Getting up early always seems easier while camping. Perhaps it’s the relaxed mind and peaceful sleep out in the fresh air that helps you feel so rejuvenated in the mornings?

Grundy Lake Provincial Park had been on my camping hit list for a number of years. I had heard good things from a number of people about the trails, activities and general vibe of the park. It sounded fun, although a bit more accessible, and perhaps crowded, than most Ontario Parks I visit.

I decided to check it out one July after the long weekend, around the time of my birthday. I booked a site many months earlier and had been lucky to get a spot near Gurd Lake.

As I was setting up the camp site the first afternoon, I was greeted by some butterflies and birds in the forest behind the site. All was good. A small black bear walked by, looking for food from careless campers. He rambled on, the birds remained.

Afternoon turned to evening, we enjoyed cooking some campfire sausages and had a couple of beers before it was time to sleep.

Waking early, I was full of energy and it wasn’t even light outside yet. My girlfriend at the time wasn’t quite the early riser, so I got up and let her sleep. The darkness was just lifting, so I grabbed my camera and walked over to the lake to watch the sun rise.

A nearly perfect, cloudless morning. The dark sky slowly emerged. An orange glow and increasingly bright blue sky opened up above Gurd Lake.

Parts of the lake started to mist, as the temperatures were changing. Birds (and some flies) were buzzing around.

Then the sun peaked up from behind the distant tree line. The golden glow stretched out across the lake. It was a perfect start to a fine Canadian summer day in July.

This was my first morning at Grundy Lake Provincial Park, later that day I’d be canoeing on this lake with loons, fish and snapping turtles nearby. It was a fairly busy park, with campsites all packed, but I never felt crowded, so I’d happily return to Grundy Lake PP one day…just many other Ontario Parks to visit first!