View topic - Lock down snowshoeing trip

I couldn't agree more with what jbrave is saying , do we have right or just privileges. I followed all the rules last year and canceled my spring trips so that we didn't overwhelm the hospitals. So how did our government reward us for our compliance? Why isnt anyone asking why our elected officials didnt increase hospital occupancy? What about ventilators? Did we triple or quadruple what we had available in March? But these are the same people telling us to stay home.

MikeD. I understand it's a sore spot for some people but you can't please everybody. What is essential to you, might not be essential to me and vice versa. I am not special, just a guy who makes his own decisions.


jbrave, I was not expecting the cold snap but I have borrowed the gear and I should be ok. I have a hot tent and a spot I have been to before all mapped out. I am really excited to go. i wish you a great trip as well.

We all appreciate it when the government provides services to look after our needs, but when we realize that there are certain ways we're asked to behave, somehow we don't want to pay the cost.

We've been specifically asked to refrain from travelling outside of our immediate area. It sounds like the limit is that twenty minute trip to the grocery store and that's it! If we " make our own decisions" , we assert by default that we are "special".

Seems to be something we have in common, even though we know what the "decision" ought to be.

It's nice to live in the middle of nowhere. The latest lockdown has not affected us at all. We don't have any stores that open before 7:00 AM or close after 8:00. There is nowhere to go on a good day. Winter camping, snowshoeing, skiing, ice fishing is five minutes away. I feel great sympathy for people in cities right now, I don't know how you guys are coping. In October we had several thousand moose hunters come into the area. I was somewhat distressed at the time, as I expected Covid cases to balloon, as these guys were all hitting the grocery sores and liquor stores. However, nothing happened, no spikes, and no cases attributed to them. I would speculate if you travel to a spot, do your activity, and travel back home, your chances of getting or causing infection are very low. Use common sense, do what you need to do to stay healthy.

I just miss going to Canada but I expect travel restrictions will last till 2022. My destinations have just changed. Not the activity. Life for us too is just about the same. We can ( aak) KAYAK ( note Haslam double blade) on the ocean and snowshoe and hike and ski. Canoeing is kind of hard right now ( the hockey pucks are flying on the ice too.!). I am thinking of snowmobiling but wonder if I fall over can I pick it up. Ice fishing in front of my house and snowmobiles provide my dawg with exercise. Dawg is a fish thief.
And we have a few restaurants that have outside dining. Firepits are wonderful. We have store hours limited but really does not affect us. Haven't gone for senior hours since I almost hit a moose at 5:30 am in the dark in March going for those "special hours"

I am not up to date for surveillance in Canada but I would think that Haslams common sense recommendations are spot on. Go and do.

I do miss you. You might wonder about Mericans and masks. Here in Maine we are very compliant and have been pretty much all along save for some crazies who have paid with being shut down for good. But those board game nights and holidays have for sure bit us in the keester. We went from 20 cases a day to 800.

That's good to know. Mostly what we see here are crazies in Florida, Texas etc doing their best to spread the virus.

_________________

Old canoeists never die---they just smell that way.

We are going cross country to Death Valley. I hope not literally. The crazies scare the crap out of me though a bar or a packed beach is not our choice of activity. FL and TX are on the itinerary for parks. We have strict quarantine measures here and they served us well this summer for canoeing. Not many came from out of state. Nor did we leave the state nor ever wanted to. But the desert wildflowers beckon.

I hope next Wednesday heralds a new sane direction.

Like many rules, those regarding Covid fit the South much better that the North. Common sense is the way to go. Just hope that you don't find peace officers who want to show how their importance. Most of them are okay people, and don't act rashly.

Here in deepest southern Ontario (Windsor area), there are remarkably few opportunities for sanity-saving activities. There are about six places where one can go for a walk lasting more than 20 minutes. Two of them are along the dikes through the wetlands. Now that we are in "lock-down" the municipality has seen fit to do maintenance on the dikes, and top them off with 3 feet of fresh clay. And Point Pelee National Park is closed for the annual deer hunt, leaving folks just about desperate for some sort of outdoor activity.

You folks in the North are extremely lucky.

LRC- With some sort of sanity coming to the White House, let's all hope it spreads like Covid!

I would not say 'extremely lucky' , after all it's not correct to put everyone in the same boat (canoe) .....ehehe

I would say that some of us have been 'extremely good at predicting the future' when we packed it in moved up in northern Ontario years ago

Been there done that , back in 2000 when a lot of people judged us as being freaky paranoids while they laughed

Not too many people laughing now anymore .... ehehe

We can walk out the backdoor and trekk the trails through our forest for days
and stay overnight at shelters we've built in the woods over the years

But in reality with 2 feet of snow and sub zero temperatures , staying at home to stoke the woodstove and watch a good Classic movie on the big screen is a lot more fun

The current situation may probably convince some people to seek out of the rat race
with a bit more self sufficiency and freedom by moving out to the boonies , eventough
it's not meant for everyone

We definitly got over hanging out on the patios on the Danforth or Queen street west
in Toronto quite a few years ago and we don't miss the cosmopolitan lustre anymore

Cheers ....... Vinny

Thanks for responding politely, MikeD and you're right, he did ask for people's thoughts on the matter. Here's the thing though, it's very much a case-by-case situation. I agree that travelling 400kms away is taking the purpose of the lockdown for granted. A solo trip not too far from one's home is another story.

If D.B. Cooper is experienced as a backcountry solo traveler, well-equipped, in good physical shape, has a vehicle in tip-top condition, AND is solo-travelling into an area that isn't too far away with few or no cases, then there isn't a lot of risk there. I would argue the opportunity cost of people not doing things like this could be potentially greater in terms of mental health and depression issues depending on how long this lasts.

We are in the height of winter, well into our second province-wide lockdown in less than a year and this is really going to take a toll on people. I know if I didn't get out for my daily walk in the woods with my wife, I would probably be foaming-at-the-mouth mad, chasing squirrels in my backyard with a chainsaw.

No one wants to put a first responder at risk, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are all indebted to them for the role they are playing in society currently. I'm sure DB wouldn't carelessly and haphazardly embark on a winter solo trip in a way that might result in requiring rescue services. Perhaps, if people did more outdoor activity to keep up their physical and mental health, then there would be even less first responder calls in the long run.

Short of firing up the War Measures Act , it will be very difficult to enforce a total stay-at-home order, especially when vague terms like "essential" and "exercise" are being used. People need to exercise their better judgment and if it feels like you might get fined for what you're doing, then it probably isn't ok. But it's also not ok to go nuts at home, with little or no social interaction in some cases and feel like the 4 walls are closing in.

Three posts in this thread have been reported. For the moment I am just going to quote the forum guideline:

2) Discussing religion or sex is not allowed under any circumstances. Other hot button topics, such as politics, will be closely monitored and will be on a short leash.

I agree that earlier in the spring of 2020 the expectations were easily understandable, while currently the policies are vague. Otherwise this website has no opinion. This discussion is not unreasonable or without merit. There will not be any discipline.

_________________
For he today that sheds his blood with me. Shall be my brother;

Just a heads up. Covid does involve politics unfortunately. With the new US administration, on Wed they got access finally to the dossiers of Operation Warp Speed. Opening it, they found nothing there . No plan.
Now frantically working to get a Federal Assistance plan going to distribute 100 million vaccine doses in 100 days, invoking the Defense Production Act.

Why do I bring this up? Ultimately it does have to do with canoeing and international health. We all have to be on board with taking appropriate measures and I do think that those measures are best done locally

One of my kids sent me a text on Wednesday night with the news of the new terms of lock down. Was sleeping in a tent at Pinery at the time. Hardly anybody there and it appears that the yurts were, for the most part, not being used. Now it is day use only.

Lake Huron is totally ice free and the channel through the park had some stretches that were begging to be paddled. Last year at this time it was even more open and we did manage to get some canoeing in. This trip was just some needed cross country skiing. Very enjoyable but packed up and left in the afternoon. Now back in the city with half an inch of snow on the ground. Le sigh.

I went and returned without even seeing a soul. I didn't stop anywhere except a gas station in Parry Sound and paid at the pump. Had a great time and I realized I need to upgrade some gear for use in winter but I did learn alot. It was cold out there but I enjoyed myself. There was also a lack of snow which I was surprised about as my cousin in Wasaga told me they got roughly 3 feet of snow. I guess Lake effect.

Yup---I am in Wasaga and we had a streamer coming off the lake.

_________________

Old canoeists never die---they just smell that way.