Algonquin Adventures / 4 Days in the Algonquin Back Country With my Son (Winter)

**Posted by Steve E** 2/05/2019 9:56 am

Just got back from 4 days in Algonquin with my 11 year old son. He loves camping but this was his first back-country winter camping trip. We didn't go too far back from where we parked as we wanted to bring lots of comforts from home, and also wanted the ability to access the truck for drives to hikes and stuff. The weather took a real swing in temps as we started at -27 on Friday and ended up at 14 today coming home! The canvas tent was soaked from the freezing drizzle and made packing up a bit of a pain... We saw a couple moose, a fox and a fellow Wintertrekking member as well!

We woke up at 5am and left the house to head north to Algonquin. The temperature outside in the Park when we arrived was -27!

We began loading our gear onto the DIY pulk I made (worked awesome!) and did a few trips back and forth to the truck. We wanted to bring lots of warm stuff and some extra comforts from home.

Finally took a breather after setting up the hot tent. It's a fair bit of work getting everything lugged back to the campsite and all set up, but well worth it...One day I'll get a Snowtrekker tent as I find my back starts really hurting as I'm always bending over to get into this one, and the walls inside are quite steep...does the trick for now though...

The snow was super deep which made off-trail travel super tiring. Thankfully we both had snowshoes...

We did a few day trips and fed the Chickadees....We hiked a couple of the trails in the park and explored around the area during the day, and also did a couple of night hikes.

We also took a trip into Mew Lake and spent the afternoon skating. We met some great people and hung around for the afternoon skating, sitting by the fire and sharing a few drinks.

I had visions of doing this picture under a star-filled sky but unfortunately it was cloudy every night. I'll have to try it again when it clears up

It was such a great time getting to spend 4 days in the park with my son. He loved every minute of it and didn't complain once about the cold, damp, etc. Hoping for many more great memories in the park with him!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 2/05/2019 10:52 am

You posted this two days ago and I replied to it. Now it's a new post from this morning with no replies.

Please tell me I'm not going insane.

**Posted by Steve E** 2/05/2019 10:53 am

Uppa wrote:
You posted this two days ago and I replied to it. Now it's a new post from this morning with no replies.

Please tell me I'm not going insane.

Lol I had to delete the original post because there were issues with the pics not coming up right. You're totally not going insane (at least from what I can tell here!)

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 2/05/2019 10:59 am

Hrm - I saw all the pics just fine when I read it.

In any case, to paraphrase my original response: great post, great pictures, and I'm patiently waiting for my (3-year-old) daughter to get a tad bit older so that I can start introducing her to Algonquin. I hope she has a smile as big as your son's when I do!

**Posted by Steve E** 2/05/2019 11:22 am

Thanks (again) Uppa! Ya when you replied I assumed they worked fine but nobody else could see them. I also posted it on the Wintertrekking site and had a bunch of people say they couldn't see the pics...

I think getting out with the kids (and getting them away from their screens and technology) is so important!

**Posted by Splakin** 2/05/2019 1:18 pm

Hey Steve great pics! I left on Saturday. Got there on Wed. Great stay. My daughters were on break from exams. Perfect time to get away. We just car camped though. Sorry I missed ya. We were skating everyday too.

**Posted by Steve E** 2/05/2019 1:22 pm

Ya we must have just crossed paths! I have that same tent and almost the same truck lol...camping twins!

**Posted by CanadaMoe** 2/05/2019 4:58 pm

Great pics!!!
Thanks for sharing

**Posted by dontgroandaddy** 2/05/2019 5:16 pm

That's pretty expletive deleted cold right there, -27. Ouch. But what a trip!. He'll remember that forever. He's at the age when dad is still a hero, and on those rare occasions when dad can live up to the hero status, well, hey, you see the smiles in the photos. That tells you everything you need to know right there. Congratulations on such a terrific outing, and thanks for sharing!

**Posted by martin2007** 2/05/2019 6:31 pm

Fantastic photos! These are very special times. Enjoy them!
Thanks for posting.

**Posted by Shayne74** 2/05/2019 10:34 pm

Probably gonna miss this year but one of my sons and i camped the last two winters. Cold tenting but awesome experiences. Our pulk is pretty much identical to yours lol. Great pics as usual. Always enjoy your stuff.

**Posted by Steve E** 2/06/2019 5:08 pm

Thanks guys I appreciate the kind comments!

Shayne74 I made the pulk a few years back but just made the poles for it before this trip...what a difference they make!