AuDN4T

Reflecting on life in Ontario – it involved a lot of time up north of Toronto. It’s funny because you say north, but in reality it’s not THAT north. You might be around Barrie which is still below the 49 parallel or Parry Sound and that’s still south of Sudbury. Even getting to Sudbury you haven’t really made it to Northern Ontario. There are parts of Canadian provinces that are much more north. Even Edmonton is much north than these places. But there’s still some different environment when you’re north of Barrie.

That’s the funny thing about Ontario – it’s huge. It takes days to drive through. You have signs reminding you you’re still in Ontario. Whereas driving through AB, SK, MB, you can drive through within a day or less.

Even the most southern point of Ontario is the same height (or parallel) as California.

You’ve got such a diverse ecosystem and climate within one province. Weather systems change in Woodstock. Snow and Lake Effect patterns vary so much from region to region.

I was brought up going to the cottage (not ours unfortunately; but one we rented out). The cottage had a really amazing beach. You grow up on this water, chilling and roasting on a beach lol. Did I once say I’m married to Cawaja Beach? Yeah. lol.

Camping within Ontario was the less expensive way of having a vacation. The provincial park system is well organized with great facilities – washrooms and electrical campsite options. And the car camping sites always felt like you got enough privacy like you’re out there on your own. There’s also the option of camping on Crown Land which is available to people who are able to rough it out in the bush without an actual washroom (not my cup of tea). The cool thing is the provincial parks also have options for yurts and cabins if you’re not up for sleeping in a tent.

Growing up – we just car camped. Sat around a camp fire, roasted sausages, hung out by the lake at the provincial park. Usually it was around the Parry Sound vicinity – Oastler Park, Killbear, Six Mile Lake. I remember hearing them exploding the Canadian Shield to twin the highway. Sometimes you heard the train passing by. These were the parks we kinda stayed in while I was a kid.

Later on in high school we explored a bit more and saw Awenda, Sauble Falls, Pinery, Earl Rowe. Some just didn’t hit as much. Some camping places were privately owned which were ok.

The thing is we never really did actual hiking or rarely. I think the only time I remember hiking was at Killbear and Awenda. But there’s so much to see in these parks than just stay in your camping spot.

The summer before university, we ended up going to Killarney and that place really hit for me. Walking through a hiking trail with my cousin, uncle and dog really sparked the explore bug in me. Being in the environment, you really fall in love with it, wonder about its history and feel so small in the La Cloche Mountains.

I remember a day where my mom and I wanted to go camping but wanted to try another provincial park. Looking through the provincial park brochure, you see these insanely beautiful places – many booked up like Bon Echo; some very far like Sleeping Giant.

We thought about Restoule, but ended up on Grundy Lake. It was quite a beautiful surprise. This was probably the first time my mom and I went on a true hike at a provincial park. We went back to Killarney in the fall and I took her on some more moderate, harder hiking trails like climbing “The Crack”… which was maybe not a great idea but she did great and we both made it back alive.

Heading to Alberta for a wedding, I thought – Hey! Let’s turn this into a camping trip around Alberta – hit some campgrounds around the province. I planned a circle drive around Alberta; booked campgrounds ahead of time and realized we might need to camp inside of a car like a minivan. This was the end of August where temperatures in the GTA were 28C while Alberta were around 10C or colder. It was a nice way to cool off.

We started in Edmonton; rented a minivan, drove down to Dinosaur Provincial Park. I’ve always wanted to see the badlands. We hiked in the badlands and learnt very quickly that the ground is slicker than ice and looks like popcorn. We were surprised to see cactii and Texas Gates. It was kinda cold there at night but it was a beautiful scenery to wake up to. The fact that you can find dinosaur fossils here is wild.

We ended up then driving through Calgary towards Banff and Jasper. We stayed at Johnston Canyon and Wapiti and drove up and down the Trans Canada highway and Highway 93. I’m not sure what we expected from the drive and camping. My mom thought the roads would be narrow, winding and dangerous but this wasn’t the case. You’re in a valley with good/safe roads. Mornings were cold with lows of 2C. We didn’t really prepare well for this camping trip. We were these naive Ontarians used to warm camping. Sleeping in the back of a minivan was not bad – our friends lent a mattress to use. We climbed Tunnel Mountain (a favourite to this day) and hiked Johnston Canyon. We had a day where we explored a bunch of the teal lakes – Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Moraine Lake, Lake Louise. We went to the toe of a Glacier and it felt like it just rained there.

We stopped by the coffee roaster I had purchased from in the past online – I brought coffee equipment with me (but don’t recommend the collapsible pour over cup, that had a funky smell to it).

Some hiking trails were unfortunately closed off for the season. There were fire bans in some parts of the national parks which sucked but is understandable. Seeing what a wildfire can do is eyeopening – I think back to the Excelsior Wildfire and how it had spread underneath the soil. You really don’t understand the true capability of a wildfire when you can’t see it below the surface. I think there might be a metaphor here for seeing below the surface of an issue. Things may look fine on the surface but beneath the surface a lot more can be going on.

Seeing the fire hazy skies was a different view I’ve had in comparison to Toronto where it’s typically smog. Seeing these hazy yellow skies come to Toronto years later was concerning when other parts of the country had more wildfires – Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Driving within Alberta felt more calming compared to Ontario. Part of it is the population difference but also the less aggressive driving. Did you see tourist drive stupidly? Yes. Saw a car scrape the bottom of their undercarriage against a curb.

Animal interaction is significantly different between Ontario and Alberta. I don’t think I’ve seen people approach wildlife while camping – but I haven’t seen everything so I’m sure there are situations where people do put themselves at risk. Despite the educational pamphlets in Banff/Jasper about elk… you still see many tourists approach wild animals which was angering. We’ve encroached into their space, we need to respect these animals – let them be wild and maintain that distance from them. Putting yourself, your children is not the wisest thing to do.

Have I made the mistake of leaving food at a campsite in Ontario? Yes. And a hungry raccoon did have a feast with my cereal. I did learn from this moment. You’re told to leave your food in vehicles or string them up high on a tree. Depending where you are, you may need a hard-sided sleeping quarters like an RV because a tent may still put you at risk with a bear.

While hiking in Ontario, I’ve learnt you need to be continuously making noise to not surprise a bear…as this can result in a difficult interaction. I’ve had friends bring bells with them. I’ve typically spoke loudly or brought a bluetooth speaker to make bears aware that we are nearby. Within Banff/Jasper, you will encounter a grizzly bear which is a different story and you will require bear spray. Attacks are rare but they still do occur. Some parks have been known to shut down to allow for bears to …just exist… in that space.

It’s funny though – as a kid – I was still scared that the bears would get to me in the middle of the night in a tent, so I’d sleep between my parents so that they wouldn’t get me…. kid Natalie logic.

Camping with my dog was such a fun time. Having him cuddle up in the middle of the night in the sleeping bag… it was his only time he was allowed to sleep on a bed. He was such a happy little dude.

Having a canoe while camping is a must in Ontario – rentals are a good option.

There are still many provincial parks and national parks I’d like to explore. Will have to plan that for another time.