This was our second year booking a site in Algonquin for their Halloween weekend, and when we booked there was still a bit of hope that their celebrations would still be happening despite the pandemic. Not long after, the park made the inevitable decision to cancel all organized activities, but we decided to go anyway since we enjoy going to Algonquin in the shoulder season and a lot of our friends were still going. This is huge because Hayden loves to be outside with friends and camping at Mew Lake gives him the freedom to roam the park and play with friends without having parents watching his every move.
Friday night was a blur as we raced to get to Algonquin before a huge thunder and lightning storm came crashing into the park. Luck was on our side in that the rain stopped long enough for us to set up our tent and get all our gear inside. Then we hunkered down inside for the remainder of the evening just relaxing in our small dry space as the rain poured and the thunder and lightning lit up the night sky.
Saturday
We awoke Saturday morning to the first snowfall of the year! Overnight the temperatures dropped drastically and we woke up to snow flurries. We do not fear this type of weather, however in a summer tent with a space heater, it is important to know what to do to keep yourself warm and comfortable. Our gear is constantly getting upgraded and we have recently purchased cots which keep us off the cold ground. Plus we bring lots of extra wool blankets from home for those cozy morning layers.
One really great thing about this summer tent is our front vestibule. I cooked breakfast in the vestibule which provided some protection from the wind and snow flurries.
Love this vestibule 
Yummy one pan breakfast
Once everyone had their warm drinks and breakfast we headed out to chat with some friends, as well as pick up a very special item. A BRAND NEW CANVAS TENT! This canvas tent will become our new hot tent for winter camping and once we install a stove jack, this tent will be ready for a wood stove and the start of our hot tent adventures. A huge thanks to Marian from The Camping Family for picking up this tent for us.
Hayden found his friends to play with, so that gave us time to set up the canvas tent and check all the pieces for anything that may need repairs or just some TLC as well as have the first burn in our new wood stove. With only a couple of pieces of rope needing replacing and one small tiny hole that will need a patch (and one broken pole thanks to our own mistake!), this tent is in great condition. Our cots will fit perfectly inside while allowing us to have space to move around and keep warm. (There will be more posts of this tent in the future).
I am one happy camper 
10 by 12 canvas tent and Kni-Co Alaskan stove 
Sporting my new GTFO Company sweater. Check below for my ambassador details.
After lunch we went for a bike ride with Hayden and his friend Hiker over to Lake of Two Rivers. It was amazing how busy the campground was compared to last year. From my best guess, I would have said that it was just about full.
Hayden wanted to stay and play with his friends some more, so Dan and I headed out to bike a bit of the rail trail. I truly love this community where the kids and adults will look after each other giving everyone a bit of a break. Hayden is finally at that age where we are very comfortable letting him roam free.
Late in the afternoon the kids had some fun trying to get the birds to land on their hands with some nuts we had at camp. Our camp also had another visitor, a little bunny. His paws were so big and fluffy and didn’t seem to concerned about staying too far away from us while munching on the last remaining leaves on the ground.
During this weekend there would normally be a lot more Trick or Treating kids, but we knew that this would be an unusual time. There were still families that participated in having candy available for visitors, and to keep it safe we placed ours at the end of a table and kept our distance while the kids came to pick up their candy. Hayden and his friends still managed to get quite the load of candy.
As the sun went down, campfires were lit and the adults all shared some great stories by the fire. With so many friends camping, it was really nice to catch up on all the adventures we have had over the summer and well as discuss upcoming plans. (On a side note we were following the rules and our campfire did not exceed the 25 person limit).
Sunday
This was probably one of the first mornings while camping that we have not packed up early and headed home. We were wanting to do something else and made the plan to hike the Starling Lookout trail. This lookout is part of the Highland Backpacking trail that goes around Provoking Lake. While we ate breakfast I checked out the map and discussed the possible options to access this lookout.
Relaxing in the morning 
Bluejays joined us for breakfast
Many other people we know have hiked the trail from Mew Lake to this lookout. However, I figured out that we could ride our bikes on the rail trail to the portage from Lake of Two Rivers into Provoking Lake and connect with the trail from the other side. This made more sense for us as I was still dealing with a recovering twisted ankle and the least amount of hiking would be best.
Very muddy sections 
Making use of my hiking poles for stability 
Starling Lake 
Lake of Two Rivers 
At the lookout 
Making our way back to camp
Once back at camp we had lunch and packed up our gear into the car, which felt a lot like playing Tetris. We now had to find room for a new canvas tent and support poles. Before making our way down the highway to home we stopped at the Spruce Bog trail to get some chickadee feeding therapy.
He really wanted to get super close 
We love hearing from our readers, so please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading.
Affiliate and Ambassador Information
I am an Ambassador for The GTFO Company. If you follow the link and use the coupon code SUEOUTDOORS10, you will get 10% off your purchase. This company donates to mental health initiatives as well as a grizzly bear project.
I am currently an affiliate for companies where I purchase my gear. I do receive some compensation for products purchased through my link. If you are interested in products that I use, click on the appropriate links below to access each company.
Keen Canada please click here.
Mountain Equipment Co-op click here.
Back Road Mapbooks click here.
LARQ click here. It’s always in season! Now through Oct 27th, receive a complimentary Travel Sleeve ($18 value) with any LARQ Bottle purchase!
Good read. Dan’s beard is soooo long now! Glad you had another successful weekend camping, nothing like outdoors and friends. And loved how the birds eat out your hands! Onward to your next venture!