Canada Day 4: Channeling Snow White energy and having one final adventurous night in Toronto

Day 4: September 4, 2022

the fountain in Berczy Park

I gently awaken to the pawprints of my cat Mina scurrying across my body from shoulder to knee…or so I thought, until I fully wake up and realize I am not at home, Mina is not here, and that wasn't a cat. Moments later, I hear Caroline shout from her bed, "We have a visitor, but don't worry, it's not a mouse!" She was referring to the squirrel that just crawled across my body and scurried near her bed. Ah yes, the final day of camp!

Under my anti-mouse scarf-tent that I had tucked around me, I slept fantastically well compared to the first night in the cabin. It was far colder than the first night, however, at a chilling 40*f (around 5*c). I think we were all happy that last night was our final night sleeping here.

Breakfast was the same bountiful offering of yesterday: eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, pancakes, danishes and baked goods, yogurt parfaits, granola, cereal, fruit platters and basically everything that constitutes breakfast food in the US and Canada.

After sharing my squirrel encounter over breakfast, Chara tells me I was channeling some Snow White energy, which is a far nicer way of mentioning that I am attracting rodents left and right.

The only thing on the Soho Camp agenda for today was a 10am hike, which I didn't want to join with a bunch of hungover hikers. I went off on my own, following the path from yesterday but turning towards Lone Pine and Lou's Point. They were all very short hikes but led to peaceful spots in the woods where you could see the fog over the lake and hear the birds over the still lake water. I even took my aura photographer's advice of connecting with nature and removed my shoes to wiggle my toes in some soft moss. Gotta feel that nature, ya know?

I want my home to be carpeted in this moss

After packing up and bringing my stuff to the main campfire area, I noticed the hike wasn't happening. I guess everyone was too hungover.

After taking a group photo, we load up the boat to make the trip across the lake back to the bus. We all rush to get to the parking lot for our 12pm departure, and then we learn the bus is running late. So we spread out our luggage and swag bags under the Camp Tamakwa sign and stand around and wait. As we stand around, we give informal reviews of our weekend. Caroline says, “Next year, I’m hoping for a three-day weekend, and better logistical controls.” AGREED.

One of the elder Camp Tamakwa staff come in the second boat of supplies and people and walk around with one of the Lululemon-branded waterbottles we had received in our swag bags. “Who has rosé in their water bottle?” “Me!” Caroline waves her hand and takes it. She had packed up one of the half-drank bottles from our room and packaged it for portability. This Camp Tamakwa staff also sets down two giant boxes of booze on the ground and heads back to camp. With no Soho staff in sight, we raid the boxes, which are two full cases of vodka and wine. Unfortunately, Soho staff eventually does arrive, tells us we can't keep it, and we all begrudgingly return it. Surely it would have been fine to keep, right? I mean, they left two bottles of rosé in every single cabin, I'm sure 12 bottles of wine would not be missed. 

We wait and wait and wait.  Caroline gets a little anxious, as she needs to catch an evening flight out of the Toronto Pearson airport back home to the USA. Tito is also catching a flight to Quebec City. The same flight, in fact, that I had planned to take to Quebec City but avoided because Soho staff told me via email prior to this trip that we would be “cutting it close.” So I booked my flight to Quebec City for Monday instead.

sitting, waiting, wishing

It nears 1pm, a full hour after our scheduled departure time. It has been at least three hours since we last ate, and there are no lobster tails on this side of the lake. There are murmurings of fast food and wanting to stop along the way home.

And then, at 1:30pm, a full 90 minutes past our departure time, the coach bus comes barreling into the parking lot, making the smallest U-turn a vehicle of this size can make without toppling over, and whips around to pull in front of the group. Well that’s one way to make an entrance.

We quickly load up the coach bus and the vehicle speeds away towards the highway, with our driver seemingly under the impression that his wild driving will somehow make up for the 1.5 hour delay on this three-hour journey.

After about one hour of driving, we stop in a McDonald’s parking lot and learn that we are, indeed, stopping for lunch, much to the chagrin of our two flight-bound folks. I’m more upset that we now have to deal with a bus that’ll smell like McDonalds for two more hours of driving.

We make it in time to the airport to drop off Tito and Caroline, who made their flights, somehow. I am shocked. I am also frustrated that I didn’t just try to make that flight to Quebec City. However, I am also grateful that I didn’t have to spend the entire three-hour bus ride with a stomach full of knots, hoping I wouldn’t miss a flight. That, combined with two hours of burger smells, would’ve sent me over the edge. While we are stopped briefly at the airport, everyone on the bus shares their opinion of the Toronto Pearson airport, all of which is negative. I guess I’m glad to be flying out of Billy Bishop airport tomorrow, instead of what everyone deems an *expletive* nightmare.

We arrive in Toronto to…a bus station. Beverly stands up and tells us that unfortunately, we have to exit the bus here, because they're having mechanical issues. We are all going to have to Uber our ways back home from here. Fortunately we're only 20 minutes away from downtown Toronto at this point, but what an ending to a trip! 

Everyone buddies up to share Ubers, and Beverly assures us that we will be reimbursed. I’m headed East, so I share my ride with Berkeley, the one who was coordinating the canceled hike from this morning. She was understandably disappointed that her event was canceled. She offers insight on how camping and a connection to the outdoors is a privilege that BIPOC rarely get access to. She was excited to host that hike to allow a true connection to the outdoors, since most of the weekend wasn’t centered around it. However, she was proud of her successful nature art class (which I couldn’t attend on Saturday since I had so much going on).

I arrive at my hostel, The Only Backpacker’s Inn, as the sky clouds over. Suddenly, it feels like fall, with overcast skies and a cool, dry chill in the air. Arriving at the hostel, where the check-in desk is located inside of a cozy, dimly lit cafe, I begin to feel tired, and the desire to cozy up with some pumpkin soup and a warm blanket.

The hostel room is tight and very exposed, with six beds crammed together and no curtains or separation. I use my bedsheet to create a curtain for my bottom bunk, and went off to explore.

Not much is open, since it’s Sunday evening and the day before Labor Day. I venture off on the train to go to a thrift shop, but find nothing. I then head to a dollar store to buy some new shoelaces for my ever-trusty Timberlands. Thrilling stuff for Toronto, I know. I wonder why I picked this particular hostel, which is so far removed from downtown, and I think it was because others were booked up for Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, it leaves me far from the bustle of the city, and the overcast skies leave me tired and lazy.

An old theatre-turned-Circle K? You can bet I was seeing ALL the Toronto sights.

However, I am not one to leave any moments to boredom, so I message Nicole, a Toronto native whom I met on the Soho camping trip. I ask if she’s willing to meet up for a drink, and fortunately for me, she is!

We’re both exhausted from the camping trip but muster enough energy to meet for a casual night out. I take the train to the tram, the latter of which I have yet to figure out how to pay for. Sorry, Toronto…maybe make it easier to figure out?

the cozy-casual Betty's

We meet at Betty’s on King, located in Old Town/Corktown. It’s a laid-back pub that Nicole explains is a local favorite. She tells me how it’s a never-failing meetup spot, as it’s open every day, including Christmas. Got nowhere to go for the holidays? Pop over to Betty’s.

Nicole is eager to share some sights with me, so we head off to nearby Corktown and wander the streets. She’s shocked to find most of her favorite bars are closed, “This is honestly freaking me out.” I chalk it up to the holiday weekend. It reminds me a bit of Chicago…there are tons of art galleries and car dealerships, like in the Gold Coast and River North, but the vibe has much more neighborhood feel with cozier and contemporary bars/restaurants, similar to Lincoln Park or Ravenswood.

We wander through the Distillery District, which Nicole shares is a common place for couples to take engagement or wedding photos. It’s an industrial vibe with pedestrian-only brick roads. Stepping into this area reminds me of Red October in Moscow, albeit less snow-covered.

Distillery District

more art installations in the Distillery District

Nicole gives me a lovely walking tour of some famous Toronto sights. She leads me past the Saint Lawrence Market, past the Gooderham Building, and into more of the city center. After many failed attempts at finding food, we settle down at Beertown Public House Toronto. It’s not Nicole’s favorite spot, but it is really the only option for this area, this late at night, for food.

The St. Lawrence Market

The Gooderham

I thank Nicole for her spontaneous and lovely walk through the city. I always appreciate a tour by a local. It’s now 1am, and I head off to the subway and wait a mere five minutes before boarding a train. Another reason why Toronto reminds me of New York: quickly-arriving trains (at this hour, I’d be waiting 30 minutes for a train in Chicago).

I return to the hostel, where all five of my roommates are sleeping, bafflingly with the lights on. I shut them off and fall asleep, resting up for my final day in Toronto, and my flight to Quebec City, which I am hopeful will be the highlight of this Canada trip.