A Time-Honored Tradition

I have many traditions.  I guess you could say I'm just a traditional person.  I often reminisce because I have so many great memories and I've been lucky to have had many different experiences.  One of the events I look forward to now year after year is not something I always did. No, it's not something from my childhood or from my college days.  It's a tradition that started not long after I moved back home after being away in another province for more than a decade. This year was year seven for this special tradition.

I love camping.  My father loves camping. I love the great outdoors.  My father loves the great outdoors. I tend to head to Ingonish in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park to camp.  Dad tends to head to Framboise on the south coast of the island to do his camping. Somewhere along the line, we came up with the idea that we should do a father-daughter camping trip.  We chose a lovely, remote spot on top of a hill overlooking the ocean at Ferguson Beach near Framboise.  That was over 4 years ago.  This summer, we embarked on our seventh annual father-daughter camping trip to that exact same spot. 

We had planned to go earlier this year because our previous trips were taken in late August and early September when the nights are cold and damp. However, due to the extreme heat and humidity we experienced this past summer, the trip ended taken place at roughly the same time as usual.  Fortunately, there was a couple of days of clear skies, zero precipitation and warm nights forecast for the last week in August so we jumped at the opportunity and weren't disappointed with the outcome!

There's only one thing I don't like about our camping spot; lugging all our gear up that hill!  But, I have to say, the effort definitely pays off.  The views are spectacular and leaving the car at the bottom of the hill far from our site gives a feel of roughing it in the middle of nowhere.  Just the way I like my camping!

Once we have all our gear on the hill, we get to work.  Dad likes to get everything set up before doing anything else so the hardest part is out of way so we can relax for the rest of the trip.  I agree. Nothing worse than setting up a tent at dusk with the flies eating you alive!

It took a little longer to get set up than usual and this time, it was my fault!  Missing tent pegs and even missing parts from various tents.  I don't have a lot of space at my little apartment to lay things out and get organized.  I took my camping gear out from under the bed back in June and put in the trunk of my car .  I assumed all the parts were there.  Instead, I had 4 tents and various parts for 4 different tents but none of the tents had all their parts. Catch my drift?  I had to improvise and this came after I had set up and tore down all four tents.  It turned out ok but we suffered sunburns and horsefly attacks during the ordeal!

 There was still plenty of daylight left after we had a quick lunch. We were tired and worn out from working in the sun so we went for a drive along the coast to see if we could spot any wildlife or see if anyone was fishing in the brooks. Not a soul around except for road workers but we did spot a hawk and a bald eagle. 

 With sunset approaching, we decided to take a quick hike up the beach before getting the fire ready and settling in for the night with some beer, snacks and stargazing. We only made it so far because the tide was high and we were unable to cross to the other side of the stream that opens up to the ocean.  When the tide is low, there's very little water in this stream, but such was not the case on this day! We sat for a bit and listened to the ocean and the seals that were making a lot of noise on a nearby island. The island is quite a distance away but when the wind blows the right way, you can hear what sounds like hundreds of them barking. 

Back at camp, the sun was just starting to set.  I took a seat on my beach chair to get ready to enjoy the show.  Waves rolling ashore, a gentle, warm breeze and a roaring fire under a clear, star-lit sky.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I slept like a baby that night. I don't know if it was the soothing nature sounds that lulled me into a deep sleep or the fact that it was so warm that night.  I fell asleep quickly and didn't wake up until the crack of dawn. 

For once, it wasn't cold and damp first thing in the morning!  That's one of my least favourite things about camping! I took an early morning stroll to the shore to watch the sun come up and listen to the birds chirping.  These are things I can't enjoy at home so I cherish them every chance I get! Before I poured my cereal into a bowl, I went down over the hill where I spotted a lush blueberry patch the day before.  I scoped up a handful to jazz up my otherwise plain bowl of cereal. I could live outdoors!

We took another walk along the shore in the other direction and sat by the river in the sun while we enjoyed some cold beers.  Tearing down the tents is always faster than putting them up so, in no time, we had everything packed up and in the cars.  We always part this way; Dad heads towards Framboise to look for wildlife and fish the brooks and I head towards St. Peter's for coffee.  On this day, the temperatures were climbing into the mid-20s so I took the long way and made a stop at Point Michaud Beach.  I rarely swim at this beach as the water temperature is usually much colder than what I'm used to on this side of Cape Breton Island. However, on this day, the water temperature was a beautiful 21 degrees Celsius.  I spotted a friend walking through the parking lot and she confirmed it for me; "the water is lovely with a gentle wave". Good thing I brought my swimsuit!  

She was right, the water was lovely. I stayed in for about an hour and reluctantly dried off when the air started to cool in the late afternoon. Well, I think you know by now what came next if you've been following this blog and my trips to Framboise!  Coffee in St Peter's and the long drive home on Route 4 along the scenic Bras d'Or Lakes.  Another one ticked off my summer 2022 bucket list.