One this episode of Walk with Zeke, I share with you an adventure I look forward to every year for the past 5. I will let the pictures do most of the talking but I gotta tell some campfire tales to make the experience truly immersive.

Generally, I am camping with family and friends and blogging in an effort to populate the blockchain with sights, sounds and fun from our boreal exploits. This year, it is a special cottage event in an undisclosed location but sharing the same huge forest as some of those same provincial parks.

Welcome to The Mag!

The namesake for this yearly musical indulgence is derived from the Magnetawan River that flows past the secret location. By invitation only, friends of friends of friends have been attending this private festival for almost 10 years. Covid screwed with it last year but we were ready to cautiously reconvene and play some music.

As an intro to the uninitiated, here is the elevator pitch. A musical family purchased a cottage property years ago and built a solar-powered stage so that they could invite all their musical friends and create their own private music festival. Throw up a tent, unfold a chair, crack a cold one and either spectate or get up on stage.

The tent was a bit of an issue because of its size relative to the site we were given. The brand new tent was bigger than we bargained and looked to be half way down the hill in this location. Worry not as we found a larger flat spot and stayed cool and dry despite a little rain.

The cold ones on this trip were supplied by Redline Brewhouse http://www.redlinebrewhouse.com/on the drive up and you can read more about the brews here. @zekepickleman/beer-saturday-221-return-to-redline-the-final-chapter

As for the music, it was going when we arrived, and we shut it down each night around 2 am...I think. The core of the musical folk is the family that owns the place. Added to that is the wildest variation of folk musicians, eclectic bands, music teachers and anyone who would get up on stage to sing a song. We are associated with the host having played hockey and music with him in that context. We have even played a heavy metal set a couple years ago.

It really is a wilderness paradise of central Canadian majesty. Far from the bustle, clear nights with the milky way and the occasional aurora borealis, and enough fresh air to choke a city boy.

From the deck of the newly built home, you can see the big tent in a better spot, and a bunkhouse on the way down to the river.

Up over the hill, there is a pretty epic private bay you can enjoy from the deck complete with a diving platform, boats and schools of bass. A sauna and a huge cooler and you could spend the perfect afternoon here.

Better take it easy though as there are quite a few steps back to the main cottage and the stage.

If your beer is ready, here are a few images of the festivities.

I really should do a better job of heading here with the moments in mind to blog. Truth is, after having missed last year on account of it being 2020, blogging was an afterthought compared to hanging with the crew and enjoying life.

Here is a shot I didn't know I took of our new little puppy on his first camping trip.

He was napping nicely after having been tired out by all the other Mag Dogs.

When all wrapped up, it was again a highlight of the year just like when I first set eyes on the stage a few years ago.

The whole place is classically beautiful and it warms my soul to be able to visit whenever possible.

As the sun goes down on another MAGfest, I am already looking forward to next year. The crowd was a little more intimate this year and I am hoping we can blow it up next year with our planned set of Huey Lewis songs. It will be a long year until the next MAGfest but I hope it has been fun for you to share this one with me.

Thanks for joining me on this camping adventure. Get out and make as many of your own adventures as you can! This is life!