Early in December I received an e-mail from a friend looking to organize a women’s winter camping trip in January for Mew Lake or Frontenac Provincial Park. Lyn had the four-person Snowtrekker tent, the stove, and the sleds to hike in. We only needed to bring food and our own personal gear to round out the rest.
We ended up with a mixed group on the coldest weekend in February and had a blast.
Preparations
[su_divider top=”yes”]
Most of the preparations took place – as they seem to these days – within Facebook as well as that wonderful collaboration tool, Google Sheets.
A week before the trip, I invested in a pair of my own snowshoes and trekking poles. Hooray!
I shopped on the Wednesday before the trip for snacks and ingredients for a Saturday night pasta dinner. On Thursday I rummaged through our second-bedroom closet / my gear shed and started pulling out and organizing everything I would need for a winter weekend in the great outdoors.
Equipment
[su_divider top=”yes”]
[su_animate type=”fadeInUp”]
[su_pricing_table]
[su_plan name=”Kitchen”]
- Pot set
- Whisperlite stove and repair kit
- White gas, fuel botter, lighter
- FairShare mug, cutlery, coffee mug
- Camp soap, hand sanitizer and towel
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”Shelter”]
- -20 degree Celsius sleeping bag, -10 degree Celsius sleeping bag, fleece liner, and overbag
- Emergency tarp, yellow foamie, and a Thermarest
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”Clothes”]
- 1 extra set of long underwear, wool socks, and fleece jacket
- Down booties, gaiters
- 2 extra hats, balaclava, and a merino wool buff
- Waterproof overmitts and snow pants
- Plus what I was wearing when I left (see daily log)
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”Safety”]
- Headlamp, compass, whistle
- First aid kit for the group
- inReach device
- Waterproof matches
[/su_plan]
[/su_pricing_table]
[su_animate type=”fadeInUp”]
[su_pricing_table]
[su_plan name=”Food”]
- Trail mix, granola bars
- Kicking Horse Grizzly Claw coffee
- Quick oats with seeds, nuts, candied ginger, brown sugar, and cinnamon
- Dinner for Saturday (pasta, separately marinated eggplant and chicken)
- Water (3 liters)
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”Toiletries”]
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
- Deodorant
- Toilet paper, trowel, pack-out garbage bag
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”Luxuries”]
- DSLR
- Lenses, spare battery, and spare memory cards
- Tripod
- Notebook and pencil
[/su_plan]
[/su_pricing_table]
Daily Log
[su_divider top=”yes”]
[su_spacer size=”45″]
[su_animate delay=”1″]
[su_tabs vertical=”yes”][su_tab title=”Friday”]
[su_row]
[su_column size=”1/6″][/su_column]
[su_column size=”5/6″]
I packed up my car Thursday night to try to reduce the amount of separation anxiety I cause in my Wheaten Terrier. On Friday morning Russ drove me to the King City rest area on 400 North in order for me to carpool with Stephane.
[su_button url=”http://katemingsunoutdoors.com/arrival-mew-lake-2016/” target=”_blank” style=”flat” background=”#000000″ color=”#F76927″ size=”1″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: long-arrow-right”]read more[/su_button]
[/su_column]
[/su_row]
[/su_tab] [su_tab title=”Saturday”]
[su_row]
[su_column size=”1/6″][/su_column]
[su_column size=”5/6″]
We loaded up three sleds and headed further into the park along the rail trail.
[su_button url=”http://katemingsunoutdoors.com/day-2-hauling-rail-trail/” target=”_blank” style=”flat” background=”#000000″ color=”#F76927″ size=”1″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: long-arrow-right”]read more[/su_button]
[/su_column]
[/su_row]
[/su_tab] [su_tab title=”Sunday”]
[su_row]
[su_column size=”1/6″][/su_column]
[su_column size=”5/6″]
With enough wood collected, we walked east along the rail trail.
[su_button url=”http://katemingsunoutdoors.com/day-3-following-wolf-tracks/” target=”_blank” style=”flat” background=”#000000″ color=”#F76927″ size=”1″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: long-arrow-right”]read more[/su_button]
[/su_column]
[/su_row]
[/su_tab][su_tab title=”Monday”][su_row]
[su_column size=”1/6″][/su_column]
[su_column size=”5/6″]
With temperatures hovering around -15 degrees Celsius, I slept more soundly and warmly overnight Sunday night, just in time to haul out.
[su_button url=”http://katemingsunoutdoors.com/day-4-haul-out/” target=”_blank” style=”flat” background=”#000000″ color=”#F76927″ size=”1″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: long-arrow-right”]read more[/su_button]
[/su_column]
[/su_row]
[/su_tab][/su_tabs]
[/su_animate]
Kate Monahan Outdoors 