More reading...

I added a bunch of links on the right side of the page... check 'em out. I especially like the Canadian Canoe Route site... it has a database of trips that include great details like difficulty ratings and route descriptions, including distances.

I found out that my uncle over in England is quite sick so I'd ask that you all keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He was just over visiting us in September and October so it's a little shocking to hear that he's gotten sick so quickly.

It's another busy day here at work and, in what seems to be a trend for me lately, I have absolutely no interest in doing my work. This sucks.

Anyway, Jim and I have apparently started planning Capsized Canoe 2008! He found a link describing a trip that takes us south of Burntroot to Big Crow lake where there's a fire tower that give spectacular views. I should mention that another trip log mentioned that the condition of the "hut" at the top of the tower was not good so if you're reading this and want to go, keep that in mind and stay safe.

I found myself reading some articles on Outdoor Adventure Canada and one of them was a review of a feminine product. I know, weird for me to read that but I read it because it brought up the point women would potentially have a lot more to deal with when camping. For us guys, any bush will do and our "eliminating" needs are fairly basic. The fact the autor mentioned having to pack out what you brought then led me to think back to 2005 when Jim and I stayed on the island on Cedar Lake (me and my highschool buddies called it Get-away Rock). I brought Jim up to experience all that Algonquin is and I was very disappointed to find a lot of garbage on the island, mostly things like plastic water bottles and the likes. I'm no tree huggin' hippie but that kind of thing gets me really heated.. I mean, what are people thinkin'? Since when is it okay to just drop garbage anywhere you like? Would they shit right next to their tent too? C'mon people, have some respect for our environment not to mention the next campers that use the site. We always leave a small pile of firewood for the next people to use the site and we strive to leave the site cleaner than we found it. Ya know, I remember when I was a kids, there were all these public service type campaigns that told us to conserve energy by turning off the lights when we leave the room, to put litter in it's place (a garbage can, not dropped on the ground). It seems that these messages are not being taught to our kids in the public so it depends on the parents to pass the message on. That is a pitfall in the strategy as you see when you have kids in school... the extent of parental involvement in childrens lives varies vastly. It amazes me how many kids are left to raise themselves. I was a latch key kid with my sister but my parents were still deeply involved in our lives. Being busy with jobs to pay bills doesn't mean being totally disengaged in your kids lives. Damn. This is gettin' me heated! I gotta stop before I blow a gasket! LOL!

Anyway, guilt is compelling me to get back to work so, have a great day everyone! (and by everyone, I mean Jim and Geoff since you're the only two reading this) :)

g.