Saturday, September 12, 2009

Camping in the Boreal Forest

Hello again!
This will be a shorter post than I wanted it to be, because I put alot of effort into making short video clips from our digital camera to share the experience, but I can't seem to upload the movies!
Tammylove and I took off after a hellacious Friday at work so we could do a bit of camping again...just to relax and do a bit more experimenting with kit and techniques. We went to Winagami Lake Provincial Park, about a half hour north of town, where camping in the Dry Mixedwood Boreal Forest can be experienced.  Aspen, Cottonwood, Paper Birch, Willow and the odd Spruce or Pine are the overstorey, and wild rose, sarsaparilla, highbush cranberry, and red-osier dogwood make up the understorey.
After the Labour Day long weekend, the park was practically empty, and we revelled in the peace and solitude.  Geese could be heard flying overhead with their distinctive honks, and woodpeckers hammered the trees around us to keep us company. As dusk deepend into night, the stars shone brilliantly above us, seeming close enough to touch.  We sat and spoke in appropriately hushed tones to the the flickering firelight that danced and reflected in the tree canopies overhead.
In the still, wee hours of the morning, the moon shone brilliantly, casting stark shadows across the campsite and forest floor.  All was absolutely still, silent and breathtaking.
We came home refreshed and recharged, and we're hoping to get out again in the next week or two, so we can capture and share with you the autumn colours at their peak.

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