This year, I had leveled up on my camping XP! :D
Winter camping in Feb was a blast... I had not vision myself would be camping at winter, and that was pretty cool as a experience (literally it was cool).. The key to winter camping is probably warm gloves, warm socks, a hat/hood, a warm sleeping bed, good sleeping mat, large tarp, and winter tent. The serenity of the winter outdoor is just great, it's so quiet and so calming. The moment when we gather around the campfire to keep ourselves warm, the silent look and smile we exchanged to each other speaks the thousand words.. We were all cold, but we are a group of happy campers. :)
The past weekend... was camping and portaging... I didn't know anything about portaging a canoe before this trip. For years, I had been having question about how people go camping with a canoe tho.. Now I know.. For distance that is land access, you have to carry your canoe with the rest of the backpack and hike to another water access point!
"omg. really?" I asked when I found out this is how they do it..
I didn't end up carrying canoe but only heavy backpack, seeing my love and others did it was rather exciting/worrying.. the love of the canoe comes with some pain (on their shoulders)
Canoeing for hours was never been done for me. I had only did like maybe 4 hours of canoeing in my entire lifetime. I got bit scared for a few moments, one of them was a great danger of me flipping the canoe cos I slipped and felt from my seat, it was too closed (phew). Besides those moments and many more arm/shoulders/back tiring paddling, the rest of it was very enjoyable and it felt so much of a wilderness adventure for the whole time. It's so nice to get so close to the nature. We were smelling the lake, trees and rocks, seeing how the water flow below us was a treat to me, it just makes me wonder how small we human are compare to this patch of water.
The fact that we get to stay in a different isolated campsite for each day with only ourselves is another great feeling. All three sites are unique and all the paddling we took everyday adds to the adventure so much. It feels like a real adventure.
The wood and water gathering makes it feels like we are really there to survive using our own hands. no hunting or fishing involve, I can imagine how much skills and time it needs to be able to gather enough food for everyone (salute to the ancestors who had to do this)
We enjoyed some sun time with getting sun tan on the rocks, canoeing the second day and also swim in water on the last day when there were sun. The rest were scattered rain and major rainstorm on the last day when we have to paddle and portage all the way back to the start point. Drenched in rain, shoes and feet were mudded, once we get to the dock we got changed into our dry clothes and go back to the civilization we were born in. Thank God the rain stopped for a moment when we changed and went back into pouring when we were in the car.
I will miss this amazing, spectacular trip that packed in every single nature elements within the short three nights three days. It has been a camping trip of my life.
