Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands - 2016 The First (Devils Lake to Lake Victoria )

Adventure anyone?

If snow-shoeing for 5+ hours, sleeping in a tent at -20C and hopefully hearing wolves howl sounds like a great time, consider joining. If it doesn't, you may want to stay home in the warmth of your house.

Itinerary:

Saturday: 9:30a.m.
We meet at the Devils Lake Access Parking lot, strap on our snowshoes, and follow the devil lake section of the trail to Petticoat junction. Our ultimate goal is to camp looking out over Victoria lake that evening, but this is a rough hilly section of trail that has its challenges. The organizers will make a decision around Sheldon Lake about the feasibility of the whole group reaching our intended destination. Snow conditions, weather, trail visibility and group speed will all play into this.

Sunday
Return to parking lot by mid afternoon and head home. Weather and time permitting we may be able to stop for something to eat as a group before making our way back to the warmth of our own homes.

Cost:
There are no park fees for QEW so this should be a relatively economical trip.

Shared gas cost is estimated at $20-$30
Snowshoe rentals approx. $20

Gear:
Before renting gear please consider asking others on the trip if they have any to share or loan. The best way to do this is to note your needs on the spreadsheet linked to below.

Also note, given the heavier winter packs, sharing stoves and tents is highly recommend.

If you still need to rent snowshoes or other gear there are the following options:

• MEC in Barrie has snowshoes - open Friday night until 9pm closed Sunday at 5pm

• Adventure Guide in Waterloo also rents and provides a Friday to Monday time frame.

It is winter camping and you need to be prepared to tent in temperatures of -25 or colder. NO COTTON should be worn should go without saying, you will get too cold and wet.

Use the shared Sheet to make ride and tent sharing arrangements. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13PThdznFO585xYfaa8g8x8UzINAFJNP8-KQx5fnlL4c/edit?usp=sharing (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13PThdznFO585xYfaa8g8x8UzINAFJNP8-KQx5fnlL4c/edit?usp=sharing)

Difficulty:
This should not be your first backpacking experience and preferably not your first winter camping trip as well. This trip will be considered difficult since we will most likely be breaking trail over some very hilly and rocky sections. Due to the time of year and the mild winter thus far we will not be travelling on the ice. Our objective is 9km to Victoria Lake. This is not a high traffic trail nor is it a wide trail. We may have to work as a group to follow this trail. Participants should also be prepared for some short steep climbs with their snowshoes. Participants should also be prepared that we may not reach our objective.

Navigation:
If you have a gps consider bring it. A map can be found at http://www.explorethebackcountry.com/#!qewmap/c5c4 (http://www.explorethebackcountry.com/#!qewmap/c5c4)

Alternatively if you have a smart-phone consider loading the “Avenza PDF Maps” app onto it. Within the app you can download the 'Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park Backcountry Map' map for free.

Final details:

When you RSVP please remember to answer questions in the spreadsheet. A logistics email will be sent out after the RSVP closes. As with all KW Backcountry Travel meetups, you are responsible for your own transportation, food, gear and personal safety. Gas expenses should be shared evenly between the driver and their passengers.