Revisiting Algonquin Park!

"Back country camping?”, I gasped. It had been a decade since I camped last, and I recalled it being a jam packed, smokey, noisy family campground. I had only been camping in the “real woods” once, and that was literally decades ago - four of them. And now, Wendy, who is a self-proclaimed Queen-of-the wilderness, introduced a weekend in the interior of Algonquin Park as one of our - Canadian Destinations. Really?!? 


Admittedly, I pretended that I didn’t hear her the first time she said it. I almost cowered as I envisioned myself being dirty, tired, wet, and cold as I tried to start a fire without the aid of a nearby store (where I could run out and pick up a fire-starting log or a gallon of petrol). My kids will testify that sometimes even that didn’t help my fire starter abilities. We often gave up on the idea of smokey smores and opted for peanut butter and jam sandwiches by the luminescence of my flashlight. Well, no matter my apprehension, the challenge was issued and, well, I am not one to back down! Bring on the back forty! 

This new back country concept got me recollecting my past experience in Algonquin Park when I was nine. Yes, I was single digits; I went with my father, uncle, and big brother Mike. 

It was a fun and exciting experience, other than the fact that I was terrified to meet up with a bear (I still kind of am - don’t tell the Queen, please). I remember portaging to some cool lake, having fun at the campsite, and exploring the area with Mike, both armed with wee Swiss Army knives. Kindly, it was suggested by my travel partner, “I will take you to the exact same place you went when you were a kid!”. That sweetened the deal. Dad passed away two years ago, so this was my chance to visit a far off land that he and I shared so many hundreds of moons ago. 

Wendy and I got right on-line and perused the Ontario Parks website (www.ontarioparks.com) to explore. We found it - Joe Lake. 20 minutes later we were grinning like kids - having effortlessly cruised the site, found our lake, registered our trip, paid, and started our packing list. Looking further into the website, I was very impressed at the vastness of Algonquin - its interior of maple hills, rocky ridges, and thousands of lakes, and the only way to explore the interior of this park is by canoe or on foot. ....

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