Description

If breathtaking beauty while enjoy some good ‘ol fashion hard work, team unity and physical challenges appeals to you then this trip is for you! An excellent next step or feather in your cap for your winter expedition journey with us. We will start at our wilderness basecamp – a 2 hour walk on packed snow machine trail will get you warmed up (gear will be picked up with snow machine)!

Note: Itinerary will change with weather and conditions. This is not a set in stone timeline so please remain flexible! We will have a great time no matter what Mother Nature throws or blows our way. But here is an idea of what you might encounter:

Day 1: We settle in for the afternoon and go over packing your kit on the toboggans and discuss trip culture and other logistical matters. You will sleep in the newly built workshop/flex space with heated floors and solar powered lights just to give you a minute to adjust to the cold, the group and sort out your kit for the early departure the next morning.

Day 2: We will depart first thing with toboggans in tow out onto Moose Lake and finish the day with a thigh buster of a portage into Elbow lake. If you thought it was cold out, try pulling your sled up a steep hill in pairs. You’ll be stripping your layers quickly and then realize that you still have to go back for another toboggan (or two!). You’ll learn a lot about portage techniques on this first day and you’ll be glad to be setting up camp shortly after!

Day 3: A quick portage takes you out into a field of dreams for winter campers. A stunning beaver swamp with hundreds of standing dead trees surrounded by the LaCloche hills. With the low hanging sun, make sure to have your camera ready. You’ll want to capture the beauty surrounding you. You then will make the long but often packed out portage (3km) through mature Eastern Hemlock and Yellow Birch trees into the stunning Wrights Lake. If you’ve got the time or energy, get your fishing rod out. I hear there’s good fishin’!

Day 4: Hopping back on the trail and heading south, we’ll get on to the Big Water of the North Channel where you’ll find sweeping views and hopefully a to die for sunset.

Day 5: Camp Day! A second night at the same camp allows one to explore without the baggage, sleep in and enjoy that second cup of coffee, play games, whittle, read, journal or get that fishing rod out! With minimal camp chores (firewood-always!) the day is yours to do your own thang or go for a day hike with some or all of the group.

Day 6: We are backtracking! Yes, that means that 3 km portage again! But it was so nice that we get to do it twice! We will walk through the breathtaking swamp again but this time head east towards Alexander Lake. Not to sound like a broken record, but this is a stunner of a lake. Jutting cliffs from the water and mature Hemlocks it’s hard not to feel the peaceful energy and the magic of the hills. Once through Alexander, we are in for another tough portage into West Quartzite lake for our final camp set up!

Day 7: Leaving the toboggans behind for the day and dawning our backpacks for a summit bid of Mt. Ararat! From sea to summit we will have lunch a top the highest peak in the range with sweeping views of the North Channel of Lake Huron (the real greatest of the Great Lakes IMHO). A challenging day, but nothing you can’t handle at this point!

Day 8: A DOWNHILL portage (weee!) back on to Moose Lake and the final push back to the pond. There, a hot sauna and tub await you for a polar plunge and cozy meal at Kie and Dave’s casa to celebrate the week together!

Day 9: No rush, but today is the day that you walk back out to your cars. You’ll make the two hour trek back out after a nice hot breakfast and a little sleep in because you deserve it! Tears shed, hugs and contacts shared and the memories shared will keep you fueled for the year until you can sign up again next year!

Note: If you are unfamiliar with “traditional winter camping” as we practice it, and for more general information about all of our guided trips, head to this page.