Where’s the fun in that ?
Just back from a week of solo backpacking in Algonquin Park. The battery bank I brought with me wouldn’t charge my phone so I only have photos of the first trail I hiked. Best part of the trip was the “back country” camping. These isolated campsites are only accessible by canoe or extremely difficult multi day hiking over very rough trails. Really weeds out the riffraff 
Camping on Provoking Lake was spectacular; the haunting calls of loons echoing at night off the granite cliffs surrounding the lake, wolves howling, flying squirrels visiting my campsite (what a trip they are 
).
Photos are from one of the day hikes I did at the beginning of the trip before going back country. This trail beat the hell out of me, but it was totally worth the great effort.
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On a more frightening note . . . had my first ever bear encounter. I’ve seen plenty at a distance from inside a vehicle, but this was the first face to face. Mama black bear with a couple of cubs (worst possible situation). The cubs scurried up trees ( still can’t believe how fast they climbed) and mama approached me puffing air loudly from her nostrils ( back off/warning signal). I moved back down the trail without turning away from the bear or running (both big mistakes), and mama signalled the cubs to come down from hiding and then shepherded them into the woods while giving a couple more warning snorts. Then they were gone. And so was I.
Always wondered how I would react to a bear; I was scared but didn’t panic, and amazingly every dealing with bears “best practice” I’d ever learned automatically came to me.
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…accurately describes most of the posts on here
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You have never been to Brighton then?
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Hahaha 
I’ve quite enjoyed a TV series called Cardinal which was set, I think, round there. Looks a spectacular area.
Isn’t the bear advice different for different types of bear?
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These are Black Bears, the scaredy-cats of the bear world. For the most part they take off running when they hear humans approaching, they’re usually only a problem when campers store food improperly or keep a messy campsite.
That being said, they are still bears and if they decide to kill you, you will most certainly be dead. Black Bear “attacks” are almost unknown, they do tear up a lot of property to get to food.
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Exactly the same with Glasgow bears. Show no fear, remain calm and back away slowly. Here’s a photo of a large group in the wild.
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Looks great. We did a lovely section around the Roseland peninsula today; views across the Fal to Falmouth and the Helford river. Will put some pics up tomorrow when home.
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It’s just descended into what I laughingly call ‘my consciousness’, that the cottage in Salops that we’ve booked for the end of September is called ‘Sleepy Hollow’…
Better yet, ‘salops’ is vulgar French for ‘sluts’…
Should be fun…
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Salops?
Old name for Shropshire/borders - bit like ‘Wessex’.
Oh, you mean Salop, singular.
New Forest in the caravan on Weds. Was going to spend a day by the seaside, but it seems to be poo soup down there at the moment.
Dirty rotten corrupt bastards. Poos. In the sea. It is not fucking Blackpool, where you expect that sort of thing.
Is that Jackfield? We’re 10 min away if it is. Broseley.
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Spot-on Mick. I sense a pint or two in the offing 
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