Camping Trip

I went camping last weekend to Algonquin Park. I just love that place. I went canoeing with my youngest son (6), my brother and his oldest daughter (7). Keeping it simple for the kids, we decided to do Rain lake. Padding from the put-in to the opposite end of the lake, where we made camp, only took about an hour. The kids enjoyed the short paddle and so did we.

We stayed for 2 nights in the same site. This gave us the entire day Saturday to hike, fish, paddle, etc... The kids managed to run around and make up their own games like all kids should. The weather was ideal, overcast and about 20C. Just warm enough that you could wear shorts and a t-shirt and just cold enough that the mosquitoes didn't bother us too much. As a matter of fact I didn't wear any bug spray the entire weekend. There were a couple of quick showers but they didn't dampen our spirits (no pun intended).

The site we stayed at was nice and large. It was located right beside a smaller, feeding lake that had no sites or water access. There was a trail that went over to it and you could honestly say there was no one else there with you. I enjoy the solitude, which is why I camp.

Rain lake is a long, narrow lake. The put-in and first 15-20 minutes looks more like a river. I like this setup over larger lakes for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the kids don't get board as easily; secondly I feel like I'm making progress as the scenery glides by; and finally, when the wind picks up you don't have to battle large waves.

Because Rain lake is not off of Hwy 60 it's not as busy as the bigger, easier to access lakes. Once you pull off of hwy 11 at Emsdale it's about 10 minutes to the ranger station in Kearney. Then it's another half hour down this terrible dirt road before you arrive at the put-in. Most young adults don't appear to like this extra hassle and thus the lake is less crowded.

Absenteeism

I’ve been busy lately with the family and work but I have found a new hobby, Genealogy. Several times in the past years I've gone looking for family tree info on the internet. I’ve always been able to find the same old stuff. I'd send some updates to whoever ran the site and a couple of years later I could never find the same stuff again.

Well, tired of sending emails for the umpteenth time I decided to keep track of it myself. http://www.familySearch has a great free program to aid in the creation of your family tree. There are several places on the internet where you can find GEDCOM files to start you tree with or just start with what you know and build on it.

I've been having fun with it and discovering that it really tries to take over in the hobby department.

Ireland Trip Review Part 1

What an amazing country. There is so much to see and do there. Unfortunately my visit was limited to Dublin and Athlone. Because my wife is Irish, we were able to stay with family and enjoy their company every night of our stay. During the day we went off and did tourist type activities.

Although I wanted to do some hiking there was never any time for it. I spent most of my days walking through historic buildings/sites and shopping malls. Getting onto some trails was just too hard to do.

The weather was, well, Irish. Let's face it, the local weather report said, and I'm really quoting this, "…with Frequent Changes." It only rained once while we were there but it was almost always overcast and fairly cold. We did get a couple of truly spectacular days though.

Places of interest:

• Guinness Brewery http://www.guinness.com
  
• Kilmainham Jail http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmainham_Gaol
  
• Christ Church Cathedral http://www.cccdub.ie/
  
• Malahide Castle http://www.malahidecastle.com/malahidecastle/default.asp
  
• Hill of Tara http://www.knowth.com/tara.htm
  
• Newgrange http://www.knowth.com/newgrange.htm
  
• Sean's Bar (Oldest bar in Ireland/British Iles/Europe/World) http://www.seansbar.ie/index.php
  

Ireland Trip

Thought this day would never arrive but now it's just around the corner. My wife and I are going to Ireland!

A couple of things on my to-do list:

• New Grange
  
• Guinness Brewery
  
• Hiking local parks
  
• Dublin bus tour (See everything worth seeing in Dublin)
  
• Did I mention the Guinness Brewery?
  

Earth Hour Update

According to my local newspaper the town I live in managed a 9.4% drop in power during Earth Hour.

Earth Hour Review

For me Earth Hour was a success. All four of my children (ages 6 – 13) were excited. When the appointed hour arrived, we lit candles and watched the sun go down. There was so much enthusiasm that the three youngest decided to try to persuade some of our more pessimistic neighbours to partake in the event. Unfortunately they didn't have much luck. As a matter of fact, I was able to count nine of the fifteen or so houses visible from my living room, illuminated by electrical lighting.

Regardless of my neighbours' views, we were determined to do our part. So much so, that when someone opened the refrigerator we all shouted to close the door because there is a light bulb burning. Of course my thirteen year old argued unsuccessfully that it didn't matter.

Once Earth Hour had ended some of my children wanted to turn the lights on with a count down but we realized that there was no need. "Let's just keep them off and keep the candles going. It's warmer, cosier and prettier." The real sign that this was a success was when my twelve year old daughter announced at dinner tonight, "Lets do it every Saturday night!"

I think we might…

Climate Change Revolution

Earth Hour is quickly approaching and I’m all prepared with my candles and games for the kids. I’ve even registered my intent with earthHour.org. My wife and I are going to make this a family night and enjoy the time with our children. Although family night is not new to our household, it does get neglected now and again with the trappings of our hectic lifestyles.

Living in the Greater Toronto Area, I’m reminded of the Northeast Blackout of 2003. The town I live in and the surrounding areas were completely dark. Normally we don’t get to see many stars because of the light pollution. But on that night the stargazing was impressive to say the least. I have high hopes that for that one brief hour during Earth Hour, enough lights will be turned off so that we can again see some extra stars.

I realize that not everyone will partake in this landmark event, and that’s okay. The media will show the world the difference that was made that day, water coolers will erupt with the whispers of change. The climate change revolution has begun.

What's in my pack?

I saw an interesting article on WinterCampers.com that asked the question “What’s in my pack?” I thought it would be good to do this since I’m still trying to fine-tune my pack. I don’t have any hi-tech gear or anything expensive but I do try to keep it as light as possible and minimal. Here goes:

• Sleeping Bag Shell – A 1945 pattern, US Army mummy outer shell. I use it all seasons but what goes in depends on the weather.
• Sleeping Bag (cold) – A 1945 pattern, US Army Mountain sleeping bag. I think it’s rated for –10c. I just got it this past summer and it has a few thin spots. I tried it out once this winter and it did quite well. I’ll use a fleece liner next time in help with the cold spots and see how that works. It’s quit heavy though. One day I’ll invest in something newer and lighter.
• Sleeping Bag (warm) – A fleece liner and the shell.
• Bed Roll – I only use a closed cell pad that is 4oz. It’s a little thin for winter but I make up for that with whatever branches I can get from my firewood. I always find tree trunks that have small branches on them. Once I have a pile large enough for kindling I use the rest for bedding.
• Shelter – MEC Scout Tarp. I was introduced to tarps a couple of years ago and have never looked back.
• Pack – It needs some work but I’m currently using a Roots 50L pack. Completely water proof, comfortable when fully loaded and holds everything I need. It just a too heavy at around 5lb.
• Stove – Pop can alcohol stove
• Folding saw with a nice 6-inch blade. It’s a little slow but it gets the job done.
• Storage (clothes) – a nylon water proof stuff sack
• Storage (Food) – a large protean powder (for body building) jar. This thing holds about 4-leters and is completely waterproof. I once submerged it in the lake overnight to keep my cheese from sweating.

Clothes

• Wicking socks
• Light sports shirts (wicking)
• Polyester long sleeve shirts
• Fleece sweater
• Cotton filled, water proof coat with a large hood
• Tempest (Viking co.) rain shell that sheds water like mad. If you can believe it, I found this in the Salvation Army store.

Survival on a belt

Here is yet another survival kit. It's a small cell phone pouch that I wear at all times while I’m hiking or camping. There is enough stuff here for me to feel confident that I can handle most adverse situations. There are other items that I try to always have that supplement this kit such as a water bladder, a bandanna and a good knife. This is just a basic kit that has some simple, easy to carry, supplies.

• Cell phone pouch that attaches to a belt. There is also a key ring attached
• Orange, waterproof match holder. This is nice because there is a small rod of flint on the bottom
• Cotton balls and Vaseline (inside match holder instead of matches)
• Garbage bag wrapped around match holder and held in place with an elastic
• Small razor knife (can be used with flint)
• The balk circle is the best part. Two different sized pop bottle lids shaved so that one fits inside the other forming a water resistant container. This can hold just about any small item you want to keep dry.
• Paper coffee filter (inside the pop bottle lids)
• Small carabiner
• Fox40 style whistle
• Small LED flashlight
• Dollar store compass (may not be exact but it good enough to get me out of a jam)
• Pace beads (average 66 steps = 100 meters = 1 bead, 10 beads = 1km) Instructions
• 2 meters para-cord
• Nail with 2 meters brass wire
• Some Band-Aids and alcohol wipes

Am I a Bushcrafter?

I thought bushcraft was a style of wilderness experience. These people that call themselves bushcrafters would dress in ancient clothing and use primitive equipment in order to get back to basics. Recently I’ve had this idea brought into question.

Am I a bushcrafter? I enjoy being outdoors; I no longer camp with a tent (I use a tarp); I build a fire with flint (when ever possible since I haven’t mastered it yet); I try to learn and practice survival techniques; and I would rather improvise something at camp than carry it in. That being said, I also like some comforts, I use a sleeping bag when it’s cold and I use an alcohol stove for cooking in general. I don’t fit the Grizzle Adam’s persona and I can’t catch my dinner unless there is a shopping cart close by.

Does any of that matter? Is there one word or phrase that can define bushcraft? Am I a bushcrafter?

Welcome

Well I did it. After much discussion with a friend regarding blogs and his passion of BushCraft, I've decided to start this blog. I've been researching blogs and RSS feeds a lot over the past couple of days and have gotten the bug to start logging my experiences and observations.

The intention here is to discuss my primary passion, Camping. This is, of course, an extremely vague topic, but that's the point I think. Regardless of what happens next, this will be a learning experience.