I have wandered the wilderness for as long as memory serves. It is a place of great mystery and wonderment. This Blog will help me to share some of the many lessons I have learned while wandering and paddling the forests and lakes I call home.
I decided to purchase a hammock tent primarily for use on my property. There are very few areas where I would choose to pitch a tent due to the understory plants which would be destroyed in the process.
The beauty about a hammock is the fact that there is no footprint. As long as you have two trees which are spaced apart enough to strap the hammock to, you're good to go.
It uses a very simple strap method for securing it to the trees. You can set this tent up in less then five minutes. The trees are not harmed in the process due to the web straps Eureka! has chosen for it's tent hammock.
In this video, I test out a hammock tent called the Chrysalis by Eureka!.
Come and join me to see how this unit measures up to the realities of camping.
The canoe slices through the water as silent as a shadow, it's occupants stare intently at the distant shoreline where a moose browses on succulent water plants.
Their paddles move in unison; slow powerful strokes propel the water craft toward the unsuspecting undulate.
Moving to a distance of less than 100 meters, the bow canoeist stows his paddle and raises his weapon; a fully loaded Panasonic action camera. Slowly he raises the camera and presses the record button.
The canoe drifts to within 20 meters of the cow moose as she continues her search for nutrient rich aquatic plants.
Breathing becomes hard as excitement courses through the man's body; the Panasonic trembles in his hand as he trains the lens on the largest of Ontario's wild undulates.
The canoe drifts into the shoreline, silent and unobtrusive, it now floats within 10 meters of the large mammal.
The two humans are now within the cows energy zone and she senses them. Looking over her shoulder, she sees a strange log which has drifted into her world.
The humans freeze; they are well aware that if the moose decides a threat is imminent, she could seek to defend herself. The canoe and it's occupants would have no chance of evasion.
The moose stares for a few moments at the two humans who drifted into her life; flaring her nostrils slightly, she breaths in the pheromones' released by the people within the canoe.
Deciding there is no threat, she dips her mouth into the water and ingests one more delicious helping of water lily before silently disappearing into the surrounding forest.
An opportunity to share the same air as a wild animal is rare and should be savored. Lowering your energy level allows you to blend into the wilderness.
Fear and Ego will destroy any chance you have of feeling the power of the wilderness. Learning to control those two emotions is vital to your success at becoming an integral part of your surroundings.
When you are fearful, the wild ones will not sense it as fear, they will sense it as aggression. The instinct to fight or flee will be triggered and any chance you have of interacting with them will be mitigated.
Please be aware that you must know your subject. A moose is powerful and can move as fast as a race horse when it is threatened. It is imperative that you approach any wild one with respect and without expectation.
Living life out here is full of surprises and imbues you with a sense of belonging which can't be found elsewhere.
Woodland ponds are an integral part of any forest ecosystem. Thousands of creatures live in, on and around these bodies of water.
The transition from winter to spring is slow but dramatic. The previous years vegetation begins to decay over the cold winter months. Frogs and turtles dig into the detritus and mud on the bottom of the pond and enter a state of metabolism which mimics death.
Otters, beavers and muskrats hunt and forage throughout the entire winter as deer, wolves and a myriad of other land mammals leave their tracks on the snow covered pond ice.
As the ice melts, and sunlight once again penetrates into the depths of the pond; life awakens slowly to the gentle touch of the sun.
This video is a short underwater exploration of a small woodland pond showing the difference between winter and mid spring.
Fascinated by the process of renewal in natural ecosystems, I plan to film the pond in the same fashion each month until ice once again covers the pond's surface.
Way back in August of 2015, my son and I planned a trip which would take us down the Tim River in Algonquin park.
The main purpose of this trip was to do research for my book. I had to gain a first person perspective on the route my protagonist would take on his fateful journey.
We connected with the river via the portage from Queer Lake. Debris dams and beaver dams were brutal for the first two kilometers, this forced us to load and unload our canoe many times before finally reaching navigable water.
The river bends and twists as it flows to Shippagew Lake, so much so, that I swear your compass will get dizzy.
If you decide to tackle the Tim, give yourself at least seven hours, yep, 7 hrs, to make the run from the falls to Shippagew Lake.
This video highlights small portions of the river as it was back in 2015.
I spend much of my free time wandering through the woods. It's within the forests embrace that I can re-connect to the real world. I shed the encumbrances of social engineering and return to simple thoughts which lead me to a place of belonging.
Shelters, such as the one shown in this video, give us a place to hang our hat so to speak. If the shelter is placed in a strategic position on your trail system, it becomes a place where you can relax and settle in for a light meal.
I vocalize my thoughts as I carry on with simple camp tasks such as sharpening my knife and tending to the fire.
Please remember to place your shelter in an area where it will not disrupt the flow of wildlife. The shelter in this video is totally portable. Within a few hours I can move it to another location if I feel it is affecting the flora and fauna in the area.
