Sunsets - a picture post

When we select a campsite, LT tries to ensure we get the best exposure for excellent sunset viewing. We have yet to get brave enough to go out in the canoe at night to see the billions of stars that the night brings. In the meantime, we relish the sunsets. Here are some we have seen. (The last two pictures are from La Verendrye Park.)

Okay, this is the moon....

Campsites - a picture post

December is a month with zero camping trips, but it doesn't mean I can't make a trip down memory lane with pictures! So here is another picture post this time of the various campsites we've stayed at. Hopefully I'll remember them all correctly. I'll give them a rating out of 5 stars. If you have any questions as to where exactly a particular campsite is at, just ask!

Top of Grand Lake - 4 stars

Clemow Lake - 2 stars

Opalescent Lake - 4 stars

North River Lake - 4 stars

Not a campsite, portage ending on Cedar Lake - 0 stars

Cedar Lake near Acanthus Island the next night - 5 stars

Same spot

Grand Lake halfway up - looked like a 3 star, definitely 4 stars

Cedar Lake near Petawawa River inflow - 4 stars

Little Carcajou Lake - 3 star (only site on the lake)

Carl Wilson halfway down - 3.5 stars

Cedar Lake at the top - 5 stars

Manitou Lake - 4 stars

Biggar Lake back of pennisula - 3 stars

Three Mile Lake on rocky outcropping - 4 stars

Same site after packing up

Erables Lake halfway down - 5 stars (except a bit hilly)

Mouse Lake near sandy beach - 4 stars

Same spot

And again - check out the huge stone table

Mink Lake halfway up - 5 stars*****

Grey days are pretty too - a picture post

My vague memory tells me that taking pictures on a grey day is better for the final photos. I'm not sure why. In any case, we can't control the weather, we can only prepare for it. For shorter trips we have a good idea what kind of weather is coming our way. Not so much for longer trips. We've been incredibly lucky with weather on our trips. We've had a bit of rain, but only a couple of off-and-on rainy days when travelling. 

Here are some pictures of less sunny days.

Stratton Lake - we were hiking this day

Grand Lake

Falls into Carcajou Bay

Not quite soaking wet - just misting!

Cold May long weekend on Grand Lake

Grand Lake without sunshine on a July weekend

Sun coming out after a grey day on Cedar Lake

Misty grey morning on Biggar Lake

Grey moments on our way to Three Mile Lake

Mouse Lake - we got slightly rained on before settting up camp

What is Santa bringing you?

Here's a wish list for canoe campers. Have you been good enough this year to get any of these great camping items?

Camping hammock
One of the main pieces LT added to his kit this year was this hammock from Hennessy Hammock:

Click here to go to the web page

I ordered this through MEC online for LT's birthday in June. He put it to use for all trips he took except the long weekend in May. It was especially handy for his 6-day solo trip. 

I attempted to make my own hammock tent from my parachute fabric hammock. However, I'll probably invest in one of these for next year - same brand, but a different model.  I'm not so tall to need the 6 foot version. For the record, two hammocks will weigh more than a single 2-person tent. However, LT swears that being off the ground completely alleviates any back pain from lying on the ground and he's a complete convert so I'll have to follow suit.

We're tweaking the mattress system to use with the hammocks. Also I did sew up a set of much longer hanging straps for LT's hammock.

Dehydrator

This is probably number one on my wish list to Santa. However, I have a feeling I'm going to have to save my pennies to get it. I'm currently using a Salton dehydrator I bought at Walmart for $50. This is quite the step up:
 

Click here to go to the web page

Saw
This isn't a new item for us but it's a good one. It packs light, takes up little space, really works, and is MUCH safer than an axe or hatchet. Just ask Kevin Callan.

It took me a while to this online, LT has had this item for years. Its' official name is: Take-Down Buck Saw

Check here for availability

Thermos
This sounds like a bit of an odd piece of kit to have on a wish list. I picked one up late this summer and took it on my last trip in September. It was the most useful thing I bought this year for camping. It has multiple uses. I selected it to use to carry my lunch. I use dehydrated food and this allowed me to quickly add some boiling water to the prepped food at breakfast. It rehydrates during the day and when I want to stop at a portage to eat, it's ready, hot and delicious. The only thing I'd do differently is buy a size larger. 

Besides lunches, I used it for hot tea and to rehydrate all the fruit I use for dessert at dinnertime. It rehydrated pineapple so well, you wouldn't have known it was dehydrated in the first place.

Comfy chair
LT doesn't push his opinions very often, but the first opinion he expressed about camping is how important it is to have a comfortable chair to sit in at the end of the day at your campsite. That chair must have a back to it. I didn't believe him, last year I carried a very light tripod chair made by Eureka! It was small, light, perfect for carrying in my backpack. But it was horribly uncomfortable. This year I vowed to do it differently, I just didn't want to pay $100 for a Helinox chair from MEC. I found a similar chair at Lebaron's on sale and snapped it up. Here's my gear review on it: Nano chair

Being used in the field

All the pieces

This chair packs into a relatively small space, doesn't weigh much and is really comfy!

Comfy air mattress for a hammock
I have a comfy air mattress, but it takes up a lot of space. LT was eyeing the Exped blow up mattress with the down filling, but with his new hammock, such a large mattress isn't as necessary. I found when I used his hammock that blowing up my air mattress to full capacity made the hammock uncomfortable. A real Goldilocks situation! Here is a mattress that might be better suited to a hammock, especially for cooler nights:

Click here to go to the web page

You may already have a cheat for this bubble pad if you have those silver heat liners for your car's windshield. 

Footwear
My favourite footwear for canoe camping are these sandals from Keen:

Okay, my pair are slightly larger than this key chain

The only downfall is that bugs can bite any exposed skin. I wore wool socks in these during my last September trip, which was perfect. Light socks work as well. They are light, I don't mind getting them wet - they dry fast, and they're comfy. I don't need a pair, but you might want to put a pair on your list to Santa!

Clothing
What you wear while canoe camping is very much a personal preference thing. LT recommends a long sleeved lightweight shirt that is a muted colour, preferably beige. I have a couple of Columbia ones that fit the bill. This year I added a new shirt that I really like because it doesn't have buttons! I got it at Dick's Sporting Goods in Watertown, it's made out of the same fabric as my Columbia shirts:

And it has a hood (note the aforementioned sandals)

Sunglasses
I'm torn when it comes to spending a lot of money on sunglasses. They're so easily lost or broken. I'm kind of a klutz. I'm currently wearing "Mall Bans", you know, those fake brand name sunglasses you can get at that kiosk in the middle of the mall, 3 pair for $30. But I really need a decent pair of sunglasses that are polarized so I can see through the reflection off the surface of the lake so we don't hit any rocks or sunken logs.

Click here to go to the web site

Camera Equipment
This is on my list, in case I don't get it I am saving my AMEX bonus points for it. I just need to spend probably another $10,000 on my card....

Some of these are definitely going on my wishlist! Whats on yours?