In Newfoundland we have the saying “Mug Up”, which means having an afternoon snack or coffee break. During our hikes, I reflect back to my university days when we were part of an outdoor club called C’MUN Outdoors. There was one guy in that group who would always bring his little stove and boil water for hot tea during our snack breaks, no matter how short the outing. Neither Dan nor I can remember his name, but this one was for him!
On the last day of 2020, we headed out to the Dunes Beach which is the day use area of Sandbanks Provincial Park and walked the Dunes trail all the way to Lake Ontario. I have never actually walked this trail myself, but Dan had been there a few times on his bike and had also snowshoed and hiked this area to take photos over the years.
The walk through the dunes was very interesting in the winter as it was still a bit soft and gave a nice workout for the legs. We meandered through the dunes, following the trail and over sections of broken boardwalk. The dunes do move under the influence of the wind and rain so sections were definitely in need of repair for next season. Dunes can be fragile so it is important to stick to the trail and stay off any dunes that have been roped off.
The wind was high and we could hear Lake Ontario crashing on the beach from far away, which tricked me several times into thinking that the lake was “just over the next ridge” (even though Dan warned me that the sound was deceiving). Eventually we climbed the last dune and came out on the sight of Lake Ontario with the waves and winds in our faces. It was a bit chilly at the top of the dune, so after a couple of minutes we headed back through the meandering trails to find our mug up location.
I had found a great spot to have our little mug up and pulled out a tarp, two Klymit V Seating Cushions, my Dragoon Unlimited stove, our GSI 1L boiler, and supplies for hot chocolate, tea and snacks. The only thing I forgot was the mugs! ACK!!! How could we enjoy our hot drinks without our mugs?!
This was where my cleverness kicks in, or as my mom would have said a true “Martha Stewart” moment. Our water bottles are capable of holding hot water, so when I used that water to boil up for the hot drinks I placed Hayden’s hot chocolate in his bottle, Dan’s tea in his and I used the GSI pot to brew my tea. Problem solved. Plus Hayden really liked having the warm water bottle to hold. Just as a side note: hot water in a bottle will expand, so make sure you vent it every now and again to prevent any possible explosions. (No one was harmed in the making of hot drinks despite Hayden’s desire to test out what would happen to his bottle if left sealed)
a little shelter from the wind 
mg up time 
water bottles for hot drinks 
When in doubt, use as a mug
With our bellies full of snacks and warm drinks we headed back towards the main dunes. When the dunes are frozen and have a coating of snow they become one of the best places to go tobogganing, so we will go back later for that.
We hope this has given you an idea of a fun way to enjoy a snack while out adventuring. Please leave a comment as we love to hear from our followers.
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A great way to end the year. Funny how we can always ‘make do’ when we have to. As the old saying goes, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” and happy you got to enjoy your hot drinks. Hope 2021 will find you doing lots of outdoorsey adventures.