Backpacking Algonquin Park’s Eastern Pines Trail to High Falls

The view from our campsite near High Falls on the Eastern Pines backpacking trail.

We’d had our eye on backpacking Algonquin Park’s Eastern Pines Trail for some time now, since it’s a short, easy loop that we could do in a regular weekend without difficulty. It’s also accessible by water, so we’d been considering it as a possible hike and paddle combo. Still, we never imagined we’d return to Algonquin in June, […]

Silver Peak Day Hike Route Suggestions

View across Silver Peak.

Planning a Silver Peak day hike is a fun way to spend some time in Killarney Provincial Park, without a doubt. What’s great about it is that there are tons of ways to do it. You can do your Silver Peak day hike on a day trip if that’s all the time you’ve got or the inclination for. […]

Loons and Other Wildlife Sightings in Killarney [Photo Album]

The last of the loons we saw that weekend...

During our recent canoe camping in Killarney expedition, we were lucky enough to spot several types of wildlife. Especially, we saw plenty of loons over the weekend. Fortunately, we got the opportunity to get real close and take some pretty nice pictures of them. Though it wasn’t the first loon we saw that weekend, the first loon we […]

Canoe Camping in Killarney

View from our campsite while canoe camping in Killarney.

-Bill Mason (Canoe Quotes) To launch this year’s camping season, we decided to tackle our longest paddle trip yet. Canoe camping in Killarney Provincial Park can be a challenge, we’ve heard, but we wanted to paddle in, do some day hiking, and then paddle out again — nothing too tough for our first big weekend of the year. […]

Backcountry Gear Shopping in Toronto

Our new backcountry gear: two backpacks, dehydrated meals, organizer bags, microfiber towels, mosquito net, camp-sized salt and pepper shakers...

Every spring, we take inventory of our backcountry gear and stock up for the hiking and camping season. This year, we both needed new backpacks so we decided to take a road trip and do some backcountry gear shopping in Toronto. It’s important to try on a backpack for sizing and fit, and online descriptions are often incomplete […]

Lush Demystified: Top Natural Products, Shopping Tips

A variety of colourful Lush soaps displayed attractively in reusable tins.

Things over at Lush can be a little confusing for the green shopper. The company seems so eco-conscious, and everything is fresh and handmade. But then again, some of the ingredients aren’t natural or safe. At Lush, eco-shoppers need to be careful, but they can still find many great products. It’s time to have Lush demystified. Lush is […]

Better Beer: 8 to Avoid and Other Options

Options for better beer: bottles displayed in a store cooler

Ick. Beer may not be tops on the usual list of healthy foods, but the ingredients I just read about are horrendous. I expected some of them, like high fructose corn syrup, caramel colouring, and MSG. But fish bladder? GMOs? BPA? See the full list of nasty additives, plus the 8 beers to avoid, and many alternative choices: […]

Barely Beaver Sighting

Close-up of a beaver poking it's head out of the water.

During our latest Mashkinonje day hike, we came upon a flooded dry meadow which we had to circumvent. Once back on the right track, we looked behind us to take pictures. As we were standing there, I heard a splash but didn’t see anything. I mentioned it to Marc and was surprised when he told me he hadn’t […]

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