My wife, Liz and I finally got away for our wilderness “fix” by backpacking for 4 days in Frontenac Provincial Park.  We managed to shoehorn our mini-trip in between torrential rain and the first snow fall of the year.  The trails are well marked, the trees virtually devoid of colour, the mornings chilly and the beavers extremely productive in their damming operations.  We moved our camp each day and hiked for between 5 – 6 hours before setting up at a new location.  The trip certainly satisfied our need to escape as we only saw 1 other tent and a handful of day hikers.

For anyone wanting a sample of wilderness backpacking this is a great place to go as there are multiple trail options to reach each campsite (you must pre-book the campsites with the park office).  So you can design your own route to suite weather, fatigue and the ever presence of a heavy back pack.

And so, back to the Frontenac Challenge.  We met a woman who asked us if we were taking part in the challenge.  First we had heard of it.  In September and October each year the challenge is to hike 11 designated trails before October 31st – you get a stamp for each trail you complete and a certificate if you complete all 11.  Here is the big thing – you also get to go to a season end BBQ and get a free hot dog!  One free hot dog after hiking for 11 days……………………..I was thinking more off 11 hot dogs after we had been in the park for 4 days.

Oh well, I guess it is not about the food.