BON ECHO CAMPING on Victoria Weekend May 2012

The Victoria Weekend in May of 2012 saw us heading to Bon Echo for a few days of camping.  We gathered up our gear and headed west, picking up my sister in Kingston along the way.  It was a hot sunny weekend, perfect weather for evenings by the fire and comfortable sleeping.  The days were quite hot but it allowed us to relax at camp and venture out along scenic trails by Lake Mazinaw.  The evenings brought beautiful sunsets which allowed photographers to hang out by the "Narrows" a narrow waterway joining both Upper and Lower Mazinaw Lake.  One afternoon, we rented a canoe to paddle out along the cliffs of Mazinaw Rock to view the pictographs.  This area is a favourite destination for painters and photographers. This 1.5-kilometre sheer rock face rises 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake, one of the deepest lakes in Ontario, and features over 260 native pictographs, the largest visible collection in Canada.  Mind you, the red dye of the pictographs are fading and therefore, difficult to make out the figures.  Nevertheless, it was great to be on the water.  Lots of song birds around, especially waking us up in the morning.  One evening, we had two baby raccoons checking us out and as we approached the sound of them in the dark to figure out what was there, they  made their way up a nearby tree.  We flashed our headlamps at them and we could then make out their eyes, shape and size.  We kept our light on them which made them anxious to get  out of the area.  They started down the trees so we backed away so that they could make their escape, which they did.  We saw woodpeckers and experienced a special treat when a pileated woodpecker came flying into camp looking for food in the dead trunks of trees lying on the ground.  We also did the hike up Mazinaw Rock.  For this hike you take the little shuttle boat across the lake to the dock at the base of the cliff, the start of the hike.  From there we climbed a series of stairs leading about 1km away to the top of the cliff, Mazinaw Rock itself.  Take a look at the video of the view atop this rock.  With the weather the way it was, we didn't want it to end but at least packing the tent was a dry experience for a change. 

BON ECHO CAMPING TRIP Victoria Weekend May 2012

Closer pictures of our Victoria Weekend in May of 2012 saw us heading to Bon Echo for a few days of camping. 

LEO MY LION

Here are my two faithful best buddies of 12 years who have always loved me no matter what, happy or sad, sick or well, mad or excited. They have and continue to be a great comfort to me.
Well, today I give special recognition to Leo (on right of picture above) as his time with me is coming to an end. God is welcoming him back to heaven. My goal now is to make his journey as peaceful and comfortable as possible ... Leo deserves this ... God knew we needed animals and loves them enough to reward them with the ultimate loving home.

HIKE UP AZURE MTN EASTER SATURDAY 2012

What a wonderful day. Beautiful scenery and summitting was sweet for the first hike of the season. Three of us hiked up Mount Azure on Easter Saturday. It was windy in open areas but otherwise, peaceful and serene with only the sound of song birds flying about. There were several pairs of people hiking up the same mountain, glad to be out and enjoy the fesh air, not to mention getting the hiking legs back in motion. A new goal, a new year full of possibilities. It was my sister's first hike ever and it was a joy for all of us to experience. After enjoying lunch at the summit, we started to head down. As I was preparing to head down, two young teens came up from another trail and saw some garbage such as empty plastic water bottles and kleenex. One of then noticed it and without hesitation proceeded to pick it all up and asked her friend if she had room left in her backpack. They were a wonderful example of caring about the environment and simply stepping out to make that difference without judgment or criticism. We also met a couple, active hikers seeking new areas to explore and drawn to obscure and exotic places. What a great exchange of sharing, learning and appreciation for each others accomplishments. We made it down to the car and headed home, happy we followed through on our choice to hike up Mt Azure. Here's some pics of our adventure.

PADDLING ON THE RAISIN RIVER

A Happy Day paddling on the Raisin River with thrills, spills and chills!!
March was definitely showing signs today of exiting like a lamb. The heat of the day was a warm blanket awakening our senses from the slumber of winter and the hope that summer is just around the corner. Five friends met at St. Andrews Village next to the Raisin River that meanders through the township past several communities and eventually spilling into the mighty St. Lawrence River in South Lancaster. The river was high from the melting snow which made it easier for us to paddle through. The rapids here can be quite high and turbulent when the water drops and thus becomes more exciting for eager enthousiasts taking up the challenge of paddling the rapids in various sections of the river flowing from St. Andrews to Williamstown, in an event known as the Raisin River Canoe Race. Today's adventure would end in Martintown, about half the race route. It was sunny and very warm and the current was so strong, we almost didn't need to paddle. I was apprehensive about the rapids not knowing what they would be like but was reassured by Wayne that they were small. I borrowed Ken's cycling helmet in the event I would need to don this, mind you with the current as fast as it was, I would be in the water before I even unclipped it from the kayak. As it was, we all made it through the rapids quite easily and my confidence was renewed. So here we are in calm water and a tree is leaning over the river blocking our way, forcing us to go around it ... well it became a bottleneck with two of us arriving at the same time, so I reached out to stop myself against the tree and as the current was so strong, it turned the kayak and forced it to roll over. I could not shift my weight fast enough to correct and down I went into the cold icy water. Well I still had my paddle, hat and sun glasses on swimming towards the shore and as I tried to stand up along the slippery muddy bank, I slipped right back into the water. I was able to grab hold of roots to pull myself out and as I looked down, I realized I still had my video camera tied to me. I ran along a farmer's field to join up with the others further down the river and was able to get back down along the bank to grab my kayak. Thank God for friends. They all came to my rescue. Ken was holding on to the kayak and Jim paddled over to help me turn over the kayak to drain the water and Gord was indicating an entry point for me to get back in. I was able to turn over the kayak onto Jim's kayak with the other end against the bank and the kayak was able to drain. With Jim on one side, I was able to enter the kayak and I was back in the game. The heat of the day helped and once we stopped for lunch, I was able to get my jacket out and heat was returned to the core of my body. We reached our designated point in Martintown, all happy that we had a great day on the water.

There is a video to show but it is not downloading properly at this time. Stay tuned.

Upcoming Hiking Trips

In preparation (as well as enjoyment) for our big Nepal Hiking Trip, we decided to booke some time at John's Brook Lodge in the Adirondacks to get our legs in hiking mode .... there is a difference in muscle performance between walking/cycling/jogging ... and hiking up mountains will definitely let you know they're not on the same level!

Our goal there will be to hike up a loop trail, across the Great Range, taking in Upper and Lower Wolf Jaw, Armstrong, Gothics and possibly Saddle and down the Orebed Brook Trail back to the lodge, along the brook that was completely overtaken with flooding from last year's hurricane during the summer. Here is a picture from atop Saddle Mountain and also a video of my hike up Jay Peak northeasterly of the Great Range within the Adirondack Park. As I turn around, you will see into Vermont, southerly towards the Great Range with Mt. Marcy and then Whiteface Mountain off to the West.

Preparations for our Upcoming Trek to Everest Base Camp

Cathy is always searching for new challenges and ways to experience the great outdoors at an affordable cost (without sacrificing common sense to some degree!). Well .... why not base camp of Everest? This year, we are preparing ourselves for our trip to Nepal to experience not only the hike to Everest Base Camp but the Budhist culture and people and simply celebrate life and the gift to be able to do this. In our preparations, we have received our first set of injections and have purchased our flight tickets and down jackets, a necessary item for its warmth, lightweight and packability. We will be four friends joining an outfitter from Kathmandu to take us to Lukla, Nepal at approximately 9,000 plus feet ... here are some pictures of what we will see and maps of our route... such as inside a tea house, sectioned pools for growing rice to feed the community, base camp itself with all its tents and leftovers of canisters and garbage from previous hikers - a project that has been underway to clean up and carry out over the course of time. Still lots of reading to do and absorbing the traditions and signs of respect and simple courtesy and special words such as Namaste. Here is its worthwhile-knowing definition according to a yoga teacher and more tangibly, a gesture done by my yoga teacher at the end of each session:

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you." To perform Namaste, we place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect. Although in the West the word "Namaste" is usually spoken in conjunction with the gesture, in India, it is understood that the gesture itself signifies Namaste, and therefore, it is unnecessary to say the word while bowing. We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart and free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.

The definition goes on, beautifully as well ... certainly something to reflect on.

We still have a wait before leaving in October and as we wait, we will prepare physically with elevation hikes to acclimatize with our breathing and simply expanding our lung capacity. To do this we are treking to Colorado for some camping and hiking in the 13,000 feet range. Stay tuned!