May 16, 2018

And the camping season begins…. bring it on

The camping season begins for 2018! Our annual trip to Mew Lake in Algonquin Park! It’s May, just barely, the temperatures have just been hovering around 28 DegC the last little while so why not…. Well… because it’s May…. and the weather is unpredictable. A quick check of the Friends of Algonquin site yield current photos of the park and the lakes are….. ICE COVERED….

We continue our trip planning, pack a few more warmer layers and head out. We arrive midday Saturday the temperatures are mid teens and it’s a beautiful day to set up the camper.

Yes your eyes don’t deceive you. That’s snowbanks between the sites. Perfect playground for the kids. A few of our last few years have often had the snowbanks between the sites. We have electricity at the sites and have ceramic heaters to help stave off the cold during the coldish nights.

Our trip is for a week with extended family. There’s cousins to play with and adventure. It’s an annual trip that we take and it’s getting more adventurous as the kids get older and can do more. On this trip alone, our daughter figured out how to ride her bike. From day one with tears and persistence/determination,and riding about 10 m to day 4 where she’s able to ride over a km! it’s success albeit through lots of tears, scrapes and bruises to pride, but she persevered!

The days were filled with lots of hiking and enjoying nature. A few snack breaks helped keep the momentum up. We hiked the usual Logging Museum trail and a new route for us, the portage route from Cannisbay Lake to Cache Lake.

The ice finally receded from most of the lakes which allowed for some fishing and canoeing. After a fiasco of travelling from the west gate to the east gate, we finally found an outfitter who would rent us a canoe. Thanks Opeongo Outfitters! We canoed from the Opeongo Store south to the bridge and back and watched some Canadian Geese battle it out for territorial rights. Loons serenaded us along the route and a heron took flight.

The one rainy day afforded some time in the Visitor’s Center which houses educational displays about wildlife and, the history of the logging industry in the park. There’s a gift shop and a cafeteria that looks out over the park providing some exceptional views of the extent that the park protects. We also got to add our wildlife sightings to the listing at the center. We saw 9 moose, 5 beavers, and countless birds and squirrels!. It seems the chipmunks were few and far between this year.

The warmer temperatures also boosted the bravery of the kids who insisted on entering Mew Lake since “we always do it”. Needless to say, they didn’t go too far into the water for too long but it was fun nonetheless.