The original idea was to leave in the spring, just after the May 24
weekend, but a persuasive employer enticed me to stay on for the summer.
A trip to an Outdoor + Camping show in Mississauga helped start some
of the ideas of where to stop and what to see. Shortly thereafter the
aforementioned vehicle of choice became available through a combination of
print and e-mail advertisements.
Specific planning on sites to visit or any such details were postponed
to late August, while work took its share of my day (and night).
In late August, a short excursion to whitewater rafting on the Ottawa
River and a quick hike-in camping trip in Algonquin started the planning
ball rolling. With the trip now taking place in the fall, different
priorities began to be evident, such as whether there were camping facilities
available in late September and early October.
Algonquin continues to be the starting off point for the trip, with
plans of completing the Mizzy Lake, a portion of the Highlands, and the
Centennial Ridges trails. I also hope to go on the Minnessing Mountain Bike
trail as well.
After that, I plan to travel to Killarney PP (Provincial Park) for
a few days and then travelling on to Halfway Lake PP.
Depending on some further arrangements, I may be travelling up near
Timmins, visiting Kettle Lakes PP and possibly a few day trips to some of
the other parks for some hiking. The other option will be to travel
across to Lake Superior PP, with an extended stay to enjoy the area hikes;
in either case Lake Superior will be the next stop.
After that the next spot will be Kakebeka Falls PP, near Thunder Bay.
From there I hope to visit some of the trails in and around Thunder Bay,
including Sleeping Giant PP.
The next major stop will be Whitshell PP, just inside the Manitoba
border, with a few days to enjoy the trails, etc.
From there, a long stretch north to Clearwater Lake, Grass River and
possibly Paint Lake PPs. As you can see the descriptions are getting scarcer
the farther into the future I get.
After crossing into SK, there's a lodge called Rocky View Lodge that
I might stay at. After that its across SK to visit either Narrow Hills PP
or Lac la Ronge PP, wth a possible stop at Prince Albert National Park.
From there we're into the homestretch of this first leg, with a brief
stop at Meadow Lake PP, and arrival at Medley, AB.
After that, I hope to visist family in Edmonton and Kamloops, BC, and
possibly Yellowknife, NWT, a friend in Kelowna, BC, with the eventual arrival
at the coast, with probable visits to Vancouver, the coast, or even Prince
Rupert (if they're still looking for someone ;).
Keep you posted, although most of the good stuff will be in the actual updates along the way.