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It’s a sunset to beat all others with cotton ball clouds, a fireball sun and sloping tree that’s right out of a Group of Seven painting.

In the background, I hear the haunting sounds of a loon echoing across the bay, parting the peacefulness and marking the end of the day. The only other sound is the soft splash of my paddle as it gently strokes the water.

It’s a breathtaking scene and so distinctly Canadian I feel overwhelmed with patriotic pride. The gorgeous sunset was one of many highlights of my three-day trip to Georgian Bay where I was initiated into the world of wilderness camping.

For the past two years, I’d been kayaking in local waters, like Bayfront Park and Jordan Harbour, and while I was loving it, I found myself itching for bigger adventures. My dream was to dip my kayak into Georgian Bay, a massive body of water and wilderness campers paradise. Reaching it would require going into the bush and wilderness camping, which I’d never done. Basically, it’s just you and your sea kayak and everything you can cram inside, including a tent, sleeping bag, food, clothes, bug spray, head lamp and toiletries.

Could I really trade-off my pillow-top mattress for a sand-filled tent and lumpy air mattress?

Thanks to the expert instructors from the Halton Outdoor Club, I found myself heading off to Massassauga Provincial Park, in the southeast end of Georgian Bay.

Massassauga has 135 backcountry campsites, 48 of which are on inland lakes and the others rest along the shores of Georgian Bay between Parry Sound and Moon River, and its many islands.

All are only accessible by water and some sites are isolated in wilderness-type environments. One of the many positives is that, unlike car camping, you’re guaranteed no loud partiers.

There were four women in our group and only one had wilderness camping experience. However, our fearless leaders, Dorothy Rideough and Lise Sorensen, taught us the tricks of the trade and made it a trip to remember. In the world of kayaking, Dorothy Rideough is a legend. She’s been kayaking for 20 years and leading wilderness trips for more than 10. She’s taught hundreds of people how to kayak safely and survive in the wild.

Her expertise, combined with Lise’s, who is a skilled kayaker in her own right, transformed us into expert campers by the time the weekend was over.

Our trip started on a Saturday morning at Pete’s Place Access Point in Ridgeway, about a two-hour drive north of Toronto. It took about an hour to cram everything into our kayaks. There’s a surprising amount of room in sea kayaks, which has three hatches, and my three-person tent fit along with my sleeping bag, L.L. Bean air mattress and all of the extras.

Dorothy was adamant that everything had to be downsize and even a small bottle of Coffee Mate was reduced to a few tablespoons in a zip-lock bag as were the dried fruit, nuts and tea bags.

It was a glorious four-hour paddle to our campsite in which we passed through Wood Lake and the narrows before reaching Georgian Bay. Everything slows down in the wild and I experienced a kind of serenity only found in wide open spaces when surrounded by miles of forests and rocks. At times it was positively spiritual.

Our island campsite was tucked behind a small rock island and had an inlet that was perfect for late afternoon swims. We quickly learned the two secrets to wilderness camping: working together and having the right equipment.

Dorothy and Lise both had their own compact propane-powered stoves and managed to balance large pots on them to make scrambled eggs, rice and pasta and boil water for our all-important morning coffee and tea.

Lise taught us how to scoop water from the lake and connect the bag to a filter then hang it from a tree — the outdoor version of a kitchen tap. Then there was the thunder box, a wooden box in the forest that doubles as a toilet. When I was first introduced to it, there was an ominous late afternoon light shining on it and it looked like something out of a horror movie.

I called it the Hole from Hell and swore up and down I’d rather squat than use it. It’s amazing how quickly you can get used to something though and by the next day, I was glad it was there.

We lucked out with the weather and had three solid days of sunshine with temperatures that never rose above 30 degrees. Aside from being convinced there was a bear outside of my tent on the second night, everything went smoothly.

There was lots of laughs over meals as we listened to Dorothy’s stories of her past trips. By day we paddled to other islands and came home for long swims. By the time the weekend was over, all of my questions about wildness camping had been answered. Except one.

When’s the next trip?

— Work as a team so no one gets left behind

— Kayak together in case anyone capsizes

— Be flexible. You need to change plans as the weather changes

— Essential items include a water purifier, compact propane stove, clothes line, air mattress

— Make sure everything fits into your kayak beforehand

— Leave the campsite as you found it. Zero garbage or food scraps should be left behind

— the HOC is a registered non-profit group run mainly by volunteers that offers activities in cycling, hiking, paddling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Memberships are $75 a year.

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