Any one familiar with this beginning?  “Hey, I’ve booked a site on a route none of us have been on.  You in?”  One came back, “I’m in, for sure.”  Another came back as, “The 14th, I don’t know.”  Everyone leads a busy lifestyle and I for one, appreciate that and I never compare anybodies definition of busy!

My son, Liam was very interested in going and was packed up quick quickly in comparison with other trips.  This one was to include three different lakes and four  portages totalling almost one kilometre.  Not a formidable trip by comparison but, remember, we’re not comparing, and this style of trip is relatively new to me, especially as the trip planner.

So the night before departure one announces he may just be able to put it together and the other is having a major test around the house and I figured he would be a casualty when it turned out he was just delayed.  He still beat me up there proving some things never change.

Haliburton Highlands Water Trails is one area that I’ve already dipped my toes into, thanks to my good friend, Christina Scheuermann, a.k.a. CamperChristina.com.  I was invited up for a nights stay back in May and I had a really good feeling about the area.  This trip would involve a bit more work ie. the portaging but I wanted to give it a go.

At the Big East access we met up with one of the guys and transferred gear to the put in and made tracks for the first portage.  We took our time winding along the shore line and hit the first portage.  Well marked at the take out, we pulled gear from the canoes and headed up the hill.  Nice gentle slope on this one from Bentshoe Lake to Lower Crane Lake, and well defined!  Gear stowed away we headed for the campsite as we reversed the route.

One of was using a topo map with a large scale and the other using a 1:15,000 scale map, offered widely.  After a quick tour of the wrong area of the lake we arrived at our site.  OK, now picture this if you will.  Some bugs were out but this is Ontario, right!  We landed and rolled the canoes for the night and started bringing packs up the rock slope which was about 12 feet above the lake surface and on a steep face back to the lake.  Did I mention that the rock top was directly in the face of the wind and offered some well received relief from said bugs!  First thing of order was to set the tents and determine whether we’d set up the Eureka Bug Zones we brought or just set a guide tarp in case of rain.  The clouds were rolling and building and as I’ve found the best way to stay away from rain is to go ahead and set up a tarp.   Done!  (p.s. No rain).

It was a very hot day and no one was terribly hungry so we kept drinking water and talked about what had happened since the last meeting. Kevin Callan has mentioned about the proximity of some sites on this system being too close to the roadways as it allows for some who may not appreciate what they’re given with the backcountry in Ontario, and we definitely saw signs of that.  At the same time credit has to be given to the staff and supportes of the HHWT’s as the sites we passed appeared very clear of garbage.

Enjoying the setting sun and the gentle breeze, Liam turned to us and said, “Here comes Steve.”.  Sure enough, he’s made it up for the evening with his daughter.

A mix of the heat, muscles that hadn’t been used for a bit and the onslaught of mosquitoes coming as the breeze died off, we hit the sheets.  We had run a very clean campsite and opted to park the barrels with a pan or two on top.  It wasn’t an hour by the time one pan was off the barrel followed by that familiar chuckle of the Masked Intruder.  This little guy was so brazen as to visit one of the tents and actually press his nose against the secreen.  Amazing how quickly a raccoon can travel when his nose gets the finger flick.

Sunday greeted us with a smoky haze of fog over our bay and that heavy air which meant she’d be a hot day slugging.  Breakfast bannock on an un-tested pan and yup…she burned a bit, but not enough to back away from all that shredded cheese.  Another pan offered a collection of bacon, rehydrated potatoes and onions and some crumbled sausage, while yet another pot offered up some oatmeal, which has been a go to mainsaty throughout time.  Liam satyed busy refilling the water bag to filter water for the days trip.

Off we went to new waters and trails and we weren’t disappointed.  This is an area of beauty. Close enough to test and not a major test of abilities.  The water levels were down considerably and we had to ram our way over some logs but it was a fun trip.

This one made me aware of my sons’ abilities and capabilites.  He is a very strong paddler and takes advice and applies it.  On the way home I asked him if he’d do it again and he relied, “Sure, but only if it’s a longer trip.”

Deal!!!

Alright folks, it’s time to get honest.  Yup, the uncomfortable kind of honest where you actually have to be, honest!

Let’s go camping!  Let’s, actually means “let us” suggesting the plural!  What happened when I asked a couple of my closest paddling buddies was, “I’d love to, but…..” and I get that so I shoot off a note to a good friend and asked her what she was doing and if she’d like to get together.  Turns out she had already booked a site in Haliburton Highlands and as we’d been back and forth on a few other get togethers; this one turned out as the click.

CamperChristina is a “go to” gal for any season in the out of doors and truth be told, why would you not want to gain knowledge from an experienced woman of the outdoors.  Well, the answer may astound some while others may see it as super transparent.

I like people and can get along with the larger percentage!  Solo camping has been in front of me before and it didn’t work out that well.  For some, solo camping is just camping while for others, solo is a big deal.  I actually talked to myself a few times on the way up…..right to the point where I passed my cut off and thought, “Now, there’s an excuse.”

In the parking zone and a double carry put me on the water at the put in and as I scoped the waterscape before me I thought, “Why on Earth would you consider missing this?”  Thanks to Shawn Ryder and he knows so therein lies the importance of the mention.

No new gear except the Pilot canoe from Composite Creations and off we go to meet and camp with someone for the very first time on a lake I’ve never been to in a canoe I haven’t paddled with gear…. in a rain storm.  Ah, I can just feel the calm!!!!  Here we are in a new environment with a new’ish canoe and you’ve still got the semi-solo jitters!

Semi solo.  Think of it for a second.  The guys or the girls heading out on a trip and all the comraderie.  Fast forward to one person doing the packing, food prep, gear lines and safety check……all while they’ve been down this road and didn’t appreciate it!  Respect and commitment is what drives us forward.  Not just the test of the word to another but rather the word to yourself!

In transit the road actually dries track bare and the put in site looms.  Canoe in and gear stored and the lake is dreary at best.  None the less a job is at hand and the paddle bites on the first leg of the journey.  Instantly the phone ring goes silent as does the media alert.  The new alert draws attention to the shore line for activity and the waterline for the prevalent loons.   Within a paddle stroke you’ve distanced yourself from the outside world!

Another humbling lesson in the fact that the site is immaterial; it’s the destination that matters.  It matters most that you decide to go!  The benefit comes latter from those you share with and gain knowledge from; the most expensive thing you can own is a closed mind!

There’s a comment we hear every time we go through the photo archives, right?  Recently I made comment about backcountry canoe camping  and I dug out some photos from about a while back and brought them up against the more recent snaps.  “Where in the heck did all that grey come from?”

The French River has always had my heart!  It has some of the nastiest bugs I’ve come across and it is said that the bigger ones come equipped with landing lights.  It features our Osprey below the Blue Chute, and please respect our ownership of said bird!  This is a river that you can watch ebb or flow over a long weekend.  The electrical storms are vicious.  The cool evening midnight breeze along with the sound of the rapids in the background as you float, leg locked with 3 or 4 canoes, swirling in an eddy pool under a canopy of the galaxies is a gift you can never be told about; it is one you must experience!

The French has taught me considerably!  Respect of the water and of the land surrounding this fabulous river.  Respect for those who’ve travelled the same path in a different time and the importance to protect the waterway for those to come.  She has given me new experience, new friends, and has provided a base for our children to form their opinions.  I remember a night, many moons ago, where I emerged from a Woods canvas tent, damned near frozen.  One, who was with us, told me how to prepare a bed under the pines and to this day, I remember it as one of the best sleeps I had in the bush.

Please take a moment and share some of our experiences in the heat and in the rain and the cold; from low water to near flood conditions, but always in good company!

So wherever you plans may take you, please enjoy, respect, and thank those who’ve been before you and those who’ve offered something for you!

We enjoyed a really good time at the Outdoor Adventure Show – Toronto and after seeing a lot of friends and visiting with some great exhibitors, we decided it was time to hit the road.  One of the prime targets for this years show was with Agawa Canyon so I could treat myself to some leather.

I had already purchased one of their Boreal 21 saws and by the way, if you’re looking for something light weight, easy to assemble, and something that will absolutely chew up wood…..stop looking!  Now for a smidge of honesty, OK?  I’ll be Frank and you be Earnest!  It’s ok (lower case) to stuff your saw in between a barrel or your tent and sleeping bag but damn, it’s a mark of pride to wear your saw in a place of honour on your pack.  Plus it’s leather!  Beautiful leather, if I might add!

Many foot steps later, we are collecting ourselves and our treasures from the show and, “OUCH”, Karin suffers a twist in her shoulder and down go the bags!  Liam and I scramble to help, however, Karin in full mother/wife/woman mode, says she’s good to go and the bags all get changed up and away we go!

A gorgeous afternoon drive home and we decided it would be a dinner cooked outside so into the store parking lot we went.  Truck parked and K on her mission, Liam and I decided to peruse the spoils.  I said, “Hey Bud, can you pass me up the leather scabbard, please?”  Liams’ response was deafening, “It’s not here!”  I was out of the truck in a heart beat and bags checked, jackets moved and seats re-checked.  The search yielded nothing. I was back in the truck and checked the console, the door pockets and while I checked Karins door pocket my hand passed over her purse.  I thought to myself, “She didn’t have her purse in the show so that’s out!”  Back to the back seat for another parcel check.

Nothing!

Oh my goodness and may someone show forgiveness on me for what followed!  I honestly think we had the only “hot air Ram” in Barrie!  Enter Karin, stage left!  “You wouldn’t have believed the line ups!”, she said.  I countered, “You get everything you wanted, because my leather scabbard is back in Toronto at the show!”  I calmly reached for a tissue to wipe the foam from my lips!

I’m from a time when you did NOT go into a womens purse!  Your Mom’s or your wife’s, when she told you….you brought it to her and she could dig. So to hear Karins voice when she said, “No silly, it’s here in my purse!”, it had that bittersweet quality to it.  I made sure one chop was done to her liking.

What a year to plan and celebrate getting out in to the great out doors and supporting the Ontario Parks system.

Back in 1893 it all began with the first provincial park, Algonquin and now we are able to enjoy some 340 parks that account for 8% of the land space in Ontario.  That’s bigger than Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island combined!  Now that’s big!

That is surely something to get out and enjoy and celebrate that we have such a resource available to us all.

How will you celebrate the 125th anniversary?

#OP125

Phone calls made and plans arranged for the transition of summer tires to snows!

Unfortunately it was for the morning after a get together for a Leaf game at friends and every cotton pickin’ time we go to watch a game, the Leaf’s loose!  Streak unbroken.  2 – 1 Canucks!

Sunday morning and everything quiet with the exception of Izzy whose tail is playing “Wipeout” on the bookcase at 7:35 AM.  A quick scratch of Izzy’s neck and the thought flashes through my head….”Where in the heck is the wheel nut lock?”  Sneakers and pajamas have never been stylish but in the relative dark they served the purpose perfectly.

I did the secret agent clothing change and started rolling tires and carrying rims to the pick up and arrived at my appointment location with scant seconds to spare!  “Ya, that’s going to be $149.00……wait did you buy the tires here?  You did, oh well then we can save you some more money here!”

Truck in the shop and my stomach grumbling as I sip my coffee while walking across a pretty much empty parking lot.  I’m going to give her a call!  Ya, Sunday and I’m sure she’ll be reading her book!  “Hey Babe, want to join me at Starbucks for a coffee and a brekkie sammich?”  “That’s great, I’ll wait for you outside.”

What a glorious morning dawned upon us this day!  Bright sunshine and almost no wind with temperatures around 0’C.

I went into the Starbucks and read their menu board to get a head start on what I’d like.  The young lady was prompt and courteous to take my order but I explained I was waiting on my wife.  I returned outside and waited for Karin to arrive and when she did we entered the store and the Calley greeted us with a “So now the other half is here”.  She took our orders based on some recommendations and off we went to find a table. As we waited for our orders to be filled, Karin and I both commented on how the staff here acted as a whole!  The smile was always in place and each one behind the counter interacted with each other to get the orders out.  We sat and munched our breakfast and it kind of turned into one of those cherished “date” moments….you know, while getting your snow tires put on!

I’ve always been an equal opportunity kind of guy.  Do it wrong and I’ll tell ya!  Do it right, and I’ll tell ya as well!  So the traffic takes a lull and I’m up to the counter….”Which one of you ladies is the Manager?”  Both faces are riveted on my face!

I told them that Karin and I had been talking about our experience and that the crystal clear and genuine greeting from Calley was exceptional.  Recommendations were offered and explanations were given!  The entire staff operated behind the counter like a pro football team on the field and as a customer, it was a joy to watch the interaction.  Even when I asked who was the manager, Calley continued to smile in the face of not knowing what was coming!  Professional, confident, and the kind of front line staff that most companies just dream of having!

So who’s driving this bus, you ask?  Who is making all this customer satisfaction take place?  The young lady’s name is Tanya Monk!  Karin and I spoke with these two and what came forward was amazing!  One states that she gets worried when she hits her start time and it’s announced that there may be things not available to offer.  The other mentions that it’s a responsibility to function as a team and to have EVERY customer leave happy.  Really?  Without telling all, I’m just going to state that if you want to attend what I saw to be a perfectly functioning retail coffee/sandwich operation, you need to visit Starbucks at 103 Mapleview Drive West in Barrie.

I just call them as I see them, but this morning was a great morning, the sandwich was exactly what you said it would be, it was a blast having a date with my wife, and you two provided the avenue for it.

Thanks so much!!!