Awe inspiring...you got to enjoy Algonquin Park and saw a moose too! That's the cherry on the cake.

Thank you for posting.

Thanks, Rich!

Time to weigh in a little here based upon the research (decidedly non-professional) I have done.

North America is approximately 38% wilderness. And I'm not referring to the small clumps of trees we see here and there in our largely urban and suburban lives. As you folks all know, you could wander 100 feet off into the bush from certain backcountry campsites and possibly find yourself standing in a place no person has ever stood before.

We often mistake having an area mapped and putting roads through it to mean we know that area inside out. Our roads and trails touch less than 1% of many vast tracts of the true wilderness that exist on this continent. We stick to well defined pathways. We don't do much bushwhacking because it is too difficult. Knowing this, can any one out there really say with confidence that something like Sasquatch cannot exist simply because no physical evidence has come to light?

Do any of you go to church? Is there any more physical evidence of God than there is of a flesh and blood animal that could potentially live, die and decompose out in the bush, where dangerous creatures like humans rarely tread?

I can't make the assumption that something doesn't exist simply because we have not yet proved its existence. The discovery of the very large mountain gorilla in the early 1900's is a more recent reminder that we don't yet know all about life on this earth. There is a saying " Lack of evidence is not evidence of lack".

Sadly, the whole situation has been compounded by a scientific community that largely has lost its appetite for discovery. Instead, it leans on the position that all the reports of Sasquatch sightings are nonsense. They don't bother to put in the effort to truly research the subject before making such claims.

Enough decent evidence does exist to prompt those with a true scientific mind to at least delve deeper into the matter before dismissing the entire business as hoaxing. I recommend Idaho State University professor Jeff

Jdbonney wrote:

Maybe they were mud puppies

Perhaps you are right about that, though they sure looked like polliwogs to me. I've never seen a mud puppy so can't draw on my experience to make the distinction. Just looked on Google to check out the Mud Puppy photos. What I saw had a large bulbous front body narrowing to a long slender tail, different from the photos Google pulled up. Who knows?

Way back in the day when I was a Boy Scout, our leaders took us on one of many canoe trips I had the great fortune to experience. We were coming up to a portage on a lake whose name has been long forgotten. A sandy beach greeted us. As we pulled out the canoes, there in the water were a group of the biggest polliwogs I've ever seen. We all know how memory gets over the years and how some details become exaggerated, but I recollect these beasts were 5 or 6 inches in length. For a kid who loved all manner of wilderness critters, this moment was pure magic and helped sow the seeds that would become my love of the outdoors.

Chuck Enwinde wrote:

I've seen three knock offs fail during trips in the time that I've had my Helinox and all were purchased after the Helinox.  If the legs start to sink you can put a piece of birch bark under the feet. 

That's an ingenious solution to the leg sinking problem, Chuck! I'm looking forward to using the Helinox Chair One I got for Christmas when I take it backpacking on the Highland Trail in September.

Tracy

Tents, tarps and sleeping bags. Thank God I married a frugal woman who keeps me out of debt. Bear in mind I am the only one in my family with a passion for camping. My wife isn't into it, so all the gear is for my own use.

Tents - At this time I only have two tents, an MSR Elixir 3 and a MEC Wanderer 2 and I like them both. Still looking for an affordable lightweight 2 man backpacking tent, but that will be tougher to get in through the front door. Added a Military sleep system bivy sack earlier this year, have not tried it out yet.
Tarps - MEC Guides tarp and RAB SIL Pancho, plus an all weather emergency blanket and a Princess auto oak cammo tarp. Looking to add a 16' x 16' for car camping and a larger lightweight one for use with my bivy.
Sleeping bags - MEC Aquila wide down and MEC Mirage synthetic. Time for a summer bag, I'll probably go with the military sleep system Patrol bag to match my bivy sack, then later add the -10C bag to complete the set.

Thank you for the responses, folks!

Uppa, you were bang on. Immediately after posting my question I checked out the reservation site and discovered only a handful of sites available. I was able to reserve one at Canisbay so I'll consider that a victory.

The rest of the information provided is useful for future trips, much appreciated!

Tracy

Here's a vote for 550 paracord to put up a tarp with. Why paracord? Good quality paracord is very strong and can be reused many times. I like 550 as it's a large enough diameter to allow for even tight knots to be undone fairly easily as compared to the thinner stuff.

One more tip: unless you plan to deploy in the Zombie apocalypse, forget the cammo coloured stuff. Get your paracord in high visibility yellow or orange so people don't accidentally walk into it. It's also easier to find when left lying on the ground.

PS I really like my MEC Guides Tarp!

Tracy