Good Times; Take Two
Well, its that time of year again where I post a large entry about my yearly camping trip and then go back into livejournal hibernation.
This time around, there were four of us going together this year; Conley and myself as usual, Ben who has gone once before a few years ago, and a new friend Matt whom Id only talked to once before (which was only online and he blocked me after 5 minutes, haha). Everyone was told to keep their gear to a minimum so we didnt run into the same problem with the never ending portage like the previous trip. Conley and myself did a good job at this, but the other two didnt quite get the message and brought way too much with them.
I stayed at Conley's place the night before we left, getting up at about 5am to get my car packed and the canoe on the roof rack. The car was filled, practically all empty space was filled by the time we got everyone inside. We picked up Ben at his place nearby at 6am, he went almost immediately to sleep since he only just got off working a night shift. Then we made a long 2.5 hour drive to Massasauga for Matt, and to pick up a tent at his father's store across town. After another 3-4 hours, we finally made it to the Rock Lake launch at Algonquin Park.
The best part of the journey to our chosen campsite is that we had a single canoe for four people and all their stuff. Since this was impossible, we bought a 2 man inflatable raft and we were going to tow it behind the canoe to take what wouldnt fit. After taking it out of its box, we discover the thing is tiny, hardly able to hold even the smallest of us (Ben). However, after putting him in the raft along with a garbage bag of gear, we set off and it worked out just fine.
The first canoe took a bit more than an hour, 3-4km from the launch to the portage between Rock and Louisa Lake. We looked over all the shit we had to carry, and realized we hated Ben and Matt for the over packing. We grabbed what we could and spent 1.5 hours struggling to get it to the far side of the 3km portage. We did, and walked back again to get some more. We tied most of what was leftover to the canoe with ropes and our hammock, and began the portage again, with more than we should have attempted to carry. It was dusk, and getting darker, and slowly became pitch black before we could reach the far side. So there we were, Ben, Conley, and myself under a canoe, in the dark, walking through ankle-deep mud, with Matt shining a flashlight (too far) ahead of us.
Eventually we made it, and we collapsed exhausted in the dark, with no idea where in the next lake a campsite would be, and no map to figure it out. So we set up our tent and some waterproof tarps on the side of the path, getting ready to spend the night and find our way in the morning. Just as we were finishing up our tarps, a storm rolls in and it starts to pour, barely making it in without getting soaked. Im fairly sure we all slept like rocks that night.
The morning came, and we woke up early. Upon discovering there was a campsite just across a bay, we decided to pack up quick and set across to it, tossing out our original plans to camp on an island site further down the lake due to being warn out from the previous portage extravaganza. It was a short and simple trip, we got there and unpacked, made a franken-tent from two different tent sets (one had a big hole and no weatherproofing), and cooked up some hot-dogs for a well-earned meal.
This being Day 2 was scheduled to be "E-Day", or rather the afternoon and night we planned to take E. Everyone had tried it before excluding Matt, who wanted to see what some drugs were like while being safe with people who already knew. Unfortunately for you readers, we did about as much as we could safely do that night, so I have practically no memories of what happened besides the fact we were all really happy and having fun with music and glowsticks (and these flashy light goggles) in the woods from around 6pm until 3am. There was also hugging.
The real great thing about E is that there are practically no negative side effects when it is both pure and used appropriately. In fact, you tend to feel a little BETTER than usual for a few days before balancing back out at normal. In the morning we woke up, had some sausages and snacks to eat, and dodged some rain. Day 3 was "Shroom-Day", something I was not really looking forward to due to my experience with them while camping last year. But, I gave them another try (in a smaller dose). Everyone else seemed to have a good trip, Matt was absorbed in music nearly the entire time, Ben and Conley hung around eachother and walked around outside, then enjoyed some music as well. My trip started out mediocre; not bad nor good. Things like nature and music were definitely a bit more interesting, but I could feel the drug trying to pull me back into my own mind the whole time. I fought it, and succeeded due to the lower dose, but I didnt get to enjoy myself. I dont think theyre the drug for me. At the end of my trip, though, I had a somewhat personal identity crisis, deep thoughts about my past and future and what I need to be doing with my life. I suppose Im glad for that part, I do think it helped me pass a hurdle I wasnt feeling ready to deal with yet. I convinced Conley to have a canoe with me around the lake when he came down, and we talked about stuff for a while. I organized some "camping time" with everyone outside around the (rain-soaked) fire pit where we made some oatmeal and really enjoyed just camping for the first time, before going to sleep for our last night.
Up early to make the portage back, we pack up and make it across Louisa Lake by 10am, ready to tackle the hardest part of the journey again. Fortunately, Conley and I did some extra planning to make the stuff easier to carry, and even though it still took us two trips, they were easier to manage and we werent completely exhausted when it was over at 3pm. The canoe trip across Rock lake was, unfortunately, more difficult since the wind was against us this time. Other than that though, nothing special happened on that last stretch, we made it back to the launch and took our sweet time repacking the car and getting ready for the drive back.
Immediatly after leaving the launch in the car, I stopped at the place where you purchase the park permits, and we all bought a drink from the vending machine; we were all sick of hot (boiled water) drinks over the past few days, so they were most appreciated. Also shockingly not overpriced. Ben and Matt slept most of the way home, we all stopped at a Wendys for a fast meal before dropping Matt back at his place, and a coffee at Tim Hortons on the way back to Bens. I spent the night at Conley's again that night, since we didnt finally arrive there until 12:30AM. We lazed for about an hour before each having a showing and going to sleep.
Today, Im still quite sore from carrying all that shit so far, but it was good times all in all, and I got to know that Matt guy a bit better. Its always good to make a new friend.
This time around, there were four of us going together this year; Conley and myself as usual, Ben who has gone once before a few years ago, and a new friend Matt whom Id only talked to once before (which was only online and he blocked me after 5 minutes, haha). Everyone was told to keep their gear to a minimum so we didnt run into the same problem with the never ending portage like the previous trip. Conley and myself did a good job at this, but the other two didnt quite get the message and brought way too much with them.
I stayed at Conley's place the night before we left, getting up at about 5am to get my car packed and the canoe on the roof rack. The car was filled, practically all empty space was filled by the time we got everyone inside. We picked up Ben at his place nearby at 6am, he went almost immediately to sleep since he only just got off working a night shift. Then we made a long 2.5 hour drive to Massasauga for Matt, and to pick up a tent at his father's store across town. After another 3-4 hours, we finally made it to the Rock Lake launch at Algonquin Park.
The best part of the journey to our chosen campsite is that we had a single canoe for four people and all their stuff. Since this was impossible, we bought a 2 man inflatable raft and we were going to tow it behind the canoe to take what wouldnt fit. After taking it out of its box, we discover the thing is tiny, hardly able to hold even the smallest of us (Ben). However, after putting him in the raft along with a garbage bag of gear, we set off and it worked out just fine.
The first canoe took a bit more than an hour, 3-4km from the launch to the portage between Rock and Louisa Lake. We looked over all the shit we had to carry, and realized we hated Ben and Matt for the over packing. We grabbed what we could and spent 1.5 hours struggling to get it to the far side of the 3km portage. We did, and walked back again to get some more. We tied most of what was leftover to the canoe with ropes and our hammock, and began the portage again, with more than we should have attempted to carry. It was dusk, and getting darker, and slowly became pitch black before we could reach the far side. So there we were, Ben, Conley, and myself under a canoe, in the dark, walking through ankle-deep mud, with Matt shining a flashlight (too far) ahead of us.
Eventually we made it, and we collapsed exhausted in the dark, with no idea where in the next lake a campsite would be, and no map to figure it out. So we set up our tent and some waterproof tarps on the side of the path, getting ready to spend the night and find our way in the morning. Just as we were finishing up our tarps, a storm rolls in and it starts to pour, barely making it in without getting soaked. Im fairly sure we all slept like rocks that night.
The morning came, and we woke up early. Upon discovering there was a campsite just across a bay, we decided to pack up quick and set across to it, tossing out our original plans to camp on an island site further down the lake due to being warn out from the previous portage extravaganza. It was a short and simple trip, we got there and unpacked, made a franken-tent from two different tent sets (one had a big hole and no weatherproofing), and cooked up some hot-dogs for a well-earned meal.
This being Day 2 was scheduled to be "E-Day", or rather the afternoon and night we planned to take E. Everyone had tried it before excluding Matt, who wanted to see what some drugs were like while being safe with people who already knew. Unfortunately for you readers, we did about as much as we could safely do that night, so I have practically no memories of what happened besides the fact we were all really happy and having fun with music and glowsticks (and these flashy light goggles) in the woods from around 6pm until 3am. There was also hugging.
The real great thing about E is that there are practically no negative side effects when it is both pure and used appropriately. In fact, you tend to feel a little BETTER than usual for a few days before balancing back out at normal. In the morning we woke up, had some sausages and snacks to eat, and dodged some rain. Day 3 was "Shroom-Day", something I was not really looking forward to due to my experience with them while camping last year. But, I gave them another try (in a smaller dose). Everyone else seemed to have a good trip, Matt was absorbed in music nearly the entire time, Ben and Conley hung around eachother and walked around outside, then enjoyed some music as well. My trip started out mediocre; not bad nor good. Things like nature and music were definitely a bit more interesting, but I could feel the drug trying to pull me back into my own mind the whole time. I fought it, and succeeded due to the lower dose, but I didnt get to enjoy myself. I dont think theyre the drug for me. At the end of my trip, though, I had a somewhat personal identity crisis, deep thoughts about my past and future and what I need to be doing with my life. I suppose Im glad for that part, I do think it helped me pass a hurdle I wasnt feeling ready to deal with yet. I convinced Conley to have a canoe with me around the lake when he came down, and we talked about stuff for a while. I organized some "camping time" with everyone outside around the (rain-soaked) fire pit where we made some oatmeal and really enjoyed just camping for the first time, before going to sleep for our last night.
Up early to make the portage back, we pack up and make it across Louisa Lake by 10am, ready to tackle the hardest part of the journey again. Fortunately, Conley and I did some extra planning to make the stuff easier to carry, and even though it still took us two trips, they were easier to manage and we werent completely exhausted when it was over at 3pm. The canoe trip across Rock lake was, unfortunately, more difficult since the wind was against us this time. Other than that though, nothing special happened on that last stretch, we made it back to the launch and took our sweet time repacking the car and getting ready for the drive back.
Immediatly after leaving the launch in the car, I stopped at the place where you purchase the park permits, and we all bought a drink from the vending machine; we were all sick of hot (boiled water) drinks over the past few days, so they were most appreciated. Also shockingly not overpriced. Ben and Matt slept most of the way home, we all stopped at a Wendys for a fast meal before dropping Matt back at his place, and a coffee at Tim Hortons on the way back to Bens. I spent the night at Conley's again that night, since we didnt finally arrive there until 12:30AM. We lazed for about an hour before each having a showing and going to sleep.
Today, Im still quite sore from carrying all that shit so far, but it was good times all in all, and I got to know that Matt guy a bit better. Its always good to make a new friend.