Thunderboxes!

The title says it all. If you have ever been backcountry camping, whether it is canoeing or hiking or however, you have probably come across a thunderbox.  What is that you say? It’s a fancy term for a bathroom in the outdoors.  They are typically a wooden box made from 2 x 4’s with a lid to keep your “seat” dry.

On many of our adventures in the backcountry, a thunderbox is actually an item that I really appreciate finding.  There are locations where none exist, and you have to rely on other methods of disposing of your “waste”.  I find for my own comfort, I love a site with a box.  I’ve even gone places where if there was no box I was looking for a different site.  There is a little big of joy and relief on those sites where one exists.

This summer I have travelled to Puzzle Lake Provincial Park, a non operational park, and many of the sites that have been established do not have these thunderboxes.  When talking to other people, it was suggested by Johnny Stinson from Two4Adventure that we gather a group of willing outdoors people and install as many boxes as we could in a weekend.

It would occur at the end of the season, meaning the second week in November, before the water freezes and snow begins. Plans were made and there were 6 people planning to complete this mission.   Johnny was the main organiser and had all the materials ready to build at least six thunderboxes to be installed.

As the week progressed and we got closer to the weekend,  a couple of people had to back out, so we were down to 4 (myself, Johnny Stinson, Peter Romain and Shawn Ryder).  Three of us would go up Friday, with the last person joining us Saturday morning.  I didn’t care about this as I was pumped and was looking forward to paddling this time of year.  It is actually my first paddling trip in November.

Friday Afternoon to Evening

You know how time seems to slow when there is something you are waiting to do? This was my Friday at work. I felt like I was watching the clock tick every so slowly. Sigh…. would it be 3 pm soon? Eventually that coveted time happened and I was soon picked up by Johnny, with Peter following, and off we went to our put in. This park is actually very close to us and within an hour we were loading the canoe.

This canoe was to carry 3 people, plus gear!  It was a tight squeeze, but we all managed to fit.  The one thing I noticed right away was how high was water levels were compared to my trip back in September. This was a good sign as we might be able to skip the second portage completely. A short paddle brought us to the first portage, easy up and over, then another short paddle to the second portage.  At this point the sun had set and it was getting very dark. However, we were in luck. The second portage was filled higher with water, and with some manoeuvring around rocks and downed stumps, guided by headlamps, we only had to step out of the canoe to push it up and over one small section. Success! Then paddle on to the site.

It is amazing how peaceful it was to paddle on a lake in the dark. If you have not yet done this, it’s work the experience. 

On site we were all quick to do the usual camp chores, and with the weather dipping down to a BALMY -20 DEGREES CELSIUS, we needed a big fire and ways to keep warm.  I may need more pointers on keeping warm, or figure out why my body does not like to regulate itself well when it’s colder. (Hello Winter Camp Symposium in a few weeks)

Saturday Morning

It was a beautiful, but cold morning. I didn’t care since I knew today was going to be a good day.  The lake was beautiful and the air was crisp.  One thing I didn’t expect was seconds after I took the lake picture, my phone went from about 50% charge to almost none and turning off. I guess my phone was too cold to hold the charge and I had to warm it up next to my body before turning it back on for the day. (A cold weather mistake, should have had my phone warmed up first).

After a quick breakfast, myself, Johnny and Peter went back to the put in to meet up with Shawn. We loaded the boxes into the two canoes and headed for our first destination for installation.

It was a nice short paddle to our first site and we scoped out the area and picked a location that would serve two sites that were actually close to each other.  We decided on this first installation that the privy should have a nice view.  Hence the phrase for the day was #PooWithAView.  For the first box install, we dug a hole about 2 to 2.5 feet deep (3 would be the best, but rocks got in the way), cleared a path and cleaned out some brush, and then installed the sign and “tested” it.  

We decided that each privy needed to have its picture with the signs. The signs were plaques that I had purchased at Michael’s with different toilet images burned into them. 

Upon arriving at our second location, we found a privy already installed, so we moved on to the third location.  This third location had a “toilet”, but it was not the correct installation.  Below is what someone had crafted as a bathroom, but in this case the waste and TP is not disposed of properly.  In the backcountry, you are to dig a hole then cover it with soil after being used.

The third location received a lovely box located a little further up in the woods, a sign, and a view.

With two boxes now successfully installed, we had to journey back to the put in to gather the remaining 4 from the van.  Upon arrival, we were greeted by Martin Garster. The boys all knew him, and he came out for a paddle and then helped with the remaining boxes.

As this was Remembrance Day and close to eleven in the morning, we did take a minute of silence for all those who fought for us. 

This was definitely not all work for us, as you can see. I do have a little silly streak (ok a BIG silly streak), and thought it would be funny to sit on a box while it was still in the canoe.

The next locations were on a different lake, so we portaged the 4 boxes, 2 canoes, and some gear. We headed up the lake and found that these boxes went in quickly.   

It was after lunch at this point so we all paddled to our site for the afternoon. The wind that we had Friday night was completely gone, and the water was beautiful.  I love taking pictures that produce that mirror image.

Once at the site for the evening, we celebrated a job well done, ate lunch, and shared stories.  I have not yet tripped with anyone in this group, and it was nice to hear about other outdoor enthusiasts and the stories they had.  I have a growing list of people I really would love to get out and trip with now.

Sunday Morning

We woke up to another beautiful morning. I wanted to go home, but also didn’t want to go home. I bet you all know that feeling. Once we got fed, had coffee or tea (whatever you desire), we broke camp and made our way back. We paddled a lot of the way back in silence. It was a nice feeling to know that next season when the first paddlers come to this place, they would be greeted by newly installed thunderboxes. #PooWithAView!

Thank you to Johnny for organizing this trip and allowing us to help out, tag along and also give back to our outdoor community.  Thank you to Shawn, Peter and Martin for the company as well as the laughs and hope to see you all in the future on some other adventure.