LONG WEEKEND AT CAT LAKE

This Canada Day long weekend my friends and I hit the road, we wanted to spend some quality time in the great outdoors and let our true north spirit show. So we packed the essentials and pitched a tent. I hadn't been camping in over a decade, but was so excited for a change of pace. Time away from the city is the perfect opportunity to decompress and bask in the simple pleasures of life.

We made our way to Cat Lake in Squamish, and thanks to the grey skies on Friday evening we got a prime lakefront campsite. Tarps were our best friend that weekend, and the rain made it a true PNW camping experience (at least that's the way I saw it).

On the rainiest day of the trip we went for a dip, the cool air outside made the lake feel surprisingly warm on the surface. I was the last one to take the plunge, but it was well worth it. Not only was it refreshing, it was my only opportunity to "shower" (which may or may not have been the main reason I hopped in).

Slow mornings

spent sipping coffee and gazing out over the lake. Nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the stillness of the first few hours of daybreak. Beers down by the dock, fleece jackets zipped up to our chins and toques fit snugly on our heads. Warming up by the fire come nighttime, surrounded by good company and fortunate enough to call this beautiful place home- what could be better?

With my first camping trip of the summer down in the books, it's made me realize that you don't need to spend a lot of money, or go very far, to feel like you're on vacation. Spending time surrounded by nature, eating as many veggie dogs as your heart desires, and losing track of time because you're busy just enjoying the moment is the ideal getaway.

Here's to more days filled with life's simple joys.