Seminar Report - How I Became a Solo Camper
On Wednesday January 26, 2022, Camper Christina gave a very interesting presentation on solo camping.
The session began with an engaging video about the road to becoming a devoted solo camper. The session ended with a question-and-answer session that covered everything from food to gear to animals.
Her website has links to videos https://camperchristina.com/
Seminar - How I Became a Solo Camper
Wednesday 26 January 2022, 7-9pm
In 2002, Camper Christina went on her first backcountry camping trip and fell in love. She went as often as she could throughout the years, but in 2015, with no one to go with, she began going out alone. Travelling into the backcountry solo, presented Christina with many fears that she needed to overcome. She attacked those fears one by one and dealt with them logically. Christina continues going out on trips by herself and has been solo tripping for over 6 years now, venturing into more remote and challenging places, over longer periods of time, the goal she was aiming to achieve from the start. To this day, however, many people want to know how she did it. In today's presentation, you will see the processes Christina went through to conquer her fears and feel safe and comfortable going out into the backcountry on her own.
Christina is a youtuber and outdoor enthusiast who has been sharing her adventures and inspiring others since 2015. She started backcountry camping in 2002 and fell in love and now camps year-round. In 2015, with no one to go with, she began solo tripping, and although it took a bit more courage and time to get used to, it is currently her preference. Now, with more experience and confidence, she ventures into some extremely challenging and remote locations in the Canadian backcountry, alone, year-round. For more information on Christina see www.CamperChristina.com.
Because of the ongoing COVID restrictions this year's seminars will be held on Zoom again.
Details for joining the meeting are listed here for club members. For security reasons and to help ensure that we do not exceed the capacity of our Zoom account, please do not share the login details with people who are not members of the RA Canoe Camping Club.
Non-club members can get the joining instructions by contacting Mark at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The details will be sent starting about 3-4 weeks before the seminar up until the day before the seminar.
Basic level guidelines on Zoom are on the club website at https://www.raccc.ca/resources/trip-report/1998-zoom-guidelines-for-raccc-seminar-series.
Club Community Chat January 20 2022
On Wednesday, January 19th, the Club held its Community Chat. 19 Club members participated in the discussion.
Jill Laidlaw of the RA Centre noted that the RA Centre is closed and will reopen to the extent permitted by provincial regulations. The RA Centre is also looking into how it can ensure that participants in Club activities are vaccinated against COVID.
The RA Centre will be holding its RA Centre AGM for the year 2020 on February 17th at 6:00 p.m. Members of the RA in good standing are invited to register to participate.
Mark Scott reviewed topics for the upcoming on-line Winter Seminar series. You are also encouraged to pass along to Mark any future seminar ideas as well as comments about this season’s seminars.
Participants also engaged in a discussion about trip planning, on-line trip registration and ensuring that guardian angels are put in place for trips. Training programs are expected to be provided for beginner training but other training programs are uncertain at this time. Paddle Canada has extended instructor certifications and this has impacted the need and availability of instructor training. Some instructors participating in the chat requested refresher training for instructors.
Paddling Trips For 2022
With the bone-chilling weather that we have been having, preparing a canoe trip for the summer may be the last thing on your mind. Nevertheless, as with last year, canoe camping reservations are expected to be snapped up quickly. Reservations for areas like North Frontenac and Haliburton Highlands are already open for the season with many choice spots already taken. The opening of reservations for places in National Parks vary by park. For Ontario Parks, you are permitted to reserve up to five months from the starting date of your trip and many of these spots go quickly. You are encouraged to reserve your trips early. This year make it a Club trip!!!
RACCC 2022 Winter Seminar Series
The RA Canoe Camping Club (RACCC) will not be stopped by COVID! Once again, the club will have a diverse and interesting winter seminar series. The difference is that this year, the series will be held online using Zoom. They will be held on Wednesdays starting at 7:00 PM.
The list of seminars is attached to this article.
Except for the seminar on January 19, 2022, all seminars will be open to both RACCC club members and to non‑club members.
All seminars will be posted on the club calendar and on the club Facebook site as events.
RACCC club members will be able to get the ZOOM joining information from the logged in part of the club calendar or by sending an email message to Mark at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. As a security measure, and to help ensure that the number of participants does not exceed the limit of our Zoom account, please ask non-club members to get the joining information directly from Mark.
Non-club members can get the Zoom joining instructions by sending an email message to Mark at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The details will be provided about 2 weeks before the seminar.
The RACCC is preparing documents and information sessions about the club. If non-club members would like to receive more information about the club, they can send a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will add them to our email list. They can be removed from the email list whenever they like.
Basic level guidelines on Zoom are on the club website at https://www.raccc.ca/resources/trip-report/1998-zoom-guidelines-for-raccc-seminar-series.
2021 AGM Minutes and Reports
The club held its 2021 Annual General Meeting on November 17th, 2021. Log in to see the minutes from the meeting and reports.
Solo Trip Summary– 21 Days
27 June – 17 July, 2021
One of my earliest memories of the outdoors is fishing on ice with my Dad on a small trout lake near Algonquin Park. I call it “trout lake”. It was a bright sunny winter day, and although the fish were not biting, we could see nice trout passing just under the ice. As the fish were not biting, Dad wanted to leave. The sight of those trout swimming by the ice hole has created a lifetime passion in me to try to understand trout behaviour. My big curiosity that day was that since the trout were active and swimming so openly by the ice hole, why would they not take the bait? I was so disappointed when we left, but that experience has driven my passion for trout fishing. Although I have had much success in catching trout in some challenging situations, this question continues to “hook” my curiosity to understand the trout’s secret world. With trout, expect the unexpected!
When I planned this trip, even before posting the trip on the RACCC website, I was determined to go even if it meant going alone. That is exactly what happened. I posted the trip a month before departure, and didn’t get a single inquiry. The reasons are likely the long duration of the trip, and the large number of difficult or long portages along the planned route; more than thirty portages, one over 2km. The trip was physically and mentally demanding, but it really was the adventure that I had long dreamed of.
Open the attachment to continue reading this trip report.
Ted Blake Award 2021
Executive Meeting Minutes Oct 20th 2021
Log in to see minutes from the virtual meeting of the executive on October 20th, 2021.
Centennial Lake Trip Report Oct 2021
On Oct 8th two club members drove one hour and 40 minutes to Centennial Lake, south of Calabogie. We found the launch on County Rd. 65 (Centennial Lake Road) just as it crosses the lake. We arrived to find a heavy mist covering the lake. After getting everything ready to go, we sat in our lawn chairs and waited for the mist to clear before turning on our solar flashing light and proceeding.
This was an exploratory trip so we carefully read our maps and watched the scenery. We did not have a GPS with us. We headed towards Big Island and intended to circle it in a clockwise direction. Twice we had to stop to figure out the way forward -- once, because the fog blocked our view across Wilson Bay and once because the way to go was not obvious to us. We followed the shoreline closely. Usually it was easy to follow our map.
RACCC YouTube Channel!
As the days get shorter and cooler, you may want to check out the RACCC YouTube Channel. It contains seven seminars from the canoe club's 2021 winter seminar series. For example, get ideas for weekend flatwater trips or day whitewater trips.
Barron River Trip
September 30 2021
Imagine a perfect fall day when the air is fresh and cool, the breeze is gentle, and the leaves are just coming into their autumnal glory. Now imagine a fantastic canoe trip through a spectacular canyon in Algonquin Park. Now put them together and imagine it’s your first ever trip with the RA Canoe Camping Club, your first paddle in Algonguin Park, and your longest-ever canoe trip. That was my experience when I adventured with trip leader Mark S, Karen H and guest Marcia H when we explored the Barron Canyon recently.
CROTCH LAKE TRIP
SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2021
Sunny blue skies and warm breezes greeted the five members of the RACCC on Wednesday September 15 as we headed west along Hwy 7 to Crotch Lake, a short drive north of Sharbot Lake along Hwy 509 and Ardoch Road. Karen H, canoeist extraordinaire, led our group consisting of Lynn O, John F, Bridget D and myself, Jane Maxwell. After 1 ½ hours on the highway we reached Tumblehome Lodge where Karen had arranged for us to leave our cars and begin our journey.