ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK canoe tripping

Aug 27 - Sep 4, 2006. ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK canoe camping in Ontario. Nice weather for 6 days then showers Sep 2 evening & Sep 3. Light mosquito activity except at Tim River campsite & portages. Took 4 to 6 hours to get from one campsite to the next. Loons everywhere. A hint of fall - maples starting to change color, some yellow on the cedars. Singled most of the portages thanks to Hunnee. Hunnee & Nehasane tandem in Kipawa, Enjnir in a Bell Bucktail & Rongwae in a Bell Merlin II. Swift Kipawa, perhaps the most respected modern Canadian 16'6" tandem canoe ( the Chestnut Prospector would be the most respected older design); the one we used is a Carbon Fusion model weighing 43 lbs.

Sun. Aug. 27 - Magnetawan Lake (camp) - small lake but attractive start to trip.

Mon. Aug. 28 - Magnetawan Lake p295 Hambone Lake (clear green water, hid a bottle of Arrogant Bastard for later in the week) p295 Ralph Bice (Butt) Lake (clear green water) p435 Little Trout Lake p175 Queer Lake (camp on point with nice view)

Tue. Aug. 29 - p1330 (cross a logging road, nice 20' falls a little before put-in) Tim River (one log to climb over, go under logging road bridge) p275 p460 (buggy camp & portages)

Wed. Aug. 30 - Tim River p125 Shippagew Lake p1335 Longer Lake (camp next to Petawawa River falls/rapids, 9 mergansers swim up falls)

Thu. Aug. 31 - p300 Big Trout Lake > White Trout Lake (150' cliffs, camp 2 nites on large island with views on both sides)

Fri. Sep. 1 - White Trout Lake (1.5 mile one way hike on unmaintained trail to site of old downed firetower & limited view, spring water next to ranger cabin, floatplane lands)

Sat. Sep. 2 - > Grassy Bay > Petawawa River p200 p80 p160 p195 p155 p850 Misty Lake (3 otters, camp on western island)

Sun. Sep. 3 - p935 Little Misty Lake (cow & calf moose) > Petawawa River p450 p135 Daisy Lake p420 p55 Hambone Lake (camp)

Mon. Sep. 4 - (morning swim) p135 Magnetawan Lake & out.

p = portages in meters. Magnetawan Map.

Sun Aug 28, 2005 - ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK, Ontario tripping. Camp at Kiosk Campground Site 17 (on water) in the NW part of the park. Drive 500 miles from APnP in 9.5 hrs on way up, 11.5 hrs.(longer breaks) on return. Buffalo farm on access road to Kiosk. Algonquin is a place where you can trip for a week or more without crossing paved roads & running into much signs of civilization. Before you go, get the Canoe Routes of Algonquin Prov. Park map to plan the trip - even better for this part of the park is The Adventure Map's Algonquin 2 Northwest which adds topo lines & lake elevations + is waterproof. Permit required which cost us $9C pp per day. Most of trip was on small to medium size lakes up to 4 miles long. Not many trippers out this week & we got pick of above average campsites each night. I generally like to go the long way around each lake along the shoreline rather than cutting straight across. Great variety of mushrooms on the portages. 

Mon Aug 29 - Starting with full SealLine pack - 60lbs. Kioshkokwi Lake p635 (gentle uphill) Little Mink p450 Mink (saw a mink!) p440 (rough up & over) Cauchon (interesting cliffs at W end, nice feel), Little Cauchon Lake (2 nites, some cottages & remains of railroad detract from wilderness feel, good loon activity tho; rocky campsite at W end, small leeches in water. ) tp=1,525

Tue Aug 30 - day trip to Carl Wilson Lake p1070 (twice - smooth gentle uphill on way in)(lunched & swam with loons on beach at N end then explored inlet to NW which narrowed to nothing, saw moose, visited cliffs on E side of lake.) tp=2,140 

Wed Aug 31 - Little Cauchon, Cauchon p440 Mink p1190 (smooth gentle uphill) Club (someone makes wrong turn down outlet; 2 small lakes connected with shallow area with pickerelweed) short stream to p640 Mouse Lake (sandy put-in; take campsite next to a beach on E shore, shallow sandy bottom goes out at least 100 yds; many cedar trees; mild northern lights) tp=2,270

Thu Sep 1 - Mouse p1700 (uphill but smooth) Mink Creek (lots of moose sign; shallow; grassy banks with tamaracks dotted about) p230 Big Thunder (nice spot for lunch at campsite on red pine point) p1645 (rough)  Erables Lake (campsite on sloping rock on W shore; 5 loons in nearby bay) tp=3,575

Fri Sep 2 - Erables (great sunrise) p175 Maple p440 Ratrap & Dahinda (starts raining) p1135 Boggy (sun back out; small but cute pond) p455 N Sylvia (sandy beach put-in) p500 (steep downhill at end) Three Mile Lake (wind kicking up 1' waves; go 32 hours without seeing anyone else since Mouse; loon fly zone; more spruce along shoreline than other lakes which are mostly red & white pine & cedar; great northern lights at 9:30pm) tp=2,610 

Sat Sep 3 - Three Mile p 500 N Sylvia p455 Boggy p1135 Dahinda (water lilies) & Ratrap (interesting, stopped for lunch on rocks, a shower interrupts) p440 Maple Lake (scenic; take campsite above rocks on S island; E & N islands also have nice sites.) tp=2,530 

Sun Sep 4 - Maple p130 Maple Creek p805 (some ups & downs before doing down steeply thru very attractive hemlock woods) pp630 p90 p190 p775 (creek paddling is so much fun & super scenic; mostly grassy banks with some alders, spruce away from creek; couple of beaverdams to go over; some rocks to maneuver around). Shallow muddy put-in on Kioshkokwi Lake to backcountry site (high up on rock again; not as loony as interior lakes despite being bigger) tp=2,620 

Mon Sep 5 - out to Kiosk on calm misty morning, drive home.

p=portages in meters (1 mile=1,609m) tp=total portages for the day.  Bell Northwind, a 17.5' tandem canoe. MSR lightweight tents: Hubba Hubba, Trekker Tarp.

Aug 29-Sep 6, 2004 - ALGONQUIN PARK , Ontario canoe tripping. Low temps 45-65, highs in 70s; less than 2 hrs. rain for the week. Typically, we broke camp at 8am & arrived at next camp by mid-afternoon allowing us time to set up then explore a bit. P = portages in meters (1 mile = ~1,600m.)

Aug 29 - A 25 mile dirt road leaves Rt.17 at Deux-Rivieres. Less than half way along is Access Point Office where we have to pick up campground & backcountry permits which were reserved in advance. Brent Campground is a small 29 site campground on Cedar Lake with no flush toilets or showers. Motors of up to 20hp are allowed on 8 mile long Cedar Lake but waterskiing & PWCs are not - a sand beach launch is all there is. The drive from the Capital District took 9.5 hrs. with only short stops. Paid a visit to the Brent Store - highly recommended for its quirkiness - has some last-minute supplies & historical artifacts.

Aug 30 - Crossed Cedar Lake SW to mouth of Nipissing River . Entrance is thru a marshy area but soon shores are steeper with tall attractive red & white pines. P915 is a gentle uphill. Soon comes a P230 then we have a few miles of river before P180. The river widens for a time, shores become marshy & we stop to watch 2 moose - mom feeds while the young one lounges on shore. P110 then arrive at P365 where we set up camp at a small site next to the foot of a rapid. Took a short swim - Kandu picked up a couple of small leeches on feet.

Aug 31 - Misty morning with condensation on everything. P365 then a long zen stretch meandering thru a wide valley flanked with pine-topped hills, shores grassy at first & later alders take over as the river gets narrower & the current is felt (we are paddling upstream). Stopped for lunch at the P to Nadine Lake (2.5 hrs. from P365) where we chat with a German couple & observe a garter snake sliding by. Back on the river I spot a bear in the alders & it stares at me for a while; I slowly paddle away. Reach P850 a little over an hour from the lunchspot. The portage is rough & generally uphill; rapids are heard & sometimes seen below. Paddle up to shallow riffles & grab a pole from a campsite & pole a short distance upstream (better than doing it with one's paddle). Not far up P1300 is a nice little campsite next to some small rapids. A few more minutes up P1300 & we are at High Falls , a spectacular 2-tiered drop. The upper 20' wide section drops & spreads over an 80' wide section then turns sharply R at the bottom. Spent a heavenly hour on rocks opposite. Stung by a bee on the portage trail - treated with a meat tenderizer paste & I was ok. Oblivia was not so lucky - got 3 or more stings & hand swelled up for few days (treated with continuous doses of antihistamine). Golitah also stung thrice with slight swelling. Treatment of bee stings. This is as far up the Nipissing as we go.

Sep 1 - P1930 is a steady uphill for the mostpart. Crosses a logging road before dropping to diminutive Remona Lake . I doubled most of the uphill then finished up singleing. P480 is flat but rough underfoot. Whiskeyjack Lake is small & has very attractive pine shores. P25 a bit muddy as we launch into Robinson Lake . The big island campsite on Robinson has some small cliffs & rocks that afford a nice view during a lunchstop. Waters of Whiskeyjack & Robinson are a nice clear green. P1285 to Burntroot Lake , the biggest lake on our route & 300' higher elevation than Cedar Lake. After checking out the campsites (too dark) on nearest island we spot a sandy beach to the NE with a nice campsite not far from the P155 around the Petawawa's Portal Rapids. Loons fish nearby.

Sep 2 - Day of R'n'R. Spent 1.5 hrs. paddling down to big island half way down the lake. SE winds produced some 1' waves for a time but once over to the E shore the return was peacefull. Took a walk on the Portal Rapids P155 & hung out at Perley Lake listening to the running water. Saw no other parties today.

Sep 3 - P155 to Perley Lake. We are now going downstream on the Petawawa River & its system of lakes. P420 around Cedar Rapids. Soon reach P90 but skipped it - easy to see there was enough water to run a short class 1 rapid. P320 around Snowshoe Rapids. See 2 moose (mom & little one again) in shallows below - they don't seem to be too perturbed by my presence & I get off a few photo shots while waiting for Dagang to finish the portage. Love paddling the rivers, much better than doing big lakes. P365 around Catfish Rapids. River slowly widens & treed shores become marshy as we approach the S end of Catfish Lake . A northern harrier flies a zig-zag route low across the water. Saw the only Canada goose of the trip; small ducks enjoy the lilypads, too. Many gb herons en route. Took the island campsite in middle of S part of lake for 2 nights - a mound of rock topped with red pines with steep cliffs on N & E - excellent views in all directions. A gang of loons grew to 14 in number. Sat out on W rocks for sunset but the show was to the N - distant thunderstorms created a lightshow while we enjoyed the stars above us. We ended up getting a brief shower overnight.

Sep 4 - Spotted a bear enter & swim across S end of the lake. Daytrip back up Petawawa a bit then SE up a shallow mud-bottomed stream with pickerelweed (saw a raccoon scurry along a herdpath & into the woods) leading to Sunfish Lake where we stopped for a lunchnap. Back to Catfish Lake where we explored its SE bays. People had moved in to the campsites on W & E shores. Gang of loons grew to 16 & at one time looked to be chasing a string of 14 mergansers across the lake - entertaining stuff!

Sep 5 - Orange ball-of-fire sunrise. Started raining as we set off to NE end of Catfish - Golitah takes a spill in the Merlin as we take off after his dog, Barkashev, decides to hog the seat. Rains hard for a few minutes but the staccato mini-splashes are calming. We pass a small group of islands with campsites before entering the Petawawa again. P80 into Narrowbag Lake . P170 goes up then down steeply. Short puddle-jump to start of P2345 which I single-carried in 42 mins. which gave me 1.5 hrs. of rest before Golitah finished his double. Portage pulls away from the river & is rolling at first then slowly drops closer to Stacks Rapids on the Petawawa. Saw a huge spider with sac between the black rocks at the foot of the rapids. P255 drops steeply around a 30' falls - take some time to photograph. P715 is another downhill past yet another tall falls, the Petawawa finally tumbling thru rocks & into Cedar Lake just half mile S of the Nipissing River we had entered a week earlier. Some folks who were probably staying in the campground in Brent snorkled, fished, canoed & kayaked in the area. Took a campsite near the Nipissing for our last loony night out. Paddled the Merlin across Cedar to Brent & picked up some much-needed beverages - took 1 hour for round-trip incl. break at Brent.

Sep 6 - Set off early & visited the mouth of the Nipissing one last time then crossed to Brent. Could hear the falls on the Petawawa from the middle of the lake on this peaceful morning - the word Petawawa means "a noise heard far away". Finally, as I round the last small point to the take-out I pass one last loon. Bell Merlin II , a 15' solo composite canoe, & Bell Northstar , a 16'6" tandem composite canoe - absolutely no complaints; fine, well-behaved tripping canoes. Tent: Trekker Tarp & Insert - nice open, airy feel. Pack: SealLine Pro Pack - waterproof; hip-belt useful when doubling but raises pack too high when singleing making pack interfere with yoke. Stove: MSR Simmerlite - does the job altho whenever I can I'd rather just cook over the campfire. Dinner: mostly freeze-dried; best Natural High Barbecue Beef (nice mashed potatoes) & Thai Chicken; worst Backpackers Pantry Cajun Chicken (spice is good but does not feel like food & not much chicken); rejected Mountain House products before trip due to too many unnatural ingredients. Yoke (for Merlin): Bell Yoke with CVCA Offset Pads - comfy, best I've ever used.

2003 - ALGONQUIN PARK trip in general: temp 50-65F, windy, some sun every day, brief showers most every day but we didn't get real wet until Sat (next to last day); saw handful of people each day, usually 1 other campsite occupied on whichever lake we were on; most other canoes we saw were made by Swift (other than our Bells, we saw no other US made canoes in the interior); no moose sightings but heard calls 3 times; campsites are good to excellent (have fire-ring & thunderbox); shorter portages more likely to be rough, longer portages tended to be on smoother old logging roads), portages tend to go uphill at first then level out then drop to next lake, I tended to double (one trip with canoe & fanny pack, second trip with large pack) the first half of long portages then single (pack, canoe, everything) the final half; the tarp (Bell/CCS siliconized nylon, 1.5lbs) is usually the first thing set up in camp & the last thing taken down. Shorelines mainly eastern white cedar (uneven browse line, unlike in the Adirondacks where the deer trim the branches evenly in winter), red & white pines, spruce surrounded by low hills of maples (50% of peak color), birch, beech. Collected birch bark off the ground en route to start evening fires with. I make a lot of decisions by my gut feelings which often turn out right - this may have something to do with knowledge & experience - may also be the reason my gut is bigger than my brain. Have now done 4 weeks in Algonquin & have yet to repeat paddle any lakes.

Sep 28 - ROCK LAKE. Beautiful morning. Paddled to cliffs at SE end then around 2 of the 3 large islands (1 has cottages, the other 2 have campsites) then out. About 10 hour drive home.

Sep 27 - Break camp & paddle in the rain. Waves close to 1'. Louisa, p2895 (soon crosses a new logging road then turns onto old logging road so way is fairly smooth, rolling at first then long downhill), ROCK LAKE camp on point on E shore. Brief return to civilization with side-trip drive (after showering at the campground) to Canoe Lake (real food & beer; entertaining to watch newbies getting in & out of canoes at the outfitter). Pleasant 2 mile paddle to campsite at dusk.

Got the inside of one of my hiking boots wet - after that SealSkins Socks (A) kept my feet feeling warm & dry, comfortable on a long portage, have waterproof/breathable membrane.

Sep 26 - McGarvey, p810 (relatively flat), small Lemon Lake, p165, North Grace Lake (H & K see a bear), p1460 (rolling at first then downhill for the last 0.25 mile, smooth trail), LAKE LOUISA is calm & we camp on large rock point with red pines half way down the lake with great views W & E. Wind picked up from the E later in the afternoon which usually portends rain. After a starry evening, rain starts well after bedtime.

Kayak nylon shirt (A-), Equinox Extreme Convertible nylon pants (A-) & OR Seattle Sombrero waterproof/breathable hat (A) - all worked well enough for me to wear the same clothes pretty much every day (don't think I smelled too much).

Sep 25 - Morning paddle around N end of Bonnechere & p40 into Cradle then back to campsite. Floatplane lands & drops off 2 scientists who are trying to find out why a certain crayfish species has disappeared from Cradle. Bonnechere, pleasant p1250 (starting with bright red maple leaves in path), ponding on North Lemon Creek, p645 (climbs 150'), McGARVEY LAKE camp on E side of island. Windy. Have lake all to ourselves - only 3 campsites on this lake. More hardwoods (& more fall foliage) close to shore than most other lakes (most are ringed with evergreens). Island has cliff on W side with good views. Superb loonie toons - owl & herons join in, too. Northern lights at night.

As a group, I find the Natural High freeze-dried dinners to be the tastiest - try the BBQ Beef (w/mashed potatoes) or Thai Chicken (spicy).

Sep 24 - Louisa, p510, diminutive Rod & Gun Lake, p415(down the "devil's staircase" as we drop close to 150'), Lawrence Lake. Stop on a rocky island for lunch, vociferous pair of loons, attractive cedar & spruce shores. p715, Kirkwood Lake starts as a river-like channel thru lily-pads then opens up. The clear green water is broken by a large island with a steep rock face. p60 (another falls), Phipps Lake narrows to a stream before p175 to y-shaped BONNECHERE LAKE, camp between 2 lakes with fireplace next to huge rock. Cradle Lake is the small lake next door.

PFD: MTI Livery ($30)(B) - 12oz lighter than my usual Stohlquist Mocean ($130), a good-fitting PFD with no extra features.

Sep 23 - Welcome, Galipo River, Harry Lake, short distance along Rence Lake, p320, Frank Lake connected to Florence Lake (broad-winged hawk lands on spruce top, also see a sharp-shinned hawk, loons with chick), p1725 (trail for about 200m then R on logging road for short distance then L on relatively smooth old logging road), LAKE LOUISA camp on N shore near islands - nice views from rock out front - dramatic clouds & bit too windy. Louisa is the biggest lake on our route - 4.5 miles long.

Drink container: Nalgene 48oz Cantene (A) - less than half the weight of a standard Lexan 32oz Nalgene bottle, collapses to stuff in fanny pack on portages. Don't carry any more water than you have to on portages - water is heavy.

Sep 22 - Morning to die for - glow on the horizon before sunrise, colors, mist on the marsh, ducks quack early then the loons take over. A moose calls in the woods as we set off. Clydegale, p275 (pass 2 guys with plastic rental touring kayaks who have to triple! the carry), Pen Lake, enter the shallow Galipo River, p275 (more sets of waterfalls), Galipo River for short distance, p2170, WELCOME LAKE - camp on sandy beach on this roundish lake (about 1 mile across). Tarps up, rain starts in for rest of day but enjoy just sitting there on the Thermarest Easy Chair (A-: converts a Thermarest self-inflating sleeping pad into a chair; comfy but could be tiny bit stiffer) & watching the loons & raindrops while sipping tea & scotch.

Pack: SealLine Grand Portage 4.5 (grade B-) - important thing is that this pack keeps things dry, handy grabloops to help lift pack out of canoe, flap on top handy for rainjacket & wet gear, not very comfortable on portages, does not fit well into the Merlin II (better in tandem canoes, will use the ProPack in the Merlin in future).

Sep 21 - Put-in is on the Madawaska River next to the campground, soon out on Rock Lake with its tall cliffs & diverse shoreline - some cottages & motors are allowed but we don't see many. After 3 miles p375 (portages in meters; 1,609 meters=1 mile)(2 falls near the portage) into 3.5 mile Pen Lake with its nice piney campsites (see black squirrel, mink) & beaches. At the N end, we skirt E to avoid a long peninsula which reaches almost all the way across the width of the lake. p275 (another waterfall passes thru a rock-walled chute), CLYDEGALE LAKE camp. Quite a few loons. After setting up camp, paddled up South Madawaska River for about 2.5 miles which narrows between hills & becomes rocky (a p1055 brings you back on the river & one can paddle many more miles upstream to rarely visited Madawaska Lake), some beaverdams to go over. Mergansers, gb herons. Returning to the lake, I spook couple of bitterns then watch the sunset from the water.

In Algonquin Park all ponds are named "Lakes", camps are "cottages", carries are "portages", outhouses are "thunderboxes" (no roofs or walls), restrooms are "washrooms".

Sep 20 - ROCK LAKE, ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK, Ontario. Campground. We were supposed to have 2 stoves between the 4 of us but discovered that someone had neglected to bring the pump on one - cooked on an open fire most of trip anyway - double-check all your gear before packing! Our trip into the interior centers around Lake Louisa as we do a figure 8 route in the S part of the park. Bell Merlin II (grade=A), 15' solo Kevlar canoe - great in anything from winding streams to big lakes, lightweight & good-looking - fast when I want to go fast, very good in waves, only thing keeping me from giving it an A+ is that my ankles hurt after a period of kneeling. Had glued in a pair of Bell 8x10 Knee Pads (grade=A) before the trip - very pleased with the padding & the feel of the material in contact with the knees.

Late August, 2002 - Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Bell Northwind , 17'6" tandem Kevlar canoe, can handle anything. Saw moose, fisher, otters, loons by the ton, pine marten, mink, hummingbird & more. Gorgeous sun & moon rises. Not a drop of rain for whole trip! Route with portages (p) in yards:

Aug 26 - Picked up permit (Can$8pp/day, route reserved in advance) in Kearney & drove the good 15 mile dirt road to put-in on Rain Lake. Motors under 10hp are allowed on Rain but we saw none. Rain is 4 miles long & narrow. We take an early campsite about half way down. Water is colder to swim in than the Adirondacks. 7 loons gather nearby in the early am.

Aug 27 - Paddle up Rain into good headwind, easy p340, half mile across Sawyer L, pretty p600 to a rocky landing on the horseshoe-shaped half mile Jubilee L, nice beach landing before steep p490 to tiny but pretty Juan L, rough p200 to L-shaped mile long Moccasin L, skipped p150 by easily pushing logs away in the channel, mostly downhill p880 thru the maples (watch for raspberries) to the muddy shore of the Petawawa River. We double most of the portages i.e. make one trip with the pack & paddles & then walk back for the canoe (on a 500yd portage one ends up walking 1,500yds.) The Petawawa widens thru shallows, pickerelweed & lilies & becomes Little Misty L. A little rough & muddy at first on the p1,020 to Misty Lake - Jaymax was lucky to spot a fisher. Can find moose prints on many of the portages. Good landing on Misty (later find this is also an excellent spot to see moose & other wildlife). Excellent campsite on first island is free & we waste no time moving in for 2 nights. Before too long, we don our ascots & prepare for cocktail hour (no cans or bottles are allowed in Algonquin so you have to be creative in your beverage & food container choices - reusable plastic containers are ok). Concentration of loons is much greater than here in NY & the looney tunes are wonderful thru the night.

Aug 28 - An appropriately misty sunrise. Take an early morning paddle to nearby put-in & see 2 moose. Arsonis also sees otters. Hapiledi & I see a dark dog-sized animal (legs too long for a fisher, body too slender for a bear, possibly too dark for a wolf, cougars not known to exist in the park) - was on a rock at edge of lake & walked off into the woods making a grunting sound. Paddled 4 mi. thru the long narrow eastern half of Misty under cloudless skies then p930 around a dam to the Petawawa River. Shallow at first but deepens, very enjoyable paddle on this northwoods stream for about a mile then p180 around rocky area (can be run in spring). River widens & a beaverdam is crossed before the next portage where we lunch then turn around & head back to camp the way we came. Stop on an interesting rocky island at E end of Misty to relax & explore. Loons wail intensely thru the night.

Aug 29 - Half way down Misty L we take a short p140 to a wide lily-laden stream that leads to Timberwolf L - a red-tailed hawk soars overhead. Timberwolf is an attractive roundish mile-long lake with an excellent campsite on the W end of an island. We p440 to McIntosh Lake where we plan to stay 3 nights. As we begin our search for the perfect campsite a mink goes swimming past us & we watch it scramble on shore. We chose a rocky point on the W shore - the perfect spot to watch the sun & moon rise each day. Most of us have ThermarestR chairs to relax in - these convert your Thermarest sleeping pads into very comfy chairs - love stuff that does double/triple duty (pads can also be used as knee pads in canoe). In the evening, 3 otters go swimming by our camp. Many loons - in groups of as many as 7. Barred owl hoots at night. Watch sunset & moonrise (pattern to be repeated for next few days.)

Aug 30 - McIntosh Creek & Grassy Bay day trip. A cloudless day. Crossed McIntosh & p560 to McIntosh Creek, a narrow stream with barely enough water. Paddle about a mile then p810, crossing McIntosh Creek twice on new log bridges. Enter Grassy Bay which basically is a clear channel thru a wetland with a sea of pickerelweed, lilies & boggy plants. Wetland widens as we proceed a few miles toward White Trout Lake. Stop at a campsite on the S shore for lunch. We fork N into the pretty Petawawa River & stop at the p200 then return the same way. See the only kayak of the week - takes 4 people to carry it thru the portages. Used the Swift Kipawa, a 16'6" tandem, today - a wonderful boat with a great combination of tracking & turning ability, really enjoy paddling it (do feel that Bell canoes are tougher, tho.) Saw quite a few other Kipawas on this trip - a very popular canoe with trippers.

Aug 31 - Ink Lake day trip. Leave early in the morning for the S end of McIntosh & into a mile long channel which connects with Ink Lake. Boggy with tamaracks & 1,000s of spiderwebs dripping with dew. Ink Lake has much boggy shoreline but some steeper shore with red pines at the carry to Tom Thompson Lake. Rest of gang hikes the p2,500 & see a moose. I snag Arsonis' Black Gold Bell Merlin II & head back to camp with a side-trip into SE bay of McIntosh. The Black Gold construction is stiffer than their lightweight Kevlar Crystal (which I am most used to) & no faom core is needed creating a welcome smooth hull inside. Relaxed all afternoon. Took Jaymax's Dagger Reflection 15 out for a spin in the evening - set up with 3 seats, so I paddle it solo from the center seat - handles easily, good primary & secondary stability, the Royalex feels soft on the knees, entry line not quite as sharp as on composite canoes & I do notice the bow pushes somewhat thru the water rather than slices thru it - still makes for a nice, durable solo/tandem.

Sep 1 - Our 2nd tough day, see more people (weekenders). McIntosh L, p440, Timberwolf L, p860, short distance on Misty L, moderately uphill p1,120 to unassuming Muslim L, p405, clear green Wenona L, p590, Bandit L & stop on a small piney island for lunch (there is also a larger island with a camsite); 2 loons hang out nearby. p480, Moccasin L, p200, Juan L, p490, Jubilee Lake. Only 1 unoccupied campsite out of the 6 on this lake - would have preferred one of the others but site was fine for 1 nite - surrounded by large hemlocks. Sleep under the tarp.

Sep 2 - Jubilee L, p600 & see a pine marten shoot up a tree; watch it for a few minutes. Sawyer L, p340, Rain L & out. Super trip!

Aug. 20-26, 2001 - Grand Lake/Barron Canyon area, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada - canoe camping. Bears, loons, snakes, bear, loons, wolf, loons, bears, loons - but, alas, no moose! Bell Northwind, 17.5' tandem Kevlar canoe.

Aug. 20 - Grand Lake to St. Andrews Lake via Stratton Lake. Stayed in a motel in Pembroke & drove into the Park early Mon. Drive includes over 20 mi. of good dirt road & stop at Sand Lake Gate to pick up our permits. Just as we were approaching Achray Campground on Grand Lake a female black bear crossed the road & shortly thereafter 2 cubs followed. Paddling south on Grand Lake for a mile we enter the Barron River & soon reach a short 35 yd. carry around a dam. River then opens up into 3 mi. long Stratton Lake. A 55yd. carry takes us into St. Andrews Lake. A family of 6 rat snakes sun themselves on a nearby rock. 2 adult loons with 1 chick provide entertainment. Camp at St. Andrews for 3 nights. We take the 1st site on the left, a point with mostly red pines. Chipmunks were a real nuisance; red squirrels; deer mice (cute large ears) came out shyly at night. Evening thunderstorm; spent some time under tarps. North arm of lake has more rocky shoreline & east shore has cliffs. Red, white pines predominate; some Jack pine, balsam, spruce & hemlock; some oak & maple but forest is mostly evergreen in eastern Algonquin.

Aug. 21 - High Falls via Stratton Lake. Back over the carry to Stratton & up its NE arm for a mile & we reach High Falls on the Barron River. Smooth rock made for a natural slide with a large pool for swimming. Waygassy wore out the butt side of his bathing suit from multiple slides. Area is quite popular so expect to see other people. Bit further downstream is the largest drop of the falls; a path on river right can be followed to the foot & solitude is more easily attained here. Solo paddled around St. Andrews in the evening, watched sunset, saw 2 beavers near cliffs.

Aug. 22 - Barron Canyon loop via High Falls Lake, Barron River, Brigham Lake, Opalescent Lake, Ooze Lake. Our most ambitious day. From N end of St. Andrews we carry to mile long High Falls Lake, waterfall to our R, nice rocky campsites, an artist has an easel erected at one, definitely a visually appealing body of water. Back on the Barron River, sometimes portaging (5 of them) around waterfalls (watched a snake go over one) & cascades, sometimes paddling. Lots of cardinal flower. Finally enter Brigham Lake after passing cliffs. Barely squeeze thru a small rocky rapid & then carry around Brigham Chute (yet another waterfall!) & into the Barron Canyon with its 350' cliffs. See quite a few other canoes here (couple of easier access points nearby). Not the Grand Canyon but pretty interesting nonetheless. Canyon is about 2 mi. long. Back to Brigham Lake then carry uphill to pretty Opalescent Lake (would have loved to stay the night), then to the appropriately named Ooze Lake & then carry back to High Falls Lake to complete the loop. ~10 mi., of which over 3 mi. were portages, 9 hrs.

Aug. 23 - St. Andrews Lake to Carcajou Bay & Falls on Grand Lake. Break camp, back thru Stratton Lake, over to Grand Lake (see adult loon with 2 chicks) then south into Carcajou Bay where we set up camp for next 3 nights. Got last site on right just before the falls. Commanding view high up on granite rocks, 30' above water, very scenic, mostly white pines. While hanging out see big bear swimming quite a distance, exits across bay. Visit Carcajou Falls & some of us take a "bath" & a "shower". Small 10hp motors are allowed on Grand Lake but we see only 1 small motorboat in 3 days. Great wilderness feel in this long, narrow bay. About 10 pm, a canoe with 2 young women stops by asking for ice (which we did not have) - apparently one had slipped on rocks near falls & may have broken nose. They paddled out in the dark.

Aug. 24 - Carcajou Creek. Carry 100 yds. around Carcajou Falls, paddle short distance then carry on other side 200 yds. & put in on Carcajou Creek. Good moose habitat & hoped to see some. Lots of lilies in creek; mostly grassy shoreline. Not long before we surprise a wolf at shoreline & it quickly retreats to the marsh. We wind upstream on the creek for 2 hours (maybe 3 or 4 miles) eventually going over several beaver dams. Hard to find solid shoreline for lunchbreak. On the return, took a walk on the portage trail to McDonald Creek & hung out for a while. McDonald only a few feet wide but still deep enough to paddle.

Aug. 25 - Spectacle Lakes. Cold this morning (low 40s); bay is misty. Short morning solo trip in the Northwind (it should be no secret that I really enjoy paddling this canoe solo). Carry around Carcajou Falls again (see guy doing dishes in the stream - this is considered a no-no) then turn west into channel leading to Lower Spectacle Lake. No-one camping on any of the 3 sites here; shallow water not good for swimming. Carry 200 yds. to Upper Spectacle Lake. Also shallow & lots of lilypads. Passing an island on west side when a black bear followed by 2 cubs left the island & swam to shore disappearing into the swamp. No people camping here either. Bit windy so I move off the kneeling thwart & kneel right at the yoke for better canoe trim. Rest of day spent swimming & hanging out at our Carcajou Bay campsite. 2 loons seem to own this end of the bay. Take down tents & sleep under tarps (Walrus Trekker Tarp - looking forward to getting more use out of it, especially as a primary shelter) so we can make an early get-away next morning.

Aug. 26 - Starry when I went to bed but we wake to light showers. Rain stops for our paddle out across Grand Lake. Saw 3 kayaks all week but lots of canoes. Northwind not severely tested but, nonetheless was wonderful to paddle & had plenty of room for gear - good primary stability & superior secondary stability give you confidence in a variety of conditions. Glad I had installed pads on the yoke. Bell/Cook Custom Sewing seat pad also made it easier on my butt. Bell/Grey Owl paddle was my primary paddle - definitely the best all-around paddle I use. Waygassy used a >Mithchell bent shaft & we also carried a Mitchell straight shaft as a spare. Cooked on the reliable, compact, lightweight MSR Whisperlight stove or on the campfire. MSR MugMate Coffee Filter is best filter I've found - compact, durable & no messing with paper. Did not have to use bug-dope all week.

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