Failed rescue attempt at Moon River Falls

By the time we heard him calling for help it was too late, but we went anyway. We had made the decision to try to head up to Moon River Falls for Canada Day like we had for the last two years. Lake Muskoka feeds the river and the flow is controlled in Bala by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Hydro. Three years ago, it was calm enough to swim underneath the main falls. This year however was a completely different story (shown below). The water proceeds towards a wide cascading waterfall that was easily crossed on foot. After the cascading falls, the river opens up and is calm enough to swim around and paddle around before it feeds to another choke point. When we showed up this year, we could hear the waterfall before we could see it as we paddled upstream from Moon Basin Marina. I expected it to be rough, but when I saw the falls from about 200 metres, the violence of the water took away any ambition I had to go anywhere near it.

Ontario Geardo is on Facebook!

Hey guys, I finally got my account set up the way that I want, with a web address that isn't 762 characters long. My focus is still going to be this blog, but since it seems that everyone under the sun is on Facebook, I figure it’s a good way for you to get a heads up on blog updates instead of checking from time to time. As well, I will post deals on gear that I stumble upon, events that I find interesting, as well as pictures from adventures that aren’t quite long enough to be blog posts.

So if you’re interested in following the last blogger in the world to get a Facebook page, please visit facebook.com/ontariogeardo

Perroz Designs Reflective DFQ Patch

With the recent news of the requirements of headlamps and reflective PT belts or strobes for GORUCK events, I figure it’d be good to pass along the info that a few of you have requested in regards to the reflective DFQ (Don't Fucking Quit) patch that I wore during class 981 in Toronto. The patch is made with high quality cordura with the option of pretty much every camo pattern available from Multicam to Kryptek Madrake. DFQ is laser cut, and has a reflective backing.

GORUCK Challenge, Class 981 AAR

Once the adrenaline settled after finishing my first GoRuck Challenge last year with class 524, I told myself I would never do anything like that ever again. It was the coldest and closest I had ever been to hypothermia, I went into the Don River… THE DON RIVER, my calves cramped so badly after the 4th hour I thought I’d have to drop, I pinched a nerve in my wrist early in the challenge and it took over four months to recover, and I was eaten alive by red ants whilst carrying a log. Never again.

Outdoor Research Endeavor Shells

Growing up in Ontario I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged me to enjoy the winter outside. If was going to be cold for a third of the year I might as well look forward to it right? I learned how to skate, and learned how to ski in grade school. When I got to high school, I’d like to think that I was a fairly accomplished skier for my age. Unfortunately there weren’t many people that I hung out with that were interested in skiing so I picked up snowboarding at the same time as I was taking a 14 week first aid course to join the Canadian Ski Patrol System.

First Impressions: Perroz Designs Hearing Protection Headband Cover

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to get some swag from Perroz Designs to test out. One of the products I got was the Hearing Protection Headband Cover in Multicam. I wrapped the 500D around my Peltor 6S earpro and it was not surprisingly a perfect fit. One thing that I noticed immediately is that unlike the photos on Perroz’s website, my version had two 1” Velcro squares on either side. Great place to put reflective or IR patches! 

PCU Submersion Test

A few years ago, I read somewhere that while wearing the Protective Combat Uniform (PCU), you could jump in a lake and walk yourself dry in an hour. Challenge accepted. Last Sunday in Toronto it was -5°C, average humidity of 60%, and wind between 28 and 44kph . We put PCU to the test by doing a full submersion test in Lake Ontario. Twice. For those of you not familiar with PCU, I wrote a short history of the system a while back. As well at the bottom of this article is a video overview of the clothing system by Mark Twight.

I need a bigger pack

It hit me like a ton of bricks as I walked across the slippery rocks on the shore of Lake Huron last December, "I need a bigger pack". Three of us had made the trek from Toronto to Manitoulin Island, and had to deal with many parts of the highway being closed due to ice. By the time we got our packs on, we had about an hour of sunlight left. Within that time we had to find a suitable place to set up our camp on crown land and that was proving to be difficult. The forest was too thick to walk through quickly, and the route we took on the shore over slimy rocks was only slightly more palatable.

Perroz Designs: Interview

Tough Mudder Toronto Fall 2013 - After Action

Tough Mudder was an interesting experience on a number of levels. Everyone that I asked, told me that it was going to be a breeze. I toyed with the idea of rucking the entire thing with six bricks, but having dislocated my shoulder a few times whilst stubbornly attempting to surf in California a month before the event, I was hesitant. Running it without my Camelbak HAWG was not an option though. I carried with me 1L of water; a few energy gels, gummies and Cliff Bars; a change of clothes in an OR dry bag, and a first aid kit.