Camping revealed.

Camping while at Newcastle Island Provincial Park

One of the rites of passage for many Canadians is camping in the wilderness.  Although, I suppose the term "wilderness" needs some addressing.  Canada abounds with true wilderness that is completely devoid of any human presence for at least a few dozen miles.  I have done my fair share of camping, but cannot really say that much of it has been in true wilderness.  Mostly it has been in provincial or national parks where help was never too far away.  Perhaps a term befitting the situation is wildish-area, which probably increases the wussy factor by quite a bit but is no doubt more accurate.  

When I was just a lad I did camping with my dad as part of the cub-scout troop he helped in.  Then, as a young man, I led a number of scout troupes myself and did some camping on my own as well.  The experiences here were all well within park boundaries.  It was in my mid twenties that I had my first real taste of what could be called the bush.  Hiking and canoeing led me into the interior of places relatively untouched by human hands.  The area around Central Alberta was the backdrop for these wanderings, and they honestly left me in awe of what an incredible country we live in.  

As our kids grew up we went through a variety of camp lodging.  We started off with tents, then got a tent trailer, moved up to a travel trailer, and ended up with a motor home.  Some may look down upon those of us with wheeled habitation, but the truth is it made spending time together easier.  First of all there were those among us who refused to use anything less than flush toilets equipped with proper lighting and ventilation.  Then there was the contingent who needed a safe place to put all the toys and gear of comfort.  Admittedly, I benefited from the upgrades as it gave me a place to work on my photography and book writing.  

Throughout my attempts to commune with nature, I have been fortunate in being able to go camping in a more traditional sense.  Two stints on the West Coast Trail and two opportunities to explore the Broken Islands have again filled me with a sense of wonder.  I hope some day to explore parts of Ontario and other areas of Canada's amazing wilderness.  It's true most of that may be done in a hard sided recreational vehicle at places not too far from people, but now that I have embraced being a camping wuss I can enjoy the experience all the more.  And who knows, one day I might break out the tent once again - I will need a place to put the grandchildren (should we ever have any).