The Ups & Downs Of My Pike Lake Camping Adventure

I wasn’t sure if I would get to do any camping this year. Last year’s solo trip to Cypress Hills proved that I can still adventure on my own but I struggled in part due to the heat. While planning an astronomy event at Pike Lake this summer, I made the decision to camp there for a couple of nights instead of driving back to town. Again, I didn’t think about what the temperature might be and yeah…that was quite the mistake.

The RASC Saskatoon Centre was asked by Sask Parks if we could help with some programming this summer. As the acting activities coordinator, I found a speaker and some volunteers for the evening of Saturday, August 13th. Despite Pike Lake only being a half-hour drive from Saskatoon, night driving is quite difficult for me, and being that it’s summer, why not stay for a few days? I had just finished a massive photography project so this was supposed to be a treat for myself; a celebration of a job well done.

Things started off great. My neighbors on the north side were friendly and after a light dinner, I set up my site. It was still pretty hot but I took things slow. Eventually, I got a chance to spend some time in my hammock relaxing and listening to the thunder in the distance. Thankfully, the skies cleared up and we had many excited people come out to our talk and outdoor star walk. I came back to my site and curled up in my sleeping bag for a good night’s sleep. Or so I thought!

One thing that has always angered me about campgrounds is the lax security. Quiet time is just not enforced and while I understand that people are there to have fun with friends and family, at some point, you just have to shut up. I was in bed by midnight but by 1 am, my southside neighbors were still jabbering at the top of their lungs. Fed up, I tried calling the night watch number but no one arrived. A half-hour later, they actually started singing! Now I was really pissed so I got out of my toasty warm bag, “knocked” on their tent and told them to stop. Unfortunately, I was not able to sleep the rest of the night.

The heat came pretty fast the next morning and in my sleep-deprived state, I thought a walk after breakfast might be nice so I hit the small Gift Of Green Trail. I love this trail in the winter because the chickadees and other birds come to eat seeds right out of your hand. They usually don’t bother in the summer but one chickadee did follow me a bit. Alas, I was too slow because, by the time I got some seeds out, the little feathery fluff flew away. At least I saw a few birds and even a squirrel. But the shade of the trees was not enough to save me. I got back to my site and promptly flopped into my hammock where I snoozed until lunch.

On every trip I’ve ever taken in my life, I’ve forgotten something. It happens to us all no matter how perfectly we think we’ve packed. The biggie that I forgot on this trip was migraine meds. I had a pharmacy’s worth of over-the-counter pain meds but my sumatriptan? Forgot it! So, I ate my lunch, took an ibuprofen, and went back to my hammock. I was good for a bit but once the sun came around, I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to go home for a while.

Along the way, I decided to make a pit stop at a place I’ve seen along the highway many times but never actually stopped at. I found the mysterious little road that took me to the Peter & Lola Pontikes Wildlife Viewpoint. Despite my migraine, I walked the short trail to a bench that overlooks a strange little lake that runs parallel to the South Saskatchewan River. My guess is that it was once a part of the river based on what Google Maps shows but I’ll have to look that up another time. I have to admit though, it was actually a cute little spot and I’d love to take a closer look in cooler weather.

Being home in the air conditioning was heavenly and I almost didn’t want to go back but I had left all my gear there. The medication was kicking in and the temperatures were becoming somewhat more reasonable so off I went. And I’m so glad I did! The first thing I did when I got back to my site was to grab my kayak and head to the beach.

There were still quite a few cars in the parking lot and more bodies on the beach but it wasn’t too bad. Except for the noise, of course. I climbed into my kayak as fast as I could and set off southward for quieter waters. As usual, there is quite a bit of growth in the lake right now but it wasn’t as bad as some years, and I was able to paddle fairly easily down the creek that runs parallel to the camping area. The noise of people partying got annoying though and I went back up the creek and turned eastward along the south end of the lake watching the incredible cloud formations. Unfortunately, we’re at that time of year when the sun sets earlier and earlier so even though I desperately wanted to stay out longer, I decided to head back. I probably should have left earlier since my new neighbors had taken all the firewood that the people before had left me (I should have moved it to my site when I had the chance!) and I was unable to start a fire with my crummy logs and old matches but that’s okay. I still had a fabulous evening and after some reading, I curled up once more in my bag.

Alas, while the first set of noisy neighbors had left sometime while I was at home cooling off the new people on the other side of me kept a loud fan on all night so once again, I was left quite sleep deprived. (I decided not to knock on their trailer since they clearly had small children and I didn’t want to scare them so late but I would have said something if I stayed another night.) I was quite grumpy the next morning and quickly packed up my site. I was super tempted to try a quick swim before heading home, I decided against it.

Overall, I’m glad I went. My plan to read, write letters, and paint did not happen but I still had enough moments of wonder to make me forget the crappy bits. I don’t think I’ll have the chance to go camping again this year but I’m glad I got something in.

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