Last October 2023, we had our very first long drive. We decided to go to Thunder Bay, Ontario to hike the Sleeping Giant which my husband has been wanting to hike since before I got pregnant.
The drive was well, kind of a disaster. Since it was the first time that our daughter stayed in her car seat for more than 2 hours, she cried non-stop. We had to stop multiple times so she could stretch out and nurse (she’s breastfeeding). I brought my manual pump so she could take a bottle but she refused it so the remainder of our trip, the pump was forgotten.
We stayed in our BnB the next day. The plan was to go out, however, we were so tired from the drive that I opted to stay in and explore the next day.
Our first stop was the longest suspension bridge. I’ve never crossed a suspension bridge that high and well, that long. The first time we crossed it, I was telling myself not to look at anything else and just keep walking. I really wanted to stop in the middle to take a picture of the view because it was breathtaking. However, my knees felt like jello I decided against it.
Next stop of the day was Terry Fox Monument and Statue. We just took some pictures and didn’t stay in the park too long because it was too windy and we were worried that it might be a little bit too cold for the baby. Last stop was Kakabeka Falls—it was already late by the time we got there. There were almost no people visiting so we kind of had the place by ourselves.
The next day, we were planning to go for a hike—the plan was to wake up early at 0500 so we’d be done before sunset. However, it was raining and the weather was not really cooperating so we went to the Marina Bay Park instead. By the time we got there, the rain stopped and the sun decided to shine. However, when we looked at the place we were supposed to hike, there were thick and dark clouds looming and so, we decided it was still a good call not to hike that day. The park was gorgeous and it made me want to have more parks in our town. One where you can just sit and relax and enjoy the serenity and beauty of nature.
Friday, I tried to get up really early so that we could finally hike the Sleeping Giant. It was freaking cold. Probably twenty minutes in, it decided to rain. My husband was carrying our daughter and he shielded her from the rain. We were soaked but thank heavens she wasn’t. It was also my first time breast feeding while on the trail LOL Oh and since Amari have a time limit when her dad carries her, she decided halfway through, that she didn’t want to be carried by her dad anymore. So, my husband and I switched and OMG! Why did we decided to hike when she’s 4 months now and not when she was a newborn—back when all she does was to sleep. It also didn’t helped that the trail we walked through when I was carrying her was downhill and a little bit steeper.
Spolier alert: we didn’t finished the hike LOL we were probably an hour or half an hour away from the peak/cliff. My husband finally called it because he realized how dangerous the situation was. It was raining, the trail was slippery and we (mainly, I) weren’t wearing a proper footwear. As we were making our way down the trail, my husband asked if we should continue. I’m like—nope, you’re not going to make me climb up again. I’m exhausted.
So that’s our misadventure in Thunder Bay, Ontario LOL Though we’d like to say that it was a good call because it rained again after. And it’ll be probably dark once we made our way back to the parking lot if we end up finishing the hike. For compensation, we just went to the view point of Thunder Bay. The view point was actually scary because it was located on a cliff. It was very windy and it felt like the wind will blow you off of the railing LOL
We might come back in the future to finish the hike. Maybe once our daughter is old enough to walk on her own LOL
Ciao!
