Okay, Algonquin Park might not be that wild, but it definitely was fantastic to get away from emails, video games, tv, and all that other junk for a whole week.

This year was probably the best yet. We did see bears, but from the safety of our car and not while trapped in our tent. It did rain, but for only 15 minutes not for three days. Those two events alone would put this year up at the top of our list, but add to that our discovery of the beautiful Pog Lake campground, with sites like the one on the right.

When I wasn’t stretched out on a beach or swimming in one of the many lakes in Algonquin, I was exploring the park. Early Thursday morning I joined about 20 other campers for a guided bird walk around Mizzy Lake. Our guide, a very knowledgeable fellow named Ron, led us along abandoned railway tracks and through two bogs, pointing out all the different species of birds we spotted along the way. It was amazing to hear the story of the animals and it really painted a more complete picture of life in the park throughout the seasons. Unfortunately, the best time to see the birds in the park is in the spring when they’re mating and showing off their colours. Many species were either long gone back to South America or simply laying low while they took care of the young. But, thanks to Ron’s impressive owl hooting, I did manage to see many new species (new to me, that is.) Of course, I’ve totally forgotten their names, which taught me an important thing about bird hikes – next time, bring a freakin’ notebook!

Plenty more to tell and photos to post, but the work is piling up and I’ve got some stories to write. Before I get back at it, I’ll leave you with a photo that sums up my week’s experience nicely:

It just doesn’t get better than a pancake breakfast after a dawn paddle! I’m sure Devin, Nadia and Marcus would have loved a stack of these during their Wild Ride.

More camping news and photos to come.