Perhaps you read the comments on my post a few days ago about Street Sale, when my sister said she wanted to hear about camping, and I pointed out that Street Sale paid the bills and deserved some respect (now you don’t have to bother going back and reading those comments…), and camping would have to wait.  Well, it turns out that Street Sale was a bit of a let down this time.  I can’t say why, exactly.  Of course yesterday’s weather explained a very slow Sunday, however it just seemed like there were less people on the street than in the past.  Is “Street Sale” done?  I’d be really interested to hear any opinions on this, as I have my own, but am probably very biased, so I pretty much just ignore them.  So, you know, let me know your thoughts.

Until then, let’s talk camping.

It appears that the idea of ME camping elicits giggles from my sister.  And my Mom.  I’m not sure exactly why, as I went to the same camp as my sister in Algonquin Park, and did an extended 14 day outpost trip which involved portaging canoes, setting up camp, freaking out over the legend of Tom Thompson, eating ‘gorp’ and drinking ‘bug juice’… so, you know, I’m not a complete novice when it comes to camping, despite the fact that I haven’t done any since 1985.  There’s no point really to all of that… just some back story.

I was very excited about the idea of going up to Tadoussac and camping and seeing some whales, despite the skeptical looks it brought on from my family.  And I was not disappointed.  Here, along with some pictures, are some of the things that I learned or realized on our short trip.

1) Always check the ferry schedules.  I’m just saying.  It might save you 6 hours somewhere.  I would like to qualify that by saying that I personally was NOT on directions or logistics.  So, perhaps a better way of putting this is: Always secretly check ferry schedules even if the person you are with claims to have it all under control.

2) Tents are like a GAJILLION times easier to set up than they used to be.

It took exactly 7 minutes for this to be set up.  Basically, I had prefaced this entire trip by saying that I would NOT be involved in any tent logistics, as I have ‘spatial perception’ issues.  I don’t think that is in fact a medical condition… but I often look at a shoe box that I have taken one shoe out of for a customer to try on, and have to flip the shoe over and around 3 times before it fits in properly.  Anyhow, I anticipated being able to prepare most of dinner while Rory struggled with the tent, so I busied myself with dinner prep.  As it turns out, I essentially had time to remove the box o’ wine from the bag, crack the seal, and pour myself a substantial beer cup full of it, and voila.  It was done.  Which was a bit of a shame, as I had imagined the smugness I would be feeling as I had dinner all ready, was on my 3rd goblet of wine, kicking back and watching the hilarity of tent building/frustration that would be going on in front of me.  No such luck. 

Who looks ‘smug’ now?  Definitely not me, as I was probably chopping vegetables and muttering under my breath about how if I had known how easy tents were nowadays, I wouldn’t have volunteered to be on ‘all meals’ as long as I didn’t have to be on ‘any tent’ duty.  Lesson learned.  On the other hand, knowing that tents are SO easy to erect makes the whole camping process more pleasant and idiot-proof.

3) Native shoes are the SH*T for camping.

 

I have had a pair of Native shoes at home since we received them at the store a few months ago, but besides wearing them one very rainy day, I haven’t had much of a chance to test them out, and had all but forgotten about them until I was walking out the door and spotted them, throwing them into a bag thinking maybe they might come in handy.  Well, I can now assure you that these are AWESOME.  It was pretty chilly north of Tadoussac, and I slipped into these shoes as soon as we arrived, and basically never took them off.  I didn’t have to wear socks at night, even though it was like 7 degrees out, and during the day when it was warmer and sunnier, my feet were warm, but not sweaty, and totally dry.  They are super easy to slip on and off, and in the morning, when it was kind of dewy and cold, my feet were warm, toasty and dry.  Plus they look super cute, right??? Everyone should have a pair of these.  Men and women.  You will not regret it.

4)  The first hours/day of camping is filled with uncertainties and hesitation, but also complete awe. 

There are a lot of questions like: Where do we get the firewood?  Where are the bathrooms?  Can we drive down to the site and unload and then move the car or is this NOT that campsite?  Are the people next to us going to be so loud all night/morning? (the answer was yes.) What do we have to wear on the kayak tour tomorrow?  Where are the whales?  Are we going to see any?  What time is it?  Should I have another cup of wine? (yes) Do you have the flashlight?  Because I gave it to you before and now I can’t find it… well, I know you had it because I had to use a lighter to get to the bathroom… No, you didn’t give it back to me… Oh wait.  Here it is in my pocket.  Are they going to let us kayak because it seems a bit choppy (and I’ve been dreading this since we decided to do it a month ago)? Am I going to have to shimmy my way into a wet suit if/when we do go kayaking?  Are they going to make us do that ‘deathroll’ thing in training to kayak because I think the water is 4 degrees and that seems really dangerous? Is that guy leading the kayak tour?  It looks like he’s giving some instructions.  Should we be over there?  Is that the group we will be with?  Do they look like kayaking experts?  Wait, is she the guide?  She looks official.  Let’s go stand near her.  Oh, wait.  She’s just chatting with her kids.  Why did we decide to kayak???? I don’t even know how a kayak works and what if a whale comes up right next to us and bumps us and we fall out and get eaten by a killer whale? Oh, wait.  What?  No killer whales here.  Ok…

That’s just a fraction of the questions and uncertainties that were running through my head, or that I was actually voicing out loud.  And then, there is this.

 

 

 

And you just kind of shut up and enjoy the moments.

5) Kayaking is WAY easier than you ever imagined, and there is no chance of being crushed by a jumping whale (even though I SAW the video of it on youtube here) and while getting into the wetsuit gear is slightly disarming and you look a bit like a douche, it’s totally completely worth it when you spot your first whale.

So, the moral of this story?  I’m actually a pretty decent camper.  I’m fairly relaxed and don’t freak out about the small stuff, unless you consider the whole wetsuit/kayak thing ‘the small stuff’, in which case, I guess I do.  I was overly prepared on the food front, and we had about 4 times more food than we needed, but I also had every possible item we might need, which made cooking really pleasant and stress-free.  A box o’ wine is THE BEST CAMPING IDEA EVER.  Waking up to the sound of the whales coming to the surface of the water right below you is honestly magical and worth every small incovenience, and the inevitable bickering that ensues.  So, if you haven’t done it yet, while it might be too late for this season (and too cold), do it at some point.  Make the trip to Tadoussac (or Les Bergeronnes, where we went) and experience the whales… you won’t regret it.

Filed under:
Travel by Marnie