Sat, Nov 18 2006, Sun, Nov 19 2006 - Introduction to winter camping I: Macgregor Point (View Original Event Details)
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The write up is slow to come, but there was so many people and so many things going on, it's hard to know where to start. Hopefully the pictures tell a better story, and some members send me a paragraph or two about their adventure
Our winter camping wasn't very wintry. An unseasonably warm November made it more foggy than the usual crisp and clear beauty of winter which is the main reason for camping during the cold season. The clouds meant that we missed the leonids meteor shower, so we were pretty disappointed about that.
Leaving Saturday morning, I was sure I would be one of the first to arrive mid-afternoon, but actually we were one of the last cars to get there - Hassan and his Jeep crew of Jenn P and Matt had gone up the night before, and most of the other sites were full. Missing still were Janna and her carpool, but when you've got Elliot *and* JL in your car, it's hard to keep your concentration on the road.
Even though we were there mid -afternoon, it gets dark fast this time of year, so we had to set up for dinner early, and even then we didn't get to eat until dark was fast upon us. El Rey had the fire going, but I think he's losing his touch - his kebobs were ...crunchy...I found out later they had taken a bit of a dirt nap before landing on my plate. Perhaps the golden spatula shall find a new home next year.
After eating too much food, the entire group gathered around the fire and we did some icebreaking activities, even though it was too warm for actual ice to break, it was still a great way to get to know some of our newer members. Of course, Elliot was happy to take over MC duties, and the lesson that should be learned from all this is 'go first' whenever questions are asked around the fire. Dominic brought out his guitar, but we realized that as a multicultural community we didn't all know the same camp songs, so it was hard to get a sing-along going, but we'll remedy that next time. 10 yrs of camp and I have forgotten everything! It's a shameful day for me.
Some of us retired early, while others stayed up around the campfire and the conversation turned philosophical as it is wont to do late at night under the stars - or the clouds, as the case may be.
Every managed to keep warm enough overnight and there was coffee so I was happy. An intrepid group of early risers headed off to do an ambitious hike led by Emma D, while the rest of us were just happy to lounge around and take down our tents in a leisurely fashion . A few more groups went out to explore the trails around the area - you could head right out to Lake Huron, which looked cold and formidable (but Rocky went swimming anyways).
.Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.