Field Notes: Camping at Highland Country in Ontario for Canada’s (2nd) Best Summer Job

Hipcamp selected LGBTQ+ influencer and outdoorswoman Shannon Youngs for Canada’s (2nd) Best Summer Job, an epic cross-Ontario adventure. As part of her journey, she chronicled her time at Highland Country.

I pulled into the driveway, put my car in park, and sat for a moment, wondering what day 5 of my Hipcamp adventure would bring. I followed the check-in instructions and began to walk up to the house to meet Wim V., the Hipcamp Host of Highland Country in Glencoe, Ontario. After befriending his dog Hammer, who crawled out from under the porch to welcome me, I knocked on the door and was greeted by Wim, whose very kind and gentle spirit was immediately clear as he made me feel welcome and at ease right away. While we were introducing ourselves, his two sisters came out of the house to meet me as well—we all talked on the porch for a moment and then decided to take the buggy out for a little tour of the property.

A playful spirit

After chatting with Wim and his sisters, it became apparent that he is definitely a family man. Wim shared that the Highland Country property acts as a gathering place for his friends and family, and that it’s extra special for his grandchildren as they love to visit this place where they feel free to be kids. I can see that Wim also has a very playful energy himself by the way he drives his buggy through the mud. He doesn’t laugh out loud like me and his sisters, but I can tell by his grin that he is enjoying us all having fun.

And in a way, this is one of the main reasons why Wim decided to work with Hipcamp. He told me that because he’s open to making new connections and seeing what Hipcamp holds for him and his property, he feels happy to be able to share his property with others who come to create their own memories.

Some friendly neighbours

Our first stop on the property tour was to the three resident white horses. We pulled up and found them huddled together under some trees that acted as a bit of protection from both the hot sun and the bugs that came along with the heat wave. The horses were so large and almost mystical—the sun hit them just right through the trees and made them look like they were from a medieval fairytale. His sister noted the same thing without knowing that I was thinking it.

We carried on to find his herd of Highland cattle taking a dip down in the creek. Like the horses, they were trying to escape the heat. I had never seen Highland cattle in person before, and it was surprising to see how calm and beautiful they were. They were the colour of caramel, with beautiful hair and bangs that would make anyone jealous. Wim knows them well enough that they let him comb them and give them Justin Bieber-like hairstyles.

Settling into camp

After our tour, I drove my car right up to my beautiful, open campsite, which was surrounded by tall, lush, staggered trees. The sun was shining its setting rays through the trees and along the grass leading to my site, making it the perfect time to set up my camping chair and start writing about my time so far at Highland Country. Shortly after I began, the three mystical horses appeared from the tree line, and I watched them trot around in unison over to my site. They seemed to find my car a bit peculiar and gave it a good smell, but once the horses were satisfied with their investigation, they playfully ran back into the forest. I couldn’t help but feel lucky that I continually get to experience these cool moments during this trip with Hipcamp.

Wim, his sisters, and I had collected some firewood earlier in the day, so I used it, along with some hay laying around the property as a fire starter, to get a campfire going. After a few failed attempts, I finally got the fire to a size appropriate enough to cook hot dogs. The heat was a bit much and I was on my fifth day of swatting mosquitoes away, so after eating, I retired early to my tent, ready to just lay inside and wait for the sun to go down.

A summer storm

I soon began to hear the rumblings of thunder and see flashes of lightning through my tent. I’ve never camped in a lightning storm before but I knew that sleeping outside with the possibility of lightning hitting the ground wasn’t the best idea. So—as anyone would do—I called my mom to get her advice on what to do. After much debate, I decided (for my own sanity and sleep) that it would be best to sleep in my car. I moved my stuff and hopped in just in time—right as it began to pour rain.

I did feel like a wimp for staying in my car, but in the end, you have to do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable and safe. I knew that I would have been awake for most of the night in my tent, wondering if I should move, so I did not regret my decision. Just before I fell asleep, I could hear sounds of both thunder and the horses running around the property, which was really cool. One horse even stopped to rub their bum on my car—I laughed at an experience I don’t think I will get again in my life. 

I woke up in the morning to my tent still there, which was a relief, since my tent pegs had been confiscated at the airport in Vancouver. After saying goodbye to Wim and Hammer, I set off early to stop for breakfast, write, and edit before heading to see the infamous spirit horses at my next and final destination on my Hipcamp road trip: TJ Stables.

After entering Hipcamp’s national ‘Best Summer Job’ contest, Youngs, born in Temagami, Ontario, placed second in the national competition. As an extension of the contest, Hipcamp created a special second prize specifically for Youngs.”During the interview process we fell in love with Shannon’s adventurous spirit, sense of humor, and her unique perspective on camping,” said Tegh Singh Bedi, Hipcamp’s Canadian general manager. “We knew we had to find a way to work together, so we created this special assignment for Shannon based on her expertise in the outdoors, her passion for storytelling, and her work advocating for inclusive camping.”

“I really want to tell adventure stories from the perspective of a solo woman visiting Hipcamp’s incredible locations across our province,” said Youngs. “I want to encourage all Canadians—but especially women and minority groups—to get outside and take that first step toward adventure. I hope that by sharing my humour and my experience as a woman travelling alone, people will see that anyone can do this camping thing!”

Check out Shannon’s original winning entry to Hipcamp Canada’s Best Summer Job contest.

Read on for more of Shannon’s adventures

Follow along as Shannon road trips around Ontario.

• Field Notes: Camping at TJ Stables in Ontario for Canada’s (2nd) Best Summer Job