Thu, Nov 30 2006, Fri, Dec 1 2006, Sat, Dec 2 2006, Sun, Dec 3 2006 - Snowshoe/Backpack Algonquin Park (View Original Event Details)
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Our own Narnia
So much happened on this trip it's difficult to know where to start! As coordinator, I will say I had a great time, we had a great group of people on the trip and it was really cool to have people who'd never backpacked and/or winter camped come and enjoy themselves!
We arrived in Algonquin Thursday night and camped at Mew Lake. It had stopped raining by the time we arrived and we got a fire going after setting up the tents. We went to sleep to sound of wolves howling, always beautiful. In the morning we discovered we'd parked on the road, rather than the site (explaining the seemingly strange amount of time I could hear park staff driving nearby our site).
Friday morning we woke up and got packed up for the trip. The snow started during breakfast and some nice rangers dropped by to tell us that the forecast had changed from 15cm of snow that day to 30cm, plus the freezing rain we already knew about. Undaunted, we headed off the Western Uplands trail, where there was already a decent accumulation of snow on the ground and set off. The trail was in pretty good shape and we got to test out how waterproof our boots were as it was quite wet in spots (some hidden, thanks to the snow) from the previous rain. Jason, labouring under a heavy pack, steadfastly refused to give up his axe, despite Tricia's many offers..... :D
We stopped before a river crossing next to a beautiful lake for lunch, then moved up the trail to our campsite at Ramona Lake. After setting up camp, we started our turbo charged fire (thanks to Dominic!!) and got dinner going (we ate very well the whole trip). We had decided earlier in the day to use Ramona Lake as a base camp, so we just relaxed around the fire before heading to bed.
We started off the day with scrambled pancakes (apples, icing sugar and cinnamon yum......), or, more accurately, realized after staring at the fire for a while that we were all hungry and then made breakfast! After eating, we took off on a hike led ably by Dominic and explored the area, following moose, deer, rabbit and fox tracks and sighting some grouse (Mike saw a beaver next to our site earlier). The snow covered forest really was like Narnia, as Elliott noted. We headed up and found a beautiful lake to lunch at (Elliott knew it was the lunch spot for us when he saw the branch chair someone had made). After lunch, Elliott and I played around with the pump (Jason took over the chair and Tricia made snow angels) and got water for the group and we headed back to our site. Where we promptly started on more food! Again, we ate well, with soup and a main course, followed by Jason (El Rey) earning the title 'Flaming Cheese Boy' after he dived into the fire after a piece of cheese which had fallen off of the tortilla.
Some people tell ghost stories around the campfire. We talk about change management.
What happened around the campfire, stayed around the campfire Saturday night (cone of silence!), but we all got a great chance to bond and to use up the wood since we'd decided not to have a fire the Sunday morning. In a nod to our sister club, the COC, we took some pictures of the wood scattered around the fire to demonstrate just how tidy we are here at the TOC! We also got to delve into Elliott's pysche, learn about Dom's long-term plans (*AHUM*), discover the root causes of Tricia's sarcasm, apparently discover that I am Type A, and hear more about Mike. Tricia and I learned that Flaming Cheese Boy doesn't like being interrupted during his explanation of 'Who Moved My Cheese?' (that it came up at all may have been my fault), so much so that we never did discover whether the cheese was marbled or not :( The moon was a full moon, and so bright with snow we didn't need lights to get around. Again, we heard wolves howling, just over the ridge.
It had been snowing all weekend, plus the freezing rain Friday afternoon, and overall we probably got about 10 inches of snow. Dominic sighted a fox by our campsite Sunday morning. The hike back Sunday was gorgeous, the only downside being that we were leaving something so wonderful! But our group was tight, and even after we were back at the cars, we still worked as a team (Dominic, Elliott and I helping push *one* of the vehicles up the hill to the highway). We met up at the Tim Horton's in Huntsville and hung out for an hour before heading back to the city.
Thanks to everyone who came on this trip and contributed so much. Everyone worked together and for me anyways, this has been my best TOC memory (so far)!
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.