Canada (Toronto) late June

[nm...@cam.ac.uk]

I may be going to near Toronto in late June, and would like to try
my usual "get away from people" thing in Canada if possible. Wolves,
bears and so on would be a bonus :-)

I am talking about 6 nights out, ideally not seeing any people or
constructions (huts and trails included), but am no longer capable
of climbing more than 2,500' a day or doing a comparable amount of
walking. Canoeing sounds too dangerous, on the grounds of water
temperature, so it would be shank's mare from any trailhead. The
convenient Alonquin park looks very regimented and possibly crowded
for my taste, but would be a fallback. I can afford to go to some
other area of Canada, which may be a better option.

rec.backcountry has been taken over by trolls, so does anyone have
ideas on how I could find some pointers and/or suggestions?

Thanks for any help.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

[John B]

I think one of the best trips we ever had was partly through asking a
question like this on the old Compuserve 'Canada Outdoors' forum. It was
suggested that we might contact a small aviation company (this was in
BC/Alberta) who would fly you, your gear and - in this case - a canoe
strapped to a float into a remote chain of lakes.

I assumed the cost would be well outside of our modest budget, but I was
pleasantly surprised when I started to look into it. So much so that
there came a point where we couldn't turn it down on the basis that, if
you did, you'd always look back and ask yourself why.

The arrangements were made and the trip booked. The flight was probably
less than half an hour but gave a stunning overview of the surrounding
glaciers and peaks. It was way beyond anything I'd ever seen.

We landed on the first lake in the chain and unloaded the canoe and the
rest of the gear. The sky was blue and so far things were looking better
than good. As far as we were aware there was nobody else for many miles;
it would be a long walk out if we had to. This was a Sunday and the
pilot agreed to come pick us up six days later.

We made the first of several camps along the lake. Bears are definitely
an issue and sensible precautions are a must. We didn't see any, but
they are there. I was, however, gathering some firewood along the lake
shoreline in the semi-dusk one evening and looked up to see what I
thought was a small black bear padding along towards me.

I don't know who got the biggest shock, him or me, but I was relieved to
find out that this boy was a wolverine and he ambled on his way...

We canoed up the lakes, portaging some river sections, and paddling
others. We swam. We went for walks. We re-discovered the simple delight
of sitting around a fire on the shore until the embers died down.

And if all this sounds like pure mush, I make no apology. It was an
absolute stunner. It cost nowhere near what I'd imagined and it came
about by pure chance.

So if that - or something like it - takes your fancy, then I can only
suggest giving it further thought.

John

[nm...@cam.ac.uk]

In article <h_udnf7y2pplzr3S...@bt.com>,

John B <nob...@nowhere.org> wrote:
>
>I think one of the best trips we ever had was partly through asking a
>question like this on the old Compuserve 'Canada Outdoors' forum. It was
>suggested that we might contact a small aviation company (this was in
>BC/Alberta) who would fly you, your gear and - in this case - a canoe
>strapped to a float into a remote chain of lakes.
>

> . . .

>
>So if that - or something like it - takes your fancy, then I can only
>suggest giving it further thought.

Now, that is an extremely interesting idea! I shall be on my own,
and am prone to hypothermia, so canoeing is definitely a Bad Idea,
but that's a detail.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

[Roos Eisma]

John B <nob...@nowhere.org> writes:

>I think one of the best trips we ever had was partly through asking a
>question like this on the old Compuserve 'Canada Outdoors' forum. It was
>suggested that we might contact a small aviation company (this was in
>BC/Alberta) who would fly you, your gear and - in this case - a canoe
>strapped to a float into a remote chain of lakes.

Our canoe club once arranged a talk held by a couple who did trips like
this.
They described how they were dropped off at the lake, and would be
picked up at the end of the river flowing out from it a week later. Then
then paddled across the lake only to find water was very low and the
river unpaddleable for much of its length. They spend most of the week
sprinting while carrying the canoe trying to make the pickup date :)

Otherwise it sounds like an amazing sort of holiday. I'll put it on the
wish-list for when the children are older/left home....

Roos

[John B]

I don't know what part of the country you have in mind, but I would
imagine that many remote areas will have similar small aviation
companies - light aircraft, float planes and helicopters - which will be
used for all sorts of purposes.

As I said, I'd never given it a thought and really didn't believe that
it would be within our means.

If you can find a similar air service near your preferred location then
perhaps it might be worth contacting them. They will know the area and
perhaps be able to suggest something that would suit your purpose...
and, of course, a price...

John

[John B]

Ah well, I suppose that all added to the adventure! Yes, a little local
knowledge would have helped...

I'm not really a canoeist and prefer to walk, cycle or ski to get
around. On the other hand, the opportunity just seemed to good to miss!

John

[Ted Ferenc]

On Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:35:51 +0000, nmm1 wrote:

> I may be going to near Toronto in late June, and would like to try my
> usual "get away from people" thing in Canada if possible. Wolves, bears
> and so on would be a bonus :-)
>
>

> Regards,
> Nick Maclaren.

I have relatives in Ontario, unfortunately they are not into backpacking,
so I can't ask them any questions.

But recently I found some prefix phone dialers, in my case 1899.com, it
costs 1p per minute to phone. So phoning Canada can be very cheap and
possibly better than email.


--
Ted Ferenc. (http://walks.ndrw.co.uk http://ndrw.co.uk)

[Alan White]

>On Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:35:51 +0000, nmm1 wrote:
>
>> I may be going to near Toronto in late June, and would like to try my
>> usual "get away from people" thing in Canada if possible. Wolves, bears
>> and so on would be a bonus :-)
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>> Nick Maclaren.

Try this book, 'Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies',
ISBN 978-0-9783427-5-3. It grades walks and treks and tells you what
*not* to do. Amazon, £20.44.

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
By Loch Long, twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.co.uk/weather