You've got your backpack, sleeping bag, and tent ready to go. But there's one problem... It's your car, man!
If you're too stubborn to go full weekend-warrior Subaru-owner, your only option is to make due with what you have. So, let's take that four-door grandma car and make sure it's ready for your new rugged lifestyle.
Read MoreAs part of the Manitoba Escarpment, Duck Mountain Provincial Park already benefits from some exaggerated elevation differences between its peaks and the Manitoba lowlands. But the park also contains Baldy Mountain, which officially claims the title of "highest point in the province."
A view of the transition area between Duck Mountain and Riding Mountain as seen from Baldy Mountain lookout tower.
At an elevation of 832 m (2,730 ft), Baldy Mountain presides at 400 m (1,310 ft) above the surrounding lowlands. Like the Duck Mountains themselves, it is shaped entirely by glacial till from the most recent ice age up to 85,000 years ago. These glacial deposits, which can run quite thick in The Ducks, sit on top of a bed of cretaceous shale that is over 70 million years old.
The peak is road accessible, situated north of Dauphin and Grandview, Manitoba. You can drive right up to the lookout tower, but there are also a series of hiking trails that can keep you busy for an hour, an entire afternoon, or a lifetime if you forget your compass.
Dear John [Jean] Paul,
Over the past few years, I have grown to know you from a puppy to a fine young dog. When I first met you, you turned on your back and peed all over yourself. I wasn't sure if you would be a good fit for us, but soon you grew up and became a worthy companion and a friend. Your peeing shenanigans have subsided and I have grown to respect you more. Your kissing booth always boosts my morale and I am grateful for your presence.
Sincerely,
Matt
After coming across so many shale outcrops, particularly in the Pasquia Hills, I learned that the darker slabs contain the fossil fuel kerogen. On our trip to Rice River Canyon, I decided to grab a few dark pieces, put them under heat and see what happens.
Lighter? ... nothing... but with a camp stove? Well, something. After bits and chunks of the sedimentary rock started bursting off, I lowered the heat and eventually managed to get the rock to self-sustain combustion. The result was the overwhelming scent of burning rubber.
I'm not going to lie, I still want to experiment with this stuff. But unless you want your food to taste like a tire fire, you're better off using whatever fuel you have left.
Brockelbank Hill, as seen from Highway 980 north of Woody River Recreation Site.
We don't have frosted peaks or rocky skylines blotting out the sun, but topography does exist on the prairies in the form of valleys, canyons and escarpments. There are several land features that stand in contrast to the flat plains after millions of years of tectonic and glacial activity.
This Prairie Peaks series investigates scenic viewpoints that put the prairies' often dramatic, but understated elevation changes into perspective.
Pictured above: the view near the highest point in Saskatchewan's Porcupine Hills, situated close to the Manitoba border. This point is easily accessed by driving along the Woody River Road (980) north of Townsend Lake. What you see is an expanse of the Red Deer River Valley and the lowlands east of the Pasquia Hills. There is a difference of nearly 500m (1,617 ft.) between the peak and the plain below.
Cairn commemorating Hon. John Hewgill Brockelbank. (Goodson)
Prairie Peaks is an article series documenting noteworthy land features and viewpoints found in the Canadian plains.
