Showing posts with label algonquin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label algonquin. Show all posts
Sunday, July 24, 2011
More camping
Here are pics of the rest of the trip. These days were spent on a different lake we portaged to. Then we rested here for two days, and left the third day. Fished for our first time. Didn't catch anything--but we didn't expect to with 6 of us in a boat, and us fishing in the afternoon. But it was a good time waster. We picked the only sight on the lake that had a sort--of beach, so the kids got to play in the water too. Otherwise the trip was camping as usual--with the additional discomfort of being in my last trimester.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Back to the city.
We spent five days in Algonquin.
And now we're back.
Daniel can now say these clearly:
"Sqee-toe" (Mosquito)
"Boom!" (Hitting mosquito--which is accompanies with a big hit to whoever he can reach)
"Dot it!" (Got it!)
Both him and Matthew look as if they have chickenpox.
And now we're back.
Daniel can now say these clearly:
"Sqee-toe" (Mosquito)
"Boom!" (Hitting mosquito--which is accompanies with a big hit to whoever he can reach)
"Dot it!" (Got it!)
Both him and Matthew look as if they have chickenpox.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Monday, August 31, 2009
Algonquin, Aug 29, Saturday
Aug 29
So I got the rain I wished for. We woke up to what seemed like a drizzle, but that's because the tent was mostly sheltered by a tree. It was raining. Not pouring or drizzling, but raining. We opted out on cooking a warm breakfast, but broke out the snacks early instead. And in the tent. :o Since it was the last day I permitted food in the tent...since I figured it was dry stuff which we could sweep out when we got home, without leaving an odor.
After a light snack we had to efficiently pack up (while keeping dry as much stuff as possible). The kids stood and watched, trying not to be too miserable and wet.
I had to quickly snap a few shots since my husband didn't think that photography was included in the "efficient packing up" scheme.
Once everything was bundled up, the wind started to gust a bit, and the rain came down heavier. Should we wait it out? Should we get it done and over with? The tree we were huddling under provided a little shelter...but I was impatient...so off we went.
The kids were soggy and cold by the time we got to the first portage. They were all pretty miserable there. Thankfully, once they were bundled back in the canoe they stopped crying (Matthew even fell asleep) until we saw the van (probably an hour of paddling later). We were all shivering at that point (new rain gear would be good to have next time) but I had a dry towel, and we all had a set of dry clothes to wiggle into, and the heat turned up in the van. By the time the van was loaded and the canoe tied on properly, the kids had stopped shivering, and were asking for food instead.
What a dry warm shelter the van was!
What amazing features we had once we got home:
shelter from the rain
heat
running water (no filtering or boiling required before drinking)
washing machine
dishwasher
vaccuum
etc.
(the list seems endless!!!)
So I got the rain I wished for. We woke up to what seemed like a drizzle, but that's because the tent was mostly sheltered by a tree. It was raining. Not pouring or drizzling, but raining. We opted out on cooking a warm breakfast, but broke out the snacks early instead. And in the tent. :o Since it was the last day I permitted food in the tent...since I figured it was dry stuff which we could sweep out when we got home, without leaving an odor.
After a light snack we had to efficiently pack up (while keeping dry as much stuff as possible). The kids stood and watched, trying not to be too miserable and wet.
I had to quickly snap a few shots since my husband didn't think that photography was included in the "efficient packing up" scheme.
Once everything was bundled up, the wind started to gust a bit, and the rain came down heavier. Should we wait it out? Should we get it done and over with? The tree we were huddling under provided a little shelter...but I was impatient...so off we went.
The kids were soggy and cold by the time we got to the first portage. They were all pretty miserable there. Thankfully, once they were bundled back in the canoe they stopped crying (Matthew even fell asleep) until we saw the van (probably an hour of paddling later). We were all shivering at that point (new rain gear would be good to have next time) but I had a dry towel, and we all had a set of dry clothes to wiggle into, and the heat turned up in the van. By the time the van was loaded and the canoe tied on properly, the kids had stopped shivering, and were asking for food instead.
What a dry warm shelter the van was!
What amazing features we had once we got home:
shelter from the rain
heat
running water (no filtering or boiling required before drinking)
washing machine
dishwasher
vaccuum
etc.
(the list seems endless!!!)
Algonquin, Aug 28, Friday
Aug 28
Last night! This day, and the day before, were very leisurely. We were going back through where we'd been before, and only short portages. No getting lost, no weather adventures. Very relaxing. Philip was kind of hoping for a fishing rod or a nature book, or something of that sort, I think...but I just loved how relaxed things were. Nothing left to hope for but rain to send us home with. (Why did I want rain for Saturday?? Even I still don't know!)
We love lunch time! By the time we got to the campsite we were all very tired...even though we hadn't done much...so we all crashed on the grass for a bit once we were done munching our lunch.
Sigh. Last night. Sigh. Time for sitting down and rehashing the whole trip and dragging it out in your mind while you can! It was kinda chilly so we just huddled around and chilled while we could.
Relaxing!!
An important thing to do at every campsite before it gets too dark is to find a "food pack tree". After a few times the kids got right into it...
Here are some food pack hanging instructions:
(because EVERYONE needs and wants to know this) :p
The first step finding a tree that has a sturdy branch up high enough, but not TOO high, with very little or no growth under/around it, but a strong tree near enough to tie the other end to later. Once the ideal tree is found--improvising or settling with less does happen on occasion on "less than ideal" campsites. (The sturdiness of the branch is less important as the food pack gets lighter.) The next step is throwing the rock over the branch--with the rope attached still, of course.
By the end of the trip we could easily judge which branch we'd be able to reach with the stone and rope, and which branches were just a bit beyond. Tying the rock tightly to the rope is very important too, since it needs to stay on until you can reach it again.
Once the rope is over the tree, it must be carefully worked down to be within arms reach--only rarely does it come down clear right away. This is done by carefully sending a wave up the rope, and if it is done gently enough and no other complications occur the rock will stay on.
After that you're home free--tie the non rock end to the pack, have a loop after that, put the rock end(with rock removed) through the loop, and pull it up! (Full packs need two people to get it going!)
We don't pull it up all the way, but leave it down a bit, then find another tree a ways away and tie it there. We were mostly worried about racoons, mice and chipmunks...so we didn't always get it up 10 feet high and 5 feet from the trunk, but we always made sure there weren't any little branches nearby for them to leap off of.
Philip had a made a fancy rope basket to put the food pack in, that way the strain was evenly spread through the pack, and when it was full it didn't get the straps ripped off when we heaved it up. Worked like a charm!
Last night! This day, and the day before, were very leisurely. We were going back through where we'd been before, and only short portages. No getting lost, no weather adventures. Very relaxing. Philip was kind of hoping for a fishing rod or a nature book, or something of that sort, I think...but I just loved how relaxed things were. Nothing left to hope for but rain to send us home with. (Why did I want rain for Saturday?? Even I still don't know!)
We love lunch time! By the time we got to the campsite we were all very tired...even though we hadn't done much...so we all crashed on the grass for a bit once we were done munching our lunch.
Sigh. Last night. Sigh. Time for sitting down and rehashing the whole trip and dragging it out in your mind while you can! It was kinda chilly so we just huddled around and chilled while we could.
Relaxing!!
An important thing to do at every campsite before it gets too dark is to find a "food pack tree". After a few times the kids got right into it...
Here are some food pack hanging instructions:
(because EVERYONE needs and wants to know this) :p
The first step finding a tree that has a sturdy branch up high enough, but not TOO high, with very little or no growth under/around it, but a strong tree near enough to tie the other end to later. Once the ideal tree is found--improvising or settling with less does happen on occasion on "less than ideal" campsites. (The sturdiness of the branch is less important as the food pack gets lighter.) The next step is throwing the rock over the branch--with the rope attached still, of course.
By the end of the trip we could easily judge which branch we'd be able to reach with the stone and rope, and which branches were just a bit beyond. Tying the rock tightly to the rope is very important too, since it needs to stay on until you can reach it again.
Once the rope is over the tree, it must be carefully worked down to be within arms reach--only rarely does it come down clear right away. This is done by carefully sending a wave up the rope, and if it is done gently enough and no other complications occur the rock will stay on.
After that you're home free--tie the non rock end to the pack, have a loop after that, put the rock end(with rock removed) through the loop, and pull it up! (Full packs need two people to get it going!)
We don't pull it up all the way, but leave it down a bit, then find another tree a ways away and tie it there. We were mostly worried about racoons, mice and chipmunks...so we didn't always get it up 10 feet high and 5 feet from the trunk, but we always made sure there weren't any little branches nearby for them to leap off of.
Philip had a made a fancy rope basket to put the food pack in, that way the strain was evenly spread through the pack, and when it was full it didn't get the straps ripped off when we heaved it up. Worked like a charm!
Algonquin, Aug 27, Thursday
Aug 27
If we were early risers, we probably would have seen a moose or two.
Instead we saw the remains of mist swirling on the lake...which is also impressive, and very calming.
Waiting for breakfast and sunning at the same time.
We had our shortest portage this day. Nathan did NOT enjoy carrying two paddles for the whole thing, and Matthew did NOT enjoy walking it instead of getting a ride, and Melanie did NOT enjoy having to wait to get to the other side for lunch and a drink. But we all made it, none-the-less.
Paddling across Big Porcupine Lake was uneventful, and almost boring this time, since there was no wind, and no huge scary waves to keep my heart thumping. There were a lot of people to pass through in the narrowest part of the lake though--so that was entertaining for the kids at least.
When we got to the furthest campsite, it was full (two seconds too slow!), so we turned back to get one of the empty ones we'd passed. Some canoeists warned us that 8 out of 8 were full for the night on Big Porcupine...so we quickly took the next vacant site which was just around the corner. After looking at the map, I noticed that there are 16 sites on the lake...so those people were a little misinformed.
I guess I should wash their teddies this week. Melanie's, especially, becomes rather obviously dirty quite quickly.
There was a gorgeous red in the sky when the sun was setting...but unfortunately by the time I got the camera out and myself perched in what I thought would be a good spot...it wasn't nearly as colorful. But this picture still makes me want to go back out there!
So tranquil and beautiful!!
If we were early risers, we probably would have seen a moose or two.
Instead we saw the remains of mist swirling on the lake...which is also impressive, and very calming.
Waiting for breakfast and sunning at the same time.
We had our shortest portage this day. Nathan did NOT enjoy carrying two paddles for the whole thing, and Matthew did NOT enjoy walking it instead of getting a ride, and Melanie did NOT enjoy having to wait to get to the other side for lunch and a drink. But we all made it, none-the-less.
Paddling across Big Porcupine Lake was uneventful, and almost boring this time, since there was no wind, and no huge scary waves to keep my heart thumping. There were a lot of people to pass through in the narrowest part of the lake though--so that was entertaining for the kids at least.
When we got to the furthest campsite, it was full (two seconds too slow!), so we turned back to get one of the empty ones we'd passed. Some canoeists warned us that 8 out of 8 were full for the night on Big Porcupine...so we quickly took the next vacant site which was just around the corner. After looking at the map, I noticed that there are 16 sites on the lake...so those people were a little misinformed.
I guess I should wash their teddies this week. Melanie's, especially, becomes rather obviously dirty quite quickly.
There was a gorgeous red in the sky when the sun was setting...but unfortunately by the time I got the camera out and myself perched in what I thought would be a good spot...it wasn't nearly as colorful. But this picture still makes me want to go back out there!
So tranquil and beautiful!!
Algonquin, Aug 26, Wednesday
Aug 26
Another rest day.
Check out the luxurious accommodations! A picnic table!! "That's not roughing it," says my husband! (Yes, he's very hard to please.)
It's been a while since my beautiful self has been displayed...so I used the self timer to get this fabulous shot. If you look real close you can see that laundry was not a top priority this week. In fact, I refused to wash anything but dishes all trip long, with the exception of the face cloth that was used very frequently for very grubby faces.
The only big wildlife we saw was a bear cub. It was just across the water from our site. Over there somewhere. Can you see it?
It's LONG gone.
We were eating lunch when Phil heard it splashing in the water. Melanie squawked about something or other. It turned and fled. We all turned around to have a look, and the quick ones of us got a glimpse of it. I made sure the food pack was hanging up high enough that night--some nights were a bit sloppy, but not this night!
Waking up from nap time is always easier when a snack is involved!
Watching the "roasting marshmellows". We started the campfire a bit early...like 3-ish...so it was a bit more work getting wood enough to last until 9 (the earliest adults can consider going to bed when camping).
Another rest day.
Check out the luxurious accommodations! A picnic table!! "That's not roughing it," says my husband! (Yes, he's very hard to please.)
It's been a while since my beautiful self has been displayed...so I used the self timer to get this fabulous shot. If you look real close you can see that laundry was not a top priority this week. In fact, I refused to wash anything but dishes all trip long, with the exception of the face cloth that was used very frequently for very grubby faces.
The only big wildlife we saw was a bear cub. It was just across the water from our site. Over there somewhere. Can you see it?
It's LONG gone.
We were eating lunch when Phil heard it splashing in the water. Melanie squawked about something or other. It turned and fled. We all turned around to have a look, and the quick ones of us got a glimpse of it. I made sure the food pack was hanging up high enough that night--some nights were a bit sloppy, but not this night!
Waking up from nap time is always easier when a snack is involved!
Watching the "roasting marshmellows". We started the campfire a bit early...like 3-ish...so it was a bit more work getting wood enough to last until 9 (the earliest adults can consider going to bed when camping).
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