Category Archives: Travel Articles

Articles, stories and advice on travel.

Bikin’ Buckwallow in Muskoka

July 15, 2013 Red Hunt 7 Comments

When I ride my mountain bike around home in Toronto, it is normally on flat pavement or easy waterfront trail paths. Nothing too exciting, but still plenty of fun.

Well, up at Buckwallow, in Muskoka, the idea of flat pavement is far from your mind as the many winding trails all have you riding through the forest, over rocks and bumping against trees and logs along the way.

The Buckwallow Logo

With somewhere near 25km of trails, they are rated intermediate to difficult with plenty of singletrack as well as doubletrack options.

My little mountain biking group didn’t include any hardcore riders, which I was happy about, as my mountain biking skills are novice at best. When I lived in the Galapagos Islands I rode a bike everywhere, but that was still on easy roads and paths, not pure mountain bike trails.

Ready to roll at Buckwallow Mountain Biking trails

As it had been a couple of years since my last real mountain biking adventure, I was curious to see how I’d fare! Riding along the one hoof and two hoof trails, I seemed to meet my skill level on the two hoofed trails.

Winding around and up and down, we had a great time testing ourselves on some top quality bikes. Well, except for one of us who managed to try out the trails on a crazy looking “fat bike” with tires the size of a dirt bikes. Let’s just say those big tires had a knack for climbing over barriers that were meant to keep us on the trails!

Fat Bike Tires — The Crazy Big Tires on the Fat Bike…

My bike was great though, and by the end of our adventures I was excited to try some more challenging vertical drops and quick turns. Hard on the brakes, sliding down sheer rock surfaces with the back tire skidding along…that was fun times! Moving along at a quick pace also helped keep the pesky mosquitoes at bay, as they were quite plentiful in the forest around Buckwallow.

Riding the Trails — A fellow Mountain Biker riding the trails at Buckwallow

The lunch afterwards at Inn on the Lake in Bracebridge felt well deserved and I started to think that next time I’ll start tackling more challenging options, maybe even a three-hoofer. But really, what I want to try is to ride that crazy fat bike in the snow in winter, now that would be fun!

Lunch break! — Lunch break at Inn on the Lake after Mountain Biking

Editorial note: This mountain biking adventure was courtesy of Muskoka Outfitters and Explorer’s Edge as part of an epic 3-day “Quintessentially Canadian” tour in Ontario during the Toronto TBEX conference.

Wildlife and Nature

Springtime Moose in Algonquin Park

June 19, 2013 Red Hunt 9 Comments

Algonquin Park is one of those special, quintessential Canadian experiences. Hiking, camping, canoeing and Moose-spotting are favourite Canadian past times in this part of Ontario, and when is the best time of year to spot Moose? Spring time!

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Algonquin Park more times than I can remember, including guiding groups of tourists around parts of the park. I’ve always had a soft spot for this park because of it’s impressive wildlife watching opportunities, with Moose being the #1 desired animal for me, and pretty much everyone else.

Algonquin Park Moose - Springtime — Algonquin Park Moose – Springtime

The most Moose I’ve seen in one day was 13 (in Springtime of course), but despite there being so many of these odd looking creatures in the park, most of my summer visits have resulted in seeing no Moose. How come? Well, they’re just so good at camouflage!

Take a look at this photo. This is the same Moose that was pictured above. But after slipping only a few feet into the bush, all you can see is a silhouette. The springtime vegetation was just starting to fill in during this trip, so if this Moose was standing there in summer, he’d be totally hidden by leaves and branches. If you’re driving or walking by, you probably won’t notice this shadowy figure. Especially after he takes a few more steps deeper into the forest and virtually cloaks himself in darkness.

Algonquin Park Moose - Camouflaged — Algonquin Park Moose – Camouflaged

That is the trick with these giants of the forest, they’re just so hard to spot sometimes! While spring is the best season to spot them – less vegetation, and they like to be near roadways, getting salty nutrients after a long winter – any season is a good time to go looking for Moose.

In summer, thankfully they love eating water lilies so spotting a Moose while canoeing down a lake is always a possibility in Algonquin. The same goes for autumn, but by then you have the added bonus of leaves changing colours and the male Moose will be sporting impressive, large antlers. In winter, finding animals like Moose in the park is made more fun by being able to see their tracks in the snow.

Tall Moose in Algonquin Park — Moose in Algonquin Park – they are the tallest members of the deer family

Now, in general, the Moose tend to like grazing open waterhole and grassy areas, like this guy was. But not during the heat of the day in summer. They like to take shelter in the shade then, so it’s always best to look for Moose in the early morning and late evening hours, after sunrise and before sunset.

This particular Moose was one of 9 I saw on a day trip to go canoeing in Algonquin Park with Algonquin Outfitters, a trip organized by Explorer’s Edge. Some people I was with said they saw 14 or so Moose that day, but my eyes couldn’t spot them all!

Hello Mr. Moose — This Moose could use a nice, new coat of summer fur…

A lot of people laugh at the weirdness of these creatures. They look awkward, being so tall, and have odd faces. This guy also happens to be one of my favourite Moose I’ve seen in all my visits to Algonquin. His antlers are starting to grow, with a smooth, furry “velvet” on them, but his fur is still matty and ugly-looking from the winter.

Have you ever seen a Moose in the wild? What do you think of these Moose pictures? Is he cute? Ugly? Weird-looking?

Editorial note: While I am always looking for my next great outdoor adventure, this particular experience was compliments of the great people at Explorer’s Edge, who sent me on a 3-day “Quintessentially Canadian” tour in Ontario as part of the TBEX Toronto conference.

Travel Articles

Getting high at Yapahuwa

June 17, 2013 Red Hunt 2 Comments

Yapahuwa, or Yapawwa, is an ancient complex that tends to be overlooked by visitors to Sri Lanka.

It was one of the first places I visited, after a long journey from Canada. I was still tired and jet-lagged but figured a day in the sun, exploring an exciting new country would be a good thing.

Greeted by monkeys and only seeing a couple of other tourists here was a great start, my kind of place as I hate crowds. But soon it became apparent that my recent arrival into the country was still weighing on me as the hike up to the top of the hill temple was tougher than expected. It’s not the first time I’ve arrived somewhere full of excitement and adrenaline only to have my energy quickly zapped by altitude or tiredness.

But really, the first thing you want to do when you arrive somewhere new is explore! Who wants to rest and “waste” their first day in a new country…as smart a practice as that may be.

So, I hadn’t yet adjusted to the crazy heat of Sri Lanka, having flown in from cold wintery Canada! But slowly, slowly I made my way up the staircases and paths to the top and was rewarded with a perfect panorama view of the surrounding countryside. Green fields all around, it became pretty obvious why Yapahuwa was a strategic and important place for kings, as you could see enemies approaching from far away at this viewpoint.

Yapahuwa - View — View from the top of Yapahuwa Fortress

It was probably the shortest hike I did in Sri Lanka, as parks like Horton’s Plains and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve offered up multi-hour, more intense hikes. But those hikes didn’t have the jet-lag factor and seemed easy compared to this one. Still, despite being so tired, I was happy that I got high at Yapahuwa and had time to enjoy the view!

A Toque Macaque, one of many monkeys hanging around the Fortress

This Lion Statue was the Staircase Guardian at Yapahuwa

Wildlife and Nature

Hiking with Head Hunters in Borneo

June 16, 2013 Red Hunt 2 Comments

Cruising down the river in a longboat, I couldn’t help but wonder if some of the friendly Borneo people at the nearby villages might still have inklings of being Head Hunters and that there was a chance I could be in danger.

Longboats at Limbang — Our longboat ride from Limbang to the Head Hunters Trail in Borneo

That thinking was pretty delusional, likely brought on by a combination of extremely hot, humid weather, and me drinking cheap beers in the longboat, which I had picked up in Labuan. It did make for a more entertaining couple of hours along the river though, trying to imagine what it was like coming down this river knowing that your head could be put on a stick. I often find myself imaging what first explorers to places like Borneo went through, usually with a bit of envy that their adventures were surely more exciting than mine.

In reality, the Head Hunters Trail is just another walk in the park. A park that is a dense, muggy rainforest. With lots of leeches and near 100% humidity that kills cameras. The humidity here was so intense that my camera lenses fogged up almost instantly and even the outer protective casing of one of my lenses began to peel off. There may not be any Head Hunters here any more, but it is still an evil place for the digital traveller.

Sarawak Headhunters Trail — Near the start of the Headhunters Trail in Sarawak, Borneo

The hike itself is an 11km hike from Kuala Terikan to Camp 5 in the Borneo jungle and it’s all through lush green forest, with dripping wet branches and muddy pools of water everywhere – and that’s not even during the rainy season! This is leech-check territory, so keep all your pant, waist, neck and arm seams tightly closed off or else the little blood-suckers will get you!

Hiking in Borneo — Hiking along, after a leech check! Camera foggy from 100% humidity.

I learned here that it’s often best to be the first or second person hiking along a path where leeches may exist. It’s a case of the first person waking up the leech as they walk by and the second person aggravating (or exciting) the leech. The third person may or may not get lucky and pass by before the leech is ready to grab on…but the people after that will be facing a pathway of excited, wiggling leeches thirsty for blood.

Headhunters Trail Sign — More like the humid, leech-infested trail…

I did indeed have some leeches on this longboat ride and 11km hike, but they were all caught by my hiking buddies during leech checks. So none of them got past my clothing barriers, bug spray and heightened sensory awareness. I did laugh when I took a refreshing cold shower later on and saw a massively, blood-filled leech in there. It seemed that someone else had an unpleasant surprise!

So…back to the Head Hunter Trail…

If you’re lucky you will spot some wildlife along the hike, such as wild boar or porcupines or monkeys. More than likely you’ll hear a lot of birds and rustling of animals in the forest, but won’t see that much. The hike is done over average terrain, nothing too intense, except that the weather zaps your energy pretty quickly, especially as you’ll be carrying your backpack on this little trek. (Another reason why I was drinking those beers early in the day…to lighten the load!)

Camp 5 - Headhunters Trail — Camp 5 along the Headhunters Trail in Borneo

At the end of the 11km hike, you emerge from the forest and come to a picturesque setting on the edge of the limestone cliffs. A river presents itself for swimming and a suspension bridge symbolizes the end of the trail (or start if you’re going in reverse). Here is Camp 5, and after a few hours of getting dirty and sweaty in the jungle, a cold beer and dormitory bed seem like luxury – a decent reward for surviving the Head Hunters Trail.

Camp 5 in the rain — Raining at Camp 5, don’t expect your clothes to dry here!

Travel Articles

Peradeniya – Sri Lanka’s Royal Botanical Gardens

May 25, 2013 Red Hunt 3 Comments

In between my jungle hikes and wildlife encounters in Sri Lanka I took some time to slow down and enjoy some more civilized parts of the country.

One stop that I enjoyed was the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, said to be one of the best Botanical Gardens in all of Asia and dating back more than 600 years. I’m always amazed when I visit these kind of places as I have no horticultural or arboreal type skills at all, well at least none that I know of.

Pond - Royal Botanical Gardens — A Pond at the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens

At the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens there are immense fig trees, planted generations ago and collections of orchids and other rare trees around every corner. There are ponds, with ducks swimming and birds flying about, as well as plenty of benches to sit and watch people meandering along the accessible pathways.

A bamboo forest here, a historical building there. It’s a peaceful place that seems miles away from the hectic traffic not so far away in Kandy. Of course, it should have a sense of serenity to it, as it’s not free, you do have to pay for the privilege to visit these impressive gardens.

It’s worth it though. In total the gardens have more than 4000 different plants here – a staggering number! To me the most interesting part of the sprawling garden complex was Royal Palm Avenue, a line of towering palm trees that goes on almost as far as you can see. The thought and planning that has to go into visualising what those once tiny trees would look like after so much time is fascinating.

If you find yourself spending time in frenetic Kandy when you visit Sri Lanka, treat yourself to some quiet, re-energizing time and escape to Peradeniya and the Royal Botanical Gardens for a few hours.

Red Hunt Travel