-fi to try and decide how we should respond. Though our destination was just on the edge of where the severe weather was expected, after some debate, we concluded that driving into a potentially severe storm was probably a bad idea. We cancelled the reservations we had made (though got no refunds), and chose a new destination. We would head to the Monongahela National Forest. Finding good information on some American parks is not always easy with a quick search. We found there were two campgrounds we could choose, that opened in mid-April. Accepting the fact that our plans were changed, we pulled back onto the highway.
When we arrived at the Stuart Recreation Area Campground, we found closed gates. Apparently, April 18th was not mid-April this year. So, we once again re-routed, this time to Bear Heaven, wondering if that would be closed as well. On the way, we came across the Bickle Knob Observation Tower. Though Erica is not a fan of heights, I definitely wanted to check it out. I was glad I did. The view was fantastic.
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We headed on to check out if Bear Heaven was indeed open. The roads were narrow, unpaved, and the drop-off was steep. I hoped we would not come across oncoming traffic at an inopportune moment. We were feeling a bit far from home, but when we arrived at Bear Heaven, we found the gates were open, and the fee was a definite bargain at only $5 a night, which made the cancellations not sting so much.
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There were about 15 sites, with only two being occupied when we rolled in. We selected a wonderful little spot to spend the next couple nights. After eating, Erica enjoyed the hammock, and I enjoyed playing with my RC rock crawler behind our site. We finished the day happy with where we landed, even if it was not where we originally planned.
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Friday we knew would bring rain, but it looked like we would have a few dry hours in the morning, so we headed down to a nearby trail in a valley. It had a few shallow water crossings, and some mud, so waterproof footwear served us well. The trail was not particularly amazing, but it was close by, and we were happy to get out and about with the pups.
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After our hike, we did indeed get some raindrops, so we retreated to the trailer. We used the time to shower, and then we each dove into a book. The rain continued to fall for the rest of the day, but there were no extreme winds, thunderstorms, or tornados, so we were pretty happy. We were also the only ones in the area at this point, so the solitude was quite nice.
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On Saturday morning, we packed up, and hit the road again. Our drive was incredibly rural, and was quite enjoyable. We had quite a few miles to cover, but when we saw signs for the Seneca Caverns, we thought it might be worth checking out. We were glad we made the stop. The cave was far bigger than I expected, and Erica and I both enjoyed the tour.
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There was still some daylight left, so after a day that was fairly heavy on driving, we laced up our boots, and headed towards the Bearfence Rock Scramble, which was an extremely short drive away. The trail started like an average hiking trail, but as it climbed, it got substantially more interesting.
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As we approached the highest point of the trail, the blue blazes marked a challenging path, which had some exposure to the right side. I planned each move very carefully, and made it to the summit. Erica asked if it was hard, or scary, or something to that affect. I did not really know what to say, because I knew Erica would not like it one bit. Sure enough, when she got to the danger zone, her fear of heights kicked in, and that was enough for the day. I took a moment to enjoy the views, and we headed back down.
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Continuing on with our theme of making the most of the day, we had time to sneak in one more activity, and we decided that we would give the Bearfence Rock Scramble another go. Erica now knew that you could reach the summit, while avoiding the scary death bit, by choosing a line to the left of the markers. It was not clear on our first ascent, but another woman with a young girl pointed it out to us on our last attempt. With her nerves calmed, Erica was happy to give it another try.
Take a picture of the succulents she said.
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Erica, did reach higher than her previous attempt, and got to take in the view, while keeping all four firmly planted on the rock. Oh, and I have to mention the family we saw who were descending the last bit of trail when we were starting our hike. There was a man, with only socks on his feet, and a woman, with wedge style heels! I was dying to ask them if they went all the way to the summit, but thought that might be rude. I’ll always wonder though. The tread of my hiking boots took enough of a beating on the rough rocks, I can’t imagine doing it in socks, or heels for that matter.
After filling our day with adventure, it was back to the campsite, for some fire roasted dinner for the second night in a row, as we watched the sun set through the trees.
On Monday, the final day of our trip, we had a lot of miles to cover to get ourselves back home, about 450 of them actually, or about 720km. We wanted to make sure to give the dogs a bit of a walk before relegating them to the truck for hours and hours. After packing up, we took the pups into the forest, and gave them a chance to drink some fresh spring water, and blow off a little steam, before starting to put in some big miles.
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We took Google’s suggestion for the fastest route home this time, which put us on a few more highways/interstates/turnpikes. While not as scenic as our earlier driving, it was different, rather than repeating the same views, which was nice. On these long drives, I appreciate the Sierra’s 99L fuel tank. It lasts as long as I want it to. When I hopped out of the truck at our next stop, I was in serious need of stretching my legs. Erica had selected a wonderful stop to stretch our legs, and make another sandwich; Kinzua Bridge State Park. The bridge has a long history, dating back to 1882, but in 2003 a tornado knocked most of it down to the ground, approximately 300ft below where the rails once were. The wreckage remains in the valley, while some of the surviving structure was turned into a skywalk. It was definitely cool to check out.
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After this last stop, all there was left to do, was fuel up, and finish the drive. As our local radio stations came back into range, we said goodbye to the US of A, and crossed back into Canada, after a fairly short wait, and a fairly substantial bridge fee, due to having a trailer in tow. Home again.
Without a doubt, this trip was one to remember. The Appalachian Mountains gave stunning views. I’ll say without hesitation, that this trip was the most scenic road trip of my life. Erica and I feel very blessed to be able to take these trips. America, we will see you again, ‘till then, take care.
T@Bit@t 2015 S Max Outback, ‘18 V6 4Runner
2020 320S Boondock Lite (silver w/blue)
2019 Subaru Ascent Premium
As with @Travelin3D our favorite camping spot in Shenandoah NP is Big Meadows CG. We have stayed there in our T@B 320, Silver Shadow teardrop, a very used 1960's popup, and a tent over 40 years. We hope you at stopped at one of roadsides (restaurants) for a blackberry ice cream cone. A must for us.
It wasn't until our last visit that we finally took a shot at the Bearfence Rock Scramble. Erica we in full concurrence about that spot just before the summit. Fortunately our "family' of advisors was above us on the summit. That alternative route is no piece of cake either.
We travel though eastern PA frequently and have put Kinzua Bridge State Park on our list.
Thanks again for sharing.
If we we make it there again, we’ll take a closer look at Big Meadows.
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
I was really excited for this trip. We had 5 days, and were headed to Killarney, one of my favourite parks. We were loaded down with the canoe, lounge chairs, hammocks, the RC truck, and hiking boots. Erica tells me what to pack, and I pack it. We don’t make an itinerary though. Personally, I like to have a plan or schedule, and follow it. However, I also tend to get grumpy when plans change. For that reason, Erica will not share any itinerary, despite what she may have in mind, nor will she accept any schedule I propose. It takes a clever woman to be able to live with me, and Erica does a great job. I did know that we would definitely be hiking the iconic “Crack” trail, because we are both a fan of the terrain and the view.
As opposed to our typical schedule of leaving at the end of a work day, we waited until the next morning to depart. With a little help from the carpool lane, we made it through the GTA without much delay, and cruised on north.
For our first day, Erica had moved us onto a wonderful waterfront site that had come available for our first night only. It was cool, and a bit breezy, but the view was fantastic.
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We went for a short stroll around the campground, and then Erica took her typical gentle start to vacationing, while I took my tiny truck out for some rock crawling fun.
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The next morning, we decided to hike the Chikanishing Trail, which Erica and I did not hike on our previous visit. The weather was sunny and warm. This woke up a few insects for probably the first time this spring, but they were either of the non-biting variety, or not looking to feed on us yet, so they were hardly a nuisance. The trail was fun, and offered nice views of the pink granite Georgian Bay shoreline.
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After the hike, we quickly moved campsites, to another wonderful spot by a bog, nicely separated from the nearest neighbouring sites. We got our hammocks set up side by side, and had a nice relax session. In the shade, it was not particularly warm, though not particularly cold, but Erica cacooned herself, and was nice and cozy.
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I felt recharged pretty quickly, so while Erica continued to lounge, I headed out with my tiny truck again. That little rig is perfect for the times when Erica wants to relax, and I want to go venture out.
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Later that day, we had some special guests arrive; Erica’s mom and aunt. We helped them get set up, built a fire, and had some dinner.
The following morning brought cloudy skies, and more cool temperatures. Perfect hiking weather, especially in contrast to the intense heat Erica and I battled on our hike up the Crack trail last July. This year, we would repeat the hike, in cooler temperatures. We also had the mini Adventure Mutt with us this time. She is very nimble, and shows good judgment when tackling obstacles. The Adventure Poodle on the other hand, had previously proved himself to be enthusiastic, but less nimble, so we arranged for him to stay in Niagara for this trip, due to the difficulty of this planned hike. While we were out hiking, our guests headed into the town of Killarney.
Driving to the trailhead, we overshot the parking lot due to poor signage, but that turned out to be a happy mistake. We continued on just a bit before making a u-turn, and that small continuation allowed Erica to spot a black bear peeking out from the woods! This was Erica’s first wild bear sighting, and only my second. My first was also at Killarney, several years ago.
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Starting along the trail, Erica was charging ahead at a brisk pace, and the cool temperatures helped her maintain a steady pace ahead of me. It seemed like hardly any time at all before we made it to the top, and were able to enjoy the iconic view.
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We enjoyed some sandwiches, and lingered for a while, before beginning our descent. Our hike back down was also trouble free and smooth. We were back at the trailhead over an hour quicker than in July.
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After a bit of time back at the campsite, once again, I headed out with my tiny truck, while Erica bundled herself up with a book.
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In the afternoon, Erica, her mom, and myself went for a quick lap around the Cranberry Bog trail. The trailhead was right beside our campsite, which was very convenient.
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In the evening, we dealt with some rain, on and off. I eventually got a fire lit, and roasted some hot dogs as planned, as rain drops sizzled in my hot coals.
When morning came, we were faced with more cool weather. But, we took advantage of a break in the rain, to all hike the Granite Ridge Trail as a group. We all learned a thing or two from the trail guide we purchased prior to the start of the hike. Rain threatened to fall, but other than a couple drops, the rain held off for our hike.
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Back at the campsite though, the rain finally caught up with us, and made lunch time a little wetter. After we scrambled to finish our lunch, we planned for a little time indoors. We headed to Killarney Outfitters to check out some gear. Erica’s mom found herself a nice day pack, and Erica debated over a pair of boots, while receiving some expert fit assistance from her mom.
Unfortunately, both Erica and I have had some boot issues this year. Our older pairs are worn and tired, and our new pairs are having issues. My new pair was sent for warranty replacement after the first year, only to experience the same failure within the first 50km. This issue led to another warranty replacement, which arrived at my doorstep just after leaving for this trip. After a few hikes, frequent discomfort, and some blistering, Erica has conceded to the fact that her new boots just don’t fit her that well, despite trying on many pairs when shopping for them. After much debate, Erica and her mom decided that a trip to MEC together would be the best plan.
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The rain continued to fall hard, so the group decided that a dinner at a restaurant would be our best option. We enjoyed some good grub, drinks, and a waterfront view at the Sportsman’s Inn, while the Toronto Raptors took on the Milwaukee Bucks on the big screen.
On our final morning, our guests took off, before we were out of bed. To be fair, neither Erica nor I were in any rush to get out of bed. We considered making plans for the day, but ultimately, decided to take it easy in the morning, and then head home. Erica is not a fan of cold and wet, and the conditions were indeed cold and wet. After Erica played with the tiny truck for a bit, we leisurely packed up, and traveled home, along misty highways.
We had spent much of the time leading up to this trip wondering if the biting insects would be a nuisance. We (especially me) were happy that they were not. The cost for that win was lower temperatures, but I think it was a pretty fair trade. We still snuck in a bunch of hikes and outdoor fun, not bad for a Victoria Day long weekend, which is always hit or miss, weather wise. Though it’s a long drive, it seems likely that Erica and I will be seeing Killarney again some time.
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(Alde: 3020; Refrig: Isotherm Cruise 65 Eleg; Battery: BB 100Ah LiFePo4; Solar: Renogy 100Ah Suitcase; Victron BMV-712; Pwr Cntr: PD-4135KW2B; EMS: PI-HW30C)
Greg & Marlene (Tucson, AZ)
The boots she bought that are not fitting well are Scarpa Terra GTX.
The boots I’ve had some sole durability issues with are Oboz Bridger Mid BDry.
(Alde: 3020; Refrig: Isotherm Cruise 65 Eleg; Battery: BB 100Ah LiFePo4; Solar: Renogy 100Ah Suitcase; Victron BMV-712; Pwr Cntr: PD-4135KW2B; EMS: PI-HW30C)
Greg & Marlene (Tucson, AZ)
Five months ago, we had booked a 1 night stay at Long Point Provincial Park. We had made the trip last year, and enjoyed a nice relaxing day in the dunes, with drinks in hand. However, as our reservation approached, we both realized we were not that excited for it. We were wanting a little bit of adventure along with some relaxation, and the reality is, there is not that much adventure to be had at Long Point. As our reservation drew even closer, it was starting to become apparent that cancellation was imminent, as a result of the high water levels in Lake Ontario causing flooding in the park. However, we had to wait for the official cancellation notice to arrive in my inbox, to be able to cancel without financial penalty.
When the cancellation notice did finally come, it was fairly “last minute” to try and re-book something else. Since the kids would still be in school, and it was peak bug season, there was still some availability though. We had our eye on a waterfront site at Pog Lake Algonquin, but that got snatched up before we could hit reserve. We then decided that Bon Echo would be our destination.
Bon Echo Provincial Park is a park I’ve wanted to camp at for a couple years now. I had camped there as a child, but never as an adult. The drive to Bon Echo is quite a bit longer than Long Point, so of course we extended our stay to two nights, which is still a little short, but we were determined to make the most of the weekend.
On the topic of making the most of the weekend, Erica and I invited my sister Danielle along for the trip, and she, along with her dog Ariya took us up on our offer. Furthermore, since we were heading pretty far East, Erica’s parents were interested in joining us for dinner on Saturday. Our plans were shaping up nicely. As always though, the weather was out of our control, and all week long, the forecast said rain on Saturday. The temperatures looked comfortable though, so we planned to stay in the park fairly late on Sunday, to enjoy some forecasted sunshine in the park, rather than rushing home.
On Friday afternoon, we hit the road, to pick up Danielle and Ariya. We warned of imminent squishiness, since we would be stuffing three people, and three dogs into the double cab Sierra. Danielle was not deterred though, and still happy to take us up on the lift. We loaded the bags, and all jumped in. Mr Poodle seemed a little unsettled by his less than normal amount of space, but for the most part, the crew was pretty happy.
When we arrived at our campsite, we had a little more setup to do than normal, since we had to get our tent set up for Danielle and Ariya, and we also set up our screen tent, as we knew we would need some protection from bugs and rain the following day, and certainly did not want to do the setup in the rain if we could avoid it. Everything went smooth, and we were all tucked into bed before midnight.
When the morning came, so did some of the expected rain. It was a little on and off. When it was off, we decided to head towards the Abes and Essens trail system. We packed some sandwiches, and drove to the trailhead, with the intention of doing the mid-length Essens Lake Loop, which would be about 10km. When we arrived at the trail head, it was immediately apparent that the air was very thick with mosquitoes. It was a little bit shocking how many more bugs there were outside our windows, compared to at our campsite. We armored ourselves up with clothing and bug nets, and mentally prepared ourselves to open the truck doors.
Wasting no time standing around, we hit the trail, which was wet from the morning rain. The skies were cloudy, but no significant rain would fall on our hike. We kept a brisk pace through the swarms of mosquitoes, and only made stops when mandatory, to tie shoe laces, or make minor gear adjustments.
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The trail was quite lovely though. The rolling trail was sufficiently rugged to make it interesting, but not rough enough to be too challenging. When we got to the split for the first Clutes loop of the trail system, I asked if the rest of the group was on board with shortening our hike to 3.5km, instead of the planned 10. Without hesitation, Erica and Danielle gave me the affirmative. They were both hoping I would be ok with that option, but did not want to propose it, because they both know me well, and know that I sometimes get upset when plans change. Knowing that our battle with the bugs would be a little shorter, there was some sense of relief in the group. We kept our steady pace, and made it back to the truck, without any issues.
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We never did stop to eat those sandwiches we packed, so we crushed those once we made it back to the campsite. We spent the afternoon lounging in our screen tent, nicely protected from bugs and rain, and nicely snuggled by our pups!
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It really did not rain too much, until shortly after Erica’s parents rolled in for dinner, and I tried to light a fire! I did get a fire going, but we all retreated to the screen tent, while we waited for the rain to lighten up. Sure enough, before too long, the rain did lighten up, and the fire yielded a nice bed of coals, for roasting the hot dogs we were looking forward to.
After dinner, tiny bits of blue sky appeared for the first time that day, so we all went for a little stroll.
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After the sun got low, and Erica’s parents departed, we re-lit the campfire, and watched it burn down, before heading to bed.
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Sunday morning came along, and brought with it the good weather we were hoping for. We took it easy in the morning, and then after lunch, packed up our campsite, and headed to the Lagoon. We had one kayak (borrowed from my dad), and our little canoe to transport our crew of three humans and three dogs across the water, to the start of the Clifftop Trail I wanted to hike.
We got Danielle in the Kayak first, and then passed her Ariya, her incredibly tolerant little doodle. They were off, and Ariya was being a good little pup. Danielle’s biggest challenge was trying to keep the kayak pointed straight. I had paddled the vessel previously, and assured her that she is not crazy for feeling that this particular boat never wants to go straight. You have to work at it.
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We all safely crossed the water to the docs on the opposite side of the water. Hilton and Willard were very excited, and fortunately we endured a touch of their chaos, and all got on shore. We were greeted by quite a few bugs, but not as many as on the previous day’s hike. We hustled to get the boats all tied up, and on our way up.
Up, up we went, up the stairs, to the top of the cliff. The trail is only indicated as 1.5km, but much of that is on stairs. Willard loves climbing, so he was happy with that! The views were enjoyable, as expected.
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After taking the steps back down, we geared up for another bit of paddling. Unfortunately, Danielle was a bit agitated by the still-present bugs. When you lose focus on the task at hand for a moment, things can go wrong. In this moment, the task was getting in the kayak, and it went wrong. The result was a very wet (and refreshed) Danielle! Fortunately getting wet was the only negative outcome. Once she collected herself, her second attempt was smoother, and we were on our way again. We took a very short detour to paddle by the cliff, before heading back into the lagoon.
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Back on shore, Willard took off like a bandit. That guy can be a 66 lb package of flailing limbs and puppy crazies. I’m not so sure canoeing is his favourite activity, but he has not tipped our canoe yet! Anyways, we got the boats loaded back on the truck, and Danielle got changed into some dry clothes. By the time we dumped the trailer tanks, and were rolling out of the park, it was after 5pm. It would be a late night, but we made the most of our time at Bon Echo.
Monday at work sure was a drag, but I’d do it the same, all over again!
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