Brief Smoky Lake recap

Smoky Lake canoe trip group shot

After four days in the Ontario wilderness, Emily and I are safely back in Ottawa. All told, the trip was successful and a lot of fun. We spent two days traveling and two hanging around our serene camping area, largely while others fished (more on that later). Wildlife sightings were fairly limited – though we did manage to inadvertently terrify a Canada goose and her greenish goslings – though it was nonetheless refreshing to be immersed in nature. While the weekend did include some serious rain, thankfully none of it fell during times when we had to decamp or travel. The smell of campfire smoke will doubtless linger on our clothes and selves for some time yet.

Getting out into the wilderness was certainly a most welcome break from city life. Similarly, the time spent in Toronto was a nice break from relatively parochial Ottawa.

For the visually inclined, some photos are on Facebook.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.

8 thoughts on “Brief Smoky Lake recap”

  1. It was a truly excellent trip.

    Also, thank you for the visual of me flailing my arms on my tippy toes in a bathing suit. That is not embarrassing. At all. ;)

  2. Updates from Otterwa
    May 22, 2008

    Anyways, other than being chronically unemployed, life in Ottawa and recent adventures out of the city have been actually really great. Milan and I spent the long weekend (and a day before and beyond) canoeing to and camping on Smoky Lake with 11 other wacky camper characters. Among the things that were most notable was the horrifying recognition that I was expected to *carry* canoes over land for *minutes* at a time.

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