Two4adventure at the Quiet Adventure Symposium

Two4adventure Attend the Quiet Adventure Symposium Lansing, Michigan Saturday February 28th, 2020

To begin, here is a link to Quiet Adventure Symposium https://www.quietwatersociety.org/. We encourage you to check it out and attend this event if you have never experienced it before.

Our trip to the the Quiet Adventure Symposium began on the day before the actual event. Despite the ominous weather forecast Hiker and I loaded into the van after my work day and began our road trip West. We had arranged accomodations with our friend Grant, in St. Thomas for the night, to cut down on drive time for that evening and also visit with our friend.

In our driveway getting ready to leave for St. Thomas

Right from the get go driving conditions were not ideal to say the least and as we made our way onto the 407 via the 115. The weather worsened with heavy snow fall and white out conditions. At this point I wasn't too concerned as there was no other traffic on the highway however as we approached the city of Toronto traffic became much more congested, a real white knuckle experience. I thought of turning back a couple of times but just decided to take our time and forged on. I wanted this experience for Hiker. There would be some key speakers at the event, one being Cliff Jacobson who I very much wanted Hiker and myself to see. We braved the conditions all the way to St. Thomas and arrived at our friends just after 8:00pm. Grant and I discussed our upcoming "Meanest Link" trip well into the night with Hiker and I getting to bed around the 12:30am mark. The visit and conversation was great but heading to bed that late only gave us four and a half hours of sleep before having to get up at 5:00am to make the opening of the event.

Our alarm went off, as 5am came quick. Looking outside we were faced with more falling snow. We thanked Grant for the hospitality and after hitting the local Tim Horton's for breakfast we battled snow squalls on the 402 highway for over an hour. Being an 8 year old Hiker was laughing, chatting and singing as we made our way down the highway, oblivious to the many dangers of these driving conditions; that or he just had complete faith in his father's abilities. As we reached the border conditions improved and with no other vehicles going through, it was a quick and painless border crossing.

This was our first time in the state of Michigan. As we ventured into the state, the roads were clear and it made travelling much more enjoyable. We even had the sun come out, sweet! We arrived at the University where the event was being held just a few minutes after the doors opened. Hiker and I merged with the long winding line to get in and after a short wait received our program for presentations including a map and layout of the booths. There was even a kids corner with activities for Hiker. We entered the large area that held all the booths and upon entering quickly noticed the lads at Paddling Adventures Radio setup https://paddlingadventuresradio.com/ . Hiker and I announced our presence as they are friends of ours, had a quick chat as they gave us info on the event as well as the inside scoop that there was a rabbit and guinea pig auction taking place just next door in the same building. Hiker and I had laid out our plans for the day and with a bit of time, we went over to check our the furry critters. Mixed in with the sounds of squealing guinea pigs were large, actually massive, bunny rabbits. Hiker was ecstatic as he absolutely loves animals. We toured the entire exhibit checking out all the different breeds. Hiker even asked if we could purchase one of the large bunnies. I did not know the logistics around getting  a rabbit the size of a medium dog across the border, nor was I interested in that process. That's a hard no!

We returned to the the QAS and seated ourselves in the Grand Room to attend Cliff Jacobson's first of two presentations. This one was on camping tip's and tricks. As we entered the room Hiker immediate positioned himself in a seat at the front of the room right in front of where Cliff would be presenting. This turned out to be a wise decision as during the presentation Cliff asked Hiker to join him in helping with the presentation. Hiker was required to hold a miniature tent so that Cliff could go over key materials and proper ways of choosing and setting up a tent that could withstand heavy rain and wind.

I snapped a couple of photo's and at the end of the presentation the man involved in introducing Cliff texted me a picture he took from a different angle. A truly great experience for Hiker to assist a paddling legend. Later we would purchase his newest fiction book " Justin Cody's Race to Survival" which Cliff would sign for Hiker.

We exited the Grand Room and meandered our way through the exhibits visiting with other friends who were at the event. Susan Sheppard from Sue's Outdoor Crew http://suesoutdoorcrew.ca/ was helping John Van Barrigar with his booth http://theoutdoorkind.org/ so we chatted with them and I purchased a paddling moose sticker to put on our canoe trailer this Spring after it gets a fresh coat of paint. We ran into Mike Burn's who we were finally able to meet in person as well as his dog Willow. Then we crossed paths with the man with the van, Yukon Steve. Traveling from the Yukon in his awesome van conversion.

Hiker pictured with Kevin callan. One of there many pictures and meetings.

There was enough to see and do for the entire 9:00am-5:30pm day. Hiker had a fly fishing tutorial which he absolutely loved, which I now see Father and Son fly fishing in our future. We watched "The Happy Camper's" presentation, Sean Rowley from the above mentioned Paddling Adventure Radio's Podcast " Redefining Adventure" presentation that we missed at the OAS (Outdoor Adventure Show) and a second Cliff Jacobson presentation on portaging and packing for canoe trips. The fun didn't stop there. After the show we checked into our hotel. Hiker and I went out for dinner together, grabbed some munchies and returned to our room to hangout. Later that night I received a message to hangout with some of the outdoor crew. There was some great conversation that ensued over a couple drinks before we retired for the night, with an agreement to do a special instant coffee tasting podcast for backcountry use in the morning. After a not so good nights sleep I arrived at the hotel room traveling podcast studio. You can tune into the Paddling Adventure Radio Podcasts website to connect with that podcast and it's content, as it hasn't aired yet. There is also a video that Kevin Callan posted on his facebook page that previews the shenanigans that took place.

Chill time, gaming in the hotel room.

Lots of fun was had in such a compressed weekend and after saying our goodbyes after the podcast, Hiker and I made the journey back home with mostly clear skies and great driving conditions. A stark contrast to the conditions on the way there and a welcomed sight. As I write this I look forward to the release of the podcast and more experiences like these. The outdoor community continues to be a great bunch, and as always, these experiences are for Hiker to take in, so.....

Until next time, adventure awaits!

A 5 yr Old, His Father and the Temagami Wilderness

I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at my phone which read 6:15am. I sat up and wiped the foggy windows to our van and was surprised to witness flakes of snow falling from the sky. Later we would find out that temperatures in that area had dropped to minus 3 degrees Celsius that night. Caught of guard, this would be the real beginning of our adventure into the Temagami Wilderness

Thirteen hours before, Hiker and I had just left the house to begin our drive 5 plus hours North but had to turn around 20 minutes into that drive to return home an pick up some forgotten items. It was the Thursday before the long weekend and we were trying to get the jump on traffic and hit the roads a day earlier than most. We left after I got off work but because of my absent mindedness for a lack of a better descriptive word, we delayed the trip by around and hour. This royally sucked because we were already scheduled to get to the put-in by approx. 10:30pm to begin with. No worries though, no sense crying over spilled milk. Once we grabbed what we needed we were back on route enjoying music and conversation during our long drive. Just a father and son laughing and sharing in the excitement of our upcoming trip. With little stops along the way we arrived at put-in 26 located on Jeff's maps at the bottom of  Matagamasi Lake. Extremely dark at this time and hardly any vehicles around the boat launch, Hiker and I picked a spot to park the van, inflated our air mattress and were asleep in the van in less then 30 minutes.

The slight flakes of snow that were falling dissipated rather quickly and it was the gusting wind that worried me. Early in the day, temperatures were still a little chilly for the month of May. Maybe not in this area but back home for sure. Despite the overcast skies and gusty winds Hiker and I loaded up the canoe and were ready to push off. Wait a minute... no mitts. I forgot to pack mitts???!!! My next question was to Hiker. "Son, what do you think about wearing a pair of socks over your hands until things warmed up". No argument from him, so socks on hands, away we went. It was very quickly realized, that we were dealing with a headwind and fairly choppy water. Not ideal but manageable. As we made our way up the Matagamasi the skies started opening up and before we knew it the sun was blazing down warming us up. We stopped on shore for homemade breakfast wraps and then pushed off again. Just after passing the little green shack on the Western shore, I pulled out my phone to take a picture. At the very same moment a cross wind picked up suddenly and began to blow us sideways and in the wrong direction. Oh and did I mention Hiker had to go pee really, really badly at this very moment as well? I jammed my phone back into my pocket, forgetting to zip up the pocket and paddled us to shore so Hiker could go pee. Once he finished I noticed a great picture opportunity of him standing on the shoreline with a rocky outcrop in the back ground. I grab for my phone. No phone? Wrong pocket? My heart sank. I bolt back to the canoe to notice my phone a foot under water sitting on a rock. I quickly yank it out and take it apart to see if any water breached the case and backing of the phone. Sure did! Water was dripping out. I did my best to dry it out and put it back together. I debated whether to turn it back on or not, but curiosity go the best of me. Powering on! It turned on like normal, then bam! it began glitching like crazy and shut off. Now a year or so back it wouldn't have bothered me that I pooched my phone. Now however, I rely on it for work quite a bit. Devastated, I sat down with my head on my knees. Hiker puts a hand on my shoulder and says " I know why you are upset dad. It's because your phone is broke". Truthfully just before this moment I wanted to call of the entire trip and go back home but this was not about the phone. It was about time with my son. I gave him a big hug and thanked him for being with me on this trip. Moments later we were back on the water paddling once again. With my phone not working, there was no way of telling time, so the rest of this story was gaged by moments, and there were plenty, both good and bad.

We arrived at our first portage, from Matagamasi to Paradise Lagoon. Hiker took the opportunity to do some fishing while I loaded the boat after us portaging everything. we also took some pictures. A quick paddle up the Lagoon and we were at the second portage, a rocky uphill trail that presented both jagged and slick rock. The positive about this portage is that it was a short 330m with beautiful views of falls, log jams and fast moving water. At this point I stopped referring to the map and had assumed we were in Silvester Lake at the end of the portage. We wanted the first campsite going into Wolf from Silvester so based on my assumption of already being in Silvester we grabbed the next campsite. Something didn't feel right but I set up camp anyway as I was actually to exhausted to give it a second thought. Hiker and I both loved the sight and after referring to the map later found out that it was in fact the first site on Silvester, not Wolf. We had selected the campsite to the left of the little channel going into Silvester. Oh well, beautiful site and we would just paddle the following day to see Wolf Lake and explore.

With camp setup we had lunch, collected fire wood and skipped rocks for a little while. Evening came quick and after having a fire we retired to the tent before dark and I read a book to Hiker. Our eyes grew heavy rather quickly and we were out like a light. Even the dog was exhausted. I forgot to mention our 5 year old "Blue Heeler" tagged along for the trip. Any mention of the words "car", "camp", "canoe" and she goes squirrely. So along she came like most other times. The three of us dreaming away the night in absolute silence.

After approximately 11hrs sleep we were up, sun shinning down on our site giving light to a new day. We made breakfast (bacon and eggs) yum! Oh and dinner the night before in case you were wondering... steak, corn and chic peas with Frank's of course :) We cleaned dishes after breakfast and loaded the boat to set out on a day trip up to Wolf lake which was a short paddle away. We checked out the majority of the campsites on Wolf scouting out possible locations for future trips. Hiker wanted to check out the ruins and ranger cabins that were marked on Jeff's maps but there wasn't anything significant to be found. We later found out that there is a fully intact ranger cabin on Dewdney Lake. Next on the agenda was the lookout trial but we had now idea where to find the trail head. We could ask these paddlers that were coming our way down Wolf from the portage out of Dewdney. Other paddlers? The first we have seen since mid day the day before. We kept exploring the area we were in until the two canoes were close by. I called out and ask if they knew where the trailhead was to the lookout over Wolf Lake. They said they had no idea and then out of the blue, one of the 4 paddlers asked if my name was Johnny? Yes I said, and asked who was asking? MANCAMPING!!! is what was shouted back. I began to laugh, no way! They turned around and joined us at the site we were meandering around. Scot had said he recognized the bright yellow OR hat I was wearing from the picture I posted to Facebook before leaving on our trip. Apparently the only reason they were down this way was because one of the boats were leaking. I am sure you will hear more of that story from Mancamping as their intentions were to go a different route. Circumstances put us in line with our first, formal in person meeting, and on Wolf  Lake of all places. We all chatted and took a couple pictures before parting ways knowing that there was a chance we would be crossing paths again this trip.



Hiker and I set out to find the trail to the lookout. Thinking we had spotted where it might start we headed into shore. Just before getting to shore at about 10 feet out, our dog decides it wants to jump the gunnels but gets caught up and is putting us in danger of tipping. I grab her collar and pull up to toss her out of the boat so she could do what she intended to do and swim to shore. Didn't go as planned. Her collar buckle came lose and the collar went flying into the air landing in the lake and sinking quite rapidly. Nothing I could do but watch it sink until it hit bottom in the clear waters of Wolf lake. With a cell phone broke I was not about to lose a collar too. It wasn't an ordinary collar. It was one that shocks, vibrates or makes a sound whenever Chaya does not obey a command. the sound is all that is ever needed in her case. Just a signaling device, but an expensive one. The plan was clear, I was going swimming. I stripped down to my boxers and with my son laughing and taking pictures with out Olympus Tough, I plunged into the frigid waters and dove down to retrieve the collar. Success!!! I came up with it in my hand like I hade received some sort of trophy and was raising it high for the world to see. Hiker and I were both elated that I was able to get the collar back. After drying off and putting my dry, warm clothes back on we made our way down Wolf, back towards Silvester lake.

We ran into the Mancamping crew back at the first site on Wolf that we intended to camp at. We were invited in and conversations ensued. Scot's Wife was impressed with the intelligence of our dog. I had mentioned that she will bury her dog kibble and beg for human food when camping. To show I wasn't lying I put out some kibble for Chaya and she instantly buries it with her nose hiding all the food and then walks around begging for people food. Sometimes annoying but very funny. The crew got to know Hiker very well , very quickly as he is very social when meeting new people. Stories were told and Hiker even helped collect wood. When dinner time came we said our goodbyes and it was back to our camp. We were told by Scot that the next day held rain and by the sounds of it, lots!

After debating Hiker and I decided we would make our way back to the van first thing in the morning if it was raining. My Wife was leaving for Niagara Falls early on Monday and we wanted to catch her for some snuggles and breakfast out before she left. After a great last night at our camp we hit the sleeping bags again just before dark with most of our gear packed for a quick departure the next morning. Just before going to bed I gave my phone another try to see if it would work and to my surprise, it did! This was a huge relief and as much as I was already loving the trip up to this point, the fact that my phone was working again made things just that much more better. No worrying about cell phones when I returned home. Mine was working fine once again. Sweet!!!

The next morning didn't disappoint. We woke up to a sprinkling rain. Hiker and I had a quick snack, loaded the boat and set off back to the van. We stopped to take pictures at the falls and spirits were high despite the now heavier rain. It wasn't until the second portae that things went downhill. If you ask Hiker, this is up for debate. If you see him next time ask him if he became miserable after having to carry the bag on the portage, or falling in the creek. He will say bag, I will say creek. This is an ongoing humorous debate we have even now back at home :) Regardless, Hiker became miserable after that portage from a combination of things, fatigue, rain, wetness and the thought paddling in this situation for another couple hours. This is where he told me he was mad at me for putting him in this situation. I used this dialogue to explain that these are the situations that we overcome and grow from. This was not a quick dialogue as it lasted the entire paddle back to the van and a hard one at that. Just as we got out on the Matagamasi from the portage we were hit with driving rain and strong headwinds and cross winds. During moments we were forced to take refuge behind some islands for me to regain energy to push on. Nearing the end of the paddle I almost lost direction of where I needed to go as I was battling wind, waves and water all over my glasses but through all that, we found the boat launch where our van was. Hiker was cold and wet so I put him in the van stripped him down putting dry clothes on and started up the van to warm things up with the heat as I loaded the gear and canoe. A quick change myself and we were on our way South towards home. Despite the environmental factors, challenging situations and the overall experience, Hiker will tell you he loved the trip and wants to go back again this Summer. Not sure about that,
but I love his enthusiasm despite the things that did challenge us. That's what makes these experiences so special. We are growing from them TOGETHER.

***Pictures were in no particular order***

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Johnny- Two4adventure

Early Introduction- A 5yr Old and Winter Camping

What do you get when you tell a 5yr old stories of camping in the Winter and building quinzees?

You get curiosity and enthusiasm, oh ya... and a lot of questions :)

A large part of my Son Hiker's 5 years on the planet have been spent outdoors. We had always went for hikes and spent time in nature. Another part of that, was making sure he was engaged in outdoor activities in the Winter. I was determined to avoid having a child that just wanted to hibernate and hide behind electronics during the Winter months. When he was ready, a backyard snowboard park was built including a 12 foot drop-in ramp as a part of our sloping backyard. Next he would get a Burton snowboard and all the equipment to make the experience comfortable. This gave him an activity in the backyard that was easily accessible providing there was enough snow.

We also spent time making snow forts and small quinzee's in his earlier years. It gave us a chance to bond outdoors over the Winter. Hiker would witness my excitement and enjoyment in doing these activities with him, despite the weather. Usually I would have a fire going outside that we could hover around if we got a little chilled. These experiences set the stage for an early introduction into Winter camping for my now 5 (turning 6 in June) year old boy.

As I continued to plan canoe trips later into the Fall my son had just expected that he would be a part of them and after some deliberating I didn't see why he couldn't. He was becoming more experienced in his young age and showed a real and genuine enthusiasm for tripping, so I planned our first back country canoeing trip outside of the peak season of Summer. The plan was to head to Puzzle Lake Provincial Park in late October.
The video documenting this trip can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlklfCbrMNI

This would test my Son's ability to take direction from me in the cooler temperatures of Autumn when travelling by water and venturing into the interior of the non operational park. I would also be able to get a sense of how he would respond to the cooler temperatures in certain situations. There were a couple incidents where he got wet after not heeding my advice but he would learn quickly by natural consequences, as mother nature would not be forgiving. All in all the trip went very well and was a great learning experience for both him and I moving closer to the Winter months.

This winter I have found that Hiker will periodically ask if we could build a quinzee, however it usually ends up being at the most inopportune time. His desire to is consistent and leaves me feeling upset with myself for not making time. Are you wondering why I just don't make the time to do it with him??? Read on, you won't be disappointed.

 Just recently I went on a three day winter backcountry camp in Algonquin Park with nine other adults. It was organized to be a cold tent/tarp camp and required a level of skill. The night before I was set to leave Hiker was pleading for me to take him. I tried to explain the circumstances and it was hard to navigate a conversation telling him he doesn't have the skill required, without telling him outright that he doesn't have the skill required. He very confidently told me that he can do it, just give him a chance. It broke my heart telling him "No" as we always trip together. He and I discussed the issue for a little while and came to a compromise. I explained that if he missed out on this adult trip that I would take him to Algonquin on the family day weekend to do some cold tenting. He was sold on this idea and it lessened that sadness that I was experiencing leaving him behind and he had  a Winter camp on the horizon to look forward to.

Now back to the topic of the quinzee or lack there of. This past weekend, with the winter camp in Algonquin coming up quick, I decided Hiker and I would build a quinzee in the backyard. Hiker was excited and all for that plan. This would be an opportunity to take his Winter experience to the next level and if things went South we would be just outside the house. So on the Saturday morning we got to piling snow. This was an exhausting task as there wasn't a lot of snow. We used my Pelican Snotrek 60 to haul snow to the site where we would build the quinzee. I even went as far as pulling out the snow blower to blow snow from the property onto our pile. I don't think it would be a stretch to say we had to clear about 1/4 of and acre to get a sufficient amount to dig out our snow cave and sleep in it. This process took a couple hours. We went inside to have lunch and allow the pile to settle for a few hours. In the evening we returned to dig out our home for the night. Hiker was determined to dig and although the process was slow he didn't give up. I helped with shaping and moving snow. After well over an hour in, we were able to put our ground sheet, sleeping mats, blankets and sleeping bags in. Home was setup for the night. We returned to the house for some family time with my Wife as she called us nuts and reminded hiker and I how she would be sleeping in a cozy warm bed. Hiker and I laughed as for this night we would be backyard polar adventurers sleeping in the snow. You could see the excitement written all over Hikers face. That warms my heart and is why I pursue these challenges with him , so we can grow together. I feel an obligation as a parent to expose Hiker to as many experiences as possible in hopes that he is drawn to a passion that carries him throughout life.

Out the door we go to the frozen tundra that is our backyard and into the quinzee. Hiker and I chat about the design and certain features i.e. the air hole to allow CO2 to escape and air to circulate from a crack in the wood door we blocked the entrance with. I not only wanted him to help build the shelter but to understand why it was built the way it was. After our discussion we watched a video on quinzees on my phone until Hiker requested to go to sleep. Headlamps were shut off and moments later Hiker was sawing logs like he was sleeping in his own bed. Before I retired I posted pictures on my personal Facebook account and was surprized at the reactions from friends. I knew that what I was doing was key in Hikers growth but to have friends validate or experiences and follow along was nice to see. Our message is getting out there to inspire.

During the night I woke up twice to go pee and it was a challenge to get out of the small quintzee both times but to my surprize Hiker did not wake up once. It wasn't until 6:30am that he started to stir and eventually woke. This is his normal time to wake during weekday's so he was right on par with a normal waking schedule. I would say that is a successful overnighter in a quinzee. Proud father moment right there as we posted a small video on Facebook of our successful outing. Happy and ready for the day as we exit the shelter and head into the house to make some bacon and eggs and gloat in our experience together. Let us know what you think of our experience in the comments and connect with us on our various social media sites to follow along http://www.two4adventure.com/

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Two4adventure

A Thought Provoking Experience

It all started with a facebook message from David Lee a.k.a. The Passionate Paddler, a facebook friend that I had recently been acquainted to over Skype regarding a project we were a part of. What all started you ask? An experience that would have me climbing out of that box I refer to as my comfort zone. David had offered up an opportunity to join himself and 8 other outdoor enthusiasts on a backpacking trip into the Algonquin backcountry. I  initially replied that it wasn't enough notice for me to go, despite my urge to break free of the cabin fever I was starting to experience over the last couple weeks. It was fear provoking, the thought of tripping with 9 strangers but the pull to go was much stronger. My wife was almost pushing me out the door reminding me that this is an opportunity I have been waiting for, that being tripping with other like minded people. Up until this point  we would go out as a family or I would head out with my son Hiker or a friend. This would be much different and I would learn later on that the comradery was second to none. My trips with my son have all been teaching experiences for me whereas this time it would be a learning experience, and that was appealing. So with this I got back to David the next day to let him know that I was in.

We had a few discussions throughout the week in preparation for the trip as we would be partners rounding out the 10 person crew. Our leader and organizer of this trip, GB, had dubbed this trip that would loop Provoking Lake "The Deathmarch". Sounded kind of intimidating to me but I never backed down from a challenge. When brought up, it was said that name was to be taken lightly, or was it? I would also begin communication with the rest of the crew via a facebook messenger chat leading up to the trip. Some people I had already known through facebook interactions and others I had just met through this medium. The stage was set for a memorable trip and that it was.

I crammed a 40hr week into 32hrs and was set to leave for the park Friday morning, EARLY!. I loaded the van with my pulk and gear the night before to leave time for last minute running around once I woke. At 4:30am I crawled out of bed and quickly got ready. I had to purchase 75% of my food still as I didn't have the time throughout my condensed week. Food was tossed into the van with disregard, I topped up my gas tank and with some folk roots blasting on Spotify, I was on my way to meet everyone at the West Gate.

With a quick stop in Minden at the CT, I realized it was 10 minutes before it opened. This gave me time to organize my food and get it properly stored. Once CT opened I quickly ran into to purchase a baselayer bottom as I forgot to bring any. Like a bolt of lightening I grabbed a micro fleece base layer and a jug of wiper fluid. Out the door I went (after paying of course) and back on the road. Fast forward to the Dorset area of the drive. I look to my right on the front seat only to find that the baselayer I had bought was for females. How different could it be I thought? I opened it...lacy at the waistband like the top half of some lingerie, that's how different. Oh well nothing I could do at that point, onward.

I arrived at the West gate shortly before the rest of the crew. We all filed into the permit office. This would be where I make my awkward attempts to break the ice and introduce myself to the group gradually one at a time. My thoughts at this time was that everyone seemed pleasant and I had felt a sigh of relief. After the dirty work of getting our permits, it was off to the Highlands trailhead. Here was where I realized that my Winter gear was a bit on the inadequate side compared to most others. As gear was pulled out I felt a small sense of embarrassment but it appeared that no one was judging and that was fine by me. I have always prided myself on making due with what I have and if what I have is not enough, I make due :) I could always use the excuse that I am not fully prepared to go out but that would mean I wouldn't, so I took what I had and went. Sometimes not having enough or inadequate gear can be dangerous but I felt that from experience I was good to go.

We were all given matching plaid toques provided by a lovely crew member named Joy. With our matching headwear we took trailhead pictures of excitement and anticipation and then we were off. And then bam! two seconds into the trail my strap on my harness for the pulk snaps. Oh jeez, will this be how I am remembered? The guy with all the crap equipment that holds up the crew. Not if I could help it. I pulled out my extra harness and attached the carbineers from my pulk to the daisy chains. In less than a minute I overcame my first malfunction. Oh and did I mention I was not wearing any snowshoes. In looking at the rest of the crews, I came to the conclusion that mine were not up to par and I would save them for around camp if need be. Good thing the rest of the group were breaking trail with theirs or I would have been post holing the entire trek., yikes! I learned within the first 500 meters that I could keep pace without my snowshoes and felt relieved. I still had traction on the uphill's and as long as I stayed on the trail I would be good. A couple steps off trail and I was up to my knees. How do I know? This happened often cornering. We all pitched in helping each other over fallen trees, hills and other varied terrain that slowed the forward momentum. We became a well oiled machine as we moved forward and laughter and jokes ensued. This made for enjoyable travel. Smiles, laughter and conversation in the great outdoors. What more could you ask for?! We eventually made it to our Day 1 camp. Shelters were set up. Three tents and two tarp shelters, as everyone in the group had decided to cold tent/tarp. David and I would be sleeping in a snow trench under a tarp. I was excited at this prospect as I have only cold tented and slept in a quintzee prior. With shelters up, dinner, drinks and a fire were on the agenda. This is where I had the opportunity to break out of my shell get a few drinks into me and ...well... you know the saying "Liquid Courage". I will talk to anyone at this point and it allowed me to be me without overthinking. Sad yes but being shy is something that I have yet to overcome. Anyway, the setting around the fire was tribe like and as hours passed, the numbers dwindled as members of the tribe retired to their shelters, leaving me to be the last. Once I decided to slide into the sleeping bag it wasn't long before sleep took over.

Day #2 began with a hardy breakfast cooked over the fire and after breaking camp, the running joke of the "deathmarch" was no longer a joke. As we merged with the second part of the loop the trail became increasingly tougher to navigate as the trail had not been broken in. It had appeared as though most people before us had turned around after camping at the first sites. The crew took turns breaking trail in their snowshoes except for me who continued to trudge on, sans snowshoes. The terrain also became increasingly harder with more accents and descents. The trail also snaked through the rock and trees making it more challenging for those with pulks and freight toboggans. The day came with many challenges that took its toll, but everyone pushed through as spirits could not be broken. With that said, the campsite on day 2 couldn't have come soon enough. When we arrived a fire was lit to melt snow and replenish our dehydrating bodies. The crew dug in and another small village was created. More fireside stories as cooler temperatures set in. I would opt for an earlier night. It was a taxing day and I was ready for a good night sleep. The "deathmarch" was REAL! ;)

Morning of day 3 was rang in by and early morning role call as distance needed to be covered to ensure members of the group returned home on time. Oatmeal seemed to be the quick breakfast of choice by most. A very creative time lapse of us breaking camp can be viewed at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dq1hzEZrh4&feature=youtu.be

Our final day had been upon us and picked back up where Day #2 had left off... more challenging terrain. This time it tapered of as we intersected the trail that had lead us in on Day #1 and it wasn't long before we were back at our vehicles bellowing a victory cry. We had completed our trip! There were no injuries, no complaining (at least not outside of our own heads) and spirits were high. Success! More pictures and video were taken in the parking lot before heading to Mew lake campground to change, hit the warming tent and regroup for a celebratory lunch at the Cookhouse Saloon.

As meals were devoured Joy had once again passed around another gift. A sticker to commemorate our trip and to her we thank.

There were parting hugs and handshakes after lunch with promises of future outings together and as I parted ways and began my drive home I could not help but think of the smoldering fire in me that had been reignited by this trip. A fire that had slowly been burning out over the last couple years. The intention is to add fuel to this fire until it spreads (so to speak) and ignites the passion in others to get out of their comfort bubbles, get outdoors and grow from these experiences. Let each outing be the catalyst for next.

To the #Provokingcrew (Grant, Peter, Drea, Amanda, Amber, Marian, David, Duane and Joyanne) thank you for including me. It was a much needed experience that came at the right time :)

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Two4adventure

If you haven't came across their pages yet you can find some of the crew at these links---->


https://www.facebook.com/ThePassionatePaddler/















https://www.facebook.com/TheCampingFamily.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/BariatricBackpacker/

Overnight in Puzzle Lake P.P./ Canoe Camping a Non-Operational Park

Puzzle Lake

To start off, Puzzle Lake Provincial Park is a non-operational park that allows recreational activities that include canoeing, camping, hiking, hunting, and others I may have missed. It is roughly located North of Napanee, Ontario between highway 401 and highway #7. There are two main access points, one being Norway Lake Rd. that basically takes you to the center of the park where you can access Noraway Lake via ATV trails. The second access point is the one we used at Gull Creek at the side of highway 15 about 15 minutes from the town of Tamworth. There was lots of parking although the lot was pretty full when we arrived which had me a bit nervous.

We left our place in Cavan Ontario a little late in the morning. We were approximately just over two hours away from the park however took the 401 route instead of Highway #7, due to the Havelock Jamboree and the traffic we may hit in that area on the way. We made a pit stop in Napanee and had an early lunch before arriving at the park around noon. This is when we noticed that the risk of driving all this way may not pay off. Like I stated earlier, the parking area was full. This being said, in a non-operational park that camping is permitted, sites are on a first come basis so if you cant get one, well.... be prepared to call it a day trip if nothing comes up. We spotted one other person getting ready to head out just ahead of us and I chatted with him for a few minutes and wished him a safe solo trip, but not before I admired his red canvas cedar strip canoe and two Duluth packs he had loaded up and ready to go. It was easy to see he was a seasoned paddler and before we were loaded and ready to go he had covered the length of the Gull creek, Gull lake and was out of sight. We hopped in our canoe, once again with my Wife, son Hiker and our ACD Blue Heeler "Chaya" accompanying me.

We started out slow taking in the scenery and worked our way around the point to the right of Gull Lake heading to where I had envisioned the first portage. Not the case. We had missed the portage completely. I did not bring a map of the park, I took a picture of one on my phone to reference but I felt I had researched the park enough to navigate without to much assistance. So after I realized we were at a dead end in Little Gull lake we noticed two campsites on the small lake, with one being occupied. This however was not our destination, we were looking to camp on Loyst lake which I came to find is a very popular location and you will soon find out why.

After taking a quick survey of Little Gull we made our way back to Gull lake and our intended portage, a short but rugged one that lead us past a tiny waterfall and into Puzzle Lake. Once gear was taken to the put -in I retraced my steps to get the canoe, it was then that a sense of urgency came over me. When I arrived at the canoe I noticed about halfway across Gull Lake, two canoes heading straight for the portage trail that we were occupying. Normally I would stick around and chat, swapping stories etc. but this was different. It was almost like a race to secure a campsite, so I hoisted the canoe and pretty much ran to the other side of the portage trying to yell while out of breathe "load the canoe lets jump in, they are coming" My wife frantically loading the canoe as she asks "Who". I began to let her in on our situation and the need to paddle quickly and efficiently, which she has no problem doing. We make a beeline across a section of Puzzle Lake to where the next portage is located, continuously looking behind our backs for the two canoeists. It seemed though that they were not as rushed as we were or new something we did not. At one point I was thinking that for sure,  they knew a shortcut and would pop out in front of us. Silly me!. As we approached the portage from Puzzle to Loyst we noticed the man with the cedar strip canoe. We thought maybe we had been so fast with our paddling that we caught up to him. Turns out he was coming back out of Loyst Lake so our heads deflated a bit when we found that out :) We chatted once again with him, to find out that he was heading to Norway lake but said that Mud Lake (which is on the other side of Loyst) was pretty dried up and was not really passable. We asked about Loyst and whether there were campers, he sadly notified us that the prime campsite on Loyst was taken, We asked about the second known site. He said there was no one there, however it was not a great site. We thanked him and made our way into Loyst Lake and what a lake it is. Crystal clear bluish green waters, a jumping cliff to the left side of the lake and a small rock island located further down the lake.



Loyst Lake coming from Puzzle Lake

 We spoke with some people at the put-in who happened to be camping on the popular Loyst Lake site, who mentioned they are not leaving for a few days. That only left us with one option, check out the other campsite. Here is a quick description of the "other" site, if you could call it that. It did have a fire pit made out of rocks but that was it. Located very high up on rock cliff with no level ground for a tent it was not ideal for what we needed as a family of three. Had I have arrived on my own, I could have made due. Needless to say, we had to backtrack to find a site. Part of me enjoyed the chase and adventure of trying to locate a site within this beautiful park. On our way out of Loyst we were met by the same campers coming back in who said that there is a site out on the point that could be seen from the Loyst to Puzzle portage. We loaded our canoe once again and headed towards the point. As we got closer we could see a red shape at the point, yep, you guessed it, it was the man with the red cedar strip. As we floated by he asked us how we were making out and pointed to a possible campsite on the opposite shore of Puzzle lake. Desperately wanting a place to call home for the night we made our way to the said site. When we arrived we noticed two wooden tables, a plastic chair, some garbage and camp cups. Knowing this lake can be accessed by motor boat and was home to a couple of cottages we thought it was just a littered site. My Wife Kelly began to set up camp while I took Hiker out to do some fishing. We relaxed in the canoe floating down the narrows of Puzzle lake where we watched a Loon swim under the boat and heard its yodel from 20 ft away. On the way back we noticed two guys fishing out of a boat in the area of our site. I paddled wide, out and around them not to disturb their fishing. When we got back to the site my Wife was reading a book in the plastic chair, having already erected the tent. She began to tell me that she overheard the fisherman saying how we must be tourists and  said "who would camp at a fish cleaning station". Instantly I thought of the movie "Deliverance", lets not upset the locals. It was all clear to me know, the tables, chair, garbage and cups. This is where they come to clean fish, cook fish and drink beer. I explained to my wife that we don't want to stay here if we are going to be in everyone's way and besides, a fish cleaning station may very well attract any bears in the area. After a short debate with my stubborn wife ;) We broke camp and made our way towards the last known, unoccupied site on Little Gull that we first discovered. We were hoping at this point that it was not taken between the time we first had noticed it and now. If it was taken that would have been our last option and from there it would mean a swim and then the two hour drive back home but... we were in luck. The site was still vacant. Not the greatest site but much better than then our option on Loyst and way better than tussling with the locals or getting mauled by a bear looking for fish, lol.

We were quick to unload and set up camp. After camping we had a much needed swim to wash of all the stank we acquired during our adventure race throughout the park. After swimming came a campfire, fishing and dinner, followed by a wonderful sunset. We retired to our tents early, around 9:30pm after an exhausting but great day. In the morning I woke at 6am and fished the shore with Hiker catching a couple small mouth and one bucket mouth making our total for the trip five smallies and one large, all catch and release. Hiker even reeled in his first fish, a small mouth bass putting on an acrobat show for him. It was wonderful to see the excitement in his eyes and reminded me of why I put forth all the effort to bring the family into the backcountry. Sometimes the preparations are tough as well as parts of the adventure but the moments where you get to take it all in are what it is all about. These family adventures are what I will be able to look back upon in my later years and be proud of. Bonding with my family in the great outdoors.

What did I take away from this trip? Arrive at Puzzle lake on a weekday early in the morning to give you a better chance of securing your site. If not you may find yourself being confronted by a couple local fisherman in an area you are not wanted (cue the banjo) ;)

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Johnny- Two4adventure

                                     

                                                             Photos to follow, scroll down

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Early morning catch