I’m not sure where you live but this white fluffy stuff gets a little old in February. Wait – maybe that’s not it. Maybe knowing that my friends and I can go camping very soon, makes us anxious to get through the last few weeks of winter. I have now lived through more than 20 cycles of “camping season is almost here”, to ”camping is here”, to ”can’t believe its over” to ”camping season is almost here”. We have tent-camped for many many years and have many favourite places. 

Editorial Note – Some Details about Rushing River

One of our favourite places (we have many including Birds Hill) is Rushing River in Ontario. Rushing River is about two and a half hours from Winnipeg, or about 20 minutes outside of Kenora.

Rushing River is a provincial park (so day passes are required) that sits on the Dogtooth Lake, and that leads to miles of canoe and fishing trips. The shore is a mix of large rock faces, pine trees and gentle ponds (depending on where your site it is.)

It has a wealth of campsites and has group, tent and RV sites. (For those that want to know, yes, it does have modern washrooms and showers.) There are the primo sites that line the lake (and usually require being booked six months before you go) and lots of rolling hills for those that like to go for iron man walks or runs.

Of course, the main show is the beach and lake, which flows into the Rushing River that is always a picturesque site to see. It’s great place to have a picnic – that’s if you can hear one another over the ”rushing water” nearby.

There’s plenty to do especially on the water, and folks can rent canoes and other water toys at the local store just a minute outside of the park gate. (Just want to say a shout out to all the staff at the Rushing River General Store and especially Donna who has always greeted us with a smile and looks for us each year.)

Bliss Reflection #9

Camping season feels too short, but it’s a ‘fifth’ season that brings me a lot of joy. Whether it’s sitting by the fire, enjoying a warm cup of coffee on a rock as the sun rises, or floating aimlessly with no destination on the Dogtooth Lake, camping is just good for the soul. 

That moment when you get to sit down after unpacking your car and setting up your site set up and the lake suddenly appears is priceless. I feel my blood pressure drop, just like that. And I can sit and stare for hours (and I am an extrovert). But when the lake is in front of you, you almost go into a trance. Talk about meditation! Peppered throughout those trances are bouts of laughter among my friends when we recall all the dumb things we’ve done in our lives. 

But it’s the water – that water – that draws us in. For brief moments, all is fine at work, at home and in the world. You marvel at how beautiful nature is and how this all just works together and creates ”this”. And somehow, you long to be floating on top of it, with nowhere to go and nothing else to do. 

Bliss Finds and Facts

• Obviously, one of the resources I will share is the Ontario Parks Reservations website where you can book a campsite or RV site at Rushing River.
• Want to better understand the science of being by a body of water and its impact on your mental health? Check out an article from the Huffington Post.
• And to learn more about camping (if you’ve never been), there are several sites that talk about the basics. Here is one, but there are a ton out there.