52 Hike Challenge
Goal for 2020
In an effort to spend more time outdoors (and let’s be real, to exercise more), one of my goals for 2020 is to complete the 52 Hike Challenge. As the name suggests, the goal of the challenge is to hike 52 times throughout the year. There are a few rules and guidelines: the hike has to be at least 1 mile (or 1.6km) long, you can only count one hike per day, you can repeat the same hikes.
Ontario | Killarney Provincial Park
November 2020 – 3 days
Located along the rugged shores of Georgian Bay, Killarney Provincial Park is considered a wilderness park. There is a single campground in the park at George Lake and a number of backcountry sites that are accessible by canoe or along the famous La Cloche Silhouette Trail. Killarney is open all-year round and provides a number of activities depending on the season. From hiking and canoeing in the summer to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Read More (…coming soon)
Ontario | Thousand Islands National Park
November 2020 – 2 days
Located near the Saint Lawrence River, Thousand Islands National Park is one of Canada’s smallest national parks. The park consists of three sections along the mainland: Mallorytown Landing, Jones Creek and Landon Bay, and 21 islands. While most of the park is only accessible by boat, there are a few hiking trails that can be accessed on the mainland.
Read More (…coming soon)
Ontario | Kawartha Highlands
September 2020 – 3 days
Nestled along the Southern edge of the Canadian Shield, Kawartha Highlands features a rugged landscape of small lakes, ponds, wetlands, forests, and rock barrens. It is the largest provincial park in Southern Ontario after Alongquin. And like Algonquin, it is the perfect place to explore the wilderness by canoe. For the Labour Day long weekend we ventured to Copper Lake.
Read More (…coming soon)
Ontario | Northern Ontario Road Trip – Part II
August 2020 – 10 days
We had such a great time in Northern Ontario in the beginning of July that we decided to come back in August. This time we planned to go not as far and to stay for a bit longer. We planned to visit new places that we didn’t have time for on our our first trip as well as return to some of our favourite spots. And this time we were less concerned about the bug situation since we were going later in the season. Below are the places that we visited:
Provincial Parks: Awenda, Windy Lake, Halfway Lake, Pancake Bay, White Lake, Rainbow Falls, Neys, Lake Superior, Mississagi, French River, and Killbear
National Parks: Pukaskwa
Ontario | Algonquin Provincial Park
August 2020 – 4 days
For our annual trip to Algonquin this year, we planned a rather ambitious route to Erables Lake. Erables is the french word for maple, but shouldn’t be confused with Maple Lake, which is located just north of Erables Lake. Perhaps because our route was so challenging or maybe we had such a great time at Misty Lake last year, but we decided to extend our Algonquin trip by an extra day this year.
Ontario | The Cabin
July 2020 – 2 days
With another heat warning on the forecast for the weekend, we decided to drive up north to the cabin and spend some time around the water. We somehow managed to convince my younger sister and her husband to come up with us even though the cabin has no running water and electricity.
Ontario | Northern Ontario Road Trip
June/July 2020 – 9 days
Since travel options are limited these days, we thought we might as well explore our home province of Ontario. We planned a nine day road trip around part of Lake Superior, which is an area of the province neither of us have visited. We were a bit concerned about the bug situation given that it was still early in the season, but the weather forecast for calling for no (or very little) rain for the week. Besides, it would only build character. Below are the provincial parks we visited along our road trip:
Provincial Parks: Grundy Lake, Killarney, Pancake Bay, Sleeping Giant, Neys, Lake Superior, Chutes, and Sturgeon Bay
Ontario | The Cabin
May 2020 – 2 days
I usually celebrate my birthday by going away on vacation. Obviously we couldn’t do that this year due to the pandemic (who would have thought?). Instead we went back to the cabin. The timing worked out well as the forecast was calling for fabulous weather. We also figured we might as well spend as much time there as we can before the bugs take over for the spring.
Ontario | The Cabin
April 2020 – 3 days
We usually try to incorporate holidays into our travel plans, so for the Easter long weekend we went to the one place we could still travel to: the cabin. Even though we’re encouraged to stay home, it’s hard to avoid other people when living in a big city like Toronto. Instead, we drove up north to spend a quiet weekend at the cabin away from everybody and everything.
Ontario | The Cabin
March 2020 – 2 days
Travel options have been limited recently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (and rightfully so). Since we’ve been spending a lot of time in our apartment as of late, we decided to head up to the cabin for the weekend for a change of scenery. Located in the middle of the woods near Bon Echo Provincial Park, the cabin has been in K’s family for over a century. It is quite rustic and has no electricity or running water. It is the perfect place to escape from the city and reconnect with nature. And to self-isolate.
Ontario | Frontenac Provincial Park
February 2020 – 2 days
Frontenac Provincial Park is classified as a natural environment park. It is situated above an ancient granite ridge linking the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains and consists of forests, wetlands, marshes, lakes and granite outcrops. The park contains canoe routes through 22 lakes, over 100km of connected backpacking and hiking trails and four season interior camping on 48 campsites.
