My Trip to Iqaluit: Day 5 (this is what camping looks like)
camping
Adventuring in 2014
Having recently moved out of the Big Smoke (a.k.a. Toronto) and to a city where weekend getaways are more accessible, I had intended to spend more time indulging in outdoor, wintry activities. I daydreamed of snowboarding at Camp Fortune or Mont Cascades, cross-country skiing in Gatineau park, or even tobogganing someone more local. Truly though, the frigid cold of winter with its unyielding grasp quickly brought me back down to reality and the biggest “adventure” I had was getting more wood for the fire…. Does that sound like an excuse? I feel slightly more heartened by the fact that it wasn’t just me; even the professionals have confirmed that this has been the coldest Ottawa winter in 20 years.
Still, with the winter (sort of) behind me, I’m starting to daydream about adventures for the rest of the year and I thought it’d be fun to share my adventure bucket list for 2014. There are some annual markers that I want to make sure I plan for, and others I have never done before! Here are my TOP 10 ADVENTURE MUST-DOs FOR 2014:
1. Run a half-marathon. I haven’t worked up to a 21.1 km running distance in ages and so I’m in very rough running shape for this goal. Yikes! However, Ottawa is an extremely scenic and run-able city, so what better way to enjoy it than force myself to run long distances across it…? I’m aiming for a Fall race at this point.
2. Go white-water rafting. I can almost not picture myself doing this because it’s a pretty terrifying image, but hundreds of thousands of people do this every year and so I’m pretty sure I can rock it.
3. Hike Gatineau Park regularly. This one is kind of easy given that I’m a quick drive away, and so I hope that I can make it there for at least a quick adventure once every couple weeks.
4. Take a survival course. Knowledge is power! Survival training is one of those funny things that I’ve always been curious about and would LOVE to do. Basically, if someone can teach me how to overcome my fear of Grizzly Bears (short of never camping in the Rockies ever again in my life), that’d be top knotch.
5. Go on a multi-day canoe trip. One of my best friends was a canoe tripper and so it is pretty absurd that I haven’t done this yet. We have no set agenda, but I’m eyeing the Haliburton Highlands as a possible back-drop for this adventure.
6. Learn to water-ski. This is truly lake-country and so it should be pretty easy to figure out!
7. Go to the Nordique Spa. Because not all adventures have to be harrowing.
8. Swim in the Atlantic Ocean. This also involves adventuring my way eastward. Maybe this is the summer?
9. Do a multi-day cycling trip. I imagine that this can somehow involve a wine tour. Just saying.
10. Hike the Arctic Circle. Stay tuned!
That seems manageable, doesn’t it? I’m curious: What are your “bucket list” adventure goals for 2014? And if you’re from the Ottawa Valley, I’d love to hear more about your experiences hiking, camping and adventuring in the area.
grilled veg with flatbread
oh, hello. just a camping related how-to for you today.
i have meant to adjust the lighting and post these for a whole sixteen days. in my defence, not that you asked for one, but my photos are really disorganized and so i was avoiding the whole thing. so many folders. such a confusing system of organization….
i spent the afternoon reorganizing folders. cleaning the cobwebs out of my hard-drive, even. it’s so pretty now. so clean, streamlined, efficient.
back to the good stuff: while in thunderbay, i happened to be camping with some truly talented camp-side cooks. i wanted to share with you a little collaboration between minds (none of them mine), and offer you a recipe with a total lack of quantities and volumes. don’t worry: you’ll figure it out. i believe in you.
equipment needed.
- grill
- bowl
- wine bottle (or other rolling pin substitute)
- a big plastic bag
- a knife
- s&p
ingredients.
this is a 3 part recipe: 1- flatbread, 2- grilled veg and 3- garlic dill cucumber yoghurt
flatbread:
- white flour
- water
- a touch of oil
- salt
this is so cool, friends. combine the ingredients and kneed. divide the dough into palm-sized balls and roll. make sure to dust with flour lest your flatbreads stick together.
to cook, simply throw these bad boys on the grill over your campfire.
wait for them to puff up, and then flip them.
pretty, yes?
grilled veg
- veg of your choice! we had broccoli, red peppers, zuccini, portabello mushrooms.
- garlic
- oil
cut your veg into big chunks. throw them into a plastic bag with garlic, oil and s&p. shake the shit out of the bag.
beautiful grilled veg.
dill yoghurt
- plain greek yoghurt
- lots of garlic, sliced finely
- dill (optional)
- cucumbers, seeds removed
- s&p to taste
just stir these together, and spoon it onto your flatbread.
a really tasty, easy and fresh recipe for a camping trip. ditch those wieners folks, it’s time for an upgrade.
xx katty lea
kc lea 