We don’t camp with kids often, but this year we did, and what a pleasure! We spent four perfect days on the beach. We had sunshine, more stars than you can imagine, beautiful sunsets, great food and amazing S’more filled campfires. There were crafts, and reading and fishing. There were frogs to catch and bugs . . . Read More about Camping with Kids
Trail Tales
Algonquin Park – Book Recommendation
I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked “Are you related to Kevin Callan?” OK I can tell you – it’s 4. That may not seem like a lot, but how many times have you been asked if you are related to someone you are not related to? They even tell me . . . Read More about Algonquin Park – Book Recommendation
Finding the Right Wood
We see it all the time, people cutting live trees to burn. Green wood (freshly cut) does not burn, it smolders and smokes. So unless you like smoked marshmallows, you don’t want to use green wood. If green wood doesn’t burn, and cutting live trees damages the forest for future generations, why do it? We . . . Read More about Finding the Right Wood
Never Forgotten
Our canoe trips will not be the same without our campfire storyteller. John was part of our paddling group for the past 18 years. John passed away in November 2018, he was 63. We remain in shock. We had just spent two weeks together in August paddling in the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. He was . . . Read More about Never Forgotten
Portaging
I don’t know anyone who really likes portaging; however portaging gives you options. Portaging means you get to see things you would never have access to otherwise. And portaging gets you further away from the crowds. It really is all about attitude. I try to see it as a challenge/accomplishment and an adventure – OK . . . Read More about Portaging
Maps
In the early days we would spend hours looking for a portage. I remember paddling the wrong way across a lake in high winds. For some reason when it’s windy, it is even harder to read landmarks and you can’t really stop to consult the map when you are in the thick of things. Maps . . . Read More about Maps
Why I Camp
I think my brother-in-law said it best when he told a friend that he gets to enjoy a million dollar view for $14.00 a night. No neighbours and no grass to cut. How could it get any better than that? I have been pining for my canoe and paddle all winter so I put together . . . Read More about Why I Camp
Bears
No morning should ever start at 6 am with a bear rummaging through your campsite. That is exactly what happened to a group of people camped across the lake from us. How do we know this? We were woken up by the yelling. The sound carried across the still waters and blasted through our earplugs. . . . Read More about Bears
Boiling Lake Water
Male Camper: “I’ve got the water for the pasta.”Female Camper: “Is it filtered?”Male Camper: “You don’t need to use filtered water – it’s going to boil anyway”Female Camper: “But not long enough to kill the stuff!” (“stuff” is code for Giardia aka Beaver Fever”)Male Camper: Sigh (This is followed by a long exaggerated eye roll . . . Read More about Boiling Lake Water
Honey, I Forgot the Tent Poles
On every trip for the past seventeen years we have reminisced about the time “he” forgot to pack the tent poles. It was our second family camping trip. We arrived at the campsite – three hours, two lakes and a steep portage away from Toronto – when my brother-in-law discovered that he had packed the . . . Read More about Honey, I Forgot the Tent Poles