September 18 2008

I was going into the woods the hour before sundown daily September-November.. Fall sunsets are beautiful.

Hiking July 24 2008

I headed into the woods for a few hours around 5 PM. Lit a fire using natural tinder and a firesteel. Watched the sunset in silence for a long time and smoked a joint. Amazing atmosphere for me..

Hike April 16, 2008

After my first attempt at going through the woods in the beginning stages of spring a week prior, I tried to visit an old camp. Although the temperature was 15 degrees warmer, it made the snow covered environment worse for travel and simple being. Despite the beauty of a new spring showing itself in the shrinking masses of snow and cold streams of winter melt, it meant going in and dealing with moisture in the air so thick you can taste it. I left with 20lbs of additional weight & showing signs of the onset of hypothermia. I must like nature having her way with me because I tend to get myself into very similar situations repeatedly without much change in my preparations...




Small networks of spring melt run under the snow in low areas.


My incomplete shelter ravaged by the weight of wet snow

Late Winter April 09, 2008

April 9th, spring was approaching, the snow penetrated by the sun was granulated but a stiff chill still in the air. I had a hike on my mind, but didn't get much further than a kilometer before i ran out of exposed rock and was forced to walk waist deep in slightly wet snow with a snow-cone like consistency. Within a half hour my legs were feeling quite like rubber and my pants and light clothing became soaked. Slightly under freezing temperature, overcast evening with calm winds. Utterly silent.



Some dry lichen and birch bark caught a flint spark easily.

Snowshoeing February 18 2008

I decided to take my snowshoes out with my Polaris for a walk down the river. It had snowed 10" the night before, and was still coming down moderately. Breaking a trail was hard going even with the shoes, as i was sinking a half foot or so every step. The way back was considerably easier.

I almost fell through the ice a couple of times. I attempted to cross the river like an idiot in a narrow section, but thankfully the telltale creaking of the soft ice told me to go back. Even on an overcast day like this the light reflecting off the snow like a mirror into your eyes is inconvenient. The pictures suffered as well from the cloud cover but still turned out OK.

I don't really like this section of the river. It's too open to the wind. The same section gave me the most trouble when i canoed the entire river last spring. The wind was gusting directly into the bow and it took a lot of power to get past into the more intimate stretches down stream. I think I'll make my next trip start out a little farther down. Maybe tomorrow?

I can't beleive i'll be canoeing this in a little over a month. I'm sick of school sucking all of my energy and controlling my life.

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Sketchy river crossing


I left the machine beside this not often used trail.


Snow was falling lightly




I fell over trying to turn around. I think i need more experience.

Twilight Hike August 9 2007

Today I went for a short jaunt up the rocks, planning to just relax and brew up some tea.. I brought along my coffee can air draft cooking stove, and once I got to my vantage point I lit a fire in the stove with some Spanish moss and twigs. I was in a slight daze from the two Tylenol 2's I had taken a half hour before for my pains, and I set the blazing coffee can on my day pack, and in short order it was on fire. Ah well, eventually got it out and was on my way.

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Rock Walkin' July 24 2007

Went over to the bedrock to continue a project, really hot and humid day. The forest was still, that unnerving silence that plagues the hot summer days in the bush.


Unidentified bird


Humid- look at the haze over the spruce woods

Dawn Rock Walkin' June 29 2007

Although it doesn't happen often, I cherish the oppurtunity when I'm actually awake at sunrise, and it's much better spent in nature. I biked over to my favourite vantage point, and had a little hike around on the rocks.




The local squirrel- Up to his usual brand of tomfoolery.




Saw this on the way back, initial thoughts: "O RLY?"

Power Line Voyage June 28 2007

June 28 was a beautiful, clear spring day with the bluest sky and the nicest clouds. I decided to take a hike down one of the old routes I hadn't been along for a few months. The ground was still soggy from the melt, and new foliage made travel a little harder. Insects out in full force, luckily the smoke of my cigar drove them away. I made my way down an old clearcut surveyers road, and then joined onto the power line and eventually the river. The camera worked extrodinarily, maybe it was the perfect setting. Enjoy the pictures.


Orange butterfly, Orange spruce needles




Even the ugly power line looks good on a day like this.


Reflective beaver pond


Black birds on vacation- Too nice to pillage dumps and feeders today.

Day Trip, April 21 2007 Hike down the River

This April I biked a few miles into the bush, and then got on my feet and traversed off the beaten path, through the dense tag alders, and soppy spring ground. Once I got through the couple kilometers of thick bush, and a swamp where I soaked my boots, I emerged on the bank, that was much clearer looking, and conceivably easier to traverse through. It actually turned out to be a half a foot of thick, boot eating muck. Each step was a challenge, and once I got through, I had left my boot in the mud a few times, and lost a can of $40 bear spray I still haven't found. I started a fire on the bank and cooked up a lunch. I made my way to a power line a few kilos down, and made my way back to the road. Half the way back was walking through thigh deep, ice cold river that had flooded the banks. Having your extremities that cold is just excruciating. Great trip, I love these kind of unpredictable hikes.


Hiked along the riverside, through the dense forest & muddy bank in the distance


Swamp I had to walk through- Treacherous!


Shore lunch- Everything tastes better off a fire


Flooding spring melt, gnarled cedar


Looking back

Crazy Power line Hike April 24 2006

What a zany adventure I had on April 24, 2006. I took out the old10 speed narrow tire bike, and drove it over to a power line a couple miles down the highway from my house. Here I wheeled it down the uneven, damp muddy earth and eventually ditched it when I came to a rock outcrop. 6 miles later, I came to the destination, a area I had snowmobiled to a couple months earlier. I turned back, and took an alternate route. By now it was cold as hell, the sky darkening, and rain was starting to fall. Five miles later I was reunited with my bike. Miserable, I got out of there and made it home, soaked, freezing and terrible hunger pangs. Great trip, I love these kind of meaningless journeys.


Mile after mile, exposing the landscape covered by thick boreal forest.


The destination


April 24, snow still on the ground.

Blueberry Pickin July 25 2007

I went over to the mossy rocky area and picked a couple of cups of lowbush blueberries. Two tablespoons of frozen bloobs & a teaspoon of sugar into a glass of milk.. Mmmmm..

Rock Walkin' April 18 2007

Went to see if the road to the river was thawed, after confirming it was indeed I took a detour off route and hiked for a while on one of the larger rocky areas in this type of forest. Saw either bobcat or lynx tracks along with spectacular views. Neat to see the almost division of pine and spruce forest to poplar and birch.

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Rock face contrast with Sky


Sun passing through the spruce


Wild cat track

Hike to the river, April 8 2007

Today I took a 8km hike into the back left side of the forest surrounding the river, and initially was going to fish there. It turned out to be a very hard thing to do, there was about 3 feet of snow, and under that snow the 1' of water from the flooded river. I only got in one cast, then spent my time making a small shelter that I will turn into a resting point for my canoe journeys in the summer.

I started by securing a 5ft length of 2.5 dia balsam to the two small balsam trees which are about four feet apart. I then cut another 5 foot length, and two smaller 2 foot supports. I secured the supports to either side of the 5 foot length, to form a 3 sided rectangle. I attached the supports to the underside of the existing length. I drove two pegs into the ground at the intersection of the free hanging half of the bench, and secured them to the pegs. A couple of under supports, and a third length on the bench, and the rough version was done. I thatched 3 inches of pine boughs on the top for comfort.


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Roughly completed bench


Top view


Brewing pine needle tea


River is directly in front of bench

I'll build a small 15ft dock to pass the bit of cattail and vegetation between river and shore for easy canoe landing.

When the bench is done, it will have a roof and enclosed sides. Here's a rough sketch of how it'll look. (side view)