Once I received the news from my doctor that there were no torn ligaments involved with my knee injury, I made plans to head into Bon Echo Provincial Park.
I didn’t ask her if it would be okay. I figured if worse came to worse, I could hobble out. I only wanted to get into the first campsite on the Abe & Essens Overnight Trail and get out.
My ulterior motive was to film a little vignette about my tent for a University of Toronto class I’m taking.
Preparations
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I confirmed with my in-laws when our Canadian Thanksgiving gathering would take place. Then I booked my site through Ontario Parks’ online reservation system. I was the only one with a reservation on the trail for my one night out.
I picked up new hiking boots from MEC and a few other odds and ends. (Yep, I’m breaking all the rules. Breaking in a never-worn pair of boots and doing it on a knee injury, over uneven terrain.) My REI hikers had no traction left in them and I didn’t need to be slip-sliding all over the trail after the remnants of Hurricane Nate had blown through.
I packed everything up in my backpack and threw it on to gauge the weight. 40-45 pounds? No problem…
Equipment
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[su_plan name=”My Shelter”]
- Tent, fly, poles, stakes, and footprint
- -10 degree Celsius sleeping bag, fleece liner, fleece-lined stuff sack (pillow)
- Thermarest
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”My Clothes”]
- PJs, a set of base layers
- Winter hat, rain jacket, long sleeve technical tee
- 1 extra underwear and wool socks
- Plus what I was wearing when I left (hiking pants, hiking boots, wool socks, technical tee, undergarments, cap & sunglasses)
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[su_plan name=”My Safety Gear”]
- Whistle, multi-tool
- Compass, DeLorme inReach personal locator, cell phone
- Headlamp, matches
- Medium-sized first aid kit
- Hiking poles
[/su_plan]
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[su_plan name=”My Food”]
- 1L Nalgene, Aquatabs
- Trail mix, oatmeal, Starbucks VIA packets
- MRE
- Some rope, a carabiner, and a dry bag to hang food/toiletries
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”My Toiletries”]
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Toilet kit
[/su_plan]
[su_plan name=”My Luxuries”]
- Tripod
- DSLR, microphone, two lenses
- Camera cleaning equipment, spare memory cards
- {Totally forgot the spare camera battery}
- Rite-in-the-Rain and pencil
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Daily Log
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Date: October 9, 2017 Temp (Hi / Lo): 21 / 7 Celsius Precip: 5 mm
Route: Parking lot to Essens Lake site 526, ~1.5 hours. The rain had stopped by the time I started hiking. Lucky! Once at my site, I took photos and video. I ate my dinner. I listened to what birds were left and the frogs. I fell asleep before 8:30pm.
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Date: October 10, 2017 Temp (Hi): 20 Celsius Precip: 0 mm
Route: After a sound night’s sleep, I retraced yesterday’s route. Out in an hour.
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Pros:
- The trail is/could be beginner friendly. It’s just rugged enough that I was happy I had my hiking poles. (Keep in mind, I was dealing with a sore knee.)
- There is easy access to water. Bring a purification method.
Cons:
- The trail markers change colors regularly.
- The maps isn’t to scale nor particularly technical.
Kate Monahan Outdoors 