Ah, May Long Weekend. The unofficial kickoff to Canadian summer, the season of hope, campfires, and… hypothermia?
Here in Alberta, May Long Weekend camping is less about connecting with nature and more about testing the structural integrity of your Costco tent in gale-force winds and sideways rain. Because if there’s one thing you can count on in this province, it’s that the weather will betray you. Every. Single. Time.
Sunshine? In May? That Was Just a Tease.
The first two weeks of May were a glorious lie. The sun was shining. Birds were chirping. Your dog stopped sinking into a snowbank during his morning walk. You dared to dream. You started texting the group chat:
"May Long? Camping? Let's DO IT!"
And like clockwork, that’s when Mother Nature got wind of your optimism and said, “Not today, suckers.”
The Alberta Camping Cycle
Let’s break this down scientifically:
- January: “This year, we’re booking early. It’s gonna be awesome.”
- April: “Look how nice it is! May Long is going to be perfect!”
- Mid-May: "The forecast says 70% chance of rain, but that could mean anything."
- May Long Eve: You pack everything you own because Alberta weather has all four seasons in one hour.
- May Long Day 1: You’re wet, cold, and rethinking every life choice.
- May Long Day 3: You say, “It wasn’t that bad,” while wringing out your socks.
- June: You look back fondly and say, “We should do that again next year.”
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A Rite of Passage… and Mild Hypothermia
Camping on May Long is basically an Alberta personality test. If you can survive this weekend—damp, muddy, and undercaffeinated—you can survive anything. It’s about resilience. It’s about family bonding (mostly over shared trauma). It’s about the smell of smoke that lingers on your jacket until August.
Also, let’s be honest: part of us loves complaining about the weather. It’s our cultural glue. There’s nothing more Canadian than standing around a collapsing canopy muttering,
“Well, at least it’s not snowing this year.”
(…it might still snow)
So why do we insist on camping during May Long Weekend?
Because deep down, we know the sun might come out. The s'mores might happen. And if we survive this, the rest of summer feels like a tropical vacation by comparison.
Also, we're stubborn. Happy camping, fellow lunatics! Candice Johnson - Afternoon Drive Host.