Camping might just be the quintessential Canadian pastime. That is what we have been up to this past week. We went camping with my daughter's family at a lake on the northern part of the Island.
Yes, I did mean to type "kiddles." It rhymes with "littles." We were camping with the grandchildren, which is the best kind of camping of all.
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| The Belly Boats and Kate |
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We brought our dog Kate along with us. Of course, it was not without incident. She began breathing in a laboured way on Thursday, just before the long weekend, and we planned to leave Monday morning. A visit to the vet on Friday provided reassurance and we purchased some expensive anti-inflamatory medication and an analgesic. Her breathing immediately went back to normal and she seemed fine throughout the trip, cavorting around like a dog half her age.
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| Rob Fishing in the Belly Boat |
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belly boats had been packed away since the move. It was great fun to get out on the lake in them and do some fly fishing. We were fortunate to have several days of glorious sunshine. Although it was obvious that the lake was full of fish as they were rising all around us, we only hooked one fish, but I lost it. However, the loons on the lake looked sleek and well-fed.
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| Beach Time |
The little lake had a large area with a sandy beach, and it was terrific for swimming. The beach was also a good place for building sand castles. Our double campsite was right by the lake and it had its own little beach area.
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| On a Hike. The Pilings in the Water Were Supports for a Bridge Built During the Early Logging Years. |
We went on several short hikes while we were there. Our small lake was situated beside a much larger lake which is part of the
Sayward Forest Canoe Circuit, a 48 kilometer loop. Of this, 40 km is paddling and there is 8 km of portage. We paddled the
Bowron Lakes circuit in central BC several years ago and had a wonderful time, so we feel tempted to do this one now!
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| In the Camper One Rainy Afternoon |
The boys had their bikes along and spent some happy hours riding up and down the gravel road through the campground. We had one afternoon and night of rain. It was a perfect opportunity to retreat to the camper and read, play cards, and play early literacy games. There was no wifi or cell service. (Yay!)
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| We Spent Time Around the Campfire |
As the forests are not dry at this time, there were no restrictions on campfires.
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| Enjoying some fresh BC Cherries |
There were cherries!
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| Roasting Marshmallows |
There were marshmallows!
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| More Marshmallows |
There were S'Mores! In case you are wondering what S'Mores are, they are melted marshmallows layered with chocolate inside of graham crackers, kind of like a sandwich. The chocolate melts because it is close to the hot marshmallow. Yum!
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| And More Marshmallows |
The boys were thrilled so see their uncle when he was able to join us at the campground for the last two nights.
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| The Sun Going Down |
The last night at the lake provided some great photo ops. There was a beautiful sky as the sun set.
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| Sitting Around the Campfire |
If going camping is the quintessential Canadian summer experience, then sitting around a campfire at night staring into the flames and enjoying a beverage or two is the quintessential camping activity. We turned our Canada Day celebration into a Canada week!
What a wonderful and, as you say, quintessential, Canada week. When you contrast how you celebrated our birthday with how our U.S. neighbours tend to celebrate theirs, the differences between our countries are put into startling relief. Or I should say, the differences as they are shown by what the media in each country chooses to emphasize.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that Kate's okay.
Karen, I have more or less stopped looking at the the news at all these days. It provides such a depressing and distorted view of our neighbour to the south. Of course, that means that in social situations I can’t hold up my end of the conversation when the topic turns to current events, but Rob, a news junkie, makes up for that.
DeleteJude
What a perfect pastime and camping trip, Jude! I love all of your photos in this post but the second one with Rob fishing in the belly boat is 10/ 10.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard to choose which photos to use as I took quite a few! Also the photos don’t look quite as good on the blog as they do on my camera or photo program as I use lower resolution photos on the blog for ease of management. Blogger does not support photos taken using Apple technology, and the work-arounds are tedious.
DeleteI like that photo of Rob in the belly boat too. It seems to capture the peaceful feeling of being out on the water.
Jude
You are so obviously all having a wonderful time! Great photos. The one of the sun going down is very atmospheric.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anabel. I stood there for a long time taking photos of the big lake from different angles as the light changed. Then I walked further and took pictures of the sunset with trees in the foreground, and then some more sunset photos from the sandy beach on the smaller lake. I always think that maybe someday I’ll paint a picture of the scene using the photos as a reference, so I take lots!
DeleteJude
My family camping vacations I took when I was young are a big part of my best childhood memories. I'm thrilled that your grandchildren are building up those same memories. Your picture of the sunset is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI camped as a child too and loved it, and I took my kids camping. In fact our six-week trip from northern BC to San Diego and back in 2001 was a camping trip with a tent trailer. My kids ranged from 8-14 at that time. I am thrilled that I live close enough now and have the time, as a retiree, to go camping with the grandkids.
DeleteJude
You make it look so idyllic! ��
ReplyDeleteHere in Ontario, it is so dry from the lack of rain that there are fire bans everywhere. I saw photos from one friend who creatively got around the fire ban by putting a flashlight inside a stacked pile of kindling. You do what you have to do ��
Enjoy! The smiles say it all.
Joanne, it was quite idyllic. Last year it was extremely dry here and there were fire bans too. Also, the smoke from wild fires limited outdoor activities. So this year we feel lucky to have had our camping trip together early in the season. Your friend has a creative solution to the fire ban! I have also seen little battery operated fake fires used in campsites.
DeleteJude
Hi Jude! What a wonderful and precious time you had with your family. I love the location, and you had lake views from your campsite as well. Lovely! It looks like everyone enjoyed themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe canoe circuit sounds interesting as well. What does "portage" mean? That during those 8km you have to carry the canoe, or you are carried by the water (rapids), or something else?
Hi Liesbet. Yes, a portage is a place where you have to transport the canoe overland to get to the next watercourse. The traditional way is to carry the canoe upside down on your shoulders, after taking all the gear out, of course. Then usually you have to make some trips back over the trail to carry the gear to the next launching spot.
DeleteHowever, we have a set of wheels for a canoe (although we no longer have a canoe!). When you portage, you can put the wheels under the canoe and pull it along from the front and push it from the back. The wheels work really well, as long as there are no logs across the trail or steep hills. You still have to take out any heavy gear, though, and make extra trips to carry it. When we did it, we tried not to bring much heavy stuff, even though we had a freighter canoe. However, we carried a lot of gear for the kayakers who were in our party, as they did not have enough storage room in their kayaks.
For the canoe circuit that I wrote about above, there are several portages that add up to 8 km in total. I think the longest is about 1.5 km.
Multi-day canoe/kayak trips are really fun, even though the portages can be gruelling!
Jude
I loved all your family photos - and I have a bit of a love affair going with the lake systems in Canada and the US - I've been watching a renovation show that features houses on lakes and it just looks like such a lovely place to live/camp - especially for kids.
ReplyDeleteThanks Leanne. I do feel very fortunate to live in a place where there are so many lakes, mountains, and wilderness areas. Going to lakes to swim or boat, or to hike or camp beside them, or to just enjoy their beauty is easily accessible to almost everyone in western Canada.
DeleteJude
The setting you chose for your camping trip looks so very tranquil and appealing. I love "canoeable" water. Your pictures tell a great story of a fun experience for the kiddies and I enjoyed it so much I may look into a belly boat to carry in our travel trailer. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. We have found belly boats to be a wonderful way to get out on a lake to fish. They are slow-moving, as you propel yourself through the water by wearing fins and kicking your feet. Also, you have to wear waders. However, as they are inflatable, they don’t take up much space in the camper, and you avoid the trouble of hauling a boat. It is a very peaceful way to do lake fishing!
DeleteJude