CamperChristina.com

20/01/2024

Winter camping is so peaceful. This is one of my favourite pictures from the last trip of the year.

Ontario's Highlands Ontario Parks

19/01/2024

While hiking on the Bonnie’s Pond Trail, we came across a few pretty little waterfalls. I really loved this one with all the lush green moss on the rocks. Happy Friday everyone! 😊


Ontario Parks Ontario's Highlands

18/01/2024

WINTER CAMPING - The Last Trip - Silent Lake Part 1 - Winter GLAMPING

The last trip of 2023 was a winter camping trip in the big homemade hot tent at Silent Lake with my friend Jenny. I was excited to spend a few days in the quiet, after a busy year and peopling over the Christmas holidays. We only got a bit of snow, and it wasn't very cold, but we had a great time. It was cool seeing Silent Lake as others see it. I have only ever seen Silent Lake buried in snow, so it was like going to a new place. Jenny is a great camping companion and we made some tasty food, went exploring, had lots of laughs and I got to see and film her hammock setup, which was really interesting. Spend the last few days of 2023 winter camping in the homemade hot tent with Jenny and I, and let the quiet of Silent Lake soothe your soul.

https://youtu.be/boNH8Q2fx0w

Silent Lake Provincal Park Ontario Parks Therm-a-Rest KEEN The North Face Woods Hammock Gear Sierra Madre KIHD Products One Wind Jenny McKinnon

The last trip of 2023 was a winter camping trip in the big homemade hot tent at Silent Lake with my friend Jenny. I was excited to spend a few days in the q...

17/01/2024

One of our meals while camping at Silent Lake was sausages and salad. Jenny brought some cheese filled sausages and cooked them both under the stove, and on top of it. I made a salad with tomatoes, cucumber, old cheddar and avocado. It was a tasty meal, and it definitely hit the spot.

What are some of your favourite winter camping meals?

16/01/2024

I’ve only been to Silent Lake in the winter. My end of year trip there was the first time I’ve ever see it without snow. Regardless, it was still beautiful.

Jenny McKinnon Ontario's Highlands Ontario Parks

15/01/2024

Around 5pm on our first night at Silent Lake, it began getting dark. Jenny had put up a bunch of holiday lights she brought, and I was excited to see everything lit up. We would have some dinner and then come back out to see how things looked in a few hours.

* Photo is taken on my last trip of 2023 on a w/e trip at Silent Lake of my homemade hot tent and Jenny’s hammock. Details to follow in the full YouTube videos up on Thursday.

Ontario Parks Ontario's Highlands Hammock Gear

14/01/2024

In between lunch and dinner, we decided to have a snack. I had brought some avocados to make guacamole. To make my version, I just add some garlic powder, a splash of lime juice, and a bit of pink Himalayan salt. It was a great snack that hit the spot while we warmed up inside of the hot tent.

* These photos are from the last trip of 2023, taken at Silent Lake in my bigger homemade hot tent. The full video will be published on my YouTube channel next week.

13/01/2024

It was very strange setting up the big hot tent without any snow on the ground. But also much easier. Once I got the tent set up with everything inside, I had lunch and then Jenny and I went out exploring.

12/01/2024

After my backpacking hot tent trip, I packed up the big homemade hot tent, and met my friend Jenny at Silent Lake for my last trip of the year.

KEEN Ontario Parks Ontario's Highlands

* These photos are from the last trip of 2023, taken at Silent Lake in my bigger homemade hot tent. The full video will be published on my YouTube channel next week.

11/01/2024

Backpacking Hot Tent Trip on Crown Land - December 2023

Backpacking with the lightweight hot tent and wood stove would be the ultimate test. It was something I've always wanted to do, but wasn't able to until now, and I was totally stoked about it. The forecast for Boxing Day and the day after was 7℃ and raining, with a low of feels like 2 overnight. I could've just cold camped, but I was dying to see if I could backpack in with my new gear. I also had a brand new sleeping bag, and a brand new sleeping pad to test out! Check out the video to see how things turn out, along with a previous trip plan that didn't work out so well.

https://youtu.be/1Vi6ETkGc2Q

LiteOutdoors FireHiking KEEN The North Face Therm-a-Rest Nalgene BearVault Suluk 46 Parry Sound Tourism

Backpacking with the lightweight hot tent and wood stove would be the ultimate test. It was something I've always wanted to do, but wasn't able to until now...

10/01/2024

The first time I used the titanium wood stove on Herb Lake, I cut half of my firewood too big. It’s just a wee little stove compared to my kni-co, and I’m definitely not used to the size.

On my backpacking trip, I brought a piece of kindling with me when looking for, and processing wood, so I wouldn’t make that mistake again. I ended up having perfectly sized pieces of firewood and every one of them was burned in the wee little stove. 😊

Suluk 46 FireHiking

09/01/2024

HOW TO KEEP YOUR PILLOW IN PLACE:

When looking for a new sleeping bag and sleeping mat, I was hoping to find one with a pillow pocket. Neither option came through, and I was so over having my pillow fall off my bed. I also wanted to fully utilize the cozy hood feature on my new sleeping bag, so I came up with this hack.

I’ve only slept with this setup for 3 nights, but it works awesome and I know I’ll continue using this excellent set up. I have no idea why it took me so long to figure this out?

Step 1: Find a pillow case, tote bag, or anything similar that fits over the end of your sleeping pad with a bit of room to spare.

Step 2: Blow up your pillow and insert it inside the pillowcase, tote bag, or other bag-like item, and place it where you want it.

Step 3: Enjoy a night of restful sleep with your pillow staying in place, until you remove it from its new pocket.

Sea to Summit Therm-a-Rest

08/01/2024

What am I up to?

It took me several attempts at setting up the new nylon tent on my backpacking trip at Go Home Lake. Pyramid style tents are awesome, but they can be quite difficult to set up on rock, as the four corners need to be staked down securely. If there was snow, or ice, I would’ve had a few more options, but on solid rock, it’s an extremely difficult task. The solution for me, is to find a different area without rock, which is what I did. This led me to having a somewhat lumpy surface to sleep on, but thankfully, my new sleeping mat, assisted with making that a bit more comfortable. 😊

07/01/2024

For dinner on my backpacking hot tent trip, I made some morel mushroom pasta. I brought some dehydrated morel mushrooms I picked in the summer, a decent amount of butter, some garlic, some pink Himalayan salt, and a bit of old cheddar. I boiled some water to cook the pasta in, then mixed the rest of the ingredients in the frying pan after simmering the mushrooms in butter to get the toxins out. It was tasty meal that hit the spot with the rainy damp evening carrying on, outside, while I was toasty warm next to my wood stove.

FireHiking KIHD Products

06/01/2024

On Boxing Day, with no snow on the ground, and rain lightly falling, I headed into the damp dreary forest to embark on my very first ever hot tent backpacking trip. My tent and stove now weigh 25 lbs less than my homemade solo hot tent and Alaskan Jr stove (33lbs total). My new tent and new titanium stove is light enough to carry into the backcountry without the assistance of a pulk or toboggan.(8lbs combined). This is a big reason why I got this setup, and it was time to see if what worked in my head, would work in real life.

(I carried the stove in my hand as I had no room in my pack, but at only 4lbs, it wasn’t an issue.)

*** Note to my new followers on my page, this is not my first time hot tenting, I have created three homemade hot tents for winter camping from scratch, starting in 2015, and have been winter camping in them for many years. This is my first backpacking trip with a hot tent and woodstove as I have recently acquired a tent created by someone other than myself that is made out of nylon and weighs only 4lbs. I have also recently acquired a new woodstove that is made of titanium and only weighs 4lbs. You can check out information on either product on my YouTube channel, my website, or by scrolling down my fb page. Cheers and welcome to my page. 😊😊😊

LiteOutdoors FireHiking-Official KEEN Great Canadian Wilderness Mountain Warehouse

05/01/2024

Looking for a special photo.. do you have it?

Portaging is my jam. I love them so much, I’m going to be presenting on them at the Spring shows this year!

On some of my crown land trips, I’ve seen people portaging and backcountry camping with some really interesting vessels to transport themselves and their gear. On a trip, a few summers ago I saw a group of friends portaging and paddling a giant blow up pink flamingo, and a blow up swan, along with various other unique floating vessels you wouldn’t expect to see on a backcountry trip. Some people get out on the water however they can, and I think it’s awesome, as long as everyone is being safe. Before I had a canoe or kayak, I used to float around on a blow up air bed in the Niagara River. Whatever floats your boat… literally ! Lol

I’m looking for a few photos of some of the most interesting vessels/items you’ve seen on a portage or backcountry trip. Please post them in the comments below. I’d love to see them and might use one in my presentation, with permission and photo credit. Thanks for the help!


H2O Paddlesport Inc. KEEN Aqua Bound Temagami Talk Ontario's Highlands Parks, Recreation & Trails of Algonquin Highlands Ontario Parks

📸: J. Harmathy

04/01/2024

Nylon Solo Hot Tent & TITANIUM WOOD Stove Trial Run - Part 2 - Herb Lake HHWT - Getting Comfy

My new solo hot tent and titanium wood stove were ready to go on a trial run. In mid November, I packed up the canoe at the Herb Lake access in Haliburton, and headed to site #88. The plan was to spend the day setting up the new solo Isola 4 nylon hot tent from Lite Outdoors, and my new titanium wood stove from FireHiking in preparation for this upcoming winter season. I planned an easy backcountry trip, so I could focus on spending my time making sure I knew how to set everything up, use it to the best of it's ability, and tear it down and pack it, before the frigid winter weather moved in. These videos will go over all the details of my new gear, and others in my winter set up and provides a lot of information, in addition to some gorgeous scenery and some tasty food.

https://youtu.be/q21fxsyWGK0

H2O Paddlesport Inc. LiteOutdoors FireHiking-Official Mountain Warehouse Haliburton Highlands Water Trails HHWT Ontario's Highlands Parks, Recreation & Trails of Algonquin Highlands Therm-a-Rest Nalgene BearVault KIHD Products

My new solo hot tent and titanium wood stove were ready to go on a trial run. At the end of November, I packed up the canoe at the Herb Lake access in Halib...

03/01/2024

Isola 4 Tent Feedback

I have taken the new hot tent out twice, thus far. At this time, you have only seen posts about the hot tent canoe trip on Herb Lake, but on Boxing Day, I took it on a backpacking trip with the woodstove. 😮

On the herb lake trip, I had mixed precipitation and some snow in the morning. On my backpacking trip, I had rain and no snow on the ground, once again, meaning I couldn’t use a pulk, toboggan or sled. This is a huge part of why I wanted this new hot tent this year, because of the type of weather we’re having.

So far the tent is doing everything I want it to. It is very light. It sets up quickly and easily. I love that it has loops inside so you can hang things up. I love the adjustable foldable aluminum pole. And I obviously like the colour ha ha. The only thing I don’t like is the condensation, which hasn’t been extremely bad, yet, but something I’m not used to dealing with using a canvas tent previously. I may opt to get the condensation liner in the future, just to see what it’s like. But I’m also interested to see how the tent does in colder temperatures with more snow.

I’ll keep you posted on feedback in the future, but thought I’d provide a quick update at this time for those who have been asking. 😊

You can find all of the information on this tent on the Lite Outdoors website by clicking this link: https://www.liteoutdoors.com/product/isola-4-teepee-tent/

LiteOutdoors

02/01/2024

Lightweight Titanium Stove Feedback:

On my solo canoe hot tent trip on Herb Lake, I got a chance to test out my new titanium wood stove. Since then, I have taken it out on another trip, and so far I’m quite pleased with it.

I’ve cooked a few meals on it and have set it up and put it away several times. Everything I was told about the stove pipe, remembering its shape, and being much easier to assemble after the first burn, was completely true. Although the stove has slightly distorted from the heat, I have had no issues assembling it and using it successfully without any leakage. Even though the windows have been covered with a black film from the fires, I can still see the bright orange red glow through the 2 windows which creates a really nice ambiance in the tent.

As we haven’t experienced “real winter” as yet, I will have to update you on how it deals with that, later on. So far, the only drawback is that I have to feed it every two hours, which was to be expected with such a small stove. I’ll continue to keep you posted over the winter. Here’s hoping real winter arrives soon. 🤞Cheers!

For more info on this stove click the link: https://www.firehiking.com/FireHiking-Tent-Stove-TOLA-Camping-Wood-Stove-Titanium-Burning-Heater-Foldable-Ultralight-p17252837.html?variant=85364433

. FireHiking-Official

31/12/2023

Wishing you soul satisfying adventures, good health and true happiness in 2024!

#2024

30/12/2023

After doing some exploring on Herb Lake, I returned back to my campsite as little snowflakes started to fall from the sky. I started a fire in the woodstove, got comfy cozy, and began to make dinner. All that exploring made me hungry, and tonight I was having chicken quesadillas. They ended up being the best quesadillas I’ve ever made!

* These photos were taken on a hot tent canoe trip on Herb Lake at the end of November.

FireHiking-Official LiteOutdoors

29/12/2023

After setting up my camp on Herb Lake on my solo canoe hot tent trip in November, I headed out to explore. Next to my campsite #88, there was a bay that I was hoping to see some wildlife in.

When I previously camped on Herb, the summer before last, the water was extremely shallow here, and after a bit of paddling I had to turn back. Today however, I was able to paddle much further and discovered a portage at the end of the waterway with some beautiful waterfalls alongside it. I docked the canoe at the access and took my time checking the area out. It was such a pretty portage, and I was also able to collect a bunch of firewood, while I was there.

I’m curious how many people who have camped on Herb previously, are aware of the existence of this portage and these waterfalls? Most people camp here during the summer, and as I wasn’t able to get through then, due to low water levels, I’m wondering who else has seen this stunning area?

Parks, Recreation & Trails of Algonquin Highlands Ontario's Highlands Salus Marine Wear

28/12/2023

Nylon Solo Hot Tent & TITANIUM WOOD Stove Trial Run - Part 1 - Herb Lake HHWT - FULL SET UPS

My new solo hot tent and titanium wood stove were ready to go on a trial run. In mid November, I packed up the canoe at the Herb Lake access in Haliburton, and headed to site #88. The plan was to spend the day setting up the new Isola 4 nylon hot tent from Lite Outdoors, and my new titanium wood stove from FireHiking in preparation for this upcoming winter season. I planned an easy backcountry trip, so I could focus on spending my time making sure I knew how to set everything up, use it to the best of it's ability, and tear it down and pack it, before the frigid winter weather moved in. These videos will go over all the details of my new gear, and others in my winter set up and provides a lot of information, in addition to some gorgeous scenery and some tasty food.

https://youtu.be/LOkrKWe7Ia4

H2O Paddlesport Inc LiteOutdoors FireHiking-Official Mountain Warehouse Haliburton Highlands Water Trails HHWT Ontario's Highlands Parks, Recreation & Trails of Algonquin Highlands Therm-a-Rest Nalgene BearVault KIHD Products

My new solo hot tent and titanium wood stove were ready to go on a trial run. In mid November, I packed up the canoe at the Herb Lake access in Haliburton, ...

27/12/2023

It didn’t take long to set up the new hot tent, or the new titanium stove. It did take me a while to figure out how to arrange everything inside. Even though this nylon hot tent is almost the exact same dimensions as my homemade hot tent, the stove jack is in a different location, therefore putting the stove in the centre of the tent. The main reason for this trip, was to test everything out before the temperatures dropped. I would continue to tweak things during my stay on Herb Lake, until everything was just right.

LiteOutdoors FireHiking-Official Therm-a-Rest BearVault Nalgene Helinox Canada Marmot KEEN Sea to Summit High Sierra Canada

*These photos were taken on a trip I did at the end of November on Herb Lake in the Haliburton Highlands Water Trails.

26/12/2023

I arrived at campsite 88 on Herb Lake before noon, and was excited to set up. This would be my first time camping in the new hot tent with the new titanium stove. I was looking forward to figuring out the best way to set everything up inside, getting comfortable in my new space and watching the fire dance through the windows on my new stove.🔥🥰

H2O Paddlesport Inc. Salus Marine Wear LiteOutdoors

23/12/2023

It’s a busy time of year, and there are a million things to do, places to go, people to see, cookies to bake, presents to wrap, etc. etc. etc. How about a moment of zen?

It’s a warm Fall day and you’re paddling across a deserted Herb Lake in the Haliburton Highlands Water Trails. The sun is shining and even though the air is chilly, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The sounds of nature surround you, and you take a deep breath in, smelling the scent of pine, while watching an eagle soar overhead.

Don’t burn the cookies! Lol. Seriously, get moving.. lots to do! 😘

,Camping
H2O Paddlesport Inc. Parks, Recreation & Trails of Algonquin Highlands Ontario's Highlands