Gear Guide: Eureka Amari Pass 2 Tent

I picked this 2 man tent up from Sail last year before our Algonquin Park trip. It was on sale and I ended up paying about $130 for it. It's super light, pretty easy to set up and sleeps the boy and I fairly comfortably. Our sleeping pads were a little crammed but other than that sleeping wise it's great for 2 average sized people. I think our next tent will be a 3 person just for a little bit of extra space.

(here)

Specs: 
       Highest point: 3'8"
       Floor size: 4'10" x 6'10" x 4"
       Pack size: 5.5" x 17.5"
       Ideal for 3 seasons
       Weight: 4lb 9oz

I love that without the tarp it's completely screened, so when the bugs are bad you can just hangout in there to get a break while not being stuck inside a stuffy tent! I also like how you can store your packs and shoes in the zippered section in front of the door, although be forewarned it doesn't prevent wolf spiders from hanging out in your shoes (spoken from experience, yuck!)

What's your preferred backpacking tent?

Hiking Gatineau Park - Wolf Trail

Sunday morning was gorgeous! It was almost 15 degrees celsius by mid morning. We got to the base of Wolf Trail (#62) around 10:30 a.m., there was still quite a bit of snow and a big sign stating conditions for hiking were dangerous and proper gear was recommended. We had our hikers on and somewhat regretted not bringing our hiking poles, but the group that started right before us consisted of people in jeans and flats so we figured we'd be fine. There were some dicey areas, with the snow melting and become slush, a few of the descents ended up being a "controlled" skid and my boot went through the snow a few times. Other than that the terrain was awesome, but very wet. I'm not sure what it's like in the summer or if there was just so much water because of the melting snow.

There were tons of streams and running water, quite a few parts of the trail consisted of crossing these streams on fallen logs or hopping rocks. At one point we actually had to maneuver down the side of a small waterfall!

Sitting atop the Tawadina Lookout

I seriously loved this trail though. Getting to the Tawadina lookout was my favourite part, we sat and had a snack on the rocks overlooking the fields. The Mahinigan lookout left a lot to be desired, though we did see some sort of prey-seeking bird soaring above the rocks and trees along the lookout.

 View from Mahinigan Lookout

View from Tawadina lookout

The trail was quite populated, I can only imagine how busy it is in the summer, even still, there were some points that we went 20 minutes without seeing anyone, and then other points where we passed clusters of people.

One of the many streams we passed

The trail was 8.3 km long, it's listed as moderate to difficult. The NCC page says it's about a 3 hour hike, we did it in 2.5 and stopped for a 10 minute snack break at Tawadina. A large part of the trail going P13 to Tawadina to Mahinigan to P13 was uphill. It was a lot of gradual ascents with some parts being quite steep. I found the trail slightly challenging but it's definitely a great one for us to practice on for Cape Chignecto I'd say!

My favourite photo!

This weekend we have the MS Walk, but we're planning to check out the Jack Pine trail in Ottawa.

Summer 2016 - Trip 2.0

The boy and I  haven't exactly decided on this trip yet, we're debating between a couple different trails. Maybe you guys can help us pick?! We're thinking about doing one or two weekend trips, no canoes this year, just hike in and hike out.

Option 1: Frontenac Park's Slide Lake Loop
                21 km long, 4.6 km from park office. There is a campsite that looks about half way along Black Lake that we could stay at. This would end up only being a 1 night stay, since it's a fairly short loop. It is however, listed as the most rugged trail of the whole park, so it may take us a while to do. This park is about a 3 hour drive for us though, so that's quite a drive for a one night trip.

Option 2: Bon Echo's Abes and Essens Loop
                17 km long, 5 different campsite options. We would again do this one as a one night trip not two. I've read a lot about this trail and there seem to be mixed reviews, many people say that it's a pretty hike for the first two loops, but doing the full 17 km is apparently not worth it as the trail becomes overgrown and hard to follow because due to such little use. This park is about a 2 hour drive for us, which is a little more reasonable for a one night trip.

Option 3: Lake Placid/The Adirondacks
               There are tons of options here, it's about a 2.5- 3 hour drive depending on what part we hiked. The exciting news is backcountry camping is free here, the bad news is it's first come first serve, which is a little sketchy to me.

I'm going to keep looking, hopefully I can find something somewhat close to home and exciting! Any suggestions? Which one would you choose?

Hiking Gatineau Park - Waterfall trail

Last night we decided to go for a quick late afternoon hike. It took us forever to find the waterfall trail, leaving us only about an hour of daylight. I was surprised at how much snow Gatineau Park still had compared to Ottawa, but I suppose with the weather lately I really shouldn't have been. We hiked down to the waterfall and then back the alternate route to Mackenzie Estate. The loop was about 2km, with a 300m gradual hill. The hill was great practice for us for our Cape Chignecto trip.

I loved the views on this trail, even with the snow, there were so many little creeks. This trail is also in rehabilitation phase so you are not allowed to leave the trail and explore surrounding areas to protect some species and trees, not sure exactly which though.

This weekend we are planning to do Wolf Trail at Gatineau Park, it's listed as difficult and is 8.3km long.

The waterfall

What's your favourite Gatineau Park trail?

Gear Guide: 46L Outdoor Products Arrowhead Technical Pack

This is the first pack I've ever owned. I got it on Amazon in the U.S. for fairly cheap, and have gotten two 4 day portage trips out of it so far. The fabric is thin and I have one little rip where my fork went through a pocket, but I've put a piece of Gorilla Tape over it and haven't had a problem since.

I think this is a great beginner bag, it cost me about $35.00 and it holds quite a bit. You can tell the quality of it isn't the greatest though, the orange fabric is quite thin, and the buckles feel pretty flimsy. I do love how many pockets there are on the outside, during those 4 day canoe trips, I would rarely have to open the large section of my pack as I could fit all the items I would need during the hikes and while we were out on the water in the front pockets. Sizewise, it suits my frame perfectly (I'm 5'7" and thin build) and would work on most sizes. I find 46L enough to hold everything I need for 3-5 days, with the exception of food and cooking items.

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As I mentioned, I love the amount of pockets this pack has. That gray stripe closest to the writing on the top of the pack opens a huge pocket that allowed me to fit my glasses case, sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, chapstick, and so much more with tons of room to spare. As well, the gray stripe running down the center with the handle, has a zipper on the side that also provides you with tons of storage. There are also the two side pockets you can see. Inside, the pack does have a spot for a bladder and an opening to allow the tube to feed out and click onto your shoulder strap. 

The pack is quite comfortable on my back, and both buckles help distribute the weight across my hips and back to prevent any discomfort.

The boy ordered a new pack from MEC this winter, so once we've done our hiking trip I will be able to review and show that pack. What pack do you normally use?

Hiking Ottawa - Mer Bleue Bog #53

Easter Sunday was gorgeous here. It was sunny and had a high of about 12, but when we went hiking in the morning it was 5. We dressed in layers to accommodate the weather, by the end I was just wearing my base layer.

This was our first hike using our new Lowa hikers. I can safely say these are the greatest hiking boots I've ever owned! The boy purposely stuck his foot in a puddle to see how the boot would react and it didn't even look wet on the outside. It was our first wear, so I was concerned about  breaking them in, but they didn't really need any!

The trail itself was pretty easy, it was mostly flat but had some small up and downhill sections. Since there was still snow on the ground in some spots, I feel like it took us way longer than it should have to complete the 6.7 km trail (it took us just under an hour and a half.) I wouldn't recommend doing the north side of Ridge Road, it was super flat and there's nothing to look at. Maybe it's different in the spring or summer, but the bulk of that section was walking a trail about 20 feet from the road. The section heading into the bog that eventually brings you to the Boardwalk is beautiful though, I would recommend doubling back on that side.

There were so many birds along the trail, bring birdseed!

What trails do you love at this time of year?

Summer 2016 - Trip 1.5 La Mauricie National Park

I have spent a ridiculous amount of time lately looking up new hiking routes, backpacking trips and canoe trips, so it was inevitable that our Cape Chignecto trip get something added to it. We've altered the Chignecto trip and are now going to stay in a tent on campsites rather than the cabins like originally planned (official route to follow once we've booked it.) After reading this blog post (here), I decided we had to cap our trip off with a day hike at La Mauricie National Park in Quebec.

We're planning to spend the day driving, camp the night at Riviere a la Peche campground and then get up the next morning and hike Lac du Pimbina (here). It's listed as a moderate hike on the Parks Canada website and is 13.1 km long. Check out this view!

(here)

Have you been to La Mauricie National Park?