Winter Camping Part deux

Um, ok. I have a confession to make. Our Winter Camping trip isn't exactly working out as originally planned. We're still going into the forest in a week, but we're just not tenting anymore. Turns out we got access to a Yurt, and if you get unexpected access to a Yurt, you Yurtin' take it!!!

I love Yurts. As much as I was ready to brave the elements in that tent, I am VERY excited to now be setting out on a Winter Yurt Adventure. The last time I was in a real yurt was right on the Arctic Circle and learning all about Sami traditions and yummy foods and meeting some ridiculously adorable reindeer. This time around we'll be in Algonquin Park and if the forecast holds there will be lot's and lot's of snow to frolic in! And Amy's making chilli.

Sami yurt just outside of Rovaniemi, Finland and my Reindeer pal

All Northern Communities are being affected by the warming temperatures in the North right now, but since we're talking Yurts and Sami and reindeer I thought I would touch on this for todays Heart the Arctic post. Nordic and Scandinavian cultures have long been a source of inspiration and wonder for me and that includes the beautiful Sami culture.

The Sami are the indigenous people of the Arctic regions of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway - also known as Lapland. While traditionally the Sami make their livelihood through a variety of means including coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding they are most known for reindeer herding. In fact in some of Nordic countries reindeer herding is legally only allowed by the Sami. The Sami people have been roaming and living off the land of the North for well over 5000 years.

When we are talking about Environmental issues in the Arctic and all over the planet, we have to remember that it's not just those fuzzy polar bears at risk. There are thousands of people who's traditional livelihoods are being disrupted as well. Think about how sad the twitterverse gets when Netflix goes down. This is about 10 billion times more important. And since I could go on and on and on about it, instead I'm going to leave you with this little video about reindeer herders and the current situation. PS. No reindeer were hurt in this video despite the snapshot below!

Today's tip... Don't suck up any extra energy. Any piece of electronics in your home or office that is plugged in is sucking up electricity, regardless of whether it is turned on or not. Save some energy and save some money - use a power strip with an off switch or just unplug them all!

Continue Reading...

Winter Camping is back on the table.

Oh I can hear the collective "are you crazy" ringing out across the blogosphere. No, I'm not crazy. Neither is my good friend Amy, who is going with me into the cold wild forest.

Why? Why not?

This question just needs to stop being asked.

You can either be miserable and just try to "survive" winter, or you can have fun and embrace it. Be miserable or be cozy and content.

I read this great article last week, on this very topic, looking into why our Scandinavian friends are so happy and thriving during the winter months. The Danish have a word for it. Hygge (pronounced hooga).

"There’s no direct English translation for hygge, but the word evokes both coziness and togetherness. “It’s not just cozy with a blanket and a glass of wine. It’s also interpersonally cozy—so having a few people with you talking about issues and things you care deeply about. Having some candles lit, maybe a nice warm drink in your hand. Feeling safe and content.”

I've definitely been spending more time hanging out with friends, catching up with old friends. It just feels like this is the perfect time for it. Especially with our lack of snow here in Toronto, I haven't been able to get out and build snow forts or make any snow angels, so what else is a girl supposed to do? Well I'm also getting a lot of work done ;)


But we were talking about camping.

After our disastrous camping trip last May (in case you need a refresher you can read that story here) we decided that we needed to really tackle this winter camping thing. We were originally trying to get a trip going back in November, but we couldn't get a date to work. And really, last November was so mild it technically wouldn't have counted. So the first weekend of March has officially been penned into both our calendars. The tail end of winter really, but we figure there will still be some snow so we can snowshoe and some of the parks have even had skating rinks through the forest. AWESOME! We have also done our research. I thought I'd share a couple of things we've learned and then we can all meet back here in March and see how it all turned out.

Keep your clothes for the next day in the bottom of your sleeping bag so they aren't frozen solid when you go to get dressed in the morning!

Invest in those awesome hand/foot warmers, you can get the big pack of disposable ones (like these) or you can go the planet friendlier route with the reusable ones (like these) you just need to drop them in some boiling water to reset them - easy enough in the am when you are making tea!

Use a yoga mat or any mat really, under your sleeping back to have a layer between you and the cold ground. Or you can be like Amy and bring an old Futon mattress (I did warn you that we are older and wiser now, these are the tricks you learn after many camping trips!)

Keep your matches in a metal tin instead of a plastic one. For many reason, plastic being bad, plastic will also crack when frozen while metal will not. And looks ways cooler! Also to note: matches are more planet friendly than a lighter.

This next one is definitely for me. Don't sleep with your face buried in your sleeping bag. I, like most people, do not like having a cold nose and when sleeping in the outdoors, even in the summer, this is a regular thing. But the moisture from your heavy breathing will cancel out the insulating  properties of your sleeping bag. And it gets icky gross. Trust me, your nose will adapt to the temperature.

Don't be shy. Everyone in the tent should huddle their sleeping bags together (or if you're a couple just zip them together ;) This stops any cold air from coming up from the ground between you. All that body heat will only help keep you warm. Amy and I have been friends for so long that this is not a problem!

If you're crafty, or have crafty friends, make your own flannel sleeping bag liner. I've even found a tutorial for you (here) I am most definitely making one. I will be sure to share pics of it on instagram!

Don't hold your pee. I know, no one wants to get up and leave the tent in the middle of the night. But some good news - it's winter, there are no bears lurking in the woods. So you're pretty safe on that front. But seriously, your body is using up much needed energy to keep that pee warm, so just go for it. And if you really don't want to leave the tent, and everyone is on good terms in the tent, just pee in a bottle. No judgements.

Now we're all ready for a weekend of snow fun!

Continue Reading...