Mother’s Day Get Away

Things this year were a little different around Mother’s Day. My boys had some biking plans that would take up most of the Saturday, so I decided that I would head out for an overnight canoe trip on my own and wake up on Mother’s Day out in nature. I went onto the Ontario Parks reservation site to “shop around” and settled on a site in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.

Saturday Morning

The arrival time for back country sites in Ontario Parks isn’t until 2 pm which meanth I could take my time getting my gear gathered and meals prepared for this trip. The portage into Crab Lake is very small so I packed some good meals. My supper consisted of a fresh steak from a new local butcher, Gilmour’s on the Bay, accompanied by mashed potatoes followed by fire roasted bannock and jam. Breakfast the next morning was eggs, bacon, and cheese in a tortilla wrap. I brought some snacks to fill in the spaces and an extra meal of oatmeal for my “just in case” backup meal.

After lunch I packed up my gear and started my drive through the winding roads to the North West toward the Wolf Lake access road. On arrival I was greeted by an Ontario Parks truck with two staff members about to head out on the water checking for permits. As I walked to my canoe they asked to see mine before I started paddling, which was the first time I’ve ever been asked. I must say it was really nice to see as we have had some issues in the past with people on our site thinking it was theirs.

• 

• 

• 

Paddle to the Site

The paddle to my site was beautiful. There wasn’t much wind pushing against me so I took my time and enjoyed the views of the other camp sites and islands along my way to the portage from Wolf to Crab. I was across the portage in minutes and was on my way to my site, which was a new site for me since we have normally stay on a different area of the lake. I was looking forward to the paddle and exploring a new area and I was not disappointed. This section was quiet and just as beautiful as the other parts of the lake.

• 

• 

• 

Camp Chores

I arrived with no issues and quickly started getting camp setup. At first I thought I would get some fire wood first since it was daylight, then set up camp, but I ended up doing the reverse. There was a nice pile of wood waiting for me, so I was not in a huge rush. However, the first thing I wanted to do was find the privy. This was a bit of a challenge as the sign was visible, but no privy. It wasn’t until I looked up the hill that I found a second sign for the privy. There was no way I was going to climb that in the middle of the night. I love that the park has installed privies, but this one was not in the best spot. If there was any heavy rain, the path to the privy would be dangerous to climb.

• 

Camp was easy to set up, and I love having my Eureka! NoBugZone and Midori Solo for my solo trips. I can hang out in my hammock, free from bugs, and then cozy up in my light tent. I was also happy to be able to once again hang my line for my food in ONE SHOT!! Sometimes I find it difficult to get my line up and have to throw it multiple times, but today I was on point.

• 

• 

• 

Supper Time

This is the moment I was looking forward to all day! I had a new camp food item to cook for myself (Nope, I have never cooked steak by myself on the fire). My friend’s brother and one of his friends have started a new company called Gilmour’s on the Bay and I was happy to try one of their steaks. My mouth was watering as I prepared the fire, seasoned the steak, and waited for my water for the mashed potatoes boil. The steak didn’t take long to cook and the smell was to die for. People who know me, know that I love steak, and I cannot express how great this one tasted. It was melt in my mouth goodness! Once I finished my supper, I prepared my bannock and cooked it up for dessert. It was a bit runny but that didn’t matter as it spread out in my pan and still cooked up beautifully and tasted awesome.

• 

• 

• 

The rest of my evening was so enjoyable as I listened to the fire crackling and the spring peepers chatting up a storm. The water was so calm and the bugs were quiet – there were a few around the site, but they were leaving me alone. I decided to spend some time in my hammock before heading to bed. I had missed my hubby’s good night text (that he sent at 9:30) as I was fast asleep! Yes, I had gone to bed that early.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Mother’s Day morning

I woke up to a nice cool morning with a temperature of 8 degrees. It was just the kind of weather that I like waking up in. Morning chores started with getting my tent packed up, getting my food from my bear hang, and then cooking my breakfast. I decided to use my camp stove for breakfast as I didn’t want to take the time to get the fire going. Plus the wind was starting to pick up and I knew I would have a head wind on the way home. Breakfast was so good and I did doddle a little while enjoying my morning tea and taking in my camping views some more.

• 

• 

• 

Wind!!!

My doddle-ling that morning was not the best decision because that head wind I mentioned started to get stronger. I remember saying to myself “Oh crap, you need to get packed up fast and get on the water.” By the time I got on the water I was battling head winds with gusts up to 25 km/h or more – not a good situation to be in, especially on my own. I was very happy that I decided to use a kayak paddle, even though I did have my canoe paddle as a back up – without it I may not have made it out to my car. I remember talking to myself the entire way back and making plans and back up plans if things went sour.

One plan was to squat somewhere until the winds went down later that evening, the other was to paddle to a cottage that dotted the shores and hike the road back to my car. However, I persevered with some inner strength and just plain will power and made it back to my car. I followed the shoreline weaving in and out using it as a wind break when I could. When I hit the gravel section of the parking lot I was so happy. The couple in a canoe that were ahead of me were surprised I was able to do that by myself. We all agreed it was the hardest paddle we have ever completed.

• 

• 

• 

Extra Special Stop

Sitting happy in my car, driving home after a great overnight solo trip, I approached another park I wanted to visit which was The Petroglyphs Provincial Park. This park is on my route home and I figured it was a good time to go in for a short visit. We have been here a few times before and there is just something special about seeing all the drawings on the rocks. I do not have any pictures of these rocks as you are not permitted to take photos out of respect the spirituality of Aboriginal people. This is a site that you must see in person and experience what it does for you. There is a strange connection that I felt before and after that is difficult to express in words and is quite personal.

• 

• 

• 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my Mother’s Day get away. How was your Mother’s Day weekend? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear about it or answer any questions!