Emily Rae will never forget her encounter with a moose. The certified financial planner with Assante Capital Management Ltd. in Halifax was on a camping trip with her husband, David, in Cape Breton. They were taking a hike when another couple scurried past them in the opposite direction because they had spotted a moose on the trail up ahead.
Rae and her husband pooh-poohed the concerns of the other couple — moose are part of the deer family, after all — and kept sauntering along the trail. A few moments later, the creature stepped out from among the trees to get a better look at them. At that point, it hit Rae that moose may indeed be related to deer but they bear little resemblance to Bambi. With a body weight that can rival a small car and antlers that can stretch as wide as two metres, moose are powerful, intimidating animals — even to experienced campers.
“I was completely freaked and hiding behind the world’s skinniest tree,” Rae says, laughing. “It was exciting and thrilling but terrifying at the same time.” After a brief standoff, the moose went on its way.
It’s this type of experience that makes camping special to Rae. A native of Ottawa, Rae started camping when she was 10 years old. The family became what Rae describes as the “clichéd camping family” of the time, complete with a VW camper and a canoe. The family would paddle and portage into the deep woods in some of the country’s most treasured parks in Quebec and Ontario. The more remote, the better, according to Rae: “I really fell in love with camping at that time.”
Unique camping moments from those days are etched forever in her mind. One experience is the time she was quietly paddling around a bend in a river, only to encounter a bald eagle resting on the shoreline. As the bird spotted the canoe, it spread its wings and took flight. “I can’t even describe how majestic it was,” Rae says. “It took my breath away.”
Rae took a hiatus from camping for several years while pursuing her post-secondary education in Nova Scotia. She resumed the pastime again when she got married.
“We were married very young,” says Rae. “And when you don’t have much money, camping is a really fun way to travel around and see things.”
Camping has taken Rae through most of Eastern Canada and the U.S. And when her children — Mallory, now 16, and Bruce, 14, were born — Rae was eager to introduce them to the pursuit, happily tucking diapers into a backpack so that the children also could experience the joys of exploring the great outdoors.
“In the woods, there’s a peacefulness,” Rae says. “It makes me feel very centred and calm, and I realize that I’m a small part in the bigger world.”
The time Rae spends pursuing her passion is limited, thanks to Nova Scotia’s short summers, but it is still worthwhile. The warm season is a common topic of Rae’s conversations with her clients, which have provided her with additional “inside knowledge” of the province.
Married now for 22 years, Rae still loves camping, although the experience has evolved significantly from the early days. While her family still goes on the occasional camping trip by themselves, most weekends in the summer they set up camp with a large group of family friends. The group of 18 or so includes Rae and three of her girlhood friends, along with their families. Several dogs join in on the fun and, on at least one occasion, a cat has slipped its way into a family’s camper and become that weekend’s token stowaway.
Canoeing, which Rae had enjoyed in Ontario and Quebec, isn’t on the agenda anymore, because Nova Scotia’s landscape is not ideal for flatwater paddling. For now, the family has abandoned deep-woods camping for beach-centred provincial and national parks across the Maritimes.
Wetsuits are mandatory, Rae says: “We swim all day, go back and clean up, and then hang out by the campfire.”
Most of the families in the group try to outcook each other, with menu offerings like quesadillas and organic buckwheat pancakes. “There is some really creative camping food,” Rae says. “It makes the day bearable if you have a great cup of coffee.”
Her time spent enjoying the outdoors provides a professional payoff, too: “I come back to work revived and ready to take on the week.” IE