Hey there! My name is Andrew Trask. I am 25 years old, and live in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. I'm currently a student taking Advanced Water Systems, and hope to work in the water treatment industry. I previously graduated with diplomas for the Environmental Technician and Environment Technology programs at Fleming College. Like a lot of kids out of high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. After an impromptu solo trip to Peru for a little bit of soul searching, I realized that I wanted to be happy, and what makes me happy is nature and the environment. It was then that I realized I wanted a career in the environmental field.
I developed my love for the outdoors at a young age. When I was about nine years old, I started going to a summer camp every July called Camp Kilcoo in Minden, Ontario. We did all sorts of things there like archery, canoeing, kayaking, bushcraft, woodcraft, and various other sports. It was here where I learned how to canoe, set up a tent, navigate, and camp. My favourite part of the month though was backcountry camping. At nine years old, our cabin headed out for a three day canoe trip. Every summer following, the trips got longer and further away. My last summer when I was 12 years old was when we went on the longest canoe trip I've been on to this day. We were loaded with gear and canoes, and were bussed up to Temagami, ON where we embarked on a two-week trip. That was my last trip with the camp, but I learned invaluable skills about how to camp and survive in the wilderness that I'll have with me for the rest of my life. Although I enjoyed my time at camp, and going backcountry camping, I never really thought I would have any more experiences like that.
Fast forward to when I was 16 years old. I think it was when my friend got his driver's license that my group of friends wanted to start camping. When school finished for the summer, we went on maybe two or three camping trips to a few local provincial parks. But something just didn't feel right.. There was something about driving up to our campsites and being surrounded by people everywhere you looked that made me remember the times I would go canoe tripping at camp. I pitched the idea to my friends about doing a backcountry trip in Algonquin Provincial Park. As somebody who had done this type of camping before, I knew enough about the logistics in order to plan a trip. Mind you, as this was the first trip I planned myself, not everything went according to plan! I purchased gear that we would need including a food barrel, waterproof duffle bags, gear packs, etc. When everything was figured out, and we had everything we needed, we set out on our first canoe trip together, not knowing what the next four days would hold for us. We started on Cedar Lake, in the middle of the Northern limits of the park, and would travel down to Catfish Lake, before returning along the same route we came from (roughly 25km there and back) . I want to save some of this for a future post about our first trip, but it was easy to say that it was the best experience of our lives. There was something about being out in the middle of nowhere with your best friends, surrounded by forest and the sounds of nature in every direction. After that trip, my friends were hooked, and every summer following, we would try to get back out to Algonquin at least four times, always exploring new areas of Algonquin. These next three photos are from that first trip.
That summer back in 2012 was the beginning of our adventures in the vast wilderness of Algonquin Provincial Park. I passed on my love for camping in the backcountry to my friends, who were always itching for the next trip. We would always explore new areas, and try to go as deep into Algonquin as we could. I'll be posting about many of my past trips (and future ones too) in the hopes that I'll spark an interest in others to explore their adventurous side. I'll also be posting about little tips and skills that I've learned throughout the years. Canoe tripping can be dangerous if ill-advised, but if you plan properly, it can be one of the greatest experiences you've ever had! I look forward to connecting with the Steemit community!!
