Camping at Grundy Lake

With the cooler autumn temperatures rapidly approaching, I managed to sneak in one last camping trip in mid-September to the near north of Ontario at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. The best part of camping in the early fall is the lack of bugs, which were pretty bad this year in the early summer due to all the rainfall we had. There was a bit of overcast weather and rain when I woke up Sunday morning, but for the most part the weather was not to damp or cold.

On Saturday evening, after I set up camp and had some dinner, the sun was breaking through the clouds and lighting up the island across the lake from my campsite. The warm evening light complemented the cool blue of the sky and lake nicely.

The next morning, despite a drizzle of rain, there was a break in the clouds below the horizon to the east, allowing the first dark red rays of morning light to mix with the twilight blue to create an intense purple predawn glow. I forgot the head to my tripod at home, so I had the balance the camera very precariously on a small fabric camping stool for the several seconds of exposure to capture the intense red and purple hues of the sunrise.

After the sun came up and I had quickly eaten some oats and coffee, the clouds continued to break up and create a bright over exposed sky. However, the light was still warm and created an attractive high key effect that backlit the trees nicely. You can just make out some of the mist rising out of the lake into the cold morning air.

After packing up my wet tent, I headed out for a hike along the shores of gut lake. Despite the overcast conditions, the lake was perfectly still and creating a beautiful reflection of the rocks and trees along the far side of the lake.

Fortunately, the clouds started to move out around lunchtime. I was set up at a stunning location right at the transition time when the sun just started to poke through the clouds and softly light the scene, but before the light became excessively harsh and contrasty.

Camping at Grundy lake in the late summer was a nice experience without the crowds of people or insects around. I think Isabella would enjoy coming here and this might be a good candidate for a family visit next summer.