Trip Log: Big East Lake - July 11-12, 2018

Our first trip of the summer was a one night trip to a favourite site in the Haliburton Water Trails.  The site is rarely available, so even getting one night was a score.

As it was our first trip of the year for canoe camping, we had to find all of our gear.  Some of it needed a last minute washing, and I hadn't had a chance to dehydrate any meals yet, but we were able to leave home by noon and get to the parking area by 1:30 or so.  The road from Carnarvon to the put in was under construction, and it was a super hot day, but thankfully there weren't too many bugs as we unloaded and hauled our gear down the 250 meter portage.

Chris and Squatch took the dog in our 14 foot Scott Canoe, while Bubbie and I took most of the gear in the Swift Kipawa.  We realized part way there we hadn't made sure the weight was evenly distributed so we kept pulling to the left, but it wasn't too big of a deal.  We were distracted by two loons popping up ten feet in front of us.  They were a little startled by our presence and dove again almost immediately.

A man in a kayak passed us on his way out and asked if we had no boys with us.  I replied we did, but they were ahead in another canoe, to which he commented that we should work harder to catch up.  A little miffed, I told him we had to keep distance between us or the dog would get antsy wanting to jump between the two canoes.

One of the baby loons with mom or dad

As we approached the island where we would be camping, we spotted two more loons, this time with two babies.  The babies were making little sounds.  It was so adorable.

It wasn't long after we arrived at our campsite.  The boys were already there, eager to get their swim suits out of the packs in our canoe, so they could start jumping off the rocks.

While they swam, Bubbie and I set the tents up then went and watched them for a while.  They made a friend in the water, a frog sitting in a shallow water filled crevice where he had a tiny cave he could hide in.  They called him Mr. Slippy.

Haliburton County (and many surrounding areas as well) had issued a fire ban so after swimming, there was no need for Chris to hunt for wood so he blew up the sleep pads.  Last year we purchased this device for blowing them up.  It's a big dry bag basically, with a spot to poke the air mattresses valve through.  You fill the bag with air, roll it closed and then push the air into the sleeping pad.  It works well, but the first few times you fill the bag, it doesn't seem like it's putting any air into the pads at all.  Chris was getting frustrated and swore the thing was useless, but then all of a sudden it's obvious it's working.

While watching him struggle with that, I started rehydrating dinner, which was a Enchilada Bean and Corn Chili.  It's vegan, filling, and very yummy.  I make it with a bottle of taco sauce rather than enchilada sauce just because the first time I made it I couldn't find enchilada sauce and since the kids liked it...well I didn't want to mess with a good thing.  I also add dehydrated brown rice into it.

Bubbie broke out the trail mix and began picking through it, trying things she claimed she'd never had before.  I told her to stop "Hi-grading the gorp" and she thought I said "hydrating the gorf" which resulted in a four hour debate on what "gorf" stands for with me constantly saying "gorp!  It's a p not an f!" Every time a chipmunk or squirrel came around hoping for a hand out, the kids called them gorf-rats.  Isn't it amazing how a bag of mixed nuts and fruits can entertain four people for a few hours?

We ate our dinner and spent some time discussing which 80's songs were good and which weren't.  Chris was of the opinion they all sucked, but the kids are currently obsessed with all things 80's so it was a fun debate.

I had gotten Chris to set up the Eureka VCS 16 bug shelter thinking the mosquitoes might get bad around twilight and in the morning while we were making breakfast.  Since there was a fire ban, we wouldn't be able to keep them at bay that way.  We didn't end up using it at all, so I felt kind of bad because we had a bit of trouble setting it up.  We've only used it once, and it's got a bit of a learning curve.

As it was getting dark, we headed to our tents.  The kids spent a long time talking and Chris and I spent a long time getting the dog to settle down.  He wants on our sleep pads, which leaves us partially on the ground.

Once it got darker he settled down.  I heard owls in the distance, and lots of bull frogs, and of course loons.  At one point they must have been right at the shore where we had landed our canoes because it was so loud for a second, in my sleep fogged brain, it sounded like they were right outside the tent.

I got up to take Biscuit out, then went back to bed to sleep for a bit. Surprisingly he let me, though from that point on, if one of us rolled over, or moved, he'd jump up and bunt our face to convince us it was time to get up and enjoy the day.

Before long, we all got up, probably about 8:30, and spent some time watching the loon family we had seen on the way in.  They were right off the point of our site, with one of the parents flying in to join them before they rounded the island and made their way out of site.

We started the morning with hot chocolates for the kids, and coffee for Chris and I, then breakfast of instant oatmeal for the others and a Lara Bar for myself.  I'm seriously not a fan of instant oats.  The texture makes me gag.  I had intended to make pancakes, but somehow our food bag was too full to fit anything else.  I don't know how that happened.  It's a pretty large bag, but I guess it was one of those things where someone would say, "we can put that in the food bag" and before you know it, there's no room left in it for all the food!

It was going to be a super hot day, so we started packing up and hit the water.  The paddle out was nice, there was a bit of a breeze but nothing that made paddling unpleasant.  Just enough to cool us down.

Once we made it to the put in, we started the process of hauling everything back up the hill to the car.  I managed to carry the big yellow canoe pack up, though this left my knees sore for a few days.  The trail is mostly up hill, and goes over some pretty steep, bare Canadian Shield.  The step ups were not easy.  At one point, I stopped on the side of the trail to let a man go down with his canoe.  The weight of the pack almost toppled me over into the bushes.

With everything back in the car, we headed out, all of us thirsty, and cursing the road construction that kept us from nice cold drinks in Carnarvon.

This was a fun, short trip.  Seeing the baby loons was pretty awesome.

Trip Log: Big East Lake, July 25-26, 2017

We had planned to do two nights on Big East Lake, but Chris had worked a crazy number of hours on the weekend and was quite content to spend the Monday relaxing.  I wasn't too upset by this.  My own work hours on the weekend had been long, though not as long as his.

Biscuit at the put in to Big East Lake

We had purchased two sit in kayaks the previous week.  After watching several videos of people using kayaks to go interior camping, we thought it might be easier for the kids.  We found two inexpensive ones that were designed with space and access to the front and back, and were pleased to find the kids 55L packs fit into the space behind the seat with a little wiggling.    Getting a canoe and two kayaks on the roof proved to be a bit of a dilemma, but Chris eventually came up with a system that worked.  Unfortunately, since we couldn't afford the higher end kayaks with built in metal loops for securing to a car, we had to improvise.

We arrived around 3pm and began unloading and carrying things down to the lake.  I'd forgotten how steep the trail down to the water was.  I carried the first kayak down, then went back for more.  Chris ended up bringing down 4 loads, including the second kayak, the canoe and the biggest pack.  We got underway, and the kids started out really well in the kayaks, but half way there, Squatch began to struggle.  He was zigzagging all over the place, and lagging behind.  Bubbie had no trouble, though she was tired when we got to the site.

We completely missed the easy spot to land the boats and went around the corner and pulled up on the sloping rock instead.  It wasn't hard to land there, but carrying the packs and stuff up the hill, with wet shoes, was a little sketchy.  After a brief explore, Bubbie and I set off to find the thunder box.  We followed a few trails, all of which led up the steepest part of the hill behind the site, and then petered out into nothing.  We came back, and Squatch points to a trail that went down hill a bit and says "It's right there, you can see it from here."

It was pretty buggy once we got into the thicker forest, but the thunder box was pretty new looking and in good shape.

Next order of business was setting up the tents.  Bubbie insisted on setting up their tent on her own, so we let her be and Chris and I set up ours while Squatch lounged on the stone couch around the fire pit.  She also set up the air mattresses, pillows and sleeping bags.

Bubbie taking a break in the kayak

After getting set up, Chris and Squatch went for a swim, playing with one of the Gopros while Bubbie and I headed out in the kayaks to pump some water and explore a few other sites close by.

Macaroni and tomatoes...I'm so ashamed

Once we got back it was time to start making dinner.  Because the kids are picky (and I'd given up trying to find things they both like that Chris and I aren't sick to death of) I ended up having to make 2 meals.  For the kids, macaroni and tomatoes which I had made at home and dehydrated.  I wasn't sure if it would work out, but it did and now I know I can do that for other trips where Chris and I want a dinner thats more interesting.  Chris and I had a package of Knorr Thai Sweet Chili Noodles with dehydrated stir fry veggies added in.  I'm not going to lie, the veggies look pretty sad when they rehydrate.  The mushrooms especially looked scary, but it tasted okay.  Next time, I might try just adding in broccoli and carrots as those two held up the best.

We ate out on the rock shelf over looking the lake.  It was pretty awesome.   The sun was getting low, the lake was calm and it was just a beautiful night.  The kids spent some time playing with their cameras while I cleaned up and Chris got a fire going.  Squatch got a little saw and we tried to get him to help process firewood but his twiggy little arms need a bit of work.  I also tried and it was not easy.  The wood was a bit punky making it more of a challenge.

Dinner with an awesome view

Bubbie's job was to hang the rope for the food bag.  It took her a few tries, but she got it and was pretty proud of herself.

The next morning, I got up and took some pictures of the fog on the lake.  It was a beautiful morning.   I made oatmeal with all sorts of dried fruits in it and of course the kids had instant oats.  

For the paddle back, I took the kayak and Squatch went in the canoe with Chris.  Bubbie and I got a head start so that Biscuit wouldn't be so crazy for them.  He seems to be a bit calmer in the canoe if he can't see the second canoe or the kayaks.  I also realized the problem Squatch had had the day before.  With the pack behind the seat, it puts a fair bit of weight at the back of the kayak.  Next time we will try dividing the gear in dry bags or putting more weight in the front.  

We all loved this trip, and the site.  Big East Lake used to be really busy before the municipality began charging money to camp there and requiring permits.  I know a lot of people were probably upset but the truth is, we used to go there for day trips and the sites were often pretty messy.  Anything that keeps the area clean and protected for future campers is okay in my books.