After a long summer filled with a lot of car camping, local day hikes, and one failed interior trip, Emma and I were finally ready to set off on our first ever backcountry camping journey. We were lucky to be joined by our best friends Brandon and Jess, who essentially were the ones that helped inspire us to get into hiking/camping!
We decided on this trip last minute, and unfortunately the only site in the park that was still available was at cluster 12 on lynch lake. We read that it was an unpopular site and the lake it was on was not suitable for swimming due to its clay bottom (a great place for leeches!!!). Although I was slightly disappointed, that feeling was overrun by my sheer excitement for the fact I was about to embark on what I had hoped to be the first of many interior trips.
Emma and I left Guelph in the late morning and after approximately 4 hours of driving, we reached the park. Here we met up with our friends, and we headed into the office to grab our permits. We were informed that it would be best to start at the Big Salmon Lake parking lot and head past clusters 3, 6, and 9 in order to reach our site at cluster 12.
An outline of our route from the Big Salmon Lake access point to cluster 12 on Lynch Lake! (Below)
The hike in was like nothing I had seen before (mind you I was a first timer in terms of backcountry up until this point). I had been on some pretty awesome day hikes, however nothing compared to the miles of sheer forest and diverse wildlife that could be found at Frontenac Provincial Park.
We stopped to take a few short breaks on the way in to grab a snack and snap some pics, and before we knew it we arrived at our site. We stayed at site 12D, and at the time, I thought it was the best thing ever (compared to car camping it surely was, seeing as we almost had the entire lake to ourselves, minus one neighboring camper, and we were essentially surrounded by nothing but trees, water, and everything else nature), however... looking back on it, I now realize that it offered no space, limited access to the lake (we could not swim), and our neighbor as well as the rest of the sites on lynch lake were extremely close (all sites in Frontenac PP are set in clusters, keeping them very close together).
We were at site D, luckily there was no one at C... Would've been too close for comfort
All complaints aside, the site did offer a lovely view of the lake, and being that Frontenac PP is littered with lakes and trails, we were able to take off on a mini-hike after we had our site all set up. We went down to Tetsmine Lake, or as we immaturely referred to it as "testicle lake", and found a beautiful spot to swim. After cooling off, we went back to our site for some dinner. Emma and I had some delectable Mr. Noodles (I know... we were beginners, cut us some slack!) while our friends Brandon and Jess indulged in some pre-made dehydrated dinners. After dinner, we played some cards, sipped some whiskey, and eventually went to bed. Emma and I both were a little scared (I think I was a little more frightened - I was essentially wrapped around her all night lol!) seeing as it was our first night sleeping in backcountry... we could hear wolves or coyotes or something of the sort howling in the distance as we tried to doze off. Eventually, I stopped thinking about bears and other animals that might hurt me and I managed to get some rest.
A couple of shots taken from our site looking onto the lake
A shot from behind our tents - looking onto the lake
Jess and I around the campfire taking it easy after a long day...
A wild bear we spotted by the lake. Locals refer to this type of bear as "Brandon". He was filtering us some water.
I woke up the next morning excited that I was still alive, and even more excited to see what Frontenac had to offer in terms of scenery in the early hours of the day. It was beautiful by my standards, although as previously mentioned, my standards have since increased after more experience in the woods. I was delighted to see a light fog had settled over the lake, and the sun was just starting to poke itself out of the clouds and onto the park. Eventually, everyone was up and we made up some breakfast. On the menu for Emma and I was oatmeal, and I believe Brandon and Jess had the same. We filtered some water, took down our site, and began heading back to the car.
We did not track distance or time for this trip, however it certainly did not feel that long or rigorous. Emma and I were a little tired upon return to the car but I think that had a lot to do with it being our first ever trip. I was still learning how to set my bag on my back and other simple things that I am sure caused me to tire out quicker than an experienced backcountry camper.
After a solid trip, we all went to East Side Mario's to fill our empty tummies. I think I alone ate 4 bread rolls, along with my classic dish of chicken penne with rose sauce and a side of Italian wedding soup. Make that 2 bowls of soup. Damn, I was hungry lol.
My girlfriend Emma and I before we started our journey back to the car - We had such a great time!
- Grant
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