Tag Archives: Canada

Wildlife Photo: American Black Bear in Canada

March 3, 2014 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Today, March 3rd 2014, happens to be the inaugural “World Wildlife Day” as decided by the UN as a way to celebrate the great animal and plant species of our planet.

I’ve seen many exotic and endangered animals on my travels, so this black bear may not seem so exciting to some people who may prefer a picture of a polar bear or sloth bear. But I wanted to keep it close to home for this World Wildlife Day, as a way to remind everyone that there is great wildlife in your backyard, virtually wherever you live.

I’ve been lucky to spot black bears on many occasions in parks in Ontario and Quebec, Canada as well as parts of the US, including Yellowstone National Park. Unlike some other bear species the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is not listed as endangered, threatened or vulnerable. It is widespread and has a healthy population.

But, with that said it is also an animal that few of my friends or family members have ever seen in the wild. As with far too many things, wildlife often pays the price with an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach. Too often, action and conservation don’t take place until someone sees a tiger or panda bear blazened on a logo and heralded as in dire trouble in magazines and on TV.

My solution is simple. Go out and visit your national parks, state parks, provincial parks and wildlife refuges. Take a vacation at a marine reserve or go camping in your local conservation area. Spend some money in these places, so that animals such as the Black Bear can maintain their healthy, stable status in the wild.

Here at home, in the great expanses of Ontario, cutbacks have closed a number of provincial parks because attendance numbers have been low and didn’t justify the cost of maintenance and staffing. If the trend continues towards fewer parks, the remaining ones will all be more crowded, causing more stress and strain on the natural environment, including wildlife.

My best Black Bear encounters have all been at smaller, less-used parks. They’re further north, perhaps a 7-10 hour drive from most major cities, but they’re all worth it – places like Wakami Lake and Lake Superior Provincial Parks in Ontario. Some other provinces in Canada face similar issues and strains on their park systems, so wherever you may live – consider a visit to a less popular park destination.

Sure, I’ve also seen Black Bears walking around campsites in search of food at busy Ontario Parks likely Killarney Provincial Park, but we all know that isn’t natural behaviour, and can only lead to problems down the road.

So next time you take a family road trip or camping adventure, try somewhere new, venture a little further and help keep more of Canada a safe, protected and wild place. Happy World Wildlife Day!

Wildlife and Nature

Kayaking Adventures on Georgian Bay

August 25, 2013 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Sea kayaking is one of my favourite water activities and since I’m in Ontario, with no actual “seas” around, the best kayaking to be had is on beautiful Georgian Bay.

For those who haven’t been, Georgian Bay is almost the size of Lake Ontario, so we’re talking about a big, open body of fresh water. How is that for a nice bonus over our coastal provinces who have to deal with annoying salt water on their kayak excursions?

Kayaking time — Kayaking on Georgian Bay!

Kayaking along the coast of Georgian Bay you glide through calm channels, past light houses and cottages and colourful, rugged rocky coastlines. The windswept trees and classic Canadian Shield scenery have drawn people here from far away who yearn to escape the crowds and be with nature. It was a favourite area for famous Canadian artists like Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.

On my most recent kayaking adventure on Georgian Bay, it was a hot day, but thankfully quite overcast, so we avoided getting burnt to a crisp while out on the water. It was a half day paddle out of Snug Harbour, which wasn’t long enough for me! It was really just a tease of a kayak ride that the people from White Squall Paddling took us on. We did get out towards some bigger islands like Franklin Island but didn’t have time to explore, which left me yearning for more and wanting to pull out some smores and pitch a tent to go camping.

Kayaking through a channel with my kayak buddy Jill.

Ahh, no kayak camping trip this time, but it was still a great trip and gave me a bit of an introduction to an area of Georgian Bay that I hadn’t been to before – an area I will definitely return to. Despite having a little bit of wind on our way out towards some islands, my kayaking partner Jill, from Jack and Jill travel, and I got into a good rhythm and were gliding through the water quite effortlessly.

Some colourful, odd rock formations along the Georgian Bay coastline

Kayaking is definitely a peaceful watersport and it isn’t as hard to learn as some people may think. You can just float along and take in the surroundings with nary a sound, aside from the occasional splash of your paddle. I think that is one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much. No motors or noisy engines to disturb the peace. But don’t confuse peaceful with boring. Kayaking is anything but boring. One of the great fun things with kayaking is trying to “surf” waves when conditions are ideal. It’s really quite amazing how fast you can get going in a kayak once you have some momentum built up!

As summer starts to wind down now, I’m thinking it may be time to return to Georgian Bay for some more paddling. Come September the summer camps and crowds will be gone, making it an even more peaceful paddle out on the bay.

Kayaking buddies — More kayaking buddies – Aaron and Lisa in the tandem, and Anita behind our White Squall paddling guide

This kayaking adventure was courtesy of White Squall Paddling Centre and Explorer’s Edge as part of an epic 3-day “Quintessentially Canadian” tour in Ontario.

Editorial note: I had this post written for quite some time but never got around to publishing it for some reason. Then, today I learned that one of the people I had the pleasure of kayaking with on this trip, and getting to know while exploring part of Ontario with for a few days, is suddenly no longer with us. This post is dedicated to the memory of Anita MacKinnon, who had a passion for kayaking, an infectious smile and will be missed by many.

Road Trips

Why Canadian Road Trips are Different

August 24, 2013 Red Hunt 6 Comments

How far do you have to drive for a trip to be considered an official ‘road trip’?

Do you need to stop overnight somewhere? Or can a drive to a nearby town for some wine or cheese be considered a road trip?

I think any time you get into a car and take off on the road without a solid plan, just an idea of something you want to see / somewhere you want to go, it can be called a road trip. But there is something compelling about the long-distance Canadian road trip that separates it from your average experience.

Canadian road trip — The long, lonely road – classic Canadian roadtrip scenery

I’ve done numerous day trip road trips to the US or Quebec to pick up some beer. They may have only taken me 6-12 hours total, but I still consider them to be roadtrips. Right now I’m working on a weekend camping trip and deciding if I should drive a mere 4 hours north or 11 hours (each way). Either is fine by me.

It brings up the question though – how far are you willing to go? When was the last time you drove on a full tank of gas and had to fill up not once, but twice in a day? Driving 10-15 hours a day isn’t a big deal for me and many other Canadians, but to others it seems insane.

Road trip ferry ride — A real road trip in Canada often requires a car ferry ride, like this one to PEI

My longest weekend road trip was from Toronto to New York City to catch a baseball game. I was only actually in the city for 4 hours, the rest was spent driving and camping.

My longest 3-4 day day ‘long’ weekend roadtrip, thanks to summer holidays, is a toss up between driving to the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick or to Wakami Lake in northern Ontario, each taking more than 12 hours to drive to. Then of course there was my 4,000 mile 10-day US roadtrip. It was kind of like being in Canada, except there seemed to be cities and towns every 30 minutes, instead of long, wide-open roads. Oklahoma, Kansas and other central states in the US came much closer to the Canadian experience I’m used to, but still felt different. Their expansive land was mostly farms and agriculture, instead of forests and lakes. The influence of people was around, even if you didn’t see them.

It’s just a different mindset and experience here in Canada, compared to Europe or even the US. Most of it has to do with infrastructure I think. You can take high speed trains or super-cheap low cost flights between countries in Europe, where fuel costs and rental prices are high. So, why would you drive? Plus, everything is packed together, you’ll more often than not just be driving from town to town in traffic, instead of enjoying what we like to call the ‘wide open road’. There isn’t a need to take a road trip, it’s almost a forgotten travel experience in some countries.

Arctic Watershed Sign — A uniquely Canadian road trip sign

In the US, roadtrips are common but the US has denser population centres and plenty of cheaper flying options throughout most of the country, creating more options and less of a need to drive long distances. In Canada though, the roadtrip is more of a necessity. It often costs more to fly across our own country than it does to fly to South America or Europe. Our trains are great, but considered overpriced by almost anyone who visits. Would you pay $1,000 for a one-way economy train ride across your country? Sure, it takes more than 3 days but that doesn’t include meals or a bed! For those extras you have to pay $2,500.

We simply have so much land, so spaced out, that cheaper transportation options often don’t exist. A gruelling bus ride is possible across the country, but only has so many stops, there is no freedom to get out and explore where and when you can. If you want to explore Canada properly, you need to hit the road on your own.

Road trip wildlife — Checking out the wildlife on a Canadian road trip

I’ve enjoyed road trips in many countries and am happy to say Sweden, Korea and New Zealand had some nice escapes, where you could drive out into the wilderness and have an almost Canadian experience, but it still usually seemed like the next city or town was right around the corner. The road trips were all great fun, but still somewhat “short” compared to what I was used to here at home.

Here, I know many people who think sitting in a car for 10 hours isn’t considered a waste of time, it is considered part of the adventure and part of the fun in Canada. Sure, you may spend 24 hours driving a car for a weekend road trip, but that’s just the way it is. On a real Canadian road trip you either take a break at some quirky roadside attraction, or just drive until you need fuel. It seems that from my travels the only people who really understand the Canadian road trip are Australians. Perhaps that should be my next road trip destination?

I guess the journey is often just as big an adventure as the final destination here in Canada.

Road Trips

Scenic Caves and Suspension Bridges

March 17, 2013 Red Hunt 6 Comments

Lover's Rest — The View from Lover’s Rest at Scenic Caves Nature Adventures

When it comes to road trips, I’m generally a fan of the bigger the better. But, sometimes a simple daytrip road trip is all you have time for.

A couple of hours north of Toronto is a place called Scenic Caves, located on Blue Mountain. The caves are found along the highest part of the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario and on a clear day from here you can see the bright blue waters of Georgian Bay, it’s a pretty sweet location! I’ve known about the Scenic Caves for many years but never visited until last summer.

The big draw here is, obviously, the caves. But they also have treetop trekking on suspended platforms and ziplines which are quite fun, plus you can walk across the longest foot suspension bridge in Ontario. (If you’re like me, then half the fun of suspension bridges is jumping around and trying to make them swing and sway!)

It was a fun day hanging out and exploring the caves that are still an important heritage site for the Huron and Petun peoples who once lived here.

With caves like Fat Man’s Misery and Ice Cave some places are naturally cold, while others are a tight squeeze to get through! (Although you can go around if you’re claustrophobic). Add in some interestingly shaped rock formations like Indian Chief and Ekarenniondi, some cool lookouts like Lover’s Rest, and you start to get an understanding that the area is more than just a series of rocky outcrops and caves. You can ‘see’ the history here when you stare out at the Indian Council Chamber, where Petun chiefs would meet in privacy. Signs and story boards along the nature trail help bring things to life, creating a nice mix of nature and culture.

Scenic Caves Nature Adventures — Going down towards Fern Cave

Rare ferns, including the Maidenhair Fern grow here as well. The only drawback is it can get pretty crowded around the tight spaces in the caves during summer, but it’s a fun day trip in Ontario and if you start early enough in the day, you can drive down to Wasaga Beach for lunch or a swim.

The 126m Suspension Bridge – Longest in Ontario

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Canadian Beaver

January 16, 2013 Red Hunt 5 Comments

A hungry beaver — A Hungry Canadian Beaver at Parc National d’Aiguebelle in Quebec

The great Canadian beaver! This is an animal that Canadians take pride in for it’s resourcefulness and industrious nature.

No other animal on Earth – aside from man – has the power to transform land as much as the beaver can! These semi-aquatic rodents are the second largest in the world, after the Capybara of South America.

Known for their ability to dam lakes and rivers and build impressive beaver lodges, they were once hunted for their furs. Today, they are mostly protected, but beaver hunting does still occur. The Canadian beaver is actually one of dozens of subspecies of beavers found across the world, although most people only bother to differentiate between Eurasian and North American beavers.

Beavers do not hibernate in the winter time, they remain somewhat active and will come out to feed. They do so by leaving a hole in the bottom of their lodge so they can swim in and out. They also leave a hole in the top of their lodge to let air escape. Sometimes in winter you can see steam coming from the top of an active beaver lodge!

Red Hunt Travel