A Great Place For Family Camping - Algonquins Highlands - Big East Lake

After a long illness which precluded me from paddling, I was finally able to launch my little kayak onto a lake which is close to my home.

Big East Lake located in the Algonquin Highlands. It is a very busy place in the summer due to it's ease of access and it's great campsites. The lake is a great place to initiate your children to the wonderful world of camping. 

It is early October and the crowds have slipped away, so I have the lake pretty much to myself as I explore its length and breadth. 

I filmed this paddle with my Gopro Hero 9. I used four batteries in less than three hours. There was a lot to capture and the lighting conditions were perfect for this little action camera. 

Grab your paddle and come along for a quiet journey upon a lake which is perfect for day trips or a week long camping outing. 

Algonquin Fall Colors - Captured On A DJI Action 5 Pro Camera - Kayak Trip

 I spend much of my time wandering the woods and paddling the lakes and rivers near my home. 

I keep a record of these adventures by "filming" the highlights on a digital camera. I have found that the best camera to carry is of the action variety. This is due to their robustness and ability to capture steady footage when the user is engaged in walking through a forest or any other manner activity.  

I have used the Gopro Hero 9 for several years and it has served me well in capturing most of what I wish to preserve for my kids; however, the Hero 9 suffers from several issues. To name a few; It overheats and shuts down. Low light capture is not possible. The battery consumption is high - I am lucky to capture 20 minutes of footage before the battery is drained, this is a major issue when I am engaged in a multi day trip as recharging the batteries takes hours. 

Recently, after much research and soul searching, I purchased the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro action camera.  It is purported to have good low light capabilities along with none of the issues listed above with the Hero 9. 

The video highlighted above was captured entirely on the Action 5. The trip was six hours long and the camera was powered on for at least 5 hours. I only used one battery the entire time - That was awesome!

I am not an expert by any definition, on the use of cameras and their settings, I rely on the people who claim to be experts on YouTube and test their "best settings" until I am satisfied with the results. 

Grab a life jacket and paddle with me to see the awesome colors of the Algonquin Highlands as captured on this little camera. 

Why Camp?

 The sun had climbed high enough to evaporate the morning dew from the awning of the old tent which served as my shelter the previous night.  Bull Frogs called from the pond and bird song filled the spaces between the trees in the forest. 

As I exited the tent, the fresh morning air infused my mind with wonder.  I reached for a shirt which had fallen to the ground during the night. Upon lifting it, a white footed mouse scurried into the surrounding brush. It had been using the canvas shirt as a shelter much as I had used the canvas tent.  

I opened my food barrel and retrieved some granola to help fill the void in my stomach while I cooked up some breakfast. As I knelt on the ground re-organizing the food in the barrel; the little mouse had returned and scurried up my leg. I  looked at the little creature whose fur was as soft as velvet, and asked it if it would like a snack,  The mouse stared back at me, and timidly touched my finger with its' little hand. I gave the mouse a big chunk of granola and it scurried off into the underbrush to enjoy the fruits of its panhandling adventure. 

I spotted two beavers  on the water as they completed one last circle of their pond before bedding down for the day, I watched as the pair dove beneath the water and entered their lodge. The pond is a long narrow stretch of water which provides a host of animals, plants, insects and fish a place to call home. 

Taking a seat upon a stump, I began to ponder it's existence. It was once a small sapling struggling to survive. In time, it became a huge Balsam fir with mighty branches which could cover a house. Age whittled away at its youth and after sixty plus years of standing in the same spot, it succumbed to the power of the wind and toppled to the earth. 

I have reached the same age as the tree stump upon which I sat and I realized that time is no longer on my side. I must release my angst about things I can't control and embrace the moment in which I find myself. Thoughts like these can lead to one to lose site of the present so I forced myself to climb out of the proverbial rabbit hole. 

As if on cue, a Chipmunk found my place of respite and joined me in pondering the world. He sat on my lap and stuffed his cheeks with as much granola as he could. Jumping off of my leg, he ran away to stash his loot into his well hidden lair. 

A slight tug on my pant leg forced my attention to the ground; there, looking up at me is another chipmunk, the message had traveled, I had been marked as a provider of easy meals. 

The day light shifted as the sun ran it's course over this little spot on the planet. I moved through the day carrying out the various activities of camp life. My entourage of little forest dwellers followed in my wake and kept me company while the trees stood in silent witness to that moment in time. 

My ponderings of the morning had faded and I was totally immersed in living. Deep forest smells tantalized my olfactory senses and my ears tried to keep up with the voices and sounds of the wild ones. My eyes continually scanned for new messages and my logic mind was silent, while my connected mind absorbed the natural world and recorded images for viewing when future endeavors precluded me from camping.   

The sound of the forest subtly changed signaling the day was coming to an end and night was about to hold sway. I packed my gear and climbed into my canoe to embrace the coming dark and to share a few moments with the keepers of the pond. The beavers surfaced a few yards from my canoe and circled me to ensure it was indeed the person they knew. As always, the beavers swam straight to their dam to ensure it was in good order and took care of anything they thought needed a little bit of TLC and mud. 

I floated on the pond for a few hours while the mosquitoes buzzed in my ears. The stars filled the night sky like twinkling diamonds and the cosmos drew my eyes into its infinite wonder. 

 Animals, unseen, moved within the confines of the forest; I listened intently to their fruitive movements, trying to identify the wild ones using sound alone. A mouse can sound as loud as a raccoon in the stillness of the forest night. 

I had no idea what time it was when I finally climbed into my sleeping bag, nor did I care. Time out here is not calculated by electronics or gears. There is a quiet satisfaction which comes to a person when time is of little consequence. 

Drifting off into the mystery of sleep, I remember hearing the call of a Barred Owl. The banshee like wail resonated throughout the forest and infiltrated the tent. A beaver slapped it's tail on the water creating a loud splash, a warning to their young kits to stay in the water and not venture onto the land where the winged predator awaited. 

Out here, there is a sense of belonging to something much grander than one's own existence. You realize that everything surrounding you is there for a purpose. I disagree with the premise that animals are not sentient creatures; I have been around the wild ones for my entire life and can categorically state that each individual animal is fully aware of it's existence and it's uniqueness. 

If you are feeling lost or need a re-charge of your natural batteries. Grab a tent and some gear, pick a spot to set up camp and let go of expectations. 

Life is waiting - Out Here. 

 Happy Camping!

 R.G. 

First Paddle of 2024 - This Feels Great

 Winter has drifted into spring and the temperature is slowly climbing into the "no jacket required" zone.

While winter held sway on the wilderness; I would open the barn door; behind which my prospector canoe hung upside down from the ceiling joists. The canoe seemed to stare at me and ask if it was time to take her down. I would touch her hull and whisper a simple word  "Soon". 

The tracing of snow we received this year; began to melt and the forest started to fill with the sounds of missing friends as they alighted on branches and called out to their mates. 

During this time of seasonal transition, I would wander to the edge of a nearby lake and test the ice which clung to the waters surface as if trying to defy the rising temperatures. 

One of those wanders provided me a green light to take my canoe down; set her up for a new season of paddling; and set off on a short excursion to find the skills which had been dormant for many months. 

The video posted is simply an account of that first paddle of 2024.  

You must remember that as the years slip past us, it leaves us with fewer years remaining to enjoy that which makes our hearts fulfilled. Don't procrastinate doing that which you love to do - just do it; because tomorrow is indeed, just around the corner. 

When the time comes that I can no longer paddle, I will be able to look back at these images and feel what it was to hold the paddle and face the wind and waves as a man of the wilderness. 

Wild Thoughts

 Winter is hanging up it's apron; soon spring will work its magic and paint the forest with a symphony of green hues. Time is never stationary; it slips by like a ghost in the mist. Many people do not realize just how fast the nights become days and the days turn into nights. Most live their lives thinking of the next event, never stopping to relish the moment in which they presently find themselves. 

Before long, the mirror you look into reflects the image of a person who has the trials and tribulations of life etched across their face, and we are shocked at how fast it all happened. 

These thoughts hit me as I was tracking a wolf which had visited the land upon which I reside. 

This mammal belongs to the sub-species known as the Algonquin Wolf. It's smaller than the well known Timber Wolf and looks similar to a coyote.

The temperature was ten degrees below freezing and the wind was steady from the west, the sky was painted in a deep blue hue with no trace of clouds. 

As I followed in the wake of this amazing predator; I read the story it had left in the snow, along with that of the prey it was following. 

Each paw print was a snapshot of a moment in time. As I turned to look behind me, I noticed that I too; had left snapshots of moments which will never be mine again.

I stopped and stood motionless, my breath was visible as I exhaled into the cold air. The mist would hover around me and disappear until my next breath.  I wondered how many more of these moments will I have before father time calls my name and I pass from the realm of the living, to the great mystery we call death; these thoughts may seem morbid, but anyone who has reached my age has pondered them.  

As I stood there on that late winter day; cocooned in the silence of the forest, pondering the question of mortality; a small bundle of wonderous energy alighted on a branch directly beside my face. The little bird sang out its song  "chick a dee dee dee" whilst starring at me all the while twisting it's head side to side as if wondering what was wrong with me.

The birds little black eyes looked into mine and I saw my reflection, my mind shifted.  

That little bundle of wilderness pulled me from my musings and brought me back to the world of the "Here and Now."

Dusk had turned to night before I decided to leave the trail and head for home. The walk through the darkening forest was tranquil and serein. My feet  seemed to float over the snow as my eyes caught every furtive movement within range. I left the heavy weight of the future behind me and was able to pass through the woods living in the very moment which I found myself in. 

I turned to examine my back trail, and was delighted to see that each track I had left was illuminated by the light of the full moon. 

I understood the power of such a sight; each foot print is indeed a moment in time, and each time that I placed my foot on the ground, I had been present for that very moment and not lost in the worries of time yet to come. 

The future is not written, the past teaches us how to deal with the present. The present is the only time that we truly have. 

It took a Wolf and a Chickadee to re-educate me on how to live in the moment. To feel my feet as they touch the earth; to feel my heart pump life throughout my body and feel the touch of brother cold on my face and hands. 

Life is tough, no question about it. Taking time to live the present moment will help you deal with anything the future may throw at you. Plan for the future, just don't dwell on it. Deal with it when it becomes the present.  

This indeed is a life long struggle. Society is predicated on the procurement of the next best thing. As soon as the present is open, we are taught to look for the next present, not relishing the one that is within our grasp. 

Musings from the wild place I call home.