Debbie, check out Westjet as well, they may have some cheap airfares. They have a few flites a week into Sudbury from the 'bay and everyday via Hamilton.
Sid

Debbie, not sure if this has come up yet as I haven't read all the posts on this topic.

Have you thought of driving to White River, about 350KM from Thunder Bay, and take the train to the 'winter gathering' from the White River end. If some go the the gathering for 5 or 6 days as mentioned in one of the posts you could easily make a 3 day outing. (eg I believe the train comes back from White River on Wed, and you could take it back on Saturday, or some other combination depending on when people might arrive and leave. I presume some of the gatherers would be willing to meet you at the jump off point.

If you have someone else coming with you it might be an enjoyable trip and very feasible. Just a thought.

Happy camping

moe

these 5 pages of posts prove the point that
many have made to me: "You canoeists have definite masochistic tendencies"

Or they know something that isn't obvious in our city-bound culture...

We have the tendency to want to see what's around the next bend, just one more portage further, what the "other" campsite looks like,a "log jam" has never stopped us before, hey, so what if it's called the "keeper", it's Sunny out isn't it?!

...and now just jump onto a train, get out and walk a couple Klm's camp on frozen white stuff ?!

what?

we don't call that masochistic..

we call that adventure!

Remember all are welcome,

Georgi

_________________

[color=green]For love of the wilderness, A journey begins...[/color] [color=brown][b][Nature's Calling...] So get OFF(!) THAT(!!) THUNDERBOX !!![/b][/color]

MASOCHISTIC ????? Sorry I don't have my dictionary handy, but should I be proud of this or go hide in a closet?

I know I'm not a masochistic, but tell that to my wife. She thinks I am heading 600 miles in the wrong direction for the end of February. Snowshoeing or golfing, that is the question. I'm going snowshoeing! I've tried, but I don't think she will be joining me.

Did someone say it may be -25 degrees? Is that F or C? Wait a minute, it doesn't make much difference.

Tony
(from balmy western NY)

The Difference is that at -25C it's -13F
and at -25F it's f-f-ffrickin cold! ( -31C)

your toe's can tell the difference and if they're cold....put on a hat!

( no really!)

Georgi

So at -25C it is only f-ffrickin cold instead of f-f-ffrickin cold?

-25C only happens several nights in a decade around here. I honestly have no idea what Sudbury temps are like in the winter since according to US maps all weather stops at the border. Will I need to worry about getting an engine heater of some sort before I make this trip?

And yes, I too wear a hat to keep my feet warm during the day and sleeping outdoors at night. About hats, what exactly is a toque that I have heard referenced here? Is it different than my ski cap or balaclava, or do I just rename my hats when I drive north?

Tony

I guess Richard needs a new section on the site that will provide translation from US to Canadian!

A toque is likely going to be you ski-cap .... try this link to what kind of crazy weather you plan to camp in....

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/cities ... ury_ON.htm

Markw

Tony:

Weather stats for Sudbury ...

February
Max -6C (21F)
Min -16C (3F)
Mean -11C (12F)

March
Max 0C (32F)
Min -10C (14F)
Mean -5C (23F)

As this trip is planned for the end of February, we can expect to be warming up to something closer to March temperatures.

However ...

We're going to be a bit further north than Sudbury, which will have some bearing.

These are statistical averages. There's no guarantee (although it's not likely) that the temperature won't drop to -25C or -30C (-13F to -22F) at night.

Our trip last year (don't really remember the date) was perfect weather. Temperatures hovered around -6C (21F) night and day for the entire weekend we were there. Mild enough to be comfortable, but cool enough that it wasn't slushy.

By the way ... weather stats were pulled from this page at The Weather Network

We are not masochistic, only practical. Think of it this way.....
A. Mosquito's are rarely a problem. You don't hear the constant drone outside your tent knowing you have to get up and pee. Heck, you can sleep with the flap open if ya want. Come to think of it, you don't even need a tent.
B. Bears are rarely a problem so you don't have to spend a lot of time constructing come sort of aparatus to fool them from stealin' your food. Not sure about wolves??????
C. No need to carry a lot of uneccessary clothing. You usually wear everything and don't change.
D. Keeping stuff cold is no longer an issue.
E. Portaging is no problem in the winter cause you don't have to stop and unload at the beginning and reload at the end. Having to shoulder a big heavy pack is not an issue either because you just drag it with your other stuff across. (See A. regarding mosquito's)
F. If you slip on a rock, which is very unlikely because they are usually 3 feet down, you won't skin your knees cause you got 5 layers of clothing protecting you.
G. You don't have to carry a canoe but even if ya brought one you could just slide it along with your pack.
H. There is no fire ban so you can build a big roarin' fire to keep warm and cook stuff.
I. You can still fish if you want and you don't have to contend with the wind blowin' your canoe around like in the summer. See G.
J. You don't have to worry about what to wear on your feet. Flip-flops, sneakers or sandles are best left at home. Just slip your feet with 3 pair of socks on, into your boots that are usually 3 sizes too big and off ya go. Nothing fancy here. If ya buy these extra over-sized boots you can down-size your snowshoes.
K. Its much easier to justify to your spouse buying that special piece of expensive equipment because you can spread the price out over 12 months usage rather than 6 or 8 months tops.
L. Ya never need a map, GPS or compass, cause you can just turn around and follow your tracks out. You never get lost and even if ya did ya got on enough clothes to survive a few extra days.
M. Bathing is only necessary when you get home. Odors cannot penetrate all those layers anyway so you might as well leave your deoderant on the shelf at home. Brushing your teeth is a must cause your head is a little exposed and being that close to the bonefire you will have small bits of ash in your teeth.

So, as you can see by these few lines, which is probably only a drop in the (frozen) bucket of the many advantages of winter camping. Think about it!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

Merlin

Sorry for the anon of the last post.
If yer gonna write it, post yer real name.

*** I hope I didn't just talk my wife from goin' on the Budd gatherin'. Nah, she'll still go. She hates bugs n' bears!

Merlin

Dunno about that. Tracks can fill in rather quickly & visibility can drop to zero. Back when my area had proper winters, there were instances of farmers getting lost between house & barn during a good blow.