Camping Again

In the end of August, we went back up to Kilarney for a second week. I decided to take all the same kids from the last camping trip, so they could continue with their camping adventures.

Relaxing on the Dock

It's always relaxing to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The kids started out mellow enough, just hanging out around the campsite, relaxing on the dock, doing some light reading....

Nami had brought along her favourite book....

But Ringo wanted to make sure his survival skills were up to date....for any emergency.....

...and Milo had brought his laptop. Couldn't survive without a computer for a whole week!

"Okay, I think I'm ready for ANYTHING now!"

Georgian Bay

One of the most spectacular views of the coast is from the rocks at the mouth of Chikanishing Creek, where we all got out and climbed high on the rocks...

A Bear Encounter

Most northern parks hand out rules for camping in 'Bear Country', and number one rule is to never leave any food out. Keep all your food locked in a hard side camper or your car.

Knowing we would be in 'Bear Country', I had brought along my own little black bear just in case some photo opportunities would present themselves. And sure enough, one day, the kids left their cooler and picnic basket out. Which is never a good idea with bears around

"Who left all our food out???"

"He's eating EVERYTHING!!!

Bear Proofing

After the bear left, the kids cleaned up the mess. Anything they could salvage was packed back in the cooler and picnic basket. Then they tied them together ......

...and Aaron strung a rope over a big overhead branch. Eric and Nami came to help.....

...and together they hoisted them up off the ground.
Hopefully, what was left of their food, would be safe from any more bears now.

Paige guided the cooler...

While Eric and Nami pulled with all their might...

"Great job! You can let go now."

The next morning, a real bear came wandering through our campsite....

But there was nothing for him to eat, so he left....

Colouring

When I was a kid, it seemed to always be raining when we went camping. So, one of our favourite things to do in our tent to pass the time, was to draw pictures and colour....

"Are you guys going to stay in there all day??"

Wild Mushrooms

With the bear having made short work of a large portion of their food supplies, Byuri and Nyssa decided to put their Wilderness Girls experience to use, and went foraging for wild mushrooms...

There was no shortage of wild mushrooms....

They carefully chose the ones they thought were okay....and not the ones that weren't.

Soon they each had a pail full....

Fried Mushrooms

Paige, who loved mushrooms, was so happy the girls had found so many, and she decided to fry them up for lunch..

The mushrooms looked very appetizing....

Everyone gathered for lunch, and was eager to try Paige's fried mushrooms...

"These are really delicious!"

"I love how you cooked them..."

But Ringo wasn't convinced that the mushrooms were safe to eat.

He had been watching closely as Paige fried them....

As a Boy Scout, he'd done his fair share of scavenging for wild mushrooms too....

..and even though he didn't think any of them were deadly poisonous, he still wasn't sure they should be eating some of them....

So he decided to pass on them, and just stick to a hot dog for lunch.

Then, not long after lunch, everyone started to feel unwell.....Something was definitely not sitting well in their stomachs....

Everyone rushed to the outhouse....

Poor Nami was doubled over with cramps....

Ringo was so glad he'd skipped the mushrooms at lunch, but he felt really sorry for his friends, and thought he'd better bring some extra toilet paper in case they ran out....