Ontario, Canada, Winter Expedition.

[Robson Valley]

I'm on the inside. This is a serious winter camp with WX and temps as only nature can provide.
Possibly will give you some bragging rights, it can be and might be brutal.
You do this, you can do anything. -10C will be a joke.

Quite frankly, I'll stay in the west side of the Rockies. While you might wake up to 36" snow on your tent, you are all most welcome
to mess around in my yard/garden for a spell as you like.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

I don't think brother wolf lives in the kawarthas. But he does live in Algonquin area. He may follow the ploughed road into the park as its easier for him to walk there than in the snow which will be two, three or more feet deep. It is almost impossible to see brother wolf in the forests but you will likely hear him and see his trails as he hunts for food.

Algonquin is about 4 - 5 hr drive north of Toronto and is much bigger and probably colder too.

 

[Dave]

You two realise you're just making it sound even better, right?

Thanks for the info though. Not a trip to be taken lightly.

Joe you have a magnificent way with words mate.

 

[Dave]

You hear that Bob? Theres gonna be wolves, Wolves WOLVES, WOLVES, WOLVES!

Cant wait now. Just a photo of a large paw print, would make my year. To hear them though....wow.

Were still awaiting the location. Fingers crossed for Algonquin now.

[Im just a little bit excited about this.]

Should have firm dates by tommorow.

 

[Imagedude]

Can I bring a shotgun?

 

[Dave]

.....So long as you dont get miffed at me.......no, I dont think you can.

Dont know if you can set snares though for small game. I'd like to snare, prepare and eat ptarmigan. And fish.

I'll look into how the permits work for that.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

You cannot hunt in the Ontario Parks. Some of us indigenous folk have the right but not you anglos! ;-)

You can fish but you won't find ptarmigan I think where you're going.

Hey, Image Dude what do you think you are going to do with Shotgun in the forest? We;ve taken europeans on guided hunting trips who've managed to get their guns over here but I've never heard of anyone of them using shotgun? |We don't have driven grouse or pheasant shoots like I saw in England.

Algonquin has it's own website. You'll find it alright. Oh, there are black bears in the park too, but I guarantee you will not see them. Any guess why?

 

[Imagedude]

I was thinking that it would be nice to have an effective bear and wolf deterrent...

 

[Countryman]

Not in a park. Go to Canadian Tire and but some bear spray but don't bring it home as its treated as a firearms offence to be in possession here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

I was thinking that it would be nice to have an effective bear and wolf deterrent...

You won't need gun to deter bears. They sleep in winter time. Hibernation you call it I think.

Wolves??

I said in earlier post you won't see any wolves - too many trees in our forests!. Hear them yes, they live in the forest. but they won't bother you. Brother wolf is brother because he's much the same as humans. He's got family to feed. He wants to stay safe and he's curious and brave too. But unlike many humans he isn't stupid. He'll keep away from you.

Look my friend, to enjoy your trip to our lands and learn more about what you call bushcraft you need to learn about the bush and how the creatures live in it. It will be the raven and crow that tell you what game is around if you choose to listen. You will learn more about bush craft and how to live in our forests if you learn the habits of the animals you see and hear.

enju kmississaguq!!

 

[Robson Valley]

Joe is right = watch the Ravens. Listen to the Ravens. They know everything about the landscape that they live in, summer and winter.

I feed them dog food pellets when it's really cold (-20C) or there has been a big snowfall (12" - 36") over night. I clear a place in my front yard for them to eat.
They can't dig up roadkill until the cats (cougar/lynx/bobcat) do the basics.

Last week, two big Ravens each came with two smaller ones. Different times. They sat in my big spruce trees and watched me. I talked to them about winter coming.
I have been reading that they recognize human faces. Maybe so. I will do as I have always done for them.

 

[Dave]

Couple of trip reports here from the canadians previous meets;

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum...s-Cold-and-Olympic-Gold?p=1213579#post1213579

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum...a-gt-Ont-gt-EGL-Winter-Back-Country-2014-2015

I think we can bring back a few more photos than that!

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

If you go to Kawartha you pass the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. Google it.

Its a feast of native birchbark canoes, dug outs, innuit kayaks and so on. Some of the birchbarks are made by well known first nations folk now dead, such as Cesar (Cree first nation) whose birch bark canoe making appears on the Nation al Film Board of Canada website.

 

[Dave]

Hey, now that is cool, thanks Joe. What are other historical sites of note around that area?

Sounds like were going to Algonquin or Killarney.

We'll be having a planning weekend at Bobs, and I'll be reading up a lot on the aea where we go, studying maps, planning exit strategies!

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

I don't really know Dave, I've only been that way twice. The most east we normally travel is the missinaibi River.

Most of the Ontario Parks have websites that have that sort of information in them though.

 

[Dave]

Well, I hope we can stop there. So far it looks like we'll be spending 9 nights in the woods, and then Id like to stay an extra day in Toronto, to have a wander about.
But were still planning it. There must be some interesting stuff in Toronto to see?
We'll have to check out the websites.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

There's a big museum that has lots of first nation stuff in, including a couple of birch bark canoes. I also remember it had Sitting Bulls skin coat/jacket which he gave to the officer who was in charge of him when he came to Canada to escape the Americans after Little Big Horn fight. Peterborough Canoe museum or Toronto museum??? Mmmm? difficult.

 

[Dave]

I saw that Joe, I think. If we can make it we will do.

Museum of inuit art.

Depends how much we can fit in, but I wouldnt mind seeing Toronto Zoo, Arctic Foxes, Reindeer, Grizzlys, Polar Bears, Arctic White Wolves, Tigers, etc, etc

http://www.torontozoo.com/ExploreTheZoo/tundratrek.asp

Anyway we've booked and paid for our flights today, so its official....Toronto here we come.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/general_park_info/algonquin-park-weather.php

or

https://weatherspark.com/averages/27608/Algonquin-Park-Ontario-Canada

 

[Imagedude]

OK, we've had some interest from people in this trip. Please note that this is not a course or a group event. It is merely a few like minded individuals going abroad to catch a bit of sun and snow.

Here are some of the ground rules that all individuals will adhere to:


Every person must be able to complete the trip without assistance from other attendees.

Every person must be equipped for the trip and understand that, with few exceptions, there is no group equipment.

No sulking, whining or self pity will be tolerated.

Every person must be able to travel off-trail through fresh snow on uneven ground with the aid of their chosen flotation device. (Ski, snowshoes, hovercraft, hired snowmobile, dog team etc)

Every person must be able to, and be equipped to navigate to safety.

Every person must carry enough food and fuel for the whole of the trip.

Every person must have suitable winter sports insurance suitable to cover helicopter extraction and all hospital costs.


With the small numbers currently involved with this trip we don't have enough people on the ground to deal with a person who decides that they want to go home early. Ideally you'd have at least two people to stay with the casualty plus two or more to go and fetch help. We currently don't have the numbers to facilitate this...