Fri, Feb 9 2007, Sat, Feb 10 2007, Sun, Feb 11 2007 - Snowshoe Backpack: Tetsmine Lake Loop: Frontenac (View Original Event Details)
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The Mystery of the Junk Food Junkie Killer!
Jenn M. had a dream once, and that was to do some winter snowshoeing in Frontenac. A freak accident however had put her out of commission, and a few
mouse clicks and emails later, I found my self co-coordinating this soon-to-be awesome event! When the dust had settled, 5 intrepid TOC’ers, JennP, Mel,
Bryan, Elliot and El Rey were ready to brave the cold weather that would be waiting for them.
We left Toronto from Bryan’s new place, which is coming along quite nicely, and once it’s done, it’s going to look great! Traffic on the way was great, and we
quickly made it to our first stop, the Wahoo Café in Trenton. Mel recommended this place after going there once before. While a sit down dinner may have
been a bit much, considering we still had a ways to go, the service we received was definitely something to remember! Our ‘experienced’ waitress of 12 years
took our orders, and what was impressive was that she didn’t even bother writing anything down!! Unfortunately, she decided to brag about it, and all bets
were on on how badly she would get something wrong! Elliot I believe suffered most from here faulty memory, but he didn’t seem to mind as he was more
keen on trying to flirt with her, sadly to no avail.
We pushed off, and lucky for us Bryan was driving, as the rest of us, bellies full, took a nap as we trekked towards our destination. When we woke up, our
minds where a little fuzzy, and it took as a few moments to realize that we had missed our turn, so back we went. Our little adventure wasn’t over however,
because even though we where on the right path this time (Signs pointing to Frontenac were a big tip) the local roads seemed to branch off in many directions
at that point, so it took a few tries to get it right. Suffice it to say that we even turned down a snowmobile trial at one point…
There is something about driving at night that can get a little confusing, especially in unfamiliar territory. We finally managed to find the park entrance after a
couple more missed/wrong turns and checked in. Off we went to search for the Kingston Dam. This is where the journey goes a little Twilight Zone-ish on
us, as we are driving along the winding roads (4x4 + New Winter Tires = Safe Fun!?) we nearly ran into a tiny fox, and moments later, Bryan’s skillful driving
avoided a young dear crossing the road (Brakes + New Winter Tires = Happy Dear + Happy Campers). The road we were on had many private roads and
cottages, and we managed to miss our turn one more time! Now, you would think that all this excitement would be enough, but we had a mystery on our
hands! We came upon a bag of junk food on the road, which we assumed was some thoughtless teenager littering (we were in the middle of nowhere after all),
but soon enough, we came across another bag, yet another, and another still! Jenn thought it might be hunters setting up bait traps for our unsuspecting
fuzzy friends, but we stopped to pick some up, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Jenn’s next theory really put creeps into us! Perhaps it was some junk
food junkie setting a trap for environmentally friendly campers who would stop to pick up the junk! This thankfully was not the case, as our little mystery
was solved once we passed the local dumping station (One full Garbage Truck + Vivid Imagination = Scary story material).
A few wrong turns later and we finally arrived at the Kingston Dam and our point of entry. Total travel time, SEVEN Hours! We quickly unloaded our gear
and deliberated on hiking out to our campsite, or camping at the dam. The wind in this section was fierce, with the cold biting into our warm tender skin.
Wise heads prevailed and we where off to our site, which was only 20 minutes away, and thankfully Wind Free ™ when we arrived. Like efficient soldiers
our tents were pitched. It was after 2am once everything was said and done, and despite the excitement from the night, we gladly crawled into our sleeping
bags and slept?
Morning came quick, and I was first to rise. I quickly built a fire from the many generous logs around the campsite, and my wood splitting may have awoken
the others, since they soon joined me. The second order of the day was to acquire some water, which meant going onto the lake and doing something you
don’t normally want to do – break through the ice! As none of us have ever done this, it was a little scary, but our “confidence” was soon increased as axing
through the ice showed us how thick it really was. Water in hand, we boiled some water for coffee’s and Tea and Hot Chocolate with Bailey’s (THANKS
MEL!!)
We broke camp and started on our journey. In keeping with theme, we (me?) went the wrong way, or at least went the other way as originally intended. The
Trail was beautiful, and with the sun shining through, we quickly stripped layers to keep cool. Since our first leg was a relatively short 5-6 Km, we kept a
steady pace, and every once in a while stopped to smell the flowers. Everyone except Elliot brought a camera (common buddy, loosen the purse strings!) so
there was PLENTY of pictures taken throughout! Bryan brought along his Sexy Digital SLR, but we are still waiting to see those gorgeous photos he took!
We stopped very quickly for lunch since being cold wasn’t on anyone favourites list, and by early afternoon, we arrived at our next site.
As we approached our campsite, we saw something odd, something resembling a telephone booth!! It appears the park figured people would want to order
pizza in the middle of the night in case of munchies.. ok really, it was the outhouse, a very nice one all things considered. Jenn learned the hard way that
trying to use the loo with your snowshoes is a slight no-no.. A face plant into the business end of the loo was quickly avoided by her cat like reflexes (well,
that’s what she told us anyway). As we set up camp, Elliot wanted to create an elaborate bench system, and since creating a bench = work = staying warm, I
graciously helped him out. I hope the next group of campers appreciates our hard work! I must say Elliot’s skillz with the saw and axe have greatly
improved, I almost gave him his wood chopping badge, but I think he needs a little more practice first.
With camp set up and dusk approaching, we once again ventured out onto the ice to break through for some precious water. This is perhaps one of the more
dangerous tasks in the winter to carry out, since you’re never really sure how thick the ice really is beneath your feet, but as Jenn learned (safely), its best to
avoid narrow areas and areas where water continuously flows, like rivers. Water safely attained, we relaxed and grew colder, even with a nice fire keeping us
from completely become TOCicles. To distract us, Elliot continued his tradition, one which has been given the name of “The Herbal Circle”; I won’t go into
detail as to why we call it such, but suffice it say it’s a great time to learn about your fellow TOC members. For some inexplicable reason I can’t quite
remember what was discussed, except for Elliot’s vivid account with his encounter with Simone, a young friend who he got to know really well…
The lively conversation seemed to have sparked our appetites, and as if on cue, our Maestro, Chef Elliot took the lead, and orchestrated one of his finest
Outdoor specialties! We all had our assigned tasks, some more glorious than others, but this is a team effort, and the end result was indeed a delicious feast!
Of course, we had fun, and my highlight of the night was using my Jedi™ mind trick on Elliot, as I managed to convince him that he should really try the dish
soap to ensure it was indeed soap, and not cooking oil. You are probably thinking why didn’t I have him try the oil instead right? Well, I’m sure Elliot is
thinking the same thing…
After dinner we washed up, and decided to head out for a late night snowshoe. This served yet another two-fold purpose: get the most of our stay in
Frontenac, and more importantly, stay warm! We did our best to walk by moonlight, turning off our lights when they weren’t needed. We returned to camp
invigorated, sat around the fire. Mel and Bryan broke out their cameras to take advantage of the clear skies and beautiful stars above. Some of us decided to
get to bed while still warm, so off to bed we went, to prepare for our hike out the next day.
Sunday morning brought us sunny skies and more good weather. Elliot decided to sleep in a bit, but was soon roused by the hunger cries of the group (he is
our Chef after all). After breakfast, we broke camp and prepared for the trek ahead. We headed out, and once again tried to figure out what path to take. I
will confess that I have a poor sense of direction in the wilderness, and since I was keeper of the map, I did what I know best and just followed the signs,
which invariably led us back the same way we came. Our loop was not a loop after all, but the familiar ground made things easier and feel shorter. Once
again Maestro Elliot showed that not only can he conduct, but he can also compose and perform! Our Talented Mr. Stollar enlightened us with his adapted
version of Kumbaya My Lord, singing the Praises of Jenn’s Dishwashing, Mel’s Bailey’s, Bryan’s Driving, El Rey’s fire, and of course, His desire to stop
singing!
Before we knew it, we were back at Kingston Dam, and realized that our decision the first night to hike to our site was indeed wise, as the wind in this section
of the park is incessant! We quickly packed our gear into the truck, and bid adieu to a fantastic trip and exceptional memories, some of which I only begun to
cover here.
I would like to thank Bry, Mel, Jenn P. and Elliot (Mr. Colombo?) for making this trip a special one, and for Jenn M. for giving me the opportunity to lead
such a fantastic bunch and doing most (ok all) of the hard work setting up this event. I look forward to doing this again, as this experience has truly opened
up my eyes to the wonders that Ontario’s Winter’s has to offer, and is something worth experiencing at least once in your life.
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.