Trip Report: Camp Chilly Bum 3
There is a specific kind of peace that comes with a small group trip to a gorgeous place.
I love the energy and "choose-your-own-adventure" chaos of our larger festivals like Freezing Woman. It is epic!
Camp Chilly Bum is different. It’s a chance to slow down, relax, share a single fire, and really hear each other.
This year, we returned to the granite shores of Killbear Provincial Park.
About a week before the trip, the forecast was looking grim! It was going to be dangerously cold and stormy. I was going to go early, on Thursday, but it just wasn’t safe. It was -26C right after a big snow storm. There were still squalls happening, with white out conditions from blowing snow. This was very unsafe conditions! Salt doesn’t work at those cold temperatures. Sadly, there were many accidents on Thursday, so I’m glad I stayed home. Even when I left Friday morning, the ploughed roads were still sketchy, but at least manageable.
The forecast for Friday and on was much better, and meant our trip was not cancelled. And in the end, we arrived to find beautiful, mild, snowy conditions. Magical!
I was delighted to arrive far enough before dark that I could easily set up my hot tent and stove before losing light. That’s hard to do in the winter when you have a 6 hour drive to get there and the sun goes down at 4:30pm!
My hot tent, a Snowtrekker Basecamp 9.5×11
Finding the Rhythm
Our little village was a mix of hot and cold tents spread across a handful of sites. The beauty of this trip is the shared space; Friday night we all gathered in Jenny’s hot tent for dinner, and on Saturday, we had dinner in mine.
As happens often, a number of us were gear geeks, and talked about all sorts of interesting gear, and dreams of gear on our wish lists. We also talked about trips we’d like to take in the year ahead. And a bit of life… just catching up, and getting to know each other better.
Saturday morning saw Ewa, Suze, and Shav head out toward the Scenic Point trail and shared that they had a fantastic time.
Jenny, Mary-Rose, and I spent the afternoon trekking to Harold Point. That hike was a reminder of how winter demands its own kind of tax the calf deep snow made every step felt like a deliberate exertion. But reaching the shore made it all worthwhile. The sky was gloriously moody, with a storm blowing in off Lake Huron, casting the frozen landscape in shades of deep blue and grey. I brought my fancy camera on this trip, so got some fun pictures.
Jenny and Mary-Rose on the shoreline of Georgian Bay as a storm approached
The Art of Gear (and its Malfunctions)
Things don't always go perfectly. My wood stove damper decided to malfunction, requiring a bit of a "trail rig" to get through the weekend (and a proper repair once I got home). Also, the wire holding my chimney pipe to its support also snapped. I’ve since replaced it and added a spool of wire to my permanent kit a lesson learned for the future. I was able to adapt to have both of these not impact my experince, but as always, learning from it and being even more ready for the future brings peace of mind.
On the "win" side of the gear ledger:
The Silent Fan: I tested a new wood stove fan, hoping for something quieter than my old one. It was nearly silent, which made for a nice ambiance when I was reading my book before bed.
The Tech Upgrade: I finally retired my ten-year-old phone for a Samsung S25+. Being able to get a full charge in 20 minutes and have the battery last two full days is a genuine game-changer when you're managing power in the cold.
In the end, it stayed very mild on this trip. I only used the wood stove during meals or visits to my tent. Friday overnight was -2C, and Saturday was -5C. By not running the stove, avoiding stoking it overnight as I sometimes do on colder trips, I managed to get some of the best sleep I've had on a trip in a long time. That’s perfect!
Gratitude
A huge thank you to Jenny, Mary-Rose, Shav, Ewa, Suze, and Christine for the company and the conversations. It was so nice to see you, to spend a little time together, and relax in nature together. Looking forward to the next time we trip together!
And also thank you to Lee-Anne at Dash N Dale. I am always so impressed by all the amazing things she’s doing with her talents! She repaired my huge hot tent that we use as a warming tent at Freezing Woman. She does excellent work, at a fair price. It was a short visit this time, but always delightful. Sorry I didn’t have more time to stay and visit. 💜
See you in the woods! 🌲
