Here is the long awaited camping adventure tale I actually promised for last night. Hopefully legions of followers will forgive me for being at late but join me at Silent Lake Provincial Park! https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/silentlake
Silent Lake
To me, Silent Lake is many things. Predominantly, a wilderness getaway to an aptly-named lake with camp sites, beaches, and no motor boats permitted. Natural, not crowded, full of bass, and always a great time for me, family and the friends that join us on this trip every year.
Another neat feature of this park is the network of trails. You can hike completely around the lake on the 19 KM of hiking trails, enjoy the 17 km of mountain bike trails, or visit in the winter for the 34 KM of skiing trails while staying at the 4-season cabins and yurts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurt
We do some hiking and walking but are also very satisfied hanging out in a hammock with a book. From our campsite this year, you can see the lake through the trees and stroll down to water's edge in a minute.
For the camp site itself, we have some nice tree cover to protect us from the sun which does trickle through the leaves to make it softly bright. Still rocking the huge family tent and I like to erect a tarp for a little more protection from the elements. New this year is the canopy as an upgrade to the dining tent of years past. A little more robust, with no mosquito nets but is water resistant enough to protect the contents in the inevitable rain showers. Only 2 showers this trip which barely interrupted us but kept things cooled off.
I mentioned how perfect the weather was in my #wednesdaywalk post @zekepickleman/wednesdaywalk-wilderness-walking where you can catch a few more details and drop a huge upvote for if you have not already! ;) For the most part, sunny with some clouds and 25 Celsius with a predominant light breeze. Warm enough for a swim and shorts, cool enough in the evening for a good sleep, and Simpsons clouds to decorate a nice blue sky.
My little buddy was exhausted every night after long days of walks, swimming, and guarding the campsite from all of those evil little chipmunks and squirrels. He looks peaceful on this little forced time-out but he never stopped til the evening when he could find a bed of leaves, pine needles and moss to pass out on.
I paused on a walk to snap this one for #funghiFriday and am getting lost in it as I look now. I ALMOST nailed the focus on the mushroom which was only a couple inches tall. It looks like a little world on its own with the dried leaves, moss, pine needles and new growth all gathered around this little red fellow. Pure natural mix of chaos and order.
This little bay houses the shack where you can rent and launch boats. Sandy northern shore where people try and avoid the lake plants and rocks as they shove off onto the water. The point on the far side is approx 1 km or maybe a half mile across and only takes a few minutes of brisk paddling to reach via canoe. We rented one for this trip so that we could experience the lake and all the little highlights.
The beach area is bustling with families and people of all ages during the day. I like to go in the early evening when it clears out as people retire to their sites to prepare a little dinner and light a camp fire. Gives you a little more silence to appreciate the simple spectacle of the 2 points pinching off the bay where the sandy beach rests.
Once dinner was all finished and the fire was nicely billowing, we took to the water to enjoy the sun setting on the lake. The wind had almost died completely and it was like smoothly sliding on glass for most of the trip. Besides swimming and skating, I believe kids should also learn paddling and boat safety as essential yet enriching survival skills.
In a life of constant movement and adventure, sometimes you can't help but sit still and enjoy the perspective. Especially when you lay a paddle on the gunnel, and feel the distance to the edge of the smooth lake and horizon right beyond. A slight haze over the lake that may be a remnant of some of the wildfires burning in our province or some of the controlled camp fires whispering smoke out onto the smooth lake. I really should have recorded a @3speak video so you could hear the loons calling out into the evening.
That is about all of the pictures I managed to snap on our 5-day adventure because of distractions and no electricity to charge a phone! I hope you enjoyed camping with us.
Cheers to light beers, nice weather, smooth lakes and enjoying the hell out of the natural beauty around us whenever we are able.
