Ontario Parks, the body that manages our provincial parks, posted a clever tweet on December 31st. It invited followers to share a “favourite park” memory. The excuse given was that New Year’s Eve is a time for reflection. It may be so, but it is also in the depth of winter and most parks will not reopen before late May. We saw the tweet as a gentle marketing prompt. Nevertheless, this simple request triggered a pleasurable process of reminiscing and dreaming for us.
There are four Canadian public parks systems within a day’s drive of our house: Parks Canada, Ontario Parks, Parks of the St. Lawrence, and the parks of the National Capital Commission. We visited thirteen parks in the summer and fall of 2022, and we camped in most of them (in a tent, believe it or not). Each park had its own particularity and charm.
We collected many warm memories. With little effort, we can recall the clear lakes and wide rivers, the long hikes in the forest, the beaches and the rocky ridges, the glowing sunrises and fiery sunsets, and the campfires under starry skies.
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What joy to think of these experiences of communing with nature and to anticipate the pleasures next summer has in store. Responding to the prompt, we’ve already made our first camping reservation of the year!