One Summer in One Weekend - Killbear Provincial Park
HOW SO BEAUTIFUL?
After working 3 weekends in a row towards a deadline that never ended up materializing, we decided to escape to Georgian Bay to feel like we were actually partaking in summer. It's been a relatively cool, rainy summer which feels like an enormous rip-off considering the winter we've had. Actually, it was forecast to rain all weekend up north but we decided to go anyways - enough is enough and you can't live life based on the weather forecast.
In expecting the worst (I brought along really warm clothes, rain gear, cards, and lots of books to read in case we ended up spending the whole time inside the tent), we ended up with the best. It didn't rain the whole time; it was sunny and hot and perfect. Our campsite was in a great spot right next to the bay so we had direct access to the lake - ideal for star gazing and private swimming. We arrived late on Friday night, set up camp and I proved my fire-building skills while Jed... well actually, I don't know what Jed was doing.
Saturday morning we went down to our 'private beach' and got in a brisk morning swim; made breakfast and proceeded to check out some of the hikes in the park.
After a few hikes and some cool dips to relieve the heat, it was getting on evening. We figured there must be some incredible sunsets on Georgian Bay, so we asked a ranger where the best lookout was, grabbed a bottle of wine and hiked up to Harold Point - the picturesque epitome of Canadian Shield, complete with granite ledges and white pines.
The next day, we got up early again and made the best campfire breakfast which basically consists of anything plus maple syrup on a cast iron pan. We headed back to Harold's point for some afternoon cliff-jumping and sun bathing before heading back to stinky ole' Toronto.
Our private beach accessed via a short walk down the granite banks from our campsite.
My conclusion is basically that if you want to feel like you're making the best of a weekend, pack in as much nature as you possibly can. It extends time until your work day and city life feel like a distant memory, hazy and indistinct compared to the natural rhythms of sunrise and sunset. I'll certainly vote in favour of making this a yearly tradition...
Can autumn in Ontario be beat? Is October actually the best month of the entire year? Based on our lovely hike this past Thanksgiving weekend, I'm going with no and yes respectively.