2021 began as one of the most harrowing experiences of my life but delivered a pretty awesome summer.
The very beginning of the year started pretty well; my first camping trip was a beautiful snowy trek into Algonquin. I loved every second of it. Unfortunately, however, that same week marked the beginning of the hardcore Ontario lockdown that went so far as to even outlaw solo camping.
The heavy lockdown lasted an excruciating 133 days ending on Jun 11th. This period of 19 weeks was full of emotional turmoil as I slowly became more and more stir-crazy. The first 2,500 hours (14 weeks) of the lockdown were the hardest. A 9 million second gap between my January camping trip and the day that the weather became warm enough for me to put my kayak in Lake Ontario. Every single one of those seconds felt like a bullet to the heart.
I spent that time alone, mostly in my apartment, praying that lockdown would end before the summer camping season started. To my ire, it didn't, and I had to cancel five trips planned for April, May, and June. (Or, more accurately, the Ontario government withdrew for me) The lockdown was a wretched period of isolation which left me in a pretty depressed state. Every source of joy became outlawed. The closest thing I had to adventure was playing Horizon Zero Dawn for countless hours, exploring its incredible digital scenery. Digital is hardly a replacement for reality, though, and at best, it only served as a fleeting distraction.
Sliding my kayak into the water for the first time in 2021 was a monstrous relief. Things improved rapidly; not only did the world start to open again, but I moved into a new home only a couple of kilometers away from Lake Ontario. I paddled more this past summer than I ever have before. Thanks to how easily accessible the water was, I could pick and choose to paddle based on conditions leading to many more action-packed days in more aggressive water.
Overall morale skyrocketed and finally peaked during the Baron Canyon trip, which was an incredible experience. Unfortunately, there would be no trips longer than a few days in 2021, but all things considered, it was a great summer. I've never been more grateful to have the freedom to do what I love.
This leads me to now, sitting here in slushy December, contemplating what 2022 has in store. Certainly more camping, paddling, and longer trips that will be accessible again, assuming Omicron doesn't decide to be a buzz kill. At the top of the list is learning to dog mush this winter and paddling Pukaskwa next fall.
And, of course, as a certain Baggins once said: "I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains!"
