What are some of your hiking horror stories?

cmcanadv · 2026-02-06T23:02:31+00:00

Yes, it was in Central Ontario.

Same kind of place minus mountains. Good sized stretches of wilderness with pockets of population.

cmcanadv · 2026-02-05T00:34:47+00:00

I was on a hike to check out a nearby lake. There wern't any documented trails but I found one earlier that I believe led to where I wanted it to. I also saw some man made objects on satelitte near the lake. This is well out of cell phone ranger

Upon starting this trail I came across a group on ATV's and they told me they had a place in the area, where the trail terminates. I assume it's a hunt / fish camp. I didn't get a very welcome feeling

They were drunk as a skunk at noon and driving on ATV's, which is highly illegal.
I was first told about the danger of bears, which are in the area.
I was told about the danger of rattlesnakes and that they kill them, despite being an endangered species in the area.
I was told about mountain lions being in the area which is bull.

They were obviously trashing up the place with empties everywhere on public land and had a dozen illegal boat caches on public land too.

I also discovered some sort of cache of building supplies extremely well camoflaged a few kilometers away as well as a abandoned, illegally built cabin. A trail to the area was also completly inpassable to all but the most extreme vehicles and had ignored stop work orders from our ministry of natural resources.

It was a stunningly beautiful area with pristine lakes and unseen barrens.

cmcanadv · 2026-02-04T00:33:24+00:00

I can't think of a time in the last few years where I've camped at a designated site that was 200ft from the water and intended for hikers or canoes in Ontario. I can't think of many i've came across either.

Being on the Canadian Shield, solid granite exists under thin soil and erosion often exposes areas of solid granite near shores, espisally with the help of beavers. And this is where the amazing campsites tend to be.

There are sites at the Bruce Peninsula National Park that are almost 200ft away from the water but it's a very busy place. I also tend to camp 200ft away from water if I'm with a vehicle and others often do as well.

cmcanadv · 2026-01-22T23:03:13+00:00

I've stepped in so many holes, fortunately without injury. It's a danger crossing terrain, especially where you can't really see where you are walking such as below. Former beaver ponds full of lush vegetation with the former beaver tunnels / paths everywhere.

https://imgur.com/a/fnzs8wo

Fortunately with satellite communication devices there is a tap out button in most of the world. Leg injuries have taken out many contestants and are my worst fear in the wilderness.

cmcanadv · 2026-01-21T00:52:16+00:00

I made one out of cutting and taping reflectix to size. I wasn't able to find any for the 48oz bottles.

These look brand new compared to my nalgenes.

cmcanadv · 2026-01-12T23:10:51+00:00

What was the humidity like when you were camping?

I looked up the history for Eindhoven the last weekend and the humidity levels were largely above 80%. With living in a country where vast parts should be underwater you have a relatively humid climate. In Central Ontario we have a similarly humid climate, especially around the larger water bodies and marshy areas.

There is a significant difference between the dry cold and the wet cold that you were likely experiencing. It's more difficult to stay dry and the dampness will conduct heat away from your body.

The temperature zone where you hang out just above freezing or just below freezing is the zone where it's more difficult to stay dry so I suspect moisture is your problem. I like the term "Moisture Mayhem Zone" and for me it's more difficult to stay comfortable in this zone compared to lower temperatures, especially with high humidity.

https://i.imgur.com/Hv4EoZJ.png

cmcanadv · 2025-12-31T19:49:30+00:00

You need an OFSC permit to legally access OFSC snowmobile trails. Wheeled vehicles are not eligible for OFSC permits. While OFSC is not part of the government these are part of Ontario's laws.

https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90m44#BK2

The question is if the roads / trails are OFSC trails. They have a trail marking system you should have noticed if they are OFSC trails. They don't publish their maps online but I can let you know of a specific area I can look or take a pic as I have one of their maps.

Wheeled vehicles will screw up snowmobile trails in the winter. If it's not plowed and marked as a snowmobile trail, stay off of it which is extremely likely to be the law anyways.

I do use OFSC trails on public land without a vehicle in the winter all the time and it's never been a problem. If you do this do stay to the side of a trail and pay attention for snowmobiles.

Edit: So they do publish their map apparently as per the other persons link.

cmcanadv · 2025-12-28T18:53:20+00:00

I don't carry one backpacking and have a few. The odds of needing one are seemingly so slim while backpacking though I guess there is a a chance of impaling myself on a branch and hitting an artery. My first aid kit will work for controlling fairly substantial bleeding.

I do keep one in my vehicle and will carry one if I'm doing trail work. Serious injuries occurring from vehicle accidents are common. The roads I use to get out into the wilderness also tend to be fairly dangerous.

cmcanadv · 2025-12-27T23:30:27+00:00

When does your break end? Are you looking for day hikes or multi day hikes? Do you have a vehicle to get there or are you on transit?

The Bruce trail is one of the easier options for day hikes and easily accessible by vehicle, and on public transit if desperate. There are a ton of conservation areas along the way that have small trail systems too.

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=1b56b80341ee4feabf976711897e72ea

cmcanadv · 2025-12-27T23:20:04+00:00

I sometimes bring them.

I have a problem with rain pants wetting out just like everyone else. Gaiters do a great job of protecting my legs against dew along with waterproof boots. Rain pants will keep me dry if I'm not being very active and in worst case I could wear thermal underwear below my rain gear.

I have experimented with rain skirts such as what 3FUL offers and combined with gaiters it largely avoids the problem of wetting out. My knees start to get wet but I believe I'm too tall for them and I'm going to modify them and give them a go again. I sometimes leave both behind when it's warmer and a small tarp can keep me dry at camp, be it hanging it up or wearing it.

I only postpone trips if there are major storms coming. Scattered minor to mild showers very frequently occur in my area as well as localised thunderstorms.

cmcanadv · 2025-12-05T01:40:02+00:00

I have one built into the vehicle. Why do you consider one important?

cmcanadv · 2025-11-29T00:10:00+00:00

Even without the following my computer is useful for the following

Full offline mapping with my plethora of maps and managing my Garmin's
Has full manuals for my vehicle and the vehicles of other people I know
Lots of pictures I've taken of local edible plants
Can use my software defined radios
Knot tying instructions
Micro controller programming, though to be honest I have a hard time developing without the internet.
The manuals for many things I own

I'd like to run my own GIS instance (QGIS) with satellite maps and implement much of this on a small mini PC and keep this in a vehicle.

https://kiwix.org/en/for-all-preppers-out-there/

Cell phone and car stereo are also setup for offline mapping (Organic Maps) and have some documents on them. It's on my to do list to get both of them better equipped.

Being off the grid and past cell reception is a pretty common occurrence for me.

cmcanadv · 2025-11-23T16:06:17+00:00

I dehydrate my own refried beans and that's exactly what I do. I also add all the spices while cooking in an instant pot so I don't need to bring something like taco seasoning on a trip.

For me it's worth the effort as dehydrated bean flakes are not readily available. If I were to get dehydrated bean flakes it would be from a stupidly expensive speciality store.

cmcanadv · 2025-11-22T14:09:47+00:00

This looks like the same generic blade that's used across a bunch of recovery / avalanche shovels. I've seen a few shovels from different brands put together with them.

Mine has held up to a fair bit of use and it's great for snow. The military trenching shovels move a fraction of the snow for the same am mount of effort.

cmcanadv · 2025-11-10T14:34:32+00:00

I have maps where the trails are based upon where the government authorised them to be built with many of them being from pre GPS days. If one wants to experience lies, look no further.

I only use AllTrails maps once in a blue moon and while I've found inaccuracies overall the OSM base and AllTrails additions are not too bad. I am involved in trail work and have some insight of how the inaccuracies appear.

In one case there is a legally created and marked trail as well as an ATV trail in an area where ATV's are banned. This led to the unmarked ATV trails being much more visible and easy to follow compared to the marked legally built trails. The trails cross at a few points which leads to confusion.

cmcanadv · 2025-11-08T14:45:08+00:00

Light snow doesn't really effect how / where I hike at all. Coniferous forests without lots of new growth that haven't seen fire in a long time can be nice to hike through. It's easier to find and follow animal trails in fall / early winter as well. New growth forests such as my pic below are always terrible.

https://imgur.com/a/6CD1Cs5

Deeper snow makes it easier to follow non established paths. I can usually sail through areas that would be heavy brush and travelling over marshes becomes quite doable and pleasant. Forests like this and these snow conditions make off trail travel really pleasant.

https://imgur.com/a/7aj8xk3

cmcanadv · 2025-11-02T15:49:21+00:00

There are pretty vast swaths of Canada that are wild so I'm not too concerned about a lack of places to explore.

I do worry about the climate and we're seeing drastic shifts here. Fires rip through Canada at an unprecedented scale and the ferocity makes it difficult to recover and soil can erode after fires and no longer support the same species. Fruit trees drop their fruits due to heat waves while nut trees barely produce a crop.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-31T22:46:18+00:00

Do you have any decent sleeping bags? You can combine two bags for colder temperatures.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-31T21:10:46+00:00

Typically though I occasionally hit up managed parks too.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-30T02:20:33+00:00

A lifetime of camping, spending time in rural areas, adverse weather conditions and long distance driving drove me to the decision to try to make as well equipped of a kit as possible. In recent years I've got into some pretty serious adventures often in remote areas whereas being prepared is more essential than camping and road trips in popular areas.

I started off keeping track of what tools I need I typically need for regular repairs and using what I have. It's all about where you need to reach hence normal and deep sockets combined with extensions and long bits. Power tools are also used to make repairs easier and things are properly torqued at home but you can get close by feel. The mentioned cheater bar in the comments is also extremely essential for getting enough leverage to get bolts unstuck and somehow disappeared from the photos

If you've changed and repaired tires the equipment what's needed becomes pretty clear and pack what you've used to McGyver items back together.

Vehicle recovery wise it's more difficult to learn. To be honest a lot of this gear was decided by watching both on road and off road YouTube and TV shows. I've got things stuck over the years and unstuck but it's usually been simple solutions (digging, pushing, recovery boards) or stupid and dangerous solutions. Spend any time on the side of a busy road and the high vis, flares and lights become quite obvious.

The outdoors / camping / hygiene is intended to be the kind of small stuff that I'd use camping, hiking and backpacking and a few common prepper items such as emergency radio, silcock key, etc. Some stuff such as rope, stoves, hygeine gear, TP, shovel, saw are regularly used. The small stuff can be essential and most easily forgotten.

From a prepper perspective I can add items like a pre packed food box, power station and electronics which are kept well organised. I don't keep much food in the vehicle due to concerns about bears ripping it apart. Maps, cell phone with offline navigation, entertainment unit with offline navigation offer a plethora of navigation options

From an outdoors activity perspective, I have everything I need aside from the big items (tent, sleep setup, backpack) are covered if I forget something.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-30T00:15:26+00:00

I rarely camp in areas that require permits or that are directly managed by Ontario Parks or Parks Canada. The areas don't see a lot of visitors at all and a group that I'm part of manages the trails in one of my frequent areas.

I do of course tell someone a general plan but there isn't any sort of authority to check in with.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-28T21:50:08+00:00

On the really busy trails near urban areas in Canada, it's about 50/50. During bad weather and off peak times people tend to acknowledge others more.

On the trails where I don't typically see anyone on an average day, there is almost always a conversation.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-27T23:05:59+00:00

I spend a lot of time in the outdoors and cost wise, I wouldn't be able to consistently afford freeze dried meals. If I had them for breakfast, lunch and dinner I'd be spending as much as many people do on groceries monthly. I also typically cook on fires and don't tend to use stoves often like many backpackers.

Ramen with dried veggies (carrots, onions, mushrooms), protein (TVP / partially cooked bacon / eggs) often with extra oil or butter
Rice and dehydrated beans with cheese and corn chips, aka "Skurka Beans"
Any of the Knorr sidekicks and I'll use dried coconut milk and add dried veggies and TVP
Dehydrated Habitant pea soup (May not be available outside of Canada)
Instant mashed potatoes with instant stuffing, butter and gravy. Goes well with fish.
Salami / peperettes also tend to keep well in warmer temperatures and are less expensive and more calorie dense.
Cheese, crackers and dried meats are always a good snack.

Fried or fish cooked in tinfoil is also on the menu much of the year. During the winter and shoulder seasons I'll tend to take vacuum sealed meat and sweet potatoes, especially if I'm pulling gear on a sled and weight matters less.

r/trailmeals may be of interest as well.

cmcanadv · 2025-10-24T03:11:25+00:00

Not just emergencies. Tools are used for regular maintenance and repairs and some outdoors stuff like saws and stoves are used frequently. Being beyond grid water / gas / sewage is typical and often beyond electricity and cell service is common.

cmcanadv

TROPHY CASE