I probably should have read this 5 years ago
It took a little bit for me to go camping but once I did, I fell in love! But the hardest part was the first time! I didn’t know what to expect, what to pack, what to do when I got there! Guys, if you’re having a hard time convincing the lady to go camping, here are 5 ways that may pursue her:
View original post 254 more words
Alysha’s father’s day gift to me was a camping trip. At 20months old this would be her first camping trip. For her first camping trip we decided we would go to Hall campground in Parry Sound. This was the campground that I went camping as a child and have many memories from. 
We were on the road by 10am and after listening to two hours of Toopy and Bino and Finding Nemo we arrived at the campground by 2pm. The place had not changed a bit, beyond some paint on the Marina and the Cabins. We were able to get site 16A, which in my opinion is one of the best sites in the campground. It is beside cabin #1, which was the cabin my family would rent out almost every summer growing up. The Site is on a small hill overlooking Mill lake. We have water access and easy fishing right from our site.
We quickly set up our campsite and was time for Alysha to go on her canoe ride. Canoeing is my favourite craft and have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to share it with my daughter. Alysha had no issues with her new life jacket and very calmly sat in the bottom of the canoe while me and my wife started our paddle along the shoreline of the camp ground. After feeling the water from the canoe, and crawling around under the yoke she turned and looked at me with a smile that will inspire all my canoeing to come. We kept the first trip short as it was just an introduction and wanted to see how she would behave in the canoe.
After getting back and putting the canoe and gear away we headed to the beach so Alysha could go down the slides which was probably her favourite part of the whole trip. However one of mine was spending the evening sitting by a camp fire roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Second would be that this was my first camp all year where the wood wasn’t wet from snow and rain, and did not take any work or craft to light the fire.
Since we were just car camping we had the 6 person tent and brought Alysha’s fold out couch so she would be extra comfortable. She had little problems going to sleep once she was used to the new surroundings. We made sure she had her blanket from home to go in her sleeping bag and she had her night time stuffed toy to make her more at ease. She slept well throughout the night until 4am, when it was starting to get light out and all I could hear was “Daddy…..Mommmy….Mommmy” and looked up to see her staring at us. So I re-tucked her in and she was out like a light.
Day 2
We decided we would start the day with another canoe paddle to get Alysha used to the canoe. Again no problems getting her settled into the canoe, and we started our paddle. Alysha found the ride so comfortable that she curled up in the bottom of the canoe and slept the trip away. We took to the opposite shoreline, and down by the bridge and up the marina. Nothing to far but just enough to stretch out the morning muscles and enjoy the calm of the water.
We took a hike around the camp ground to show my wife my childhood stomping grounds. After stopping and talking at the marina we learnt that there was a dragon boat festival going on in town. So we packed up a lunch after our hike and headed to the festival. Alysha quickly found the playground and the slides. After watching a couple of the races and the opening ceremonies, we headed to the docks to get ready for our 30,000 Island cruise.
Again the cruise is another tradition from camping in Parry Sound as a child so I thought it would be nice to take Alysha on it. With lots of room to explore the ship and all the fresh air; Alysha decided she would sleep through the la
st 1000 islands.
We got back in time to start dinner which was homemade pizza. This was the first time I would be using my outback oven, however I did not test the gear before bringing it into the field. Sure enough there was a defect in the handle/temperature gage, which made operating the oven more than difficult. However we had extra tortilla shells which made good substitute pizza dough. We had a cherry cheesecake for dessert. Cynthia and I decided we would do some fishing off the point, Alysha was watching from her camp chair. After a half hour we looked over and Alysha was falling asleep in the chair…..Yes I know it seems like all she did was sleep this trip, but in truth she spent the rest of the time being a kids running from point a to b, just to collect sticks and rocks.
We put Alysha to bed in the tent
, and I decided I would take a solo trip out in the canoe as the sun was setting…I regretted after not taking my camera out with me. A little sad that this was our last night, and my last chance this trip to be out in my canoe, I tripped around the island on mill lake and back to the camp site. After sitting out by the fire for awhile, Cynthia and I joining Alysha in the tent. We played cards for a bit before sleeping.
Day 3
We woke up to thunderstorms and waited out in the tent until the rain slowed enough that we could as quick as we could get the car packed up and hit the road. We ended up drenched from head to toe and decided we would just grab a McDonalds breakfast so we could use the bathroom to change into dry clothes for the trip home.
This was a great Fathers day trip, that I will remember forever. I am looking forward to a lot of year camping with my family and teaching my Daughter how to canoe.
It is always a solemn day on the last day of a camp. We broke down camp quickly at 7am. Stopping only for some coffee and granola. We all took one last look at the lake we have called home for the last week. Sat on the rock enjoying the sun; then was finally time to load the boats.
Ed and I reached the portage first, as Kevin was towing the canoe with Randy and Sharla. We started through the portage and had a couple trips through before the rest joined up with us. Along the way the canoe came separated from the boat and Randy and Sharla were only inches from flipping in the canoe. Although soaking wet they were quick to help us through the portage with all the gear. The last step was to get the boats back down the rapids (a much quicker process then up).
I took over driving the boat back to the take out in the hub of lake Temagami. It only took an hour to reach shore and less time to have the boats out of the water and the trailer loaded. It was a 6 hour drive home. I reached home at 8pm after a great trip; to be greeted by my almost two year old who missed me as much as I had missed her.
We learnt a lot on this adventure about ourselves and the wilderness. I love tripping in Temagami and look forward to taking my daughter on her fist trip their(Maybe next year….Just when there is no snow)
I awoke early in the morning, after 3 days of rain…Today was going to be the day the sun finally came out. I opened my tent to realize that I left my sandles half in the vestibule and half out. I pulled them all the way in….took a look…wiped the sleep from my eyes….looked again…and sure enough SNOW! I got out of my tents to have a look around no one else was up yet (later to find out we each did the same thing at different times), so I decided I would go back into the tent crawl back into the sleeping bag and wake up from this bad dream.
So after another hour of lazing around the tent reading and accessing how much dry clothing I had left; if was time to face the reality and get out of the tent. We quickly put on the coffee and exchanged stories of getting up at different times to discover snow and head back to bed….However Kevin and Ed had a different story of getting up in the middle of the night and brushing snow off the collapsing tent…another reason I was glad to have my 4 season tent.
The wind from the bay was ripping through our site and bringing the already cold temperatures lower. So we grabbed a tarp, headed a little inland and on the side of a hill to shelter us from the wind. We built a new fire near the “Shelter” and I could swear it was a 10 degree change in the temperature.
We spent the morning bunkered on the hill in the shelter only leaving to grab the food for breakfast. All of us were watching and measuring as the snow melted on the ground. Once the afternoon arrived, all the snow was gone, blue skies were above us and most important we saw sun for the first time in 4 days. Camping is much a mental exercise then a physical one; all I can say is that sun felt like we had won the lottery. We all ran and grab our wet clothing and hung them to dry and aired out our tents.
Since the sun was finally shining we decided that we should be doing more fishing on our fishing trip. We headed out into the boats trying the usual spots on Kokoko lake with not much luck. The wind was still strong so the boat ride over to Ferrium lake was rough and a little wet. Once we were in the sheltered lake you would have no idea that it was windy out. We deci
ded to take a break and explore the moose camp for a while. Kevin and I ended up both catching some bass while in Ferrium, but it was getting time for dinner so we headed back to camp.
Tonight was my night to cook, although we had coolers with us; I had dehydrated my food as per most of my trips into Temagami. I had prepared quesadillas for lunch. Precooked BBQ chicken dehydrated, Mexican rice, cheese and Dehydrated Salsa. The only problem was I pulled a Len and forgot the tortilla shells, however it tasted just as good.
Now we decided to break down our shelter and return to our original camp. We covered the area where the fire was with moss to minimize our impact of our impromptu fire pit. Repacked the tarps, but still needed more wood for a new fire. I went on a wood run with Ed; I drove the boat while he stood on the bow and cut dead trees into the boat with a chain saw…I don’t have much more to say on that beyond that was probably one of the stupidest things I have ever been apart of.
As the evening pressed on we enjoy our fellowship. Watching the sun set and the moon raise for the first time in 4 days was so amazing we all stopped to grab our cameras and take photos of it. Around 8 Ed remembered we still had spaghetti that his wife made for us and of course could not return with it. So we sat down to dinner round 2. We all went to bed with full bellies
Another rainy night lasting through the morning. One of those days where no one wanted to be up. Around 8am the rain broke and we decided it was time for breakfast. Now it has been raining for 3 days, so the struggle would be how to go about lighting the fire. Well Ed had a solution for that, it involved a Chain Saw, dead punky Spruce and fuel from the boats. With that combination we had no problems getting a good fire going. Another nice thing about having the boats was the ability to bring coolers and with the cold temperatures not have to worry about the ice melting either. So on day 3 of a trip we were having bacon and eggs; which was a nice treat compared to what I would normally bring on a canoe trip.
We headed back out in the boats needing more fish for our meals. I went back out with Kevin. We trolled the point for a while, I hit a Pike right out of the blocks, but that would be my last fish I caught that day. We tried the narrows, then the North End. And eventually decided we would have better luck in Ferrium lake. So We set anchor by the rapids and fished their for a while. Kevin got a bass and had a pickerel on the line but no luck getting it in before the line snapped. The other boat was up near the mouth of the lake, so we figured we would go and join them there. I set the anchor and went to cast my line when al
l I could see was the anchor line floating in the water. So after loosing in the anchor and fishing in the rain for a few hours, we decided it would be time to head back to camp.
Once we were back, Ed started on our next project, a smoker for our fish, since we wanted to cook the fish in a variety of ways. It took to design tries, but a stump hollowed out with the chain saw, and slicked into trays worked out well. We used screen to keep the fish in place. Had fish in a brine soaking over night. It was slow cooking but we all used the down time in different ways, I started to read my book I brought along, a few others went back out fishing.
When the fish was ready from the smoker, I had reservations at first, it looked burnt and over dry. After trying some, it turned out excellent. Only thing we need to do next time is less salt in the brine.
Ed’s wife had made a fantastic chili for dinner which was frozen and reheated at camp. The consistent rain despite all the good food and fun was wearing on all of us. So what do 5 cold and wet friends do when you are in the middle of the woods; well only one thing to do, Margarita Time. The rum came out and after the bottle was done, we were feeling pretty warm and our spirits were razed. Some how even managed to bake a brownies that night. I said it then, It takes a certain type of people to still find the fun in being out in the cold and 3 days of rain. I guess mother nature didn’t know who she had out their….Oh how I would regret those words.
Needless to say we all went to bed feeling good and warm….It could always stop raining and be sunny tomorrow right???
Wind and thunderstorms lasted all through the night. I have been upgrading and investing in new gear; so I was in a 4 season tent and a -20 down filled sleeping bag, so I had no idea that 5 feet away in the other tent they were up at night holding up their tent from collapsing in the wind.
I woke up well rested and ready to face the day. We had a break in the rain, so we had a chance to air out and sit down and enjoy our coffee in the morning. We decided to use the break in the rain to do some fishing. I was in the S.S. Sinking Minnow with Kevin. (to Clarify there was a rivet under the seat that had shifted out of place and water was coming into the boat all week….but no worries we had a sponge to soak it up every 10 minutes or when your feet were getting to wet).
We made it to the North end of Kokoko lake in time for the rain to start. That didn’t stop us from fishing, as we were already wet. We did not have much luck bringing anything in for the short time we were trolling. Then Kevin remembered that he had left the tent door open this morning to air out. So we started back to the camp with no fish in the boat.
Kevin and Ed had set a tarp up to extend their vestibule. Which was a good idea given the rain, except that the drainage of the tar
p was onto their tent, more like in the tent since the door was open. Nothing worse when camping then cold and wet together. But Cold and Wet was the theme of this trip
The other boat with Randy and Ed were more successful then us and had brought in a couple of pickerels, so we would at least have lunch. Ed and Kevin heated up the cast iron frying pan and we used Cajun batter for the fish. With some beans and rice as side dishes we had a fantastic lunch.
We sat around under the shelter out of the rain for a good portion of the afternoon, trying to keep warm. We had another break in the weather so we decided to try fishing again. We switched up partners so I went out with Ed. We took a trip into Ferrium lake and tried a couple spots near the rapids and some sand banks. No luck, so we figured we would try the mouth of the lake before we called it quits. I pulled in a Pike, Bass, and a Pickerel. We trolled Kokoko lake for a while, where I pulled in two Trout.
Now with rain for two days solid, I was going through my dry clothes faster then I had planned on, so I was extremely glad I had the wool socks and some extra line I could string up a clothes line in the tent.
Kevin did dinner tonight, which was sweet potatoes and a pork roast done in the fire. It was nice to have a hot meal after all the wind and rain. It was another early night as the weather was starting to hang on all of us…but tomorrow could always be sunny right??
So Lessons learned from others this day
1) Don’t ever leave your tent open thinking the rain is done
2) Set up tarps to drain away from tents
3) A toque is a good piece of gear that should be packed no matter the season
This adventure begins with me reminding myself that this is a fishing trip, not a canoe trip.
We started out on May 19th at 11pm. Three of us(Ed, Kevin, and myself) would be going up to Temagami for the Annual Fishing trip; This was my first year as part of it.
So at 11 at night we are dipping minnows out of the well to fill a 60L barrel. Loading two boats onto a trailer and packing the truck with more gear then I ever thought I would bring on a camping trip.
The drive up went by fast we reached Temagami by 7am and ready for breakfast and the largest cup of coffee they had.
It was a short drive to the put in and unload the truck.
The boat ride was interesting up Kokoko bay; the minnows needed the water changed every 10 minutes. So my boat ride consisted of draining and filling the minnows. It only took an hour to reach the portage and start across.
The other two members of our group(Randy and Sharla) met us at the portage since they paddled in a day earlier than us. With the extra hands it only took 6 trips through the portage to take the gear through. Two challenges remained getting the 4 stroke motor across and how to get the two boats up the rapids. We lashed a stretcher together so that two people could carry the motor across the portage. After that Ed and Randy put on the hip waders and pulled and pushed the boats one at a time up the rapids and into Kokoko lake.
Now I must admit it was nice to be speeding across the water to our camp site on the point. Although the portage was a lot more effort and struggle the ability to bring more gear and the speed of the trip was nice. Ed asked if he had made me a convert to the motor boat, but I must say even by the end of the trip, I would still take a canoe any day of the week.
The forecast for this trip was sunny all week in the 20’s and rain on Wednesday. Oh how wrong that would turn out to be. It had started to rain just after the tents were up, but the fishing called.
After a short fishing excursion we had dinner cooked by randy, I perfect stew on a cold rainy night. We shared some drinks and laughs under the cover of the tarp and headed for bed.
It’s early morning; I wipe the sleep from my eyes and open my tent flap to look over a foggy campsite. There’s a faint smell of coffee that has just started to perk, and I can hear the crackle of small sticks trying to get away from the heat of the coals left from the fire.
It is hard to think that it has been 16 years of tripping and exploring the lakes of Temagami. A lot has changed since my first trip; the first being I can lift and carry a canoe over my head and second my deepened respect for the natural beauty and wonder of the wilderness.
I walk past my filled camp pack, and can not help but to reflect on 16 years of memories, adventures and good times with friends while paddling the waters of Temagami. After many trips I still find myself anticipating the next one……Good thing it is only 3 days away.
KOTI Adventures 