December 22, 2025 • 42 mins
A beaver roommate, a septic disaster, and a storm barreling in at 2 p.m.—and somehow this became the most rewarding trip of the year. We sit down with Camper Christina to unpack a bold return to Quebec’s Route 61 after a confidence-shaking capsize, and follow her step by step through low-water puzzles, rocky R1s, and the moment she realized the “dump zone” was now a shallow wade. It’s a story about reading current, trusting training, and choosing to go anyway when life piles on.
We also wander through her new rural home life—three acres, a pond, and Beavy the beaver doing pond-ice sabotage—plus the realities of winter roads and near-miss lessons that sharpen situational awareness. On the creative side, Christina takes us behind the scenes on building live presentations: capturing 15+ hours of footage, crafting tight trailers, and shaping a narrative that educates without spoiling the show. Then we share a first look at Camper Christina’s Corner, a one-minute paddling story booth built from a canoe and hosted at the Hamilton Adventure Expo, with prizes from community partners and a promise to spotlight real voices all year.
Rounding it out, we talk Algonquin’s Barren Canyon as a low-portage option packed with wildlife and scenery, smart storm timing, and practical safety like wearing PFDs in cold water seasons. If you’ve ever stared at a route that once scared you, this conversation offers a map back—mixing backcountry skills, mindset resets, and a reminder that adventure thrives in imperfect windows. Subscribe, share this with a paddling friend, and tell us: what fear are you ready to paddle through next?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Hello and good day.
A welcome to the Super GoodCamping Podcast.
My name is Pamela.
I'm Tim.
And we are fromSupergoodcamping.com.
We're here because we are on amission to inspire other people
to get outside and enjoy campingadventures such as we have as a
family.
Today's guest is chatted us withus the most of any of our
guests.
This will be her fourthappearance on the podcast, I
think.
Fourth.
I want to say fifth.
(00:20):
Fifth, maybe fifth.
She was our very first guestever.
She loves the outdoors and videomaking.
She heads out on lots ofadventures year-round, and most
are solo adventures.
She's completed level one, two,and extractor level courses for
sea kayaking, level one to fourcanoe certifications, wilderness
tourist aid, and map and compasslevel one and two
certifications.
(00:41):
She's produced her own courseson backcountry camping and
winter camping.
You can check out her YouTubechannel to see some of the
awesome places she visits.
Please welcome back CamperChristina.
Yay, welcome.
Yay! We love your shirt.
SPEAKER_02 (00:56):
Nice shirt, nice shirt.
SPEAKER_01 (00:57):
Thank you.
I had a mage for today.
That's Tim's photography rightthere.
SPEAKER_02 (01:04):
Photography.
SPEAKER_01 (01:05):
Photography.
SPEAKER_02 (01:06):
I take lots of pictures.
I shoot lots of video.
I just am too lazy to edit it.
So you guys never get to seethat.
SPEAKER_01 (01:11):
Well, Christina likes doing the video editing.
SPEAKER_02 (01:13):
Apparently she does.
She's a bit of a whack job.
Could be why we love her.
Uh how the heck are you, andwhat have you been up to lately?
I know, I know life's been busywith moving and all of those
things that take take up so muchtime and stuff, but uh I have to
assume a life is good at the newplace.
SPEAKER_00 (01:32):
Life is very good at the new place.
I have a pet beaver.
SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
I heard.
I just saw you looked like youwere watching.
SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
I'm about to say that because people are just
like, what for many reasons,even if they think I'm gonna be
talking about a legitimatebeaver, which I am.
Um, I mean, he's not my pet.
I guess I inherited him when Igot the house.
Um, actually, he came by about amonth after I moved in in June,
and he just kind of stayed.
(02:00):
I call him Beavy, and he's mybud.
He's super chill, and uh, I loveto see what he's up to.
He's now built a lodge in thecorner of the pond.
Um, I was excited because Ithought I would maybe get to
skate on it this winter, buthe's trying to keep the pond not
frozen.
Um mine is 19 right now, sotoday he's struggling.
(02:22):
But every morning I wake up andthere's kind of a little puddle
around where his lodge is.
So it's kind of interesting.
Um, yeah, it makes me kind ofnot want to leave home
sometimes.
SPEAKER_02 (02:33):
Very cool.
SPEAKER_00 (02:34):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (02:35):
That's I I would imagine having a pond like
literally outside your door is apretty cool thing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:43):
It is.
I can look out my I can look outthe window right now.
If it was daylight, I could seeit.
Uh it's it's pretty awesome.
Um, I have three acres, hugeamount of forest in the back.
I was hoping to see deer.
I only seen them twice so far.
Um, there's a dog in the houseacross the street, so someone
said maybe that's why.
SPEAKER_02 (03:00):
Barky barky, maybe, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:02):
Yeah, the barking.
But uh Beavy has a pet, a pet aswell, a little muskrat that
hangs out with him sometimes.
Um, so I've seen him, I've seenotters, uh, I have a plethora of
birds that I am the caretaker tonow, and uh I feed those guys
year-round, and um, yeah, it'sit's pretty awesome.
Um, winter has been challengingso far.
(03:24):
I've almost been uh struck by anoncoming vehicle twice now in a
week.
Uh last Thursday, actually.
A week ago, um someone cameflying in the air at me.
So cool.
Uh it's a little bit treacherousdriving, um, but that's the way
it is.
Uh, I guess that's what I gottado to live out here.
SPEAKER_02 (03:44):
So I'm I thought it was just down here in Toronto
that they all forgot how todrive in the winter and then had
to remember by smashing intosomebody.
SPEAKER_00 (03:52):
It's um most of my drive to work is roads like
this.
Why do we mean so which is fine,but um people seem to want to
drive really fast, and uh yeah,the guy was coming at me, and I
saw the one car coming, and thenthe other one just missed the
turn.
He he went right across theroad, right in front of me, went
down the ditch, up the ditch,airborne, flying.
(04:15):
I'm like, oh god, and uh somehowit just kind of tilted and they
landed right side up and bounceda couple ways there a couple
feet and then landed in adriveway right next to me.
So pretty scary, yeah.
So it's it's been an adventureall in itself, but still worth
it so far.
(04:36):
So got a lot of snow.
Um, we don't have a ton here.
Um, Jenny is an Aurelia, theyhave a lot more there.
Um, we've gotten about I've onlysnowblown fully like once, well,
twice on the weekend.
So uh maybe eight inches ish.
So yeah, not too much, but wegot more coming.
SPEAKER_02 (04:56):
So yes, we do.
We haven't we haven't had we'vehad some some crappy heavy wet
gunk, you know.
So the the stuff that's youcan't you can't snowboat if you
want to because it just goesblow up on the you know beside
your head uh so I've had to pushthat around a bit, but so far so
good.
We're not we're just starting toget into those kind of
(05:19):
temperatures.
I think we're supposed to hitminus 12 tonight when we're
recording this.
So that'll be the that'll be thefirst double digit negative
we've hit so far.
SPEAKER_00 (05:30):
So yeah, well it's not minus 19, so it's not minus
19.
And this is the coldest it'sbeen like today and yesterday
just kind of dropped last night.
Um it's minus 19 on my outsidethermometer right now, and I
don't that's not with the windchills, so um, yeah, it's it's a
little bit chilly, but it's notbad, it's not snowing, and we
have the super moon, it'sactually called the cold moon,
(05:51):
and it's out right now over thepond, and it's just beautiful.
SPEAKER_02 (05:54):
So okay, we're gonna pause this so I can go have a
look.
Uh okay, cool.
Well, that's I that you it'sobviously we have chatted a
bunch of times in real life aswell.
Uh so so sorry for you guyshaving to listen, listen to us
do ketchup because that's that'swhat that's what pals do.
(06:14):
We catch up once.
Um speaking of catch up, what'ssince we haven't spoken in two
years, do a short versionbecause you do a bunch of stuff.
But what have you been up to?
What pick give give us some ofthe highlights you've been uh
out and about doing?
SPEAKER_00 (06:28):
Uh well this year was a bit rough because I moved
in June and um, you know, bymyself.
So uh spent months and monthsand months and months purging.
I had a basement.
Now I have a two-bedroom housewithout a basement.
Um, I have some outbuildings,but still it was a lot of you
know, um paring down stuff andgetting rid of a lot of things,
(06:50):
which was great.
Um, and so that kind of left mea little bit stuck because I
moved on June 19th, and uh thenit was paddling season, like it
had already started.
Yep.
So um I hadn't had time to planmuch.
Um so I ended up spending a lotof time in Opamican this year.
Uh I met them at the TorontoAfter Adventure show in
(07:10):
February, and they're like, youknow, we've got this new park
and come see us, and we'd loveto have you.
And so I thought, well, uh,let's see.
So I sent an email to Marissa,uh, who runs some things over
there, and she was like, Yeah,you know, you should do this and
this, and I actually ended upgoing there four times this
year.
So um I'm gonna be doing apresentation on it uh on the I
(07:31):
think on the Sunday at theToronto After Adventure Show,
um, which I'm excited about justto kind of show all the
different things that you can dothere.
And I haven't even done all thethings that you can do there,
but um, they always seem to haveopenings, it's not very far,
it's a three-hour drive fromhere, just like tamogamy, and uh
you know, beautiful area, lotsof different things you can do
(07:52):
there.
So uh I spent a lot of timethere, and I also went back to
another place in Quebec, whichyou guys heard about last year.
Um, for those of you who don'tknow, I went to Quebec to do
this amazing route called Route61 at a place called Le
Verendre, and um I calfsized onthe first day of my trip.
(08:16):
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye phone, right?
Um that's really all I lost wasmy tripod selfie stick and my
phone because it wasn't lashedinto the canoe, which I do now.
Um, and uh I just I had a bit oftrauma from that, I guess.
Um, you know, I lost someconfidence.
Um, I did go back out on I thinkfour or five trips before the
(08:39):
end of the season last year.
Um this year I found the samething.
I was kind of feeling a littlebit like uh I did a few more
extra trips this year withfriends.
Uh I think I did quite a fewtrips with Jenny this year, who
was willing.
She's always willing to head outon an adventure with me, which
is great.
And um I went back to Route 61.
As I promised everyone, the theend of my presentation at the
(09:01):
Toronto show last year was,well, I'm gonna go back and I'm
gonna see if I can find myphone.
And I think some people took itliterally.
Like, I got a couple messagessaying, Oh, did you find your
phone?
And I'm like, Well, I didn'treally look.
Um, I actually was in the dumparea and didn't even realize I
was in it because the water wasso high when I was there last
(09:26):
year, um, and then solo thisyear.
Um, I don't know how what youguys saw, but the water levels
everywhere were down this year.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
We we noticed the same thing.
It's funny because Pamela, apicture came up on our smart
screen the other day, andPamela's like, is that the same
place that you guys were at?
Because Thomas and I did aspring trip up at Palmer Rapids
and then a fall, late summertrip, and and it was.
We quit and all of that waterthat we were looking at in the
spring was was way over there.
(09:56):
There was none over hereanymore.
It was just stunning difference.
SPEAKER_00 (09:59):
Yes, so that's what happened to me.
Um I think even Hap Wilson hadsaid the water is the lowest in
Tamogamy's been in 50 years thisyear.
So um I was, you know, making myway through, and you know, day
one I wanted to conquer it.
I wanted to get through thatspot and get to that lake that I
never saw and make camp there.
(10:20):
And um, when I headed out in themorning, um, just before I lost
my service, uh, there was a bigthunderstorm coming in, thunder
and lightning and all the funthings, and it was supposed to
be coming in at two.
So I was kind of truckingthrough and you know, I was
filming everything, going, ohwow, that doesn't look like it
did last year.
And then what I did last yearwhen I made my presentation was
(10:43):
I took pictures and video clipsfrom other trips that looked
like what I remembered in mymind.
And so then I had this third,now I was having this third
perception of what I was seeing,right?
Because I was like, okay, Iremembered it one way, and then
I put this picture in there inthe presentation, and now it
looks like this.
And it was different alsobecause of the water levels.
(11:04):
So um I get to the spot where Ithought I dumped, I didn't even
realize at first.
I'm just paddling along and I'mlike, oh, there's some really
shallow water here.
You know, I kind of jump out ofthe canoe and I start pulling
the canoe through, and I'mlooking around, and I'm like,
this is the place.
(11:25):
I didn't even recognize it.
I did not even recognize it.
Last year it was rushing watercoming towards me, no way to get
up it, um, dumped me, right?
Like, just flipped me over.
And this year I'm walkingthrough and I'm about halfway
through, and I'm looking aroundand I'm like, oh my god, I'm
here.
(11:46):
And so I paused, and of course,I'm in like some, I don't say
they're rapids, because thewater is like, you know, just
just deep enough for me to pullthe canoe through if I got out.
But um, it's shallow, and I'mstanding there, and the
current's pretty strong and it'spushing me, and I'm like, okay,
hang on, I gotta move the canoeover, I gotta take some pictures
and videos, and I kind of had alittle bit of a breakdown there,
(12:07):
and kind of, you know, just theemotions really hit me that I
was back in this place, and andit was too late to look for the
phone because I had gone waypast where I dumped already, and
I didn't want to go back becauseI had this weather coming in,
and so I just kind of, you know,stopped for a few minutes.
I took some pictures and videos,and then I I carried on.
(12:27):
Um, it turns out that thatwasn't actually the hard section
of the day.
Um, the next R1, I had assumedthat I had dumped on the second
R1 just because I had paddledthrough another one and thought
it was the first one, but I wasactually only I dumped in the
first R1.
So I paddled a little bit afterI went through there.
(12:49):
The second R1 was treacherous.
Uh, it was kind of like this,and uh I don't know how people
get through it with a biggercanoe.
Like I've got a 14.6, um, I gotstuck on a couple of the turns,
the water was only this deep, soI'm literally pulling but not
lifting the boat up over theserocks, and at one point it got
(13:11):
jammed where like the front wason a rock and the back was on a
rock, and I'm lifting up thewhole canoe full of all my gear,
and I'm like, the storm'scoming, I gotta go.
But then I'm like, wow, look atthis.
I gotta take pictures andvideos.
And, anyways, I ended up gettingout, and then there's a big,
huge beaver dam.
I finally make it onto the lakethat I'm camping on.
(13:32):
I start paddling across it, andthe wind starts picking up, and
just as I'm getting to where thecampsite is, uh, it's beautiful
beach landing, the waves arestarting to smash me against the
rocks, and I get out and I setup my buck shelter super fast
and get all my stuff in it, andthen the lightning and thunder
(13:52):
came, and the whole rest of theday was thunder and lightning,
and I was just like, wow.
But um, the trip was amazing,the route was unbelievable.
Um, it was full of so manydifferent kinds of challenges.
Uh, you know, like there was asand cliff at one point, it was
(14:12):
the end of the portage, and it'slike this, and I'm standing at
the top going, Are you kiddingme right now?
Like, and then at the bottom ofit, there were rapids, and I'm
not a fan of white water.
And so then I stood down at thebottom for a half an hour,
going, Oh, what am I gonna do?
How am I gonna get through this?
And literally it was like, done,right?
And I'm laughing afterwards,going, you know, but I was
(14:34):
paranoid still because I stillhad that unease from last year.
Um, but everything was in myfavor this year.
The water levels were low, theweather was great.
Uh, anytime it rained, I wassleeping, or I had just gotten
to camp.
Um, the wind was at my back,literally, on some of them.
The scenery was stunning, someof the most beautiful waterfalls
(14:58):
I've ever seen.
And when I got to the end, Ijust cried a little bit and uh
very, very emotional.
And um, I'm so proud of myselffor going back and doing it.
And uh, you know, I've done, Idon't want to say I've done
harder roots in comparison.
Yeah, some of the fire burnplaces I've done in Tamogamy,
(15:18):
difficult, challenging, crazy.
Um, so it was it was equallyhard, but just so much more
rewarding after um what I what Iwent through to get there, you
know.
Um, and it was funny because Ialmost canceled the trip, I
don't know how many times.
Um, I was so anxious going intoit.
(15:39):
As I mentioned, I've got thisnew house, and uh everything was
supposed to have been done.
The septic, I have septic now,never had septic before.
Septic was supposed to becleaned.
I had an invoice saying septicwas done, and it's like my car's
running, it's all packed up.
I'm about ready to start this10-hour drive to do this trip
(16:00):
that I'm super anxious about.
And I do one last pee in thebathroom, flush the toilet.
Up everything comes.
And uh in the toilet, in theshower.
Um it's surprising because itdoesn't smell.
You would think, oh, this poop'scoming up.
It's just like water with littleblack specks in it.
But I'm my whole bathroomstarted flooding, and I'm like,
(16:22):
are you kidding me right now?
Like, I've got to leave at acertain time because the
campground I was staying at, Iwas doing a jump off the night
before.
And I'm like, I'm not supposedto go, like, everything is
telling me to stay home rightnow.
And um, I called a guy at workand he's got a plumber friend,
and he said, you know what, go,go on your trip, do your thing,
you know, leave a key, I'll sendthe plumber guy and we'll have
(16:46):
it all fixed up for you.
And I literally wiped up thefloor and just got in the car
and left.
And again, so glad I did.
It wasn't a sign, everythingwent great, but um, you know,
people are always like, Oh, youknow, I never have the guts to
do that, or that would make mescared.
You know, I get scared too.
We all get scared, right?
(17:06):
We all get anxious, we all havethese signs of things that
happen, and you just kind ofgotta, you know, go through it
and smile and just do it.
And I did, and I made it.
So um, really, really rewardingto finish that that route and uh
so happy I went back and did it.
So that was pretty much my tripof the year, the big one.
(17:28):
I did a lot of other trips, butum nothing as significant, uh,
in my opinion.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:36):
How many days of tripping are you sort of racking
up these days, like the the youknow, the last two, three years?
SPEAKER_00 (17:44):
Um on average, I do approximately two trips a month
um year-round, um, depending onwhen that is.
Maybe August is three, maybeJanuary is one.
Um, it just depends on the timeof year and the weather, and um,
they're generally weekends.
Uh, I don't work at my office onFridays.
(18:06):
I work longer hours Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.
So I'm still working a fullweek, but I'm cramming it into
four days so that it soundslovely.
But Friday, Saturday, andSunday, 90% of the time I'm
sitting in front of my computerediting videos.
I mean, the footage that I haveum just from Le Verendre, I have
15 and a half hours of videofootage from Le Verandre from a
(18:29):
five, it was a six-day trip.
So um I'm down to 12 hours now,and I'm working my way through
that right now because I'mtrying to get ready for the
shows.
So the next couple weekends aregonna be, you know, getting
these these videos done and ummaking these presentations and
getting ready for the springshows.
So um, which I'm really excitedabout.
SPEAKER_02 (18:51):
So on on the thought of presentations, like you
present at the Toronto showevery year.
SPEAKER_00 (18:58):
Um Yeah, I think it's my seventh or eighth year.
SPEAKER_02 (19:01):
Um Right, and I've seen yet that when Dave Bain,
David Bain was doing the uh thewinter symposium and all that
sort of jazz.
So I make the assumption yousort of slot one of your
upcoming trips to be what youhope to do the presentation
about, because you've got Imean, there's got to be an awful
lot of brain process for how youthink it's gonna go, and then to
(19:23):
see how the trip goes, and thento put it all together.
So, like I know it's gonna be abunch of work.
I I that's not the question.
It's is it a shitload of work?
Yes, it is.
How what's the process to go?
Yeah, I think I think that'sgonna be the trip, and then how
do you how do you put apresentation together?
How long does that portion of ittake?
(19:43):
Like that's gotta be, you know,you gotta put together your
slideshow or your videopresentation or you know, all
the little bits, have all yourmake all your notes.
I'm not I'm not trying to setanybody up to to be able to do
presentations per se.
I'm just like I I want people toknow what it's What an ordeal it
is when you go to see them atthe show and they do, you know,
(20:04):
45 minutes or whatever it is,and and how many hours that 45
minutes has cost.
SPEAKER_00 (20:09):
Um, I think my process is probably much longer
than most people's.
Um I actually don't generallypresent on trips.
Last year was the first time,the first year that I presented
on a trip.
Um, well, and it was on thecapsizing.
And so for that trip, I had nopictures and videos whatsoever.
So, and I ended up with 76slides or something of photos.
(20:32):
So it was a really lengthyprocess for that because I had
nothing, and I was literallyscouring through, you know, I
think in my mind, okay, I'mpaddling through that river.
What did it look like?
Well, it looked kind of like theLady Evelyn.
And then I'd go through my LadyEvelyn, you know, footage from
each trip that I've done thereand go, oh, that looks just like
it.
And then I'd get that pictureand put it in the slide, and
(20:54):
then set up the slide with thetext or whatever, and then onto
the next slide.
So I mean, a slide could take mean hour or two hours, um,
depending um for for this one.
Um, because I did the cap sizelast year and I told people I
was coming back to do it.
I'm doing it the La Verandretrip, which I haven't done any
(21:14):
very little, three hours ofediting so far.
So um I've saved it and I didn'twant to put it up on YouTube
because I don't want people tosee it and then come to the show
and be like, I already knowabout that.
Which is gonna be partial whatOpemican is, but I'm doing that
one on the Sunday because we geta lot of newbies at the Toronto
show on the Sunday.
Um, you know, people who some ofthem don't even know who I am or
(21:37):
you know what I'm doing.
Not that they should, but youknow, like they're people that
are like, oh, what's thisoutdoor stuff?
Let's go see these things.
And so um it's gonna be a bitmore on the park, but on my
adventures in the park.
So that won't be too hard.
But yeah, it's I would say umprobably three solid weekends.
Um I've already been working onthe La Verandre video.
(22:00):
Um, first I want to make thevideos because they're gonna get
released after the presentation.
Um, but also I I go through thevideos, and as I'm going through
the video editing, I'm takingnotes now, like, okay, oh yeah,
this, this, and then I'm takingthe clip right from there and
putting it into my little folderthat says, you know, OAS Prezi.
And so that when I go to startmaking it, I've already got all
(22:24):
the clips and things there, andI can just draw from them and
then reduce them.
Because the first thing I needto do is make what I make a
trailer.
Um, not everybody does that, butI like to make a trailer for the
show and you know, be like, youknow, little clips and bits and
pieces.
And last year it was like, Oh, Isaw a bear and blah blah blah,
and you know, and then like toget people excited and go, Wow,
what's that about?
(22:44):
I want to go see that.
Where is that?
When is it, you know?
Um, and I do that partially forthe show and partially for me.
I like to attract people and belike, hey, look what I did, and
let's let's you know, come checkthis out.
It's really cool.
And um, so that'll be the firstthing I do, and then I'll start
working into the presentation.
So um, before that, I havesomething else that I'm working
(23:05):
on, um, which is a contest.
SPEAKER_02 (23:08):
Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:10):
Um, so I want to talk a bit about that because uh
it's not something I normallydo, but um, I am going to be at
the Hamilton Adventure Expo.
Uh, I think you guys are goingas well.
I think everybody's going.
It's it's a huge new show.
Uh, this is the second year Imissed last year.
Um, I wanted to go, but when Iheard about it, I had already
(23:31):
committed to Kinucopia, theQuiet Adventure Symposium, and
the Toronto show.
And they're all like weekend,weekend, weekend in a row,
driving to Kennucopia.
It's in Madison, Wisconsin.
It's a 14-hour each way.
Like, it was just too much.
And I said, I'm really sorry, Iwant to come, but that's four
hours of driving for me eachway.
Plus, you know, I ended upcanceling Quiet Adventure
(23:52):
because of the US stuff.
Um, we want to go into politics,but um, and I did go to
Kinecopia, but this year I'mjust doing Toronto, and so I
really wanted to attend theHamilton Adventure Expo.
I love what they're doing, andum, I have been invited to do a
little contest.
Um, Jeff uh from H2O, um, who'sone of my lovely sponsors, um,
(24:16):
he has invited me to share alittle space in his booth, and
uh, you guys are getting thescoop on this because nobody
knows about this contest exceptthe people who I've talked to
about getting prizes, um, andJeff, of course.
So um Hamilton doesn't even knowabout it.
They know I'm doing something,but they don't know what.
So um basically, uh, have youever heard of Speaker's Corner?
SPEAKER_02 (24:39):
City TV staple, which I hear is coming back, by
the way, just a side note.
SPEAKER_00 (24:43):
I think it's coming to Hamilton this January.
SPEAKER_02 (24:47):
They're bringing it into the uh the new Elma Combo,
but yes.
Oh really!
SPEAKER_01 (24:51):
They just got their stars.
SPEAKER_00 (24:53):
I didn't even know that.
Okay, so for those of you whodon't know, maybe the younger
crews, um there was a booth thatthey used to have at uh Queen
and something in Toronto, and Ithink it was a dollar, and
anybody could go in this boothand put your quarters in there
and film a video of whatever youwanted to talk about, you know,
whether it was like they didn'tclean the roads properly in the
(25:15):
winter or you know, people'sdogs were pooping everywhere,
whatever it was, and then theywould pick some and they would
air them on TV, and it was a bigthing, yeah.
So um, I got the idea from that.
I'm really not sure where I gotit from, but um one day I just
got this because I've beenthinking and thinking and
thinking, and that's theprocess, right?
(25:36):
February, the shows end and mybrain starts going, what am I
doing next year?
What am I gonna present on?
What am I gonna talk about?
And it goes on and on and onuntil I find that trip or I get
that topic, you know, tips andtricks or whatever it is, and
then I start working on itthroughout the whole year until
I start.
So it's not just a coupleweekends, it's really a very
long process for me because Ireally want to do something
(25:59):
great and I love presenting.
Um, but anyways, the contest uhit's gonna be called Camper
Christina's Corner.
Uh, Jeff is making me up abooth, which is can you guess
what the booth is made of?
Can we see it?
SPEAKER_02 (26:15):
Like a tent, like a TP?
It's gonna be a canoe sheetbooth.
Oh, of course it is.
A canoe, yes.
SPEAKER_00 (26:23):
So it is uh, I believe a half of a canoe.
I don't even know the size.
I sent Jeff these sketches thatI made that came out of my crazy
brain.
I get these weird ideassometimes and they come to
fruition, and they're like, wow,this is cool.
Um, so the canoe is standing up,but you turn the seat sideways.
So somebody can sit inside ofthe canoe, and I'm going to be
filming one-minute video clips.
(26:45):
Anyone can come and tell aone-minute paddling story.
I'm gonna have a bunch ofdifferent topics, I'm still
settling on those.
Um, but you know, your favoritepaddling adventure or double
blade, single blade, whateveryou want to come and pick a
topic.
And you come into the booth, um,you film a one-minute video.
I filmed the one-minute video,you're gonna film up, fill out a
(27:05):
little form.
I'm gonna have some in advanceonline, and um, pick your topic,
and then uh you do thisone-minute video, and then after
the show, we're gonna go throughthe clips and we're gonna pick
people to win prizes from thebest of each topic.
Um, so again, it's still not100% finalized, but you know,
we've still got a few weeks.
(27:25):
Uh, so so far I have uh uh Trecais giving me a tent to give away
worth like$500.
Um, AquaQuest is giving me somegift certificates for$50.
Uh, I've got Agawa.
I'm trying to get a lot of thelocal vendors that are at the
show, like Agawa, and um I'vetalked to um Camp Kitchen, still
(27:47):
waiting to hear back from them.
Uh Joe Robinet's new book isout.
He's given me a copy of his bookto give away.
I've got a copy of Adam's newbook to give away.
Um, Leek Dry is giving me somesocks to give away again.
Sulek 46 is gonna be donatingsome prizes.
Um, so tons of amazing prizesthat you can win.
And all you have to do is comeand share a paddling story um at
(28:10):
the H2O booth.
Um, it's gonna be done on theSaturday of the Hamilton show,
and it's only gonna be done atthe Hamilton Adventure Expo.
So I'm pretty stoked about it.
Um, I'm not sure if people aregonna love it or not, but I hope
so.
SPEAKER_02 (28:26):
Oh, they're gonna.
SPEAKER_00 (28:27):
And then what's gonna happen is those video
clips are gonna get usedthroughout the year.
So people can actually see themthemselves on a story or a reel
sometime throughout the yearfrom H2O or myself or uh whoever
they won the prize from, um,sharing their paddling story on
social media on a bunch ofdifferent pages.
SPEAKER_02 (28:48):
So kind of cool.
Yeah, that's excellent.
SPEAKER_00 (28:52):
Yeah, it's a lot, I know.
SPEAKER_02 (28:55):
Yeah, no, well, I think that's great because I I
mean I knew you were doing acontest, but I didn't know what
the deal was.
So, like, yay, that'll bethat'll be a ton of fun.
SPEAKER_00 (29:04):
Yeah, so and there's a lot, I mean, like, I think
Kevin, it's Kevin's given away aNova Craft Canoe, so there's all
kinds of prizes that are gonnabe going on.
Um, Treka's also giving me abunch of other stuff.
Um, we haven't confirmed yet, soI have a phone call with them on
Saturday, but um, you know, Idon't want to do it too early,
and I don't want the cat to beout of the bag too soon.
So, but I knew I was doing thiswith you this week, so I've
(29:28):
started, you know, about a weekago I kind of started reaching
out to people and saying, hey,like, do you think you might
want to be interested in indoing this?
And you know, we have such agreat community, like
everybody's just like, yeah, youknow, why don't you give away
one of these and why don't yougive away this?
And awesome.
So, and that gives me anopportunity as well to promote
our our community and ourvendors and you know, show off
(29:50):
the talents of everybody and umin the booth where they sit.
Again, this hasn't been fullydesigned yet, but I'm hoping to
put like the logos of all thesponsors in behind.
So when the people are filmingthe videos, like you're seeing
my you know, Treca back here andmy my logo back here, you'll be
seeing like SueLuk46 and Aguaand you know, Leek Dry and
(30:12):
Trekka, and all the people whoare sponsoring or donating
prizes, they'll be advertisedagain there, and then when the
videos get posted online onceagain, so yeah, it's kind of a
win-win for everybody.
SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
For those that don't know, Camper Christine is a rock
star of the community, and she'shas fully embraced the whole
social media thing.
So she's on YouTube, she's onInstagram, she's on Facebook.
Yes, you're on Facebook.
I don't even know where else.
You're probably on TikTok.
I don't do TikTok.
I'm not on TikTok.
SPEAKER_00 (30:44):
People keep trying to get me to do kit TikTok and
that other one that's on like Ilisten.
I I publish I put I publish uh apost on Instagram and Facebook
almost every single day, atleast one.
Um, my Facebook for some reasonhas gone bananas.
I I think I'm at uh the last 28days I have 400,000 views.
God dude, it's just crazy.
(31:06):
And I've jumped something like300 followers in the last two
weeks.
So they get these little, Idon't know, little ruts that
they hit, and it's just likeboom, and then I don't know why.
It used to be my Instagram, andnow my Instagram's kind of like
and my Facebook is crazy.
So I don't know.
I just I just post what I likeand what I hope people will
(31:27):
like, and you know, it'snon-political, it's just calm
and soothing things, paddlingthrough a creek, or you know,
sometimes they're portages andthey're kind of fun for me.
People are like, whoa, why areyou doing that?
But I love them, so I try touplift people, and especially
with things going on in theworld today, it's just kind of
social media is a lot of a drag,and uh there's just a lot of
(31:48):
crap, and people are just somepeople are not nice, but my page
is a friendly spot, and peoplecomment and they say nice things
and they share greatinformation, and um, it's just a
wonderful little little placethat I have there, my little
corner of the internet.
So I enjoy it.
SPEAKER_02 (32:07):
That's cool.
Well, we need yeah, you'reright.
We need that buffer against theinsanity that's happening out
there right now.
SPEAKER_00 (32:15):
Yeah, present.
SPEAKER_02 (32:17):
So what's what's on the horizon?
We know you're gonna do yourthing at the the Hamilton show,
which sounds very cool.
What else is what else is in theworks?
SPEAKER_00 (32:25):
Yeah, sorry if I went on about that.
I'm just super excited aboutthis.
I think it's gonna be really,really fun, and I hope people
get it.
Um, what else is in the works?
Well, you know, I'm gonna be atToronto.
I'm gonna be Saturday, I'm gonnabe doing the presentation on
Route 61 on Le Verandre.
Sunday I am presenting onOpemican.
Um, so I'm really excited aboutthat.
I think tickets are already onsale for the show when this
(32:46):
airs.
Uh goes on sale December 15th.
Great speakers, lots of coolthings in Toronto, always.
Um, and I've got some wintercamping events coming up.
Uh, Family Day, um, I should beout at Mew Lake and uh Silent
Lake, I'm gonna be going backto.
I love winter camping there.
Um, hoping to do some other cooltrips.
Um, that's all weatherdependent, and again, um, right
(33:09):
now my timeline is focused ongetting these presentations
done, and once that's done, Ican go out and play in the snow.
So um, and hopefully by thattime the snow is nice and
settled and good and here forfor the season.
So, yeah.
How about you guys?
Did you do anything excitingthis year?
What was your favorite trip?
SPEAKER_02 (33:30):
They were all good, all of our trips.
Well, no, Pamela's gonnadisagree with the the Georgian
Bay.
We got uh it we we've we've donea lot of whitewater, not
necessarily intentionally thisyear.
So we we oh we hit we hit bigwind on Georgian Bay, and we're
we were windbound for uh a fewdays, but it was fun because we
(33:51):
were windbound with um Jay andSherry from Beauty of the
Backcountry and um Alex and Jessfrom Tense and Timber.
Uh so that was fun.
Just hanging with like they'rejust they're just awesome folks.
SPEAKER_00 (34:06):
Yeah.
You guys were in Killarneytogether too, weren't you?
Or was that the same thing?
SPEAKER_02 (34:10):
Well, it was that was so it was basically out of
the south end of Killarney.
So we we stopped at Killarneyovernight and then we put in
everybody else showed up thenext day or two days later.
SPEAKER_01 (34:22):
Two days, I think Jay and Jerry were two days,
yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (34:24):
Yeah, they they actually stayed in the city.
It was supposed to be the nextday, and then uh weather was
crap as well, yeah.
So we it was we we picked theworst week of weather that we
could have, but it was still agreat time.
Don't care, it was good fun.
Yeah, it was it was flatteningtense and stuff.
(34:44):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (34:45):
Well, I'm glad you made it out okay.
Yes, sounds like a fun time.
It's always fun camping nomatter where you are, what
you're doing, or what theweather is like.
So if you know how to do itright, I mean, if you got the
right gear, you you're alwaysset.
SPEAKER_02 (34:58):
Well, that's it.
Somebody said, Well, what if itrains?
What if it rains?
I have tarps, I have tents, Ihave rain gear.
I'm I'm also not made of sugar,so I am not gonna melt.
SPEAKER_00 (35:08):
It's oh yeah.
Uh, I did a great trip inAlgonquin this year.
It's not it's just started goingup.
Um, by the time this airs, Ithink the whole series will be
out on my YouTube.
Um I've been having someproblems with my knee as well
this year, so that's kind ofslowed me down a bit, and I
haven't done as many crazy tripsas I'd like to.
(35:29):
Um, it is back now andeverything seems to be good, so
I'm like just ready to get backout there next season for like
some crazy canoe trips.
But um, I went to the BarrenCanyon.
And uh a funny story, hopefullyyou can fit this in, but um I
did one of my very firstbackcountry trips in Acre uh on
(35:51):
the is it called the EasternEastern Pines backpacking trail?
SPEAKER_02 (35:55):
Yes, I think.
SPEAKER_00 (35:56):
I did a backpacking trip uh Thanksgiving weekend in
2002, and I almost froze todeath.
I hate the cold.
I'll just start there.
I almost froze to death.
I um I was so cold, I hate thecold.
(36:16):
I had on everything that Ibrought in with me, and when I
rolled over in the tent, thecondensation was clinkling down
the side, like because it wasfrozen.
And I vowed never ever to campthat late in the year again.
And now, of course, I wintercamp, um, you know, mostly hot
tamping, but I cold camp and youknow, some of the summer trips
(36:38):
and spring and fall, you'reminus 10, minus five, too,
right?
Um, so I've never actuallypaddled there.
So I thought this is gonna begreat.
So I planned this really greatloop.
It had a two-kilometer portagein it, and then my knee, I went
to Grape and Wine in Niagara theweekend before, and I spent like
(36:58):
11 hours out partying.
Um, when I say partying, it'smostly dancing, and um, my knee
was very, very unhappy.
So I changed up the route, but Istill went, I did two nights on
Stratton, and then I paddled outover into Carcaju Bay and did a
night there, and then I paddledback to the access.
(37:19):
I drove to Squirrel Rapids,Squirrel Rapids, yeah, and then
parked there, and then paddledup through uh the Baron River
and camped one night there, andthen I waited until all the
people left because it was theholiday Monday of um Thank was
it Thanksgiving?
Yeah, Thanksgiving weekend.
It was the holiday Monday, and Iwaited till everybody left, and
(37:41):
then around four o'clock Ipaddled through the canyon.
I was pretty much all by myself,and I met these two lovely young
men from the states, uh, andthey're like, Oh, look, there's
a moose.
And there was a moose up in thecanyon, up in the rocks.
I would never have even, I mean,I would have never even looked
there.
I couldn't believe it.
(38:02):
And uh yeah, it was a prettyepic adventure.
I also saw a bear and a wolf onthe way in, and I saw a bear on
Stratton.
So um, everyone who keepssaying, I see wildlife all the
time, Camper Christina.
Why don't you?
It's because of the places I go.
I usually go to these crazyremote places where bears don't
(38:23):
really know what people are andthey don't look for you for
food.
And when I go to somewhere likeAlgonquin, poof, all the
wildlife starts popping upeverywhere.
So um, that's why.
SPEAKER_02 (38:35):
Very cool.
Well, I I have to say, I'mpainfully jealous.
I have planned the last twoyears, we have planned and
booked Barren Canyon loops, andboth times, well, I can't, I
think Thomas was sick one year.
Thomas was sick this year.
He got he went came down withthe flu like two days before
we're supposed to go.
And because I had booked a loop,as I got to like maybe he'll
(38:59):
feel better, but we're four daysin.
Like, I don't that I can't dothat in you know, seven-hour
drive plus that in one day.
So that that one went in thetoilet.
Uh, and I think the year before,I think his schedule just didn't
play out for it.
He ended up having to bail andgo do work things.
So I'm going to do it againbecause third time lucky, right?
(39:19):
It's not three strikes andyou're out.
SPEAKER_00 (39:22):
Yeah, and it was great to do it the way that I
did it, even though I would haveloved to do all the portaging
and stuff.
Um, because a lot of people havealready watched part one uh and
two are up right now, and by thetime this airs, I think the
whole series will be up.
But people were saying, this isreally great because I don't
like to portage or I can'tportage.
And so it was a great way tokind of show people you know,
you can come in here, do a 50meter portage in a Stratton,
(39:45):
stay there for a couple of days,go out, go to Carcaju, 50 meter
portage back out, and then Ithink it's a 350 or something on
the Baron River, and it's apretty decent portage, it's not
like super crazy hard oranything, so um super.
Easy places that you can govisit that you know are fairly
easy to get in and out of.
Um, because I went Thanksgiving,it wasn't crazy busy, but it was
(40:07):
still really busy there.
So um I met a lot of fun peopletoo.
Um, but lots of people notwearing their PFDs.
So I'm safety first, everyone,please.
SPEAKER_02 (40:18):
Totally agree, totally agree.
Uh, we talked to two gentlemenrecently, uh 10 kilometer, was
it a 10 kilometer portage?
Yes.
The it in the in up in theArctic, yeah.
Like a multi-day portage.
SPEAKER_00 (40:34):
Can you I don't know if you can call that a portage,
can you?
It should be a drive orsomething.
SPEAKER_02 (40:40):
They're in the middle of nowhere, man.
They these guys do some prettyhardcore stuff.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (40:45):
Oh, yeah.
Well, the guys that I met, thetwo guys from the states, they
dropped off their bikes at theSquirrel Rapids, and they
started at uh like Acray, andthey went through and did part
of the route that I was gonnado.
They did half of the loop, theloop coming back that I was
gonna do, and then went upthrough the Barren River and
went out at Squirrel Rapids, andthen they rode their bikes back
(41:07):
to get their car at Accray.
Um, I haven't talked to themsince they got out, so I hope
they made it.
Um, if you're watching this,guys, get in touch.
I don't know if you're okay, butI'm sure they are.
I would have heard something.
But uh, I did get them to weartheir PFDs, so I kind of feel
like that's a dream.
Good job.
I'm super good.
SPEAKER_02 (41:31):
That's funny.
Uh okay, I think that's it forus.
Fine.
SPEAKER_01 (41:39):
All right, that's it for us for today.
Thank you so much to CamperChristina for joining us again.
And also do check her out,camperChristina.com, check her
out on YouTube, check out herAlgonquin trip on YouTube, and
by the time this airs, um well,by the time this airs, nothing.
Yeah, nothing.
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (41:58):
Check her out on Facebook too.
SPEAKER_01 (41:59):
Well, all of the series will be up on YouTube,
that's what it was as by thetime this airs, all of the
series.
Right.
Melgonquin will be up onYouTube, and check her out at
the Hamilton show in herspeakers corner, and also check
her out at the Toronto AdventureShow for Saturday and Sunday.
And check us out, we'll be atthe Hamilton Show and at the
Toronto show.
Um, not presenting, but uh, wewill be there, and uh also
(42:21):
please check us out, email usanytime if you want to, at high
at supergoodcambing.com.
That's H I atSupergoodcambing.com, and we
will talk to you again soon.
Bye.
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (42:30):
Thanks so much for having me, guys.
SPEAKER_01 (42:32):
No, cool.
Hello and good day.
A welcome to the Super GoodCamping Podcast.
My name is Pamela.
I'm Tim.
And we are fromSupergoodcamping.com.
We're here because we are on amission to inspire other people
to get outside and enjoy campingadventures such as we have as a
family.
Today's guest is chatted us withus the most of any of our
guests.
This will be her fourthappearance on the podcast, I
think.
Fourth.
I want to say fifth.
(00:20):
Fifth, maybe fifth.
She was our very first guestever.
She loves the outdoors and videomaking.
She heads out on lots ofadventures year-round, and most
are solo adventures.
She's completed level one, two,and extractor level courses for
sea kayaking, level one to fourcanoe certifications, wilderness
tourist aid, and map and compasslevel one and two
certifications.
(00:41):
She's produced her own courseson backcountry camping and
winter camping.
You can check out her YouTubechannel to see some of the
awesome places she visits.
Please welcome back CamperChristina.
Yay, welcome.
Yay! We love your shirt.
SPEAKER_02 (00:56):
Nice shirt, nice shirt.
SPEAKER_01 (00:57):
Thank you.
I had a mage for today.
That's Tim's photography rightthere.
SPEAKER_02 (01:04):
Photography.
SPEAKER_01 (01:05):
Photography.
SPEAKER_02 (01:06):
I take lots of pictures.
I shoot lots of video.
I just am too lazy to edit it.
So you guys never get to seethat.
SPEAKER_01 (01:11):
Well, Christina likes doing the video editing.
SPEAKER_02 (01:13):
Apparently she does.
She's a bit of a whack job.
Could be why we love her.
Uh how the heck are you, andwhat have you been up to lately?
I know, I know life's been busywith moving and all of those
things that take take up so muchtime and stuff, but uh I have to
assume a life is good at the newplace.
SPEAKER_00 (01:32):
Life is very good at the new place.
I have a pet beaver.
SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
I heard.
I just saw you looked like youwere watching.
SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
I'm about to say that because people are just
like, what for many reasons,even if they think I'm gonna be
talking about a legitimatebeaver, which I am.
Um, I mean, he's not my pet.
I guess I inherited him when Igot the house.
Um, actually, he came by about amonth after I moved in in June,
and he just kind of stayed.
(02:00):
I call him Beavy, and he's mybud.
He's super chill, and uh, I loveto see what he's up to.
He's now built a lodge in thecorner of the pond.
Um, I was excited because Ithought I would maybe get to
skate on it this winter, buthe's trying to keep the pond not
frozen.
Um mine is 19 right now, sotoday he's struggling.
(02:22):
But every morning I wake up andthere's kind of a little puddle
around where his lodge is.
So it's kind of interesting.
Um, yeah, it makes me kind ofnot want to leave home
sometimes.
SPEAKER_02 (02:33):
Very cool.
SPEAKER_00 (02:34):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (02:35):
That's I I would imagine having a pond like
literally outside your door is apretty cool thing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:43):
It is.
I can look out my I can look outthe window right now.
If it was daylight, I could seeit.
Uh it's it's pretty awesome.
Um, I have three acres, hugeamount of forest in the back.
I was hoping to see deer.
I only seen them twice so far.
Um, there's a dog in the houseacross the street, so someone
said maybe that's why.
SPEAKER_02 (03:00):
Barky barky, maybe, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:02):
Yeah, the barking.
But uh Beavy has a pet, a pet aswell, a little muskrat that
hangs out with him sometimes.
Um, so I've seen him, I've seenotters, uh, I have a plethora of
birds that I am the caretaker tonow, and uh I feed those guys
year-round, and um, yeah, it'sit's pretty awesome.
Um, winter has been challengingso far.
(03:24):
I've almost been uh struck by anoncoming vehicle twice now in a
week.
Uh last Thursday, actually.
A week ago, um someone cameflying in the air at me.
So cool.
Uh it's a little bit treacherousdriving, um, but that's the way
it is.
Uh, I guess that's what I gottado to live out here.
SPEAKER_02 (03:44):
So I'm I thought it was just down here in Toronto
that they all forgot how todrive in the winter and then had
to remember by smashing intosomebody.
SPEAKER_00 (03:52):
It's um most of my drive to work is roads like
this.
Why do we mean so which is fine,but um people seem to want to
drive really fast, and uh yeah,the guy was coming at me, and I
saw the one car coming, and thenthe other one just missed the
turn.
He he went right across theroad, right in front of me, went
down the ditch, up the ditch,airborne, flying.
(04:15):
I'm like, oh god, and uh somehowit just kind of tilted and they
landed right side up and bounceda couple ways there a couple
feet and then landed in adriveway right next to me.
So pretty scary, yeah.
So it's it's been an adventureall in itself, but still worth
it so far.
(04:36):
So got a lot of snow.
Um, we don't have a ton here.
Um, Jenny is an Aurelia, theyhave a lot more there.
Um, we've gotten about I've onlysnowblown fully like once, well,
twice on the weekend.
So uh maybe eight inches ish.
So yeah, not too much, but wegot more coming.
SPEAKER_02 (04:56):
So yes, we do.
We haven't we haven't had we'vehad some some crappy heavy wet
gunk, you know.
So the the stuff that's youcan't you can't snowboat if you
want to because it just goesblow up on the you know beside
your head uh so I've had to pushthat around a bit, but so far so
good.
We're not we're just starting toget into those kind of
(05:19):
temperatures.
I think we're supposed to hitminus 12 tonight when we're
recording this.
So that'll be the that'll be thefirst double digit negative
we've hit so far.
SPEAKER_00 (05:30):
So yeah, well it's not minus 19, so it's not minus
19.
And this is the coldest it'sbeen like today and yesterday
just kind of dropped last night.
Um it's minus 19 on my outsidethermometer right now, and I
don't that's not with the windchills, so um, yeah, it's it's a
little bit chilly, but it's notbad, it's not snowing, and we
have the super moon, it'sactually called the cold moon,
(05:51):
and it's out right now over thepond, and it's just beautiful.
SPEAKER_02 (05:54):
So okay, we're gonna pause this so I can go have a
look.
Uh okay, cool.
Well, that's I that you it'sobviously we have chatted a
bunch of times in real life aswell.
Uh so so sorry for you guyshaving to listen, listen to us
do ketchup because that's that'swhat that's what pals do.
(06:14):
We catch up once.
Um speaking of catch up, what'ssince we haven't spoken in two
years, do a short versionbecause you do a bunch of stuff.
But what have you been up to?
What pick give give us some ofthe highlights you've been uh
out and about doing?
SPEAKER_00 (06:28):
Uh well this year was a bit rough because I moved
in June and um, you know, bymyself.
So uh spent months and monthsand months and months purging.
I had a basement.
Now I have a two-bedroom housewithout a basement.
Um, I have some outbuildings,but still it was a lot of you
know, um paring down stuff andgetting rid of a lot of things,
(06:50):
which was great.
Um, and so that kind of left mea little bit stuck because I
moved on June 19th, and uh thenit was paddling season, like it
had already started.
Yep.
So um I hadn't had time to planmuch.
Um so I ended up spending a lotof time in Opamican this year.
Uh I met them at the TorontoAfter Adventure show in
(07:10):
February, and they're like, youknow, we've got this new park
and come see us, and we'd loveto have you.
And so I thought, well, uh,let's see.
So I sent an email to Marissa,uh, who runs some things over
there, and she was like, Yeah,you know, you should do this and
this, and I actually ended upgoing there four times this
year.
So um I'm gonna be doing apresentation on it uh on the I
(07:31):
think on the Sunday at theToronto After Adventure Show,
um, which I'm excited about justto kind of show all the
different things that you can dothere.
And I haven't even done all thethings that you can do there,
but um, they always seem to haveopenings, it's not very far,
it's a three-hour drive fromhere, just like tamogamy, and uh
you know, beautiful area, lotsof different things you can do
(07:52):
there.
So uh I spent a lot of timethere, and I also went back to
another place in Quebec, whichyou guys heard about last year.
Um, for those of you who don'tknow, I went to Quebec to do
this amazing route called Route61 at a place called Le
Verendre, and um I calfsized onthe first day of my trip.
(08:16):
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye phone, right?
Um that's really all I lost wasmy tripod selfie stick and my
phone because it wasn't lashedinto the canoe, which I do now.
Um, and uh I just I had a bit oftrauma from that, I guess.
Um, you know, I lost someconfidence.
Um, I did go back out on I thinkfour or five trips before the
(08:39):
end of the season last year.
Um this year I found the samething.
I was kind of feeling a littlebit like uh I did a few more
extra trips this year withfriends.
Uh I think I did quite a fewtrips with Jenny this year, who
was willing.
She's always willing to head outon an adventure with me, which
is great.
And um I went back to Route 61.
As I promised everyone, the theend of my presentation at the
(09:01):
Toronto show last year was,well, I'm gonna go back and I'm
gonna see if I can find myphone.
And I think some people took itliterally.
Like, I got a couple messagessaying, Oh, did you find your
phone?
And I'm like, Well, I didn'treally look.
Um, I actually was in the dumparea and didn't even realize I
was in it because the water wasso high when I was there last
(09:26):
year, um, and then solo thisyear.
Um, I don't know how what youguys saw, but the water levels
everywhere were down this year.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
We we noticed the same thing.
It's funny because Pamela, apicture came up on our smart
screen the other day, andPamela's like, is that the same
place that you guys were at?
Because Thomas and I did aspring trip up at Palmer Rapids
and then a fall, late summertrip, and and it was.
We quit and all of that waterthat we were looking at in the
spring was was way over there.
(09:56):
There was none over hereanymore.
It was just stunning difference.
SPEAKER_00 (09:59):
Yes, so that's what happened to me.
Um I think even Hap Wilson hadsaid the water is the lowest in
Tamogamy's been in 50 years thisyear.
So um I was, you know, making myway through, and you know, day
one I wanted to conquer it.
I wanted to get through thatspot and get to that lake that I
never saw and make camp there.
(10:20):
And um, when I headed out in themorning, um, just before I lost
my service, uh, there was a bigthunderstorm coming in, thunder
and lightning and all the funthings, and it was supposed to
be coming in at two.
So I was kind of truckingthrough and you know, I was
filming everything, going, ohwow, that doesn't look like it
did last year.
And then what I did last yearwhen I made my presentation was
(10:43):
I took pictures and video clipsfrom other trips that looked
like what I remembered in mymind.
And so then I had this third,now I was having this third
perception of what I was seeing,right?
Because I was like, okay, Iremembered it one way, and then
I put this picture in there inthe presentation, and now it
looks like this.
And it was different alsobecause of the water levels.
(11:04):
So um I get to the spot where Ithought I dumped, I didn't even
realize at first.
I'm just paddling along and I'mlike, oh, there's some really
shallow water here.
You know, I kind of jump out ofthe canoe and I start pulling
the canoe through, and I'mlooking around, and I'm like,
this is the place.
(11:25):
I didn't even recognize it.
I did not even recognize it.
Last year it was rushing watercoming towards me, no way to get
up it, um, dumped me, right?
Like, just flipped me over.
And this year I'm walkingthrough and I'm about halfway
through, and I'm looking aroundand I'm like, oh my god, I'm
here.
(11:46):
And so I paused, and of course,I'm in like some, I don't say
they're rapids, because thewater is like, you know, just
just deep enough for me to pullthe canoe through if I got out.
But um, it's shallow, and I'mstanding there, and the
current's pretty strong and it'spushing me, and I'm like, okay,
hang on, I gotta move the canoeover, I gotta take some pictures
and videos, and I kind of had alittle bit of a breakdown there,
(12:07):
and kind of, you know, just theemotions really hit me that I
was back in this place, and andit was too late to look for the
phone because I had gone waypast where I dumped already, and
I didn't want to go back becauseI had this weather coming in,
and so I just kind of, you know,stopped for a few minutes.
I took some pictures and videos,and then I I carried on.
(12:27):
Um, it turns out that thatwasn't actually the hard section
of the day.
Um, the next R1, I had assumedthat I had dumped on the second
R1 just because I had paddledthrough another one and thought
it was the first one, but I wasactually only I dumped in the
first R1.
So I paddled a little bit afterI went through there.
(12:49):
The second R1 was treacherous.
Uh, it was kind of like this,and uh I don't know how people
get through it with a biggercanoe.
Like I've got a 14.6, um, I gotstuck on a couple of the turns,
the water was only this deep, soI'm literally pulling but not
lifting the boat up over theserocks, and at one point it got
(13:11):
jammed where like the front wason a rock and the back was on a
rock, and I'm lifting up thewhole canoe full of all my gear,
and I'm like, the storm'scoming, I gotta go.
But then I'm like, wow, look atthis.
I gotta take pictures andvideos.
And, anyways, I ended up gettingout, and then there's a big,
huge beaver dam.
I finally make it onto the lakethat I'm camping on.
(13:32):
I start paddling across it, andthe wind starts picking up, and
just as I'm getting to where thecampsite is, uh, it's beautiful
beach landing, the waves arestarting to smash me against the
rocks, and I get out and I setup my buck shelter super fast
and get all my stuff in it, andthen the lightning and thunder
(13:52):
came, and the whole rest of theday was thunder and lightning,
and I was just like, wow.
But um, the trip was amazing,the route was unbelievable.
Um, it was full of so manydifferent kinds of challenges.
Uh, you know, like there was asand cliff at one point, it was
(14:12):
the end of the portage, and it'slike this, and I'm standing at
the top going, Are you kiddingme right now?
Like, and then at the bottom ofit, there were rapids, and I'm
not a fan of white water.
And so then I stood down at thebottom for a half an hour,
going, Oh, what am I gonna do?
How am I gonna get through this?
And literally it was like, done,right?
And I'm laughing afterwards,going, you know, but I was
(14:34):
paranoid still because I stillhad that unease from last year.
Um, but everything was in myfavor this year.
The water levels were low, theweather was great.
Uh, anytime it rained, I wassleeping, or I had just gotten
to camp.
Um, the wind was at my back,literally, on some of them.
The scenery was stunning, someof the most beautiful waterfalls
(14:58):
I've ever seen.
And when I got to the end, Ijust cried a little bit and uh
very, very emotional.
And um, I'm so proud of myselffor going back and doing it.
And uh, you know, I've done, Idon't want to say I've done
harder roots in comparison.
Yeah, some of the fire burnplaces I've done in Tamogamy,
(15:18):
difficult, challenging, crazy.
Um, so it was it was equallyhard, but just so much more
rewarding after um what I what Iwent through to get there, you
know.
Um, and it was funny because Ialmost canceled the trip, I
don't know how many times.
Um, I was so anxious going intoit.
(15:39):
As I mentioned, I've got thisnew house, and uh everything was
supposed to have been done.
The septic, I have septic now,never had septic before.
Septic was supposed to becleaned.
I had an invoice saying septicwas done, and it's like my car's
running, it's all packed up.
I'm about ready to start this10-hour drive to do this trip
(16:00):
that I'm super anxious about.
And I do one last pee in thebathroom, flush the toilet.
Up everything comes.
And uh in the toilet, in theshower.
Um it's surprising because itdoesn't smell.
You would think, oh, this poop'scoming up.
It's just like water with littleblack specks in it.
But I'm my whole bathroomstarted flooding, and I'm like,
(16:22):
are you kidding me right now?
Like, I've got to leave at acertain time because the
campground I was staying at, Iwas doing a jump off the night
before.
And I'm like, I'm not supposedto go, like, everything is
telling me to stay home rightnow.
And um, I called a guy at workand he's got a plumber friend,
and he said, you know what, go,go on your trip, do your thing,
you know, leave a key, I'll sendthe plumber guy and we'll have
(16:46):
it all fixed up for you.
And I literally wiped up thefloor and just got in the car
and left.
And again, so glad I did.
It wasn't a sign, everythingwent great, but um, you know,
people are always like, Oh, youknow, I never have the guts to
do that, or that would make mescared.
You know, I get scared too.
We all get scared, right?
(17:06):
We all get anxious, we all havethese signs of things that
happen, and you just kind ofgotta, you know, go through it
and smile and just do it.
And I did, and I made it.
So um, really, really rewardingto finish that that route and uh
so happy I went back and did it.
So that was pretty much my tripof the year, the big one.
(17:28):
I did a lot of other trips, butum nothing as significant, uh,
in my opinion.
So yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:36):
How many days of tripping are you sort of racking
up these days, like the the youknow, the last two, three years?
SPEAKER_00 (17:44):
Um on average, I do approximately two trips a month
um year-round, um, depending onwhen that is.
Maybe August is three, maybeJanuary is one.
Um, it just depends on the timeof year and the weather, and um,
they're generally weekends.
Uh, I don't work at my office onFridays.
(18:06):
I work longer hours Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday.
So I'm still working a fullweek, but I'm cramming it into
four days so that it soundslovely.
But Friday, Saturday, andSunday, 90% of the time I'm
sitting in front of my computerediting videos.
I mean, the footage that I haveum just from Le Verendre, I have
15 and a half hours of videofootage from Le Verandre from a
(18:29):
five, it was a six-day trip.
So um I'm down to 12 hours now,and I'm working my way through
that right now because I'mtrying to get ready for the
shows.
So the next couple weekends aregonna be, you know, getting
these these videos done and ummaking these presentations and
getting ready for the springshows.
So um, which I'm really excitedabout.
SPEAKER_02 (18:51):
So on on the thought of presentations, like you
present at the Toronto showevery year.
SPEAKER_00 (18:58):
Um Yeah, I think it's my seventh or eighth year.
SPEAKER_02 (19:01):
Um Right, and I've seen yet that when Dave Bain,
David Bain was doing the uh thewinter symposium and all that
sort of jazz.
So I make the assumption yousort of slot one of your
upcoming trips to be what youhope to do the presentation
about, because you've got Imean, there's got to be an awful
lot of brain process for how youthink it's gonna go, and then to
(19:23):
see how the trip goes, and thento put it all together.
So, like I know it's gonna be abunch of work.
I I that's not the question.
It's is it a shitload of work?
Yes, it is.
How what's the process to go?
Yeah, I think I think that'sgonna be the trip, and then how
do you how do you put apresentation together?
How long does that portion of ittake?
(19:43):
Like that's gotta be, you know,you gotta put together your
slideshow or your videopresentation or you know, all
the little bits, have all yourmake all your notes.
I'm not I'm not trying to setanybody up to to be able to do
presentations per se.
I'm just like I I want people toknow what it's What an ordeal it
is when you go to see them atthe show and they do, you know,
(20:04):
45 minutes or whatever it is,and and how many hours that 45
minutes has cost.
SPEAKER_00 (20:09):
Um, I think my process is probably much longer
than most people's.
Um I actually don't generallypresent on trips.
Last year was the first time,the first year that I presented
on a trip.
Um, well, and it was on thecapsizing.
And so for that trip, I had nopictures and videos whatsoever.
So, and I ended up with 76slides or something of photos.
(20:32):
So it was a really lengthyprocess for that because I had
nothing, and I was literallyscouring through, you know, I
think in my mind, okay, I'mpaddling through that river.
What did it look like?
Well, it looked kind of like theLady Evelyn.
And then I'd go through my LadyEvelyn, you know, footage from
each trip that I've done thereand go, oh, that looks just like
it.
And then I'd get that pictureand put it in the slide, and
(20:54):
then set up the slide with thetext or whatever, and then onto
the next slide.
So I mean, a slide could take mean hour or two hours, um,
depending um for for this one.
Um, because I did the cap sizelast year and I told people I
was coming back to do it.
I'm doing it the La Verandretrip, which I haven't done any
(21:14):
very little, three hours ofediting so far.
So um I've saved it and I didn'twant to put it up on YouTube
because I don't want people tosee it and then come to the show
and be like, I already knowabout that.
Which is gonna be partial whatOpemican is, but I'm doing that
one on the Sunday because we geta lot of newbies at the Toronto
show on the Sunday.
Um, you know, people who some ofthem don't even know who I am or
(21:37):
you know what I'm doing.
Not that they should, but youknow, like they're people that
are like, oh, what's thisoutdoor stuff?
Let's go see these things.
And so um it's gonna be a bitmore on the park, but on my
adventures in the park.
So that won't be too hard.
But yeah, it's I would say umprobably three solid weekends.
Um I've already been working onthe La Verandre video.
(22:00):
Um, first I want to make thevideos because they're gonna get
released after the presentation.
Um, but also I I go through thevideos, and as I'm going through
the video editing, I'm takingnotes now, like, okay, oh yeah,
this, this, and then I'm takingthe clip right from there and
putting it into my little folderthat says, you know, OAS Prezi.
And so that when I go to startmaking it, I've already got all
(22:24):
the clips and things there, andI can just draw from them and
then reduce them.
Because the first thing I needto do is make what I make a
trailer.
Um, not everybody does that, butI like to make a trailer for the
show and you know, be like, youknow, little clips and bits and
pieces.
And last year it was like, Oh, Isaw a bear and blah blah blah,
and you know, and then like toget people excited and go, Wow,
what's that about?
(22:44):
I want to go see that.
Where is that?
When is it, you know?
Um, and I do that partially forthe show and partially for me.
I like to attract people and belike, hey, look what I did, and
let's let's you know, come checkthis out.
It's really cool.
And um, so that'll be the firstthing I do, and then I'll start
working into the presentation.
So um, before that, I havesomething else that I'm working
(23:05):
on, um, which is a contest.
SPEAKER_02 (23:08):
Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:10):
Um, so I want to talk a bit about that because uh
it's not something I normallydo, but um, I am going to be at
the Hamilton Adventure Expo.
Uh, I think you guys are goingas well.
I think everybody's going.
It's it's a huge new show.
Uh, this is the second year Imissed last year.
Um, I wanted to go, but when Iheard about it, I had already
(23:31):
committed to Kinucopia, theQuiet Adventure Symposium, and
the Toronto show.
And they're all like weekend,weekend, weekend in a row,
driving to Kennucopia.
It's in Madison, Wisconsin.
It's a 14-hour each way.
Like, it was just too much.
And I said, I'm really sorry, Iwant to come, but that's four
hours of driving for me eachway.
Plus, you know, I ended upcanceling Quiet Adventure
(23:52):
because of the US stuff.
Um, we want to go into politics,but um, and I did go to
Kinecopia, but this year I'mjust doing Toronto, and so I
really wanted to attend theHamilton Adventure Expo.
I love what they're doing, andum, I have been invited to do a
little contest.
Um, Jeff uh from H2O, um, who'sone of my lovely sponsors, um,
(24:16):
he has invited me to share alittle space in his booth, and
uh, you guys are getting thescoop on this because nobody
knows about this contest exceptthe people who I've talked to
about getting prizes, um, andJeff, of course.
So um Hamilton doesn't even knowabout it.
They know I'm doing something,but they don't know what.
So um basically, uh, have youever heard of Speaker's Corner?
SPEAKER_02 (24:39):
City TV staple, which I hear is coming back, by
the way, just a side note.
SPEAKER_00 (24:43):
I think it's coming to Hamilton this January.
SPEAKER_02 (24:47):
They're bringing it into the uh the new Elma Combo,
but yes.
Oh really!
SPEAKER_01 (24:51):
They just got their stars.
SPEAKER_00 (24:53):
I didn't even know that.
Okay, so for those of you whodon't know, maybe the younger
crews, um there was a booth thatthey used to have at uh Queen
and something in Toronto, and Ithink it was a dollar, and
anybody could go in this boothand put your quarters in there
and film a video of whatever youwanted to talk about, you know,
whether it was like they didn'tclean the roads properly in the
(25:15):
winter or you know, people'sdogs were pooping everywhere,
whatever it was, and then theywould pick some and they would
air them on TV, and it was a bigthing, yeah.
So um, I got the idea from that.
I'm really not sure where I gotit from, but um one day I just
got this because I've beenthinking and thinking and
thinking, and that's theprocess, right?
(25:36):
February, the shows end and mybrain starts going, what am I
doing next year?
What am I gonna present on?
What am I gonna talk about?
And it goes on and on and onuntil I find that trip or I get
that topic, you know, tips andtricks or whatever it is, and
then I start working on itthroughout the whole year until
I start.
So it's not just a coupleweekends, it's really a very
long process for me because Ireally want to do something
(25:59):
great and I love presenting.
Um, but anyways, the contest uhit's gonna be called Camper
Christina's Corner.
Uh, Jeff is making me up abooth, which is can you guess
what the booth is made of?
Can we see it?
SPEAKER_02 (26:15):
Like a tent, like a TP?
It's gonna be a canoe sheetbooth.
Oh, of course it is.
A canoe, yes.
SPEAKER_00 (26:23):
So it is uh, I believe a half of a canoe.
I don't even know the size.
I sent Jeff these sketches thatI made that came out of my crazy
brain.
I get these weird ideassometimes and they come to
fruition, and they're like, wow,this is cool.
Um, so the canoe is standing up,but you turn the seat sideways.
So somebody can sit inside ofthe canoe, and I'm going to be
filming one-minute video clips.
(26:45):
Anyone can come and tell aone-minute paddling story.
I'm gonna have a bunch ofdifferent topics, I'm still
settling on those.
Um, but you know, your favoritepaddling adventure or double
blade, single blade, whateveryou want to come and pick a
topic.
And you come into the booth, um,you film a one-minute video.
I filmed the one-minute video,you're gonna film up, fill out a
(27:05):
little form.
I'm gonna have some in advanceonline, and um, pick your topic,
and then uh you do thisone-minute video, and then after
the show, we're gonna go throughthe clips and we're gonna pick
people to win prizes from thebest of each topic.
Um, so again, it's still not100% finalized, but you know,
we've still got a few weeks.
(27:25):
Uh, so so far I have uh uh Trecais giving me a tent to give away
worth like$500.
Um, AquaQuest is giving me somegift certificates for$50.
Uh, I've got Agawa.
I'm trying to get a lot of thelocal vendors that are at the
show, like Agawa, and um I'vetalked to um Camp Kitchen, still
(27:47):
waiting to hear back from them.
Uh Joe Robinet's new book isout.
He's given me a copy of his bookto give away.
I've got a copy of Adam's newbook to give away.
Um, Leek Dry is giving me somesocks to give away again.
Sulek 46 is gonna be donatingsome prizes.
Um, so tons of amazing prizesthat you can win.
And all you have to do is comeand share a paddling story um at
(28:10):
the H2O booth.
Um, it's gonna be done on theSaturday of the Hamilton show,
and it's only gonna be done atthe Hamilton Adventure Expo.
So I'm pretty stoked about it.
Um, I'm not sure if people aregonna love it or not, but I hope
so.
SPEAKER_02 (28:26):
Oh, they're gonna.
SPEAKER_00 (28:27):
And then what's gonna happen is those video
clips are gonna get usedthroughout the year.
So people can actually see themthemselves on a story or a reel
sometime throughout the yearfrom H2O or myself or uh whoever
they won the prize from, um,sharing their paddling story on
social media on a bunch ofdifferent pages.
SPEAKER_02 (28:48):
So kind of cool.
Yeah, that's excellent.
SPEAKER_00 (28:52):
Yeah, it's a lot, I know.
SPEAKER_02 (28:55):
Yeah, no, well, I think that's great because I I
mean I knew you were doing acontest, but I didn't know what
the deal was.
So, like, yay, that'll bethat'll be a ton of fun.
SPEAKER_00 (29:04):
Yeah, so and there's a lot, I mean, like, I think
Kevin, it's Kevin's given away aNova Craft Canoe, so there's all
kinds of prizes that are gonnabe going on.
Um, Treka's also giving me abunch of other stuff.
Um, we haven't confirmed yet, soI have a phone call with them on
Saturday, but um, you know, Idon't want to do it too early,
and I don't want the cat to beout of the bag too soon.
So, but I knew I was doing thiswith you this week, so I've
(29:28):
started, you know, about a weekago I kind of started reaching
out to people and saying, hey,like, do you think you might
want to be interested in indoing this?
And you know, we have such agreat community, like
everybody's just like, yeah, youknow, why don't you give away
one of these and why don't yougive away this?
And awesome.
So, and that gives me anopportunity as well to promote
our our community and ourvendors and you know, show off
(29:50):
the talents of everybody and umin the booth where they sit.
Again, this hasn't been fullydesigned yet, but I'm hoping to
put like the logos of all thesponsors in behind.
So when the people are filmingthe videos, like you're seeing
my you know, Treca back here andmy my logo back here, you'll be
seeing like SueLuk46 and Aguaand you know, Leek Dry and
(30:12):
Trekka, and all the people whoare sponsoring or donating
prizes, they'll be advertisedagain there, and then when the
videos get posted online onceagain, so yeah, it's kind of a
win-win for everybody.
SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
For those that don't know, Camper Christine is a rock
star of the community, and she'shas fully embraced the whole
social media thing.
So she's on YouTube, she's onInstagram, she's on Facebook.
Yes, you're on Facebook.
I don't even know where else.
You're probably on TikTok.
I don't do TikTok.
I'm not on TikTok.
SPEAKER_00 (30:44):
People keep trying to get me to do kit TikTok and
that other one that's on like Ilisten.
I I publish I put I publish uh apost on Instagram and Facebook
almost every single day, atleast one.
Um, my Facebook for some reasonhas gone bananas.
I I think I'm at uh the last 28days I have 400,000 views.
God dude, it's just crazy.
(31:06):
And I've jumped something like300 followers in the last two
weeks.
So they get these little, Idon't know, little ruts that
they hit, and it's just likeboom, and then I don't know why.
It used to be my Instagram, andnow my Instagram's kind of like
and my Facebook is crazy.
So I don't know.
I just I just post what I likeand what I hope people will
(31:27):
like, and you know, it'snon-political, it's just calm
and soothing things, paddlingthrough a creek, or you know,
sometimes they're portages andthey're kind of fun for me.
People are like, whoa, why areyou doing that?
But I love them, so I try touplift people, and especially
with things going on in theworld today, it's just kind of
social media is a lot of a drag,and uh there's just a lot of
(31:48):
crap, and people are just somepeople are not nice, but my page
is a friendly spot, and peoplecomment and they say nice things
and they share greatinformation, and um, it's just a
wonderful little little placethat I have there, my little
corner of the internet.
So I enjoy it.
SPEAKER_02 (32:07):
That's cool.
Well, we need yeah, you'reright.
We need that buffer against theinsanity that's happening out
there right now.
SPEAKER_00 (32:15):
Yeah, present.
SPEAKER_02 (32:17):
So what's what's on the horizon?
We know you're gonna do yourthing at the the Hamilton show,
which sounds very cool.
What else is what else is in theworks?
SPEAKER_00 (32:25):
Yeah, sorry if I went on about that.
I'm just super excited aboutthis.
I think it's gonna be really,really fun, and I hope people
get it.
Um, what else is in the works?
Well, you know, I'm gonna be atToronto.
I'm gonna be Saturday, I'm gonnabe doing the presentation on
Route 61 on Le Verandre.
Sunday I am presenting onOpemican.
Um, so I'm really excited aboutthat.
I think tickets are already onsale for the show when this
(32:46):
airs.
Uh goes on sale December 15th.
Great speakers, lots of coolthings in Toronto, always.
Um, and I've got some wintercamping events coming up.
Uh, Family Day, um, I should beout at Mew Lake and uh Silent
Lake, I'm gonna be going backto.
I love winter camping there.
Um, hoping to do some other cooltrips.
Um, that's all weatherdependent, and again, um, right
(33:09):
now my timeline is focused ongetting these presentations
done, and once that's done, Ican go out and play in the snow.
So um, and hopefully by thattime the snow is nice and
settled and good and here forfor the season.
So, yeah.
How about you guys?
Did you do anything excitingthis year?
What was your favorite trip?
SPEAKER_02 (33:30):
They were all good, all of our trips.
Well, no, Pamela's gonnadisagree with the the Georgian
Bay.
We got uh it we we've we've donea lot of whitewater, not
necessarily intentionally thisyear.
So we we oh we hit we hit bigwind on Georgian Bay, and we're
we were windbound for uh a fewdays, but it was fun because we
(33:51):
were windbound with um Jay andSherry from Beauty of the
Backcountry and um Alex and Jessfrom Tense and Timber.
Uh so that was fun.
Just hanging with like they'rejust they're just awesome folks.
SPEAKER_00 (34:06):
Yeah.
You guys were in Killarneytogether too, weren't you?
Or was that the same thing?
SPEAKER_02 (34:10):
Well, it was that was so it was basically out of
the south end of Killarney.
So we we stopped at Killarneyovernight and then we put in
everybody else showed up thenext day or two days later.
SPEAKER_01 (34:22):
Two days, I think Jay and Jerry were two days,
yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (34:24):
Yeah, they they actually stayed in the city.
It was supposed to be the nextday, and then uh weather was
crap as well, yeah.
So we it was we we picked theworst week of weather that we
could have, but it was still agreat time.
Don't care, it was good fun.
Yeah, it was it was flatteningtense and stuff.
(34:44):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (34:45):
Well, I'm glad you made it out okay.
Yes, sounds like a fun time.
It's always fun camping nomatter where you are, what
you're doing, or what theweather is like.
So if you know how to do itright, I mean, if you got the
right gear, you you're alwaysset.
SPEAKER_02 (34:58):
Well, that's it.
Somebody said, Well, what if itrains?
What if it rains?
I have tarps, I have tents, Ihave rain gear.
I'm I'm also not made of sugar,so I am not gonna melt.
SPEAKER_00 (35:08):
It's oh yeah.
Uh, I did a great trip inAlgonquin this year.
It's not it's just started goingup.
Um, by the time this airs, Ithink the whole series will be
out on my YouTube.
Um I've been having someproblems with my knee as well
this year, so that's kind ofslowed me down a bit, and I
haven't done as many crazy tripsas I'd like to.
(35:29):
Um, it is back now andeverything seems to be good, so
I'm like just ready to get backout there next season for like
some crazy canoe trips.
But um, I went to the BarrenCanyon.
And uh a funny story, hopefullyyou can fit this in, but um I
did one of my very firstbackcountry trips in Acre uh on
(35:51):
the is it called the EasternEastern Pines backpacking trail?
SPEAKER_02 (35:55):
Yes, I think.
SPEAKER_00 (35:56):
I did a backpacking trip uh Thanksgiving weekend in
2002, and I almost froze todeath.
I hate the cold.
I'll just start there.
I almost froze to death.
I um I was so cold, I hate thecold.
(36:16):
I had on everything that Ibrought in with me, and when I
rolled over in the tent, thecondensation was clinkling down
the side, like because it wasfrozen.
And I vowed never ever to campthat late in the year again.
And now, of course, I wintercamp, um, you know, mostly hot
tamping, but I cold camp and youknow, some of the summer trips
(36:38):
and spring and fall, you'reminus 10, minus five, too,
right?
Um, so I've never actuallypaddled there.
So I thought this is gonna begreat.
So I planned this really greatloop.
It had a two-kilometer portagein it, and then my knee, I went
to Grape and Wine in Niagara theweekend before, and I spent like
(36:58):
11 hours out partying.
Um, when I say partying, it'smostly dancing, and um, my knee
was very, very unhappy.
So I changed up the route, but Istill went, I did two nights on
Stratton, and then I paddled outover into Carcaju Bay and did a
night there, and then I paddledback to the access.
(37:19):
I drove to Squirrel Rapids,Squirrel Rapids, yeah, and then
parked there, and then paddledup through uh the Baron River
and camped one night there, andthen I waited until all the
people left because it was theholiday Monday of um Thank was
it Thanksgiving?
Yeah, Thanksgiving weekend.
It was the holiday Monday, and Iwaited till everybody left, and
(37:41):
then around four o'clock Ipaddled through the canyon.
I was pretty much all by myself,and I met these two lovely young
men from the states, uh, andthey're like, Oh, look, there's
a moose.
And there was a moose up in thecanyon, up in the rocks.
I would never have even, I mean,I would have never even looked
there.
I couldn't believe it.
(38:02):
And uh yeah, it was a prettyepic adventure.
I also saw a bear and a wolf onthe way in, and I saw a bear on
Stratton.
So um, everyone who keepssaying, I see wildlife all the
time, Camper Christina.
Why don't you?
It's because of the places I go.
I usually go to these crazyremote places where bears don't
(38:23):
really know what people are andthey don't look for you for
food.
And when I go to somewhere likeAlgonquin, poof, all the
wildlife starts popping upeverywhere.
So um, that's why.
SPEAKER_02 (38:35):
Very cool.
Well, I I have to say, I'mpainfully jealous.
I have planned the last twoyears, we have planned and
booked Barren Canyon loops, andboth times, well, I can't, I
think Thomas was sick one year.
Thomas was sick this year.
He got he went came down withthe flu like two days before
we're supposed to go.
And because I had booked a loop,as I got to like maybe he'll
(38:59):
feel better, but we're four daysin.
Like, I don't that I can't dothat in you know, seven-hour
drive plus that in one day.
So that that one went in thetoilet.
Uh, and I think the year before,I think his schedule just didn't
play out for it.
He ended up having to bail andgo do work things.
So I'm going to do it againbecause third time lucky, right?
(39:19):
It's not three strikes andyou're out.
SPEAKER_00 (39:22):
Yeah, and it was great to do it the way that I
did it, even though I would haveloved to do all the portaging
and stuff.
Um, because a lot of people havealready watched part one uh and
two are up right now, and by thetime this airs, I think the
whole series will be up.
But people were saying, this isreally great because I don't
like to portage or I can'tportage.
And so it was a great way tokind of show people you know,
you can come in here, do a 50meter portage in a Stratton,
(39:45):
stay there for a couple of days,go out, go to Carcaju, 50 meter
portage back out, and then Ithink it's a 350 or something on
the Baron River, and it's apretty decent portage, it's not
like super crazy hard oranything, so um super.
Easy places that you can govisit that you know are fairly
easy to get in and out of.
Um, because I went Thanksgiving,it wasn't crazy busy, but it was
(40:07):
still really busy there.
So um I met a lot of fun peopletoo.
Um, but lots of people notwearing their PFDs.
So I'm safety first, everyone,please.
SPEAKER_02 (40:18):
Totally agree, totally agree.
Uh, we talked to two gentlemenrecently, uh 10 kilometer, was
it a 10 kilometer portage?
Yes.
The it in the in up in theArctic, yeah.
Like a multi-day portage.
SPEAKER_00 (40:34):
Can you I don't know if you can call that a portage,
can you?
It should be a drive orsomething.
SPEAKER_02 (40:40):
They're in the middle of nowhere, man.
They these guys do some prettyhardcore stuff.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (40:45):
Oh, yeah.
Well, the guys that I met, thetwo guys from the states, they
dropped off their bikes at theSquirrel Rapids, and they
started at uh like Acray, andthey went through and did part
of the route that I was gonnado.
They did half of the loop, theloop coming back that I was
gonna do, and then went upthrough the Barren River and
went out at Squirrel Rapids, andthen they rode their bikes back
(41:07):
to get their car at Accray.
Um, I haven't talked to themsince they got out, so I hope
they made it.
Um, if you're watching this,guys, get in touch.
I don't know if you're okay, butI'm sure they are.
I would have heard something.
But uh, I did get them to weartheir PFDs, so I kind of feel
like that's a dream.
Good job.
I'm super good.
SPEAKER_02 (41:31):
That's funny.
Uh okay, I think that's it forus.
Fine.
SPEAKER_01 (41:39):
All right, that's it for us for today.
Thank you so much to CamperChristina for joining us again.
And also do check her out,camperChristina.com, check her
out on YouTube, check out herAlgonquin trip on YouTube, and
by the time this airs, um well,by the time this airs, nothing.
Yeah, nothing.
Okay.
SPEAKER_02 (41:58):
Check her out on Facebook too.
SPEAKER_01 (41:59):
Well, all of the series will be up on YouTube,
that's what it was as by thetime this airs, all of the
series.
Right.
Melgonquin will be up onYouTube, and check her out at
the Hamilton show in herspeakers corner, and also check
her out at the Toronto AdventureShow for Saturday and Sunday.
And check us out, we'll be atthe Hamilton Show and at the
Toronto show.
Um, not presenting, but uh, wewill be there, and uh also
(42:21):
please check us out, email usanytime if you want to, at high
at supergoodcambing.com.
That's H I atSupergoodcambing.com, and we
will talk to you again soon.
Bye.
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (42:30):
Thanks so much for having me, guys.
SPEAKER_01 (42:32):
No, cool.
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