Fri, Oct 3 2014, Sat, Oct 4 2014, Sun, Oct 5 2014 - Algonquin Fall Colours - Yurt style (View Original Event Details)
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He Said…
The thought of getting out of the city on a Friday was appealing. However, the train stops there, and so did the traffic. Just to be sure we had a wonderful bon voyage… mother nature blessed us with some heavy rains for our drive up north.
With all our stuff tucked away in bags to avoid getting wet, the boys trucked on up the highway with Stacy's Jetta in tow.
We arrived after dark, and well... rain + darkness = nightmare for campers. This is where Stacy's idea to rent Yurts came as stroke of genius. Thank You!
Our Saturday started off with a funny awakening. Before you could decide to get up, the rain would stop and start just as quickly. Finally I couldn't take it any longer. Joerg and I chuckled, and got up anyway.
Quickly whipping out the MEC tarp, we were free to breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't long before others got up and breakfast began.
Joerg's oatmeal was a true work of art. If you haven't had it, you are at a loss for sure. Thanks, Joerg, great job!
Our mixed weather hike up Centennial Ridge proved challenging with hot and cold weather conditions, but dodging the coach goers, we mashed up the kms.
Sadly, most of the red was blown off the trees already, but the views we saw certainly delivered. After exploring for years in Algonquin, I don't think I've ever been on a trail that had as many AAA picnic/lunch stops as this one. The views were amazing.
Sunday's planned bike ride through the Algonquin trails got rained out, so our group headed east to the visitor center instead to take in a little history and a short hike. At the visitor center some of the folks in our group, new to the park, had time to read up on the history of the park as well as take in some of the great displays the center has to offer. Unfortunately, the rain would simply not let up and the observation deck was out of the question.
Looking back, all our friends that joined us for a weekend of yurts in Algonquin were great. Everyone pulled together equally and we were able to remain in good spirits despite the relentless rain we endured.
A huge appreciation goes out to Stacy. Her ability to pull people together and lift the spirits of everyone, in weather less than ideal was a big help. I think everyone appreciated her determination to make this weekend the success that it turned out to be. THANK YOU!
I look forward to sharing the outback trails of Ontario with each and every person that attended this wonderful weekend. Cheers. (David)
She Said…
Those of us who were born and grown up in Ontario can almost take the Fall Colours for granted. But when you get to experience them anew with a diverse group of people, it's spectacular all over again… even if it's a rainy weekend after the peak colour explosion.
The car pool was a breeze thanks to David's pickup -- we were able to take all 8 of us in only two vehicles! Getting out of the city was tortuous, but after that, an easy drive up. Once my carload arrived, we noticed signs saying a bear was in the area. We "decided" to drive around a bit to find him, and came across someone who works in the park. To our relief, he informed us that they had had to tranq the bear and move him off-site.
We then all settled in, and got the BBQ going. A little surprise that the plates, pots, cutlery that we thought would be waiting for us… weren't! And that only one of the two BBQ would work that night! But somehow with a lot of team work, we all made our dinners and ate in the comfort of the yurt, which sheltered us from the incessant rain.
The next morning, after hearing the rain stop, then start, loop a few times, we all rose and after freshening up at the comfort station, got breakfast going: A wonderful pot of oatmeal (homemade!) with fixings of nuts, fruit, maple syrup, thanks to Joerg. It was a good, filling meal that got us ready for our long hike.
10 km doesn’t sound like much, but the ups and downs, lunch stop (and cake stops) plus the views made it stretch out to almost 6 hours!
Back at the yurts, I got dinner heating up. By now we had the second BBQ working (and two bins of plates etc. on hand). We got a nice fire going that night. It seemed everyone was tired from the hike, and we all went to bed pretty early.
Sunday was another off and on rainy day. We decided the weather was too unstable to risk the bike ride option, so we all headed to the visitor centre. WOW. What a LOT of people! There were buses full of tourists. The line up for the women's bathroom was insane! But the centre was fun. We all got to explore and learn more about Algonquin park and its amazing history.
After the centre, we went on a short hike at the Spruce Bog trail. It's an easy, flat trail, but after Saturday's hike, no one minded. Then it was the drive back to TO.
The thing I loved about this weekend is the team we had. Everyone pitched in whether it was getting the fire going, setting tables, sharing food, doing dishes, putting up tarps, and cleaning up on the way out. Thank you everyone for making our Yurt Weekend so special. :) (Stacy)
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.