I have been quite busy in the last month as I started a new contract job at the bank and a big chunk of my free time is truly devoted to spend time outdoors. As I incessantly repeat, it was a long winter and now being under the sun is one of my priorities. As crazy as it sounds I need the warm weather and the sunlight to recharge.

This past Monday was a holiday in Canada (Victoria Day) so we had a long weekend to enjoy the first camping trip of the year. A group of 10 met at Long Lake on Saturday morning to embark on a canoe trip. We were all pretty excited and it was some of the guys first canoe camping experience, backpacking and portaging through the incredible Canadian nature.

We tend to leave on Friday afternoons for our camping trips so we can spend an extra night at the campsite but this time, I have to agree that it was nice to find our campground during the day and set up the tent without a headlight and tons of mosquitoes eating you alive. \o/

One of the guys booked the site 440 at Vixen Lake and had a map showing the route to our destination. We basically had to get to the end of the Long Lake, portage to Buzzard Lake, get to the end of Buzzard Lake and portage again to Vixen Lake. We had four canoes, (which you can rent right there) and a lot of gear and food to carry as a few of us wanted to bring some extra goodies for the weekend.

There are some fancy cottages along Long Lake and a couple on Buzzard Lake. Once you get into the wilderness, the pines, the rocks, the clean air and the sound of the water are an instant sedative. We saw a deer swimming in Buzzard Lake, not too far from our canoes. He did not mind or presence or paid attention to us.

We were fortunate to have clear and sunny days and the nights by the fire were not too cold. Each one of us had an amazing time canoeing, exploring the surroundings or lying on the hammock. The more adventurous ones were swimming (yeah, Canadians swim in that chilly water) and even caught some fish.

As usual, I am sharing some of the pictures I took with my phone. I always advise people who like nature that camping is a most when visiting Canada. I suspect that with a few friends spending time in Toronto this summer this is just the first of several camping trips. We’ll see where the next one is taking us.

   

Also published on Medium.