Frontenac Provincial Park - A Solo Backcountry Adventure

I wasn't going to let COVID get in the way of me having my (safe) hot girl summer. With that being said, I knew that international travel was out of the question, so I decided to keep it close to home. I've always wanted to go backcountry camping but always made excuses like, I have nobody to go with (why are all my friends day hikers?), I don't know how to use a compass, it's scary to be alone in the woods...the list goes on. It's always easier to not, at least until my desire to hike and to camp became greater than my fears. At some point, you just have to do it. Take a calculated risk. So I did. Three days, two nights, only a hike away from my car - limited danger.

A quick Google told me that Frontenac Provincial Park was a great place to introduce myself to backcountry camping because the campsites are reservable (not a first-come, first-serve situation like at Algonquin), they have the amenities of car campsites (a picnic table, fire pit, tent pad (wow), animal-proof food storage...and even an outhouse that is shared amongst the campsite clusters) but you have to hike or canoe in. I'd call it backcountry glamp. Since everybody is out camping this year, I picked the only site available (Little Salmon Lake), which according to the park website was about a 3-hour hike from the parking lot. Not bad. I pored over a map of the park, learned how to use a compass, packed my things into my 40L bag, planned my meals, and off I went!

views from my campsite

Frontenac is about 45 minutes north of Kingston. The drive was not bad, just east on the 401, then up some pretty windy roads after the exit. I got to the park office, grabbed my car and camp permit, parked my car, took my sweet time to organize my things (was I stalling hiking with 25lbs? I sure was) and then went on my merry way. The sun was shining, the planet was on my side today! The trailhead and trail itself were super clearly marked, and the trail was very well maintained. It's hard to get lost here. I didn't encounter any other people hiking in or out, but it was Monday. The trail took me through forested areas, then rocky areas that exemplified the geography of the Canadian Shield. Throwback to elementary school geography class and learning about the different physiographic regions of Canada. Really cool to see it in real life, it was just like the textbook photos.

In about an hour and fifteen minutes, I made it to my campsite. The hike was only a bit over 5k. This was a pleasant surprise because I had mentally prepared to hike for 3 hours. Set up my tent and then went for a walk to the next lake over, Little Clear Lake. It was real still, real pretty. There's nothing like being alone in nature, I held my breath and just listened to the sounds of the wild. How still and serene everything was, no humans in sight. Collected some sticks and twigs to build a fire. A lot of it was wet from the rain the night before, but luckily there was a lot of birch bark around which makes for great tinder. It lights up just like paper! Walked back to my campsite, had dinner - a bootleg charcuterie situation...crackers/cheese/salami, some dried fruit. It did the trick. I set up my camp stove and boiled some water for tea and started a fire, roasted a couple marshmallows. It was definitely a challenge to start a fire with wet twigs but I got it going eventually. Called it a night pretty early, I was pretty pooped from the day's hike, especially with all of my things. I woke in the middle of the night due to bug/bird/animal noises (loon calls are SO eerie) and took a gander out of my tent, looked up, and was met with so many bright stars in the sky, I was so awestruck. 

The next morning, I woke up and took in the sunrise, the early morning mist that rolls over the lake. So pretty, so peaceful. I had a nice breakfast of oatmeal topped with raisins, chocolate chips and almonds, and some instant coffee. I was feeling gourmet. Packed my daypack and set out to hike around the park for the day. I decided to stay at the same campsite for two nights this time because I didn't know how my body would react to carrying all that weight and hiking. I'm glad I did. My shoulders were pretty sore from the day before. I had no plans for the day so I just picked a route and followed it. My lunch was tuna in a foil packet and pita, along with some DIY trail mix of jerky, chocolate covered almonds, raisins. I hiked around Big Salmon Lake and got to the junction of where the Slide Lake Loop begins, and I saw clouds rolling overhead. A storm was a-brewin'. I was about three hours into my hike and I forgot my poncho (it was child-sized anyways - which begs the question, why do I have a child-sized poncho?). When it rains, it pours.

I retraced my steps as fast as I could as the rain came down. As I was getting soaked, I came upon the realization that there is no such thing as good or bad weather - it just is. I was so thankful for the rain that nourishes the earth and also reminds me to always pack rain gear. When the sun came out, I was so thankful for the sun and its warmth. As I walked, my mantra became I am so grateful for the sun, I am so grateful for the rain. I made it back to my campsite, the rain was very off and on throughout my hike back. I went for a swim, the water was so warm and I was the only one in the little lake. Felt pretty blessed to be on a little lake that no motorboats are allowed on. That night, it rained super heavily. It was so loud, but I still had a great sleep, thankfully.

I awoke to another really beautiful sunrise and was again in awe of it all. Made myself more gourmet oatmeal, had a cup of tea and hiked around the Little Salmon Lake loop. It was nice, the landscapes now familiar. I saw a couple deer and tons of chipmunks. Went back to my campsite, packed up, and hiked back from whence I came. I really did that!

For the first time in a while, I concretely proved to myself that I am smarter, more resourceful, and braver than I thought. This was truly an act of self-love, and I am so grateful for this land that I was so privileged to visit, the land of the Mississauga and the Anishinabewaki. Funny how they name the park after the French colonizers...in any case, I tried to leave it a little better than I found it by packing out some litter that was previously left at my campsite. Always trying to spread the good word of leave no trace, so that future generations are able to enjoy the same nature as we do now.

My first backcountry experience was fantastic and I'm so glad I had this opportunity to go out into nature and really bask in it. Many more to come.