Kawartha Highlands Winter Camping Trip

[JAS]

Our 2013 winter camping challenge is in the books and this one will be something to remember for a few years. With the recent mild weather we didn’t trust ice conditions on bigger lakes choosing instead to focus on mostly bushwacking routes. There were six guys on the trip so in our typical fashion we split the group into two, choose a camp destination, and the two groups would take separate routes to get there. We like to split the group so that everyone has a chance to learn or hone their orienteering skills with a topo map and compass. Though we have GPS and other electronics with us for emergencies, we rely on our skills to get us through. This year the destination was Crane Lake in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.



Here is the group – all ready to get going…



We drove to D1 and dropped off these guys, who would take the yellow route…



Then we backtracked and dropped off this guy and our gear at D2.



He would wait there until the last two guys drove to P and left the trucks there. We would then cross Mississauga Lake dam and hiked to meet our buddy at D2. From there we would follow the red route.

On the hike in we saw a bunch of this…



More then we wanted of this…



And not enough of this…



We met up with the first group at the campsite location four hours later. The camp looked like this..







The evening at the campsite was typical of winter camping, until it started to drizzle rain. Since part of the challenge was no tents and no cutting of trees for shelter we set up our emergency tarps to keep the elements off us. The tarps did a reasonable job for most of the night until we got hit with a storm the likes of which I have not seen in January before. At 4:00 AM we got hit with huge winds, driving rain, then snow driven sideways into whiteout conditions, and lightning in a snowstorm! Laying on the ground and seeing the flashes it looked like someone was taking pictures. We just laid there and laughed while we watched. By morning the aftermath looked like this…









Now it does look cold and miserable, but everyone was quite warm and getting some cold weather was actually welcomed. The very strong wind continued so we chose to skip breakfast, break camp and take the blue route back as one group, eating our snacks when we rested along the way. All in all it was a great experience. We could have chosen to bring more stuff to make it much more comfortable but everyone made it back safely, though exhausted, but most importantly in great spirits – already talking about next year!

[Simon]

Looks like fun, but a little too "roughing it" for me. I'm a candy-ass apparently.

[Bow_Tied]

Looks like fun, but a little too "roughing it" for me. I'm a candy-ass apparently.

X2 South Lake Park @AW in my trailer is roughing it enough for me. It looks like some fun but a lot of work..guess I am getting too old, lol. Great pics.

[Jayman]

Looks like fun, but a little too "roughing it" for me. I'm a candy-ass apparently.

At least we aren't the only ones!

At least you guys had fun, and the weather and what not didn't seem to bother you at all. I know that it would for me, but perspective is everything.

[buttsy]

My kinda camping. Good work!

[PiDGE]

Wow you guys are hardcore thats some crazy stuff right there. Cool pics though. How many beer cans can you fit in one of those nap sacks?!? lol

[CruiserRomey]

wow, nice adventure and crazy weather! thanks for sharing!

hey Jas, can you describe the type of gear you guys all took? nice that you had clear ground to set up camp/fire.

[JAS]

Hey CR - I have the equipment and food list in Word, so I sent you a copy. Too much stuff to retype here. Other then an appropriate sleeping bag, all the rest is just stuff you would bring on any other camping trip. Regarding clothing, the basic 'no cotton and layers' approach is critical since the hiking is strenuous and then you are basically stationary and cold. One trick I always preach is get all your heavy lifting done in camp as soon as you arrive after hiking, then completely change your base layer before the moisture starts sucking the heat from your body. Once you have your second dry layer on don't work too hard and start getting that wet. Another thing to keep in mind is that once you are hanging by the fire the cloth you are wearing are as good at preventing heat form coming in as they are from conserving it. Guys tend to get too close to the heat wanting to warm up and don't realize just how hot their cloth are getting. I have seen people melt boots and out layers despite warning everyone about this. Didn't happen this time around since we are all experienced, but if you are with a bunch of rookies inevitably someone will burn something.

[CruiserRomey]

got it Jarda. thanks dude, ddin't expect a very detailed one, cool. great tips too, thanks! funny, now i'm thinkin about spending the night in the backyard in my jungle hammock to test it out in the cold (with some mods).

[Nismojunky]

jas can you make me a list of what gear each person has?? and how much extra clothing did u guys bring

[Xtrapol8]

Looks like a fantastic trip.

[JAS]

jas can you make me a list of what gear each person has?? and how much extra clothing did u guys bring

I would be happy to e-mail you the gear and food/menu list if you PM me with your e-mail address.