May Trip 2023

Posted by iantendy on June 1, 2023

May 13 – 19th 2023
# of portages: 13
Total portage distance: 7270m
Total distance: 70.6km
Video Log:

Shane and I had decided this year to try to beat the bugs and head into Algonquin as early as advanced booking would allow us. That meant that we would try to go Saturday-Saturday from the 2nd week of May forwards. The Park did wind up opening early, but the time was already booked and plans already made for the 13th, so that’s when we started. Our loop was meant to be a “vacation” loop, going to places we had been a decade or so ago, and revisiting sites we knew and loved. Our paddling distances were ones we knew were fairly mild, and we managed to knock many thousands of portage meters off our previous trips. With minimal rain in the forecast, this was shaping up to be a banger.

We met up around 830am on the 1st day at Canoe lake, ready to make a beeline to McIntosh. We tried to get out as early as possible in order to beat the predicted headwind, but a forgotten block of cheese forced me to delay our out to around 9am. Canoe lake was fine, and we paddled happily to the Joe lake portage, which we affectionately call the 401 (like the highway, because it’s so busy). This short portage was a good shakedown of our new packing systems. Both our MEC Slogg bags were a bit long in the tooth, so we decided to innovate. I was using an old Eureka 110L pack I’ve had for a while but never really streamlined. I bought a new liner from RBW, which is huuuuuge, and added an exterior pack to hold stuff like the map, fishing gear, and assorted bits and bobs I want accessible. Shane on the other hand went nuclear on the problem and bought the Watershed Patrol Carrier Pack. This bag has the same volume as the Slogg, but using a zippered top allows for much more usable room than a fold-down top. Between our two new bags, room was maximized between the two of us to the most it’s ever been. It did make for some heavy carries on the 1st day, since Shane took all the food.

Tepee Lake was just starting to blow up as we crossed into it. It wasn’t crazy, but it was definitely windy. We passed a few solo boats going the other way (with the wind), and everything calmed down once we were in the Little Oxtongue River. We dipped north into Tom Thompson and decided to crack into lunch before our only “rugged” portage of the day. This was the first time we’ve stopped on the eastern shore of T. Thompson lake, and we weren’t too impressed. Very hilly, buggy, and rocky. I guess it’s not the worst place in the Park, but there’s got to be more appealing sites in the western or northern sections of the lake. Fueled up, we headed back out into the wind and towards our portage.

We’ve done this trail many times, and it’s always the same. The first half sucks, the 2nd half is fine, and the last 50m are the worst part. I don’t like the stairs on the Ink lake side, and there’s big berm you need to crawl over in order to get to them. This time, it was an all-or-nothing hail Mary to get up that berm with the canoe, and Shane nearly had a heart attack getting the food over it. We took our time and knocked out the portage in an hour and ten minutes. Not a land-speed record, but we were in no rush and the trail was a nice place to be that day. Pushing out along Ink Creek was the usual meander, and before we knew it we were staring down the whitcaps which dotted McIntosh Lake.

Both Shane and I agree the McIntosh is one of our favorite lakes in the Park. 10 years ago it piqued our interest as we had a quick lunch on the northern island, so we decided to head back to that same spot for this trip. Again, headwind, but we island hopped our way back there taking a look at the available sites along the way. The northern site was fairly protected from the northern wind, and suited our purpose for this trip. I even managed to get 2 or 3 bars of cell service standing at the canoe takeout, which was a nice way to contact family and check the weather radar. It was around 4pm when we started unpacking the bags and setting up shop for our 2 night stay.

The wind stayed up into the evening, so I set up a wind-block tarp by the fire pit to keep comfortable. Shane set about using the kid’s rake he bought to clean up the fire pit. I was skeptical at first, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t immediately take the rake to get the pinecones off our tent pad. By the end of the trip I was converted to Team Rake whole-heartedly. Dinner that night was chicken burritos, which we did on the stove, and before we knew it the sun was down. Our shelter this trip was something fancy. About 2 months before the trip I had asked people on the Algonquin Adventures forum for advice on a new tent. I wanted something roomy enough for 3 people, and significantly more lightweight than my 3.8kg Camper 4. I found even expensive tents were only maybe 1kg lighter and significantly smaller than the current setup. Along came someone who not only suggested the Tarptent Hogback, but offered me his to try out! I was most appreciative, as this tent checked all my boxes. 1.8kg and easily big enough for 3 real humans. The cost of bringing one over from California is high, so I couldn’t say “thank you” enough. Without going too far into detail, there were a few compromises, mainly not being free-standing and relatively low in height, but it was really good for what it is.

We were also both sporting new sleeping systems. Shane had gotten a good deal on a new sleeping bag which was supposed to be good to -10, and I opted to bring two 0 degree bags instead of 1 big one. I’ll tell you, we brought these systems riiight to their limits of comfort this trip. The 1st night wasn’t too bad, with temps getting down to around 4 celsius, but I very quickly abandoned my original plan of using the smaller sleeping bag as a blanket over my longer one. Around midnight when I got up to go to the bathroom, I zipped everything up and put one bag in the other one, doubling up how comfortable I was. Shane on the other hand only had his many layers to fall back on. On McIntosh, it wasn’t so bad.

We woke up on the 2nd day well after sun-up, and to a steady wind already starting up. Breakfast was a concoction we affectionately called the “meat tornado.” We had cured bacon and smoked pork tenderloin sizzling in the pan, which we melted cheese over. This gooey, crackling, mess was then poured into a wrap and consumed greedily. It was so good we rationed some meat and decided to have it again the next day instead of pancakes. The day warmed up and we went out to get some hardwood from the mainland. Along the way we checked out the northern sites of McIntosh, which we haven’t really seen. They’re wooded and open, but not all the best. Some had great views of the lake, but mostly they were buggy and flat. With our hoard of lumber in the boat, we paddled back to our island and whiled away the afternoon. We had naps, fished from site, and enjoyed our day off. Dinner was rehydrated pulled pork over rice. It was…food. Maybe I’m not privy to the intricacies of pulled pork rehydration but it was very dry and mostly tasteless. We did get calm waters and a warm evening though, which was made better by our solid lumber situation.

Our third morning of the trip was windy. Starting to see a pattern developing? Luckily the wind was with us! A happy first for the trip. We were firmly pushed towards the set of portages into Grassy Bay and they were lovely. Generally they go downhill from McIntosh, and there’s always something to see or do. On the first portage we simply went as quickly as possible and were through to a small creek in 8 minutes. After a tastefully short paddle break, we were back overland for one of the most interesting portages I’ve come across. It’s well worn, with a picturesque set of rapids along one side for the 1st half, and then a couple of bridges over the resulting river for the 2nd half. I found myself crossing these bridges and yelling out “this is cool!” on more than one occasion. If I were a more resolved photographer, these sections would make for some Instagram-worthy action shots. Since I’m not on Instagram so they’re not worth taking the boat off for.

Packing up on the McIntosh side of the portages

Back on the water we were hit in rapid succession by a series of increasingly large beaver dams. One even had a small portage around it, but a series of shimmies, shakes, and the occasional skateboard-style kick got us through without unloading the boat. We saw our first moose as Grassy Bay opened up, and the wind really started a-blowin’. The weather radio called for sustained winds in the 30s, with gusts blowing up to 60km/hr. On shore, that’s manageable. In a little canoe, that’s stressful. We blew and bobbed our way west, with the plan being to stop for lunch on the site just south of the Petawawa confluence from the north. By the time we got there, the wind was a real factor regarding where we were pointed and where we went, so we had to bypass the site in case there were people on it. Split-second decision, and there was no going back once we made it. White Trout lake was better, but not by much. We took the western island site, mid-way up the lake, as it was the most sheltered site we could see. The northern sites may have offered more protection but we were tired and hungry from the morning paddle. It was getting to the point that we were starting to bicker over small stuff like where to take out the canoe, so we really needed a break.

Our site was hard to get to from the water. The southern edge of the thin island has the proper takeout, but high waters and hammering winds made the decision for us to paddle to the protected bay on the other side and ‘schwack a way up in the calm lee. Our firepit was behind an ever-so-slightly raised berm which was the perfect wind-block when coupled with the trees on it. We quickly set about eating a pepperette wrap (elk I believe) and drinking some much-needed water. After a few minutes rest, we felt up to exploring the eastern side of the island a bit in search of photo opportunities and firewood.

Wandering along a well-worn path to the east we found quite a cache of wood from a fallen tree. We decided to push a bit farther, and we were rewarded by being scared witless by a duck. Apparently, this brown duck had a nest and eggs well up and away from the water and was put out by our intrusion. It made for a fun story, but we definitely didn’t look cool. We spent an hour lugging our precious lumber back to the firepit for processing down and splitting, which took a good chunk of our afternoon. Before long the sun was going down (don’t worry, the wind stayed up) and we had our first spaghetti dinner of the trip. Always a favorite, it was nice to have before a colder night and a real morale-raising meal.

We woke up early and got on the way as quick as we could on day 4. We were travelling, but only 1 lake east and there was NO portaging! It was a lovely novelty. Our weather radio was telling us that the wind was going to shift in the morning from out of the west to out of the north, so we wanted to be pushed eastward while we could and avoid an headwinds. The wind wasn’t too bad early in the morning, but it was definitely present. We had never been through the narrows between the two “Trout” lakes, and while the narrows was pretty lackluster the cliffs on the north end of White Trout are something to behold. They just come out of nowhere and they’re spectacular. There’s no way I can convey through words and pictures how imposing they are, but they are absolutely something to see if you’re in the area.

We popped our heads into Big Trout within an hour of setting off, and went north to the sites marked as “Birch Point” from Jeff’s Map. The site was great: beachy, spacious, rocky, picturesque. But it also was aligned way more north-south than we wanted. According to the weather report, the wind was going to be up all day and night, bringing the overnight low to -11 Celcius and we wanted to be as protected as possible in order to have a chance of enjoying ourselves. We turned around and started heading south, settling on the first multi-site island as you come out of the narrows. The sourthern-most site was simple, tarpable, easy to get in and out of, and protected! Between the narrow channel in front of us and the big hill behind us, this site was as good as we were going to get.

We put up the tent and tarps as soon as we settled on the site being our home. There was weather rolling in and one thing we didn’t want to be was cold and wet. Cold you can fix, and wet you can fix, but cold and wet together can be dicey this time of year. We then took some time to explore the well-worn paths around the island. We found the unofficial lean-to site on the eastern side, and a flagging-tape trail to the northern site. What a miserable place the northern site was, especially on that day. It consisted of large logs that park staff had cut with chainsaws, rocks, and hills. Maybe one good flat tent site. Also, wind had shifted out of the north and was blowing right down that site’s mainstreet. Really a miserable place to be that day. We hiked back to our site just as a seven-canoe crew rolled into an adjacent site for a lunch break, and then the rain came down. It wasn’t too heavy or around for a while, but it wouldn’t be pleasant to be out in.

After lunch, we set our minds to rearranging the tarps to be a wind block rather than a rain cover. It took some arranging, but with teamwork and the help of the canoe we managed to get a good chunk of the biting wind out of our site. We had gathered plenty of wood for the night and sort of managed to relax a bit before the sun went down. Dinner was New Mexico stew, a hearty and warming soup but very…bean forward. Let’s just say you need to be comfortable with your tripping partner and bodily functions with that menu item. The sun went down and the temps plummeted. Shane went to the comfort of his sleeping bag early so that he could make sure everything was set up perfectly, while I stayed up and read my book by the fire. I eventually turned in as my book started to get to a dark and spooky part (not great for reading alone on a cold, windy night).

That night was really quite cold. Getting up to go to the bathroom sucked. Doing it multiple times wasn’t fun either. There was a light snow overnight, with only the smallest amount staying in the shade the next morning (but it was there!). There was also a good chunk of ice in the sink, so I’m glad I put our water filter in between my two sleeping bags for the night. We slept in until mid-morning in order to enjoy our sleeping bags’ warmth for a while, but the 5th morning of our trip was crisp and clear. It wasn’t supposed to be warm, just 9 degrees, but we knew this was a travel day. We were scheduled to stay another night on Big Trout, but the weather was dictating our schedule now. With favorable winds today, a nice day tomorrow, and fading weather for the end of the week, we wanted to push to cross Burnt Island on day 6 and not worry about getting windbound. Burnt Island is one of the few lakes where you can very much face a western wind barreling down an 8km lake unimpeded and I didn’t want to see it.

Otterslide Creek as it empties into Big Trout

Our minds made up, we kicked off our nice and sheltered site just before noon. The sun was high, and the wind was…well, it was blowing but it seemed to be going the way we wanted and not as strong as earlier in the morning. We looked at the whitecaps skeptically, but the paddle was actually a doddle compared to the crossing of Grassy Bay. Where we previously had to pry and fight the boat to stay straight and level, here we gently bobbed our way across the bigger water. No stress, no mess. At the first of five portages up Otterslide creek, we stopped to take off layers and have a bite to eat. With no wind, the 6 degree heat felt downright balmy.

I genuinely loved travelling up Otterslide creek. At this time of year it’s an amazing part of the Park. The water moves gently enough to not be a tough paddle, and the wildlife is vibrant. We saw a variety of birds, fish, and a young cow moose. The portages were in great shape, and significantly easier than somewhere like Maple Creek. It’s like the Crow River, but easier and shorter. We managed to get to Otterslide lake by 430pm, easily the latest we had ever pushed into a lake, but we were feeling good and strong. As with before, we wanted a protected site. The comfort of getting out of the wind for a fire and shiver-free sleep cannot be understated to our mental health.

Interior of “The Little Site that Could”

So we started trolling for sites on Otterslide lake. We started with the obvious one right in front of us in the northwest corner of the lake. The bigger “party” site looked fine and had a great view of the almost mountainous lake in front of it, but it was a warm-weather site. Further down we saw more sites and further disappointment. The closest thing to good site for us was on the north-western island, but there wasn’t a flat and level tent pad and we were feeling picky. So we headed towards our portage for tomorrow morning on Little Otterslide. We figured the smaller the lake, the less wind we’d feel.

Little Otterslide was…weird. Something felt off with the shape and the layout. Much like it’s bigger brother, Little Otterslide is populated by big rocky sites and cramped wooded ones. There’s big empty bays and long vistas into nowhere. Now I understand when people say “meh” to the Otterslides, and I really wanted to like these lakes. Oh well. We eventually hung our shingle on the second-to-last northern site before the portage. What this site had was protection, and little else. At least that’s what we thought initially.

What I came to name “The Little Campsite that Could” was nothing spectacular. There was nowhere easy to pull up the boat, there was moose poop all over the place, the firepit and tent pads were way back in the woods (which is what we actually wanted), the thunderbox was down a spooky tunnel of pine, and the benches at the firepit were just some vaguely flat logs. In a few weeks this would be a bug-infested sweatbox. While we were there, it was perfect. This ugly duckling was overflowing with quality lumber that required next to no processing. You just went out and broke off enough to satisfy your immediate needs from one of the fallen trees just off the site. Once the firepit was cleaned up, there was enough room for us to both relax and enjoy the BTUs. With the undergrowth still not quite in bloom we could see the water from the warm fire, and stargaze from our dinner seats. Best of all, not a breath of wind made it to our site. Once the sun went down and everyone in the forest shut up for the night, it was just us in the warm glow of the fire and the stars overhead. We had a late dinner of Hamburger Helper with dehydrated ground turkey and some vegetables, then went to bed content and happy to have a night above 0 (2 whole degrees!).

We got up pretty early on our 6th morning. Rather than cooking a hot breakfast, we opted to munch a few Clif bars with our coffee to cut down the cleanup time and expedite the packing process. The sun was out, the day was warming quickly, and we wanted to get across Burnt Island as soon as possible. Before long we were starting up the last “real” portage of our trip before the Hwy 60 corridor shows it’s face. The Otterslide side of the portage is rocky and flat, a real ankle breaker. But about halfway through it becomes a relatively wide and very smooth trail, easy as can be. We took a break to enjoy ourselves, but it only took us 20 minutes from boat up to boat down between the lakes, and it was well worth the effort. Burnt Island looked warm, flat, and welcoming! I was excited to make miles.

Travelling the length of B. Island took about an hour and a half of straight and steady paddling. We took in the sights, as well as the sites, that we passed and immediately saw the appeal this lake has had to humanity over the past century and a half. It’s a gorgeous lake when docile, and the sites seemed well-developed and spacious. It is definitely a lake which I can see myself taking the family to for a long weekend. Just far enough away from the highway be an adventure, but close enough to make getting in/out an easy morning. We made for arguably the most popular site on the lake, an island on the western side right in the middle of the lake. The wind was steadily rising out of the west but we were curious about what made this site “great.” It’s easy to see why it’s popular. There’s spectacular views from the fire pit, which itself if raised into a large stone. The tent pads are grassy and flat. The water is clear and blue the whole way around the island. What’s not to love?

We wound up spending some time on the island, taking in lunch and trying some fishing. Shane cleaned out and rebuilt the firepit. The wind continued to blow through the site, and later in the afternoon we made the executive decision to move to the south-western shore sites. We knew the site would be of inferior quality, but the cover from the wind and extra few steps towards Canoe lake made it more desirable. If the wind blows up and we’re warm, we win. If it stays down and we are simply closer to the portage tomorrow (having paddled in ideal conditions), we still win. Our last site was small, and showed signs of abusive campers throwing trash all over the place already, but a quick cleanup made it homey. Flat and by the water, it gave us a good place for a small group, nothing to rave or complain about. What I did enjoy was the thunderbox. Just a short walk down a path brings you to it, and the view into the hardwood was generally pleasant. After a final spaghetti dinner, we turned in to our first “warm” night in a few days.

Our final morning was an early one. We knew the wind was going to be coming out of the south, and the later we left it the worse it would get. Gusting up to 50km/hr in the afternoon and rain in the forecast. This meant that we were motivated to move. After a breakfast of whatever dry food was left (a pepperette, rice crispy square, and granola bar each) we broke camp and headed back towards the Joe lakes. The last time I was through this part of the park was 9 years ago, and to be honest the weekend was pretty blurry. But I remember the portages being a doddle. If anything, they’ve gotten even easier, with better signage and more footsteps wearing it in. None of the portages between B. Island and Canoe lake took us more than 10 minutes to get through, which is a testament to how fast you can go with no consumables to weigh you down and not needing to worry about your footing.

It was nice to see old sites and areas we hadn’t been to in a while. Seeing the Arowhon Lodge and all the high-use sites was a neat reminder of what we usually blow by in our search for solitude. These sites are absolutely picked over and hammered in by human activity, and to be honest they weren’t appealing to me at all. I’d rather spend another hour paddling to get to a less-used part of the park, but understand the appeal of these places to a wider spectrum of people.

We pulled into the gravel beach of Canoe Lake’s put-in among a few other groups going in and out. It was the long weekend, so we expected more groups, but it wasn’t a zoo. We had made it through, wind and cold be damned. We had cut a day off our trip, but the rain which eventually came through the night was reason enough to do it. The weather dampened what was supposed to be a vacation and turned it into an adventure. We didn’t get in as much exploring or fishing as I had hoped, but the cliffs of White Trout Lake and our travel up Otterslide creek made the trip worthwhile for me. It was good to see parts of the park which were adjacent to our previously travelled paths. And there were no bugs! In MAY!

Great trip, can’t wait for the next one.

Winter Camping 2023

Posted by iantendy on May 29, 2023

Feb 18-20, 2023
Total distance: 1.4km

This year we decided that we wanted a trip that would be relaxing, as opposed to a challenge. We wanted somewhere flat, quiet, easy and not too far from the vehicles. Our goals were to test out some new gear and fine-tune our existing setup and daily schedule. With that being the case, our destination was to be just north of the parking lot from the Minnesing bike trail and warming hut, less than a kilometer if possible. On our first winter trip I remember seeing people in a similar spot, and that was where I wanted to be.

Shane and I pulled into the parking lot almost simultaneously, and quickly set about loading the pulks. Our plan was always to do this in 2 loads, 1 with the equipment we would need to set up camp, and 1 for everything that got left behind. The cold temps and tracks before us meant the pulling was easy, and we quickly got underway with the shelter, stove, and equipment/clothing bags. Shane had some trouble adjusting his belt to the correct size for pulling his gear, but my system of simply tying my pulk around my waist worked great. We were huffing and puffing, sure, but the effort wasn’t insurmountable.

It took us about half an hour to find our home for the next few nights. A small copse of hardwood looked great, not just because of the fissile material, but it was also a lot more wide open and roomy. Previous trips had us boxed in, and the more open area allowed us some shoulder room. We spent a good amount of time digging out the square area that we would be putting the ice shelter, wanting it to be an area that’s easy to get in and out, while also minimizing the amount of meltwater that would be covering the floor as much as possible. Before we knew it, the ice hut was up and stove was installed. We also had Shane’s cot set against the “far” wall from our regular door and he was able to set himself up there.

We took a quick jaunt back to the vehicles, now a 15-minute doddle with empty sleds, in order to pick up what was left behind in the vehicles. 4 totes of seasoned and split lumber from Shane’s house on the west side of the park. I had brought some store-bought Duraflame-type logs which I’ll get to later, but this hardwood was meant to make our lives so much warmer and easier. I was also supposed to bring a folding cot and my Thermarest on this trip to the car, but I forgot it in my excitement over the dried wood. I would have to make a 3rd trip back if I wanted to sleep warm and dry.

We trudged back to the site, buoyed by the easy load and knowledge of how far we’d have to go. Back in camp, I took a short break and we threw a Duraflame into the stove to warm up the tent. The IDEA behind these was that I would be able to just spark up a log that would burn for 3hrs unassisted overnight or in the morning on a whim, which would make our lives easy. As we settled in setting up camp, this seemed to work well. I went back to the car while Shane put the finishing touches on and around the shelter, carrying with me a cell phone/wallet that another hiker had found on the trail near our shelter. My plan was to put it in the shelter at the trailhead, and maybe try to leave a note where they could find it…but it turns out that wasn’t necessary. As I strolled into the lot, I noticed that the people packing up their cross country skis had 2 chocolate labs that were on the lock screen of the phone. Safe to say the person who had lost the phone/wallet was happy to be reunited with it.

Back at the shelter, I set up my cot (a first) and it was a game changer the whole weekend. To be able to have somewhere securely above the snow to put stuff nice a dry was under-appreciated in previous trips. The cot itself was inexpensive and lightweight, and it folded up like a camp chair to allow access in and out of the door unhindered during the day. I even liked the little dangling pocket as a place for my lighters and flashlight. While I was setting up, Shane was busy tamping down paths through the camp, and gathering firewood for an outdoor firepit I had dug. This year, we were determined not to simply sit in the shelter all day and enjoy the outdoors.

With the firelog burning away in the stove and melting water for us, we set about chopping up the lumber and getting a warm fire going. The afternoon was spent around the fire, catching up and feeling good about our setup. Dinner that night was just after sunset, a tasty meal of spaghetti and meat sauce. Once everything was cleaned up and we were ready to settle in for the night, we decided to stoke up the fire and relax. That was our evening started to suck.

Our shelter was filling up with smoke. The smoke was backing down the chimney and back out wherever it could. Through the pot hole, the front vent, the flue holes…everywhere. Openening the front door of the stove was nightmare. We had all the shelter doors and vents wide open and were still choking. We were trying every trick we could think of, but to no avail. We resigned to a smoky night and a smaller fire, after letting the fire burn with the door open to get it warm enough to at least go to sleep warm. Despite trying to turn ourselves into jerky, the night was nice. Relatively warm and well prepared, I slept soundly though the night.

The next morning was more of the same with the fire. A firelog wasn’t able to catch, so we made coffee and breakfast over the Whisperlite. The sun was starting to peek through the trees and we decided to try and warm up outside and forget the frustrating stove for a few minutes at least. Fueled up with peameal bacons, cheese, tortillas, and coffee, we strapped on our snowshoes and bushwacked to the road to Canisbay Lake. The going was slow, but unhurried and steady.

We spent about an hour exploring the put-in we had been to in July with my son, and tried to get over to the campground but a moving creek impeded our way. By the time we found a way across, we couldn’t be bothered to explore the camp and instead headed back to our shelter and outdoor firepit. The fact we didn’t bring water also weighed on that decision. We stoked up the firepit and sat watching our snow-filled kettle melt up some water. This was a low-point for me mentally and I voiced my frustration to Shane. Everything was difficult in the winter. Walking, moving, getting water, sleeping, cleaning…it was a lot.

Luckily Shane caught on that I was having a tough time and decided we should tackle a major problem and try to make progress with a solution. The smoking stove. It had cooled down, so we took it out of the shelter and dumped all the contents from last night in the fire. We knew that it HAD been working, and our working assumption was the chimney diameter stopping the stove from taking up the smoke. Maybe we could rig something up with the flue, or rearrange things inside to optimize airflow. Inspection of all the pipes showed us what the problem was almost immediately. The firelogs.

These damn firelogs are made from sawdust and some kind of resin to keep them burning, but it just wasn’t hot and airy enough in there to combust completely. This made the lower area of the stovepipe and flue area clog up and close the pipe. It was easy to clean it out with a stick, along with the spark arrester on the top of the chimney. I started a small fire in the back of the cleaned out stove and gradually added to it with good clean lumber. It took mere minutes to get a clean and hot fire going, which quickly burned out the soot which had built up. I was both incredibly happy to have resolved the problem, and at the same time mad at myself for not having seen the root cause earlier. The stove nearly sang it was burning so happily, with orange flames visible through the cleaned up front window.

The outdoor firepit, gradually getting bigger

This let us get more water, have a drier shelter, and raised my spirits quite quickly. By this time it was mid-afternoon, and we spent the time around our outside fire while fine tuning and really getting a feel for the stove and it’s burning characteristics under ideal conditions. It was good to have 1 thing really work well. Before we knew it there was no more sunshine and darkness was tugging at the horizon, so we headed inside and properly stoked up the fire. Dinner was cooked entirely on the stove, heating up burrito filling and wrapping it in tortillas and cheese from breakfast.

Once everything was cleaned and set away, normally I’d have a drink and we’d stay up a bit enjoying the heat and camaraderie. This evening I was nursing a headache, likely brought on by a smokey evening beforehand as well as exertion from winter in general, so I simply laid down quietly reading a book and dangling my feet by the stove. We could get an hour of good hot fire from moderately loading up the stove, maybe a bit more if we closed the vent most of the way. Because we had so much wood, I was happy to burn it faster than necessary. I loaded up the last pile of the night, then went to bed content.

Around 5:45am I woke up to a cold stove and tent. I knew there was some coals in the stovebox, so from my sleeping bag I simply threw a lit chemical firestarter in the back and then put four smaller logs in and went back to bed. 15 minutes later I put 4 more bigger logs in and waited for the tent to heat up and kettle to boil. Eventually, still in the sleeping bag, I happily munched a granola bar and sipped hot coffee.

Begrudgingly, we roused ourselves out of bed to take turns using the floor to stand and pack our dry items away. We enjoyed using a wood tote for a table, but soon everything was neatly stacked, packed, and stuffed away and we were ready for transit. Although top-heavy and carrying my portaging pack instead of putting it on my pulk, our sleds glided smoothly down the hill to our vehicles. It was a great way to end our trip, a nice high note. Where we usually run to warm our vehicles and sit somewhere dry, this time we were reluctant to leave the forest.

It was our goal to thrive in the winter. We now have a base level of comfort to expand on. We know what it takes to bring ourselves into the winter cold and feel nice about it. There’s always little tweaks and tricks to nail down, but after 4 years of trying, this is what I would say was the most successful winter trip we’ve been on.

May 24, 2022

Posted by iantendy on June 3, 2022

May 20 – 23rd
# of portages: 15
Total portage distance: 8094m
Total distance: 30.8km
Video Log:

Shane and I had been trying to nail down a trip to go on for weeks leading up to the 24. We decided on a route out of Cache Lake access fairly early on, but the specifics were murky. Initially we were going to loop to Lawrence, then Stringer, then head back up by way of Bonnechere, but then the weather modelling suggested 4 long travel days might be very unpleasant. So we changed plans to staying on Lawrence and then cutting west to Kirkwood lake, before realizing that we might as well just stay on Kirkwood for 2 days, then head to Bonnechere for a night. The goal was to see as many new lakes as possible, but still enjoy ourselves.

We started on Friday into a light but steady breeze and a blazing hot sun. It was a great morning to be travelling. The packs were overburdened with tarps, rain clothes, and cold weather gear, but it was all manageable. We made for the Head lake portage, knowing the way by heart now that we’ve done it a good couple times. This is probably my favorite portage in the park, long-ish but relatively flat and well trodden. You can peel off a km without really working for it. Unfortunately it was in this state of portaging Zen that my yoke decided it had had enough.

Damn thing snapped right in the middle, and it was the first portage of a portage-heavy trip. On the side of the trail about 1300m into a 1600m hike we were at an impasse. Do we try to bodge a repair, or do we head from whence we came and try to replace it at a local canoe store. We decided to try and make something work. We lunchboxed the canoe to the end of the trail (each of us carrying a handle on the bow and stern), then set about repairs. I found a suitable piece of hardwood which spanned from gunnel to gunnel, and lashed it to the still-functional brackets holding the original yoke in place. Shane’s new saw (a sweet Silky item), trimmed the edges of the new “yoke” so it wouldn’t be so unwieldy in a forest, and we were set. In log we trust.

Paddling along Head lake was good nostalgia, and as the wind picked up we were happy to be heading to smaller lakes for the rest of the trip. We broke new ground for ourselves as we went to Harness lake. The portage is located up a small stream and over a beaver damn, but nothing crazy. What was difficult was the big step up to Harness. With a normal yoke I’d have been huffing and puffing furiously. With the log I just dropped the boat and started double portaging, heading down the trail with a pack and then coming back for the canoe. It was just too uncomfortable and heavy to do for me. We decided to simply double portage the rest of the day, because we were making “okay time” and the day was pleasant enough.

Ready to push into Pardee Lake. Note The Log.

Harness lake had blown up a bit, showing us the first whitecaps of the trip as we paddled straight into them. With the weight of the boat though, it was a doddle. Harness lake is a popular lake, far enough from a put in to be remote but without too much struggle to get there. The sites seemed well used, but cared for. Paddling down the length to our next lake, we found it to be next to a waterfall. The short portage to Pardee had a nice bridge which allowed for some pretty pictures and unique angles you typically don’t find in the middle of a portage. Pardee itself is a small lake which acts as a crossroads between access to Louisa and Bonnechere. Left heads to Lawrence and right heads to Kirkwood. We were heading right, and up to the top of a hill.

The portage to Kirkwood was steadily uphill for 700m and we knew it, so we simply 2x portaged again. We were getting tired and frustrated from the constant headwinds, longer-than-usual travel times, and our packed lunch of sandwiches weren’t refilling our energy levels. Even with just the canoe I had to take a break along the path, which is very atypical for me. We flopped out of the forest into a small creek and rounded a corner to our site for the next few nights. We needed to be sure the site was protected from wind and rain, as the weather report called for heavy amounts of both Friday night. We wanted to be able to set up shop and hunker down if needed.

Our site was outstanding. The easternmost site has a point which looks open, but is sheltered on most sides by hills and bays so it’s more protected than one would think looking at pictures of it. The site comes with a lovely little table to prep food with, as well as a plethora of tent pads. With it being May, we can’t speak to the swimability of the site, but the leeches didn’t make it seem too enticing. We quickly set about putting up the bug tarp and tent in order to have a dry spot or two if the rain did come down. We didn’t go too far looking for wood this evening because to be honest we were too tired. That said, the pine around the site was very dry and gave us a good amount of yellow flame, just not the usual roar that we like to have in the shoulder season. Dinner was dehydrated Hamburger Helper with ground turkey and mushroom, a very filling meal and a nice way to settle back for the evening. With everything packed away, we went to bed with an ear cocked for a storm.

No storm came though. We had about 15 minutes of heavy showers around 3:45am, but nothing afterwards. We woke up to a mostly dry site and were happy for it. The wind and lowered temperatures would keep the blackflies slightly at bay, but when the wind died we would get mangled. Luckily the bug shelter was available when we needed it. Today was supposed to be a nicer day, with a few clouds rolling through but that’s about it. Our job today was to repair the canoe as best as possible. We decided that the log we had was strong and work-able, so we would modify it to be a bit more comfortable and functional. I cut notches as close to the width of the canoe as possible so the gunnels would sit in them. This had many advantages: it locked the yoke from moving side to side, lowered the log by about 10% keeping the center of gravity a bit lower, and the flat bottom of the notches would dissuade the log from trying to roll down my back. We also used two shorter ropes to secure the log which gave a much more secure connection. A quick carry around the site showed improvement, but we wouldn’t know until a proper carry with a pack if we could single portage again.

The waterfall from Phipps to Kirkwood Lake

We spent the afternoon paddling around the lake gathering firewood and seeing the sites of Kirkwood lake. The portage to Phipps lake has a very nice waterfall flowing beside it, so we took a gander. We also paddled over to the island site and what a nightmare that site would be to stay at! It’s a large sandy hill in the middle of the lake with a cliff on one side. The site is sheltered, but with limited tent pads and a small fire pit on top. Getting water and pulling up the canoe for the night would require be tricky, as it’s pretty vertical getting onto dry land from shore. All around a D+ site. The cliff was interesting at least.

Back at our site we had a much nicer fire to sit by that night. We made a shepherds pie for dinner from some freeze dried items Shane brought. The bugs weren’t an issue with the smoke from the fire as we ate, and then we had fun trying to pick out stars from between clouds. It wasn’t a terrible night, and we had a nice bonfire.

Sunday morning we woke to drizzly rain, but since the forecast called for it all week we were ready for it. I even had rain pants! That’s a first for me. We didn’t rocket out of the site, instead taking our time to eat and pack things up as dryly as possible. With our bags packed, we waited for a good looking gap in the rain before setting off for Bonnechere Lake by way of Phipps Lake. We had already scouted the 1st portage, but the 60-odd meters felt okay with the new yoke. Paddling across Phipps in a light drizzle revealed a similar lake to the one we had just left. Nothing remarkable about it really. Up a short and easily navigable creek we were at the “long” portage for the day, a 175m portage to Bonnechere. Again the yoke performed well, but we were babying it trying to avoid flipping the canoe in a typical single man manner. After a cantankerous dropping of the boat at the end of this portage I decided I would be okay taking the boat off myself.

Bonnechere Lake is divided into northern and southern sections by a rock formation called the Devil’s Razor, put in place to steal paint from the bottom of canoes by whichever deity you believe in. The northern sections has smaller and more tucked in sites, the most distinctive is a site which acts as unoffical portage to Cradle Lake. This site has a large rock in which is nestled a fire pit, would be amazing in the fall but not what we were looking for today. The southern section is much more open, and the sites all look out over nicer vistas, so that’s where we headed. Eventually we settled into the south-eastern site.

Looking towards our site from down the point

Our site was on a point almost all composed of rock, save for a few centimeters of dirt here and there. The campfire was set in a protected hollow behind a ridge and well sheltered from the western wind. I set up my shelter and tent in order to dry them out thoroughly. The bugs had totally turned off due to the wind and cold temperatures, so once the bug shelter was totally dried out I put it away just so it would be dry for the trip home. We whiled away the afternoon going for a paddle around the southern section hunting for hardwood for our fire that night. It was supposed to get properly May cold that night, so we wanted a roaring fire. Despite searching for well over an hour, all we found was some very dry cedar and pine, which would burn but not like decent hardwood. We would up utilizing the size of Shane’s new saw to take some large slabs off a fallen and dry log, then splitting them up nicely. While it wasn’t ideal, there was a lot of it.

Dinner that night was one of my favorites, a huge portion of spaghetti with dehydrated sauce. It always comes back so well. There was a very light rain come through as the sun faded, but we saw the front it heralded coming around 10:30pm and knew there wouldn’t be much more so we tucked in close to the fire instead. As the night cleared, we went to bed wearing as many layers as comfort would allow in order to keep the chill out.

Monday morning was a travel day. Not only did I have to manhandle my wounded canoe over 9 portages totaling 4.3km, but I also had a sizeable drive home as well. Being as such, we were up fairly early and had a hearty breakfast before striking camp. We pushed off at 8:45am and headed back the way we came before deking over to Cradle lake and heading north. What followed was a blur of getting in and out of the boat followed by large chunks of walking. The yoke handled it beautifully, never requiring more than 1 break per portage, I even managed to peel off 840m in less than 15 minutes which would have been good with the old yoke. Aside from getting turned around on a couple of the smaller lakes because of missing or hidden portage signs, and then falling up to my thigh in a peat bog, this was a good day of work. There were two portages which stood out to me though. The 500m portage between Mohawk and Kingfisher lake would be pretty if I wasn’t carrying such a heavy load, as it snakes up through a boulder field, and the portage from Delano to South Canisbay is straight up for the first 200-300m. Even coming the way we were the path was treacherous to go down.

We had to stop for a few minutes along the way to eat, which is critical when doing strenuous activities like this, and I think it really played into us feeling pretty good as we headed out into Cache Lake again. It was a lovely day and we felt fulfilled but not totally gassed as we pulled into the dock. I would 100% do this loop again, possibly with a more inexperienced crew as it offered so many different environs and fun situations. Really enjoyed it.

Canada Day 2021

Posted by iantendy on July 12, 2021

June 30 – July 4th
# of portages: 12
Total portage distance: 9040m
Total distance: 24.7km
Video Log:

This trip was the definition of “slapped together.” Due to a lot of extenuating circumstances, I wasn’t able to get out camping until Canada day at the earliest this year. Whether it be because of lockdown restrictions, Algonquin being closed for the spring melt, or things to do with my family and social obligations (which still exist despite COVID), this was the first time I had gone canoeing since the waters softened up. Our original plan was to head into the south western section of the Park, but it was all booked up. Then we decided to just find something and book it, so we settled on going from Canisbay to the Otterslides and back, basically basecamping up there. The major issue was that going from the Otterslides to Canisbay was going to be a slog and the weather didn’t look too great. Luckily, there were a lot of cancellations last minute so we able to book a smaller and more managable loop, albeit a strangely structured one.

We started at Source lake, a access point we had never used off Hwy 60, which is primarily used to service Camp Pathfinder. There was next to nobody in the lot, so we took that as a good omen that we would avoid the usual long weekend gong show as we pushed towards our first portage. This trip would be defined by small lakes and portages with tricky take outs. Shaking the rust off with a shorter portage felt okay, and before we knew it we were on the other side of Bruce Lake heading to Raven. The 900m portage was not an easy one, with elevation changes of more than 10m multiple times along its length, punctuated with slippery boardwalks and muddy sections. Taking breaks along the path (because we were lazy and happy to just talk in the woods) we marvelled at the bug situation. It felt like we were their in late August, not June! It was temperate, and the bugs were minding their own business for the most part. In short, it was amazing.

Because of some scheduling issues, we were eventually going to head back from our destination on Owl lake to Raven, so as we paddled the length of Raven lake we took a gander from shore at the 2 sites we’d have to choose from. We decided that the site at the north end of the lake was the most preferable, and headed from there to the next portage. This was a 400m doddle, and only took 8 minutes. Shane managed to smash a tree to pieces with his head as he picked his way through a swampy bit, not looking up to see the firm tree in his way. With a mighty thunk and some loud cursing, he won the day with only a bruise to show for it. On Owl lake, we paddled for the two sister sites on the northern edge, knowing both were the best on the lake. The western site was open, and even though you can see and hear the eastern one it was pretty cosy.

The site was pretty high use, but not without charm. The morning sun will spill in, warming the fire pit area nicely, but it doesn’t have a bench or table area. That would be a theme in this area, lots of people but not much site infrastructure. We had brought a big bug tarp and set it up as the rain began in earnest. It poured hard and straight down for about an hour, but after that we only had a few showers. Shane set up a smaller tarp by the firepit, which would keep us dry without threatening to burn down my nice mesh. We gathered some wood behind the site, although hardwood was scarce, and made a small fire to cook dinner on, then headed out fishing. Not long after our first few casts, we heard thunder rumbling in the distance and decided to head in. No fish is worth getting fried by lightning! The night was cool, and the fire welcome. We padded off to bed around 11:30pm.

Our second day was supposed to be a lazy one, nowhere to go and nowhere to be. We woke up a bit later in the day than usual, and had a nice big breakfast of bacon, eggs, and cheese in a wrap before heading out fishing. We didn’t have much in the way of luck, but it was nice to get out and look around the lake. Back at the site we collected wood for the night while the leaves were dry in the sun, and before we knew it lunchtime was upon us. As we cleaned up, we saw that our neighbors across the bay were leaving. Being that their site was nicer than ours, with a long warm point to sit on, we decided to haul up stakes and move. The tent wasn’t even put away, I just took the fly off and folded it in half (with all the sleeping gear inside!) then just wheeled it into the front of the canoe. By the time all our gear was haphazardly thrown across the bay, another crew came in to take out still-warm old site.

The new site was worth the trouble to of packing things down to get to. It had more plentiful supplies of lumber and the point out front was a lovely porch. I set up the bug tarp, but we didn’t need it, and the rest of the day was spent idly around the site. A highlight was when I was just sitting on the point, reading my book and enjoying the lake, when I heard a loud splashing noise accompanied by an even louder “howf”-ing noise. On the very farthest end of the lake, a cow moose was hauling ass through waist-deep water calling out. She was in major distress and we were very glad to not be in her path. This was the first time I saw a “rampaging” moose and it was really an impressive sight! She eventually howfed her way off the lake and up a hill southward, likely trying to find a young one or something. Later that night we saw a cow and her young calf mere meters from our site, so I guess they were reunited and happy (didn’t disturb us either). I was also delighted to see the newly launched train of Starlink satellites later that night, a long string of 15-20 moving stars heading up to higher orbit. Soon, that technology will allow me to livestream a few nights out in Algonquin to the web!

The next morning was a Friday, and while we were set to backtrack to another site on Raven Lake, it wasn’t going to be a long day so we took our time getting up and out of the blocks. While I was taking down my thermarest, I noticed it was developing a bulge near the head, apparently the materials were peeling away from the foam giving it a bulbous look. As the trip progressed this only got worse, so I wound up having to underinflate the mattress to actually make it work. Disappointing, and not entirely too comfortable. Heading back along the 400m portage was a breeze, now knowing where to step through the muddy bits making it a lot easier. I should also mention that this trip I had brought along a new GPS watch. I originally bought it for triathlon training, but it’s primary function is as an outdoor navigation watch. The heartrate monitor, compass, mapping, and distance calculator were very helpful in portaging, as it can help you mentally figure out where you are and how much farther you have to go. I brought it as an afterthought and now it’s going to be part of every trip I go on.

Raven lake only has 2 sites on it, and one being occupied made our decision for us. We pulled the canoe up to a uninviting take out up a steep slope next to a felled pine. The primary fire pit was a mess with little in the way of a view, but the tent pads down the path offered something. There was a secondary fire pit near a tent pad along the high ridge line of the site, which when tarped and made a bit more liveable was a great place to spend the night. We fashioned a table out of two cut logs (big ones felled by a chainsaw), and put our tent yet further from the canoe along the ridge. In total this site stretched at least 200m along it’s length. Behind the site there was massive signs of moose and camper activity. Lots of downed trees and hacked up stumps among piles of moose leavings. It took a while, but we found some nice standing hardwood for the fire leaning against a live tree. Dinner was tacos made from freeze dried ingredients, and after that we went out fishing again. No luck this time, but the lake was glass so we were happy to enjoy the wilderness. Our fire went long into the night, and once it was thoroughly doused we went off to bed.

Shane slept in on our 2nd last day in the park, I was up and about making a morning fire to warm up and got the coffee going. after some quick pancakes and a site teardown we were on the way to Iris lake by 11am. On our way off the lake, we stopped by the other site on Raven and while the site was in good condition (definitely the one you want to stay on) the thunderbox is RIGHT THERE! IT’S RIGHT IN THE SITE! Within 30 feat of the damn fire pit! No thanks for me. The rest of the day was nice though. We got a little lost on way from Owl to Linda lake, adding about 500m to our trip, but Linda lake was totally worth the hike. I definitely have put that on my list of places to return to!

After a rougher than usual 900m portage to Iris, we were set for the night. The site wasn’t as soupy as I had feared, tucked between the lake and a swamp. The take out was sandy, and the site open but protected. There was even a flattened section of a log to serve as a stove spot. Iris lake isn’t much to look at to be honest, unremarkable and flat. Plenty of cedar and pine to burn on the shore, but little in the way of hardwood. We ate a Sheppard’s pie for dinner, and around 9:30 it started raining. Before too long, we called it a night with a early start in mind for tomorrow.

View from the site on Iris Lake, not much more to it

Our final day started out with grey skies, but no wind. It looked like a perfect day for travelling as the temps were low and the sun wasn’t setting about to scorch us on the lake. Our breakfast was pre-made bars and coffee, with as much food as we could stomach from the leftovers pile, which made for a fast and easy cleanup. We were on the rapidly de-misting water by 7:45am and to the portage back to Linda by 8am. Because our packs were as light as they would ever be and we knew exactly where we were going, the way back was fast and relatively easy. We only saw a few other people packing their way out along our travels, a welcome change from the gong show that more popular access points usually are on long weekends. Before we knew it we were back on Source lake and making our way for the cars around 11am.

All in all, this was an outstanding trip. It had every ingredient needed to make it a really piss-poor one: rain in the forecast, close to Hwy 60, backtracking and lots of “small” movement, etc. But the sites were all serviceable, the lakes nice and calm, wildlife plentiful and benign, and the route somewhat adventurous! After being denied a few spring trips already this year, this trip was exactly what I needed mentally. I hope to get out at least a few more times in 2021, but if this was it for bigger trips I’ll take it. This was a win, and I know Shane and I really needed it.

Kiosk Loop 2020 – Project Whitecap

Posted by iantendy on September 21, 2020

Aug 30 – Sept 5th
# of portages: 14
Total portage distance: 10725m
Total distance: 48.2km
Video Log:

Shane and I had been trying against seemingly all odds to get out for a longer trip this year. Our first hurdle was COVID19, then there’s the fact that I have a 10-month old at home, but we managed to actually get out! We hadn’t been to Kiosk yet, so we decided to “take it easy” and see what the hub-bub was all about. Trying to avoid some Labour Day craziness, we were doing a loop Sunday-Sunday and would leave right in the middle of a long weekend.

Our first waterfall heading into Amable du Fond River

I headed north from the GTA around 2:30 in the morning, managing good time to Shane’s place where he waited with the canoe already loaded, and then at 7:30 or so we were pulling into Kiosk campground. The place was a maze of cars, but we managed to find parking right by the conveniently located permit office and get our packs sorted. I took the equipment and Shane was carrying the food. This made portaging MUCH more manageable for the both of us. I inquired about permits at the office and lo, they actually had them pre-printed for us. We were on the water by 8am, and Kiosk looked inviting to two road-weary travellers.

There was next to no wind as we made the crossing at one of the more infamous launch points. Wind had been known to kick up on this lake in a predominantly east-west direction which could have hindered our travel, so we made hay while the sun was shining. There looked to be a few people camped, but we saw no boat activity as we made our way around the bay into the Amable du Fond River. The water level was high from recent rains and we started down our first portages with nary a scrape on the boat.

Up and over the first portage of our trip re-awakened all the aches that the activity brought, but it was more than manageable with our pack-out. This trip we prioritized food weight. Although we didn’t compromise and actually ate very well, there was next to no fresh food. With all our dehydrated and freeze-dried food, the weight was down to 25lbs of food between us. The first portage was straight up and down, nothing to write home about. We decided to try to get through the “low water” section by paddling and were mostly successful. Didn’t have to string it through, but I did get wet feet.

On Amable du Fond having made it past the swifts,

The next portage was also a doddle, and we set out from the sandy put in onto the protected river system. Travelling along the river we quickly came to a set of swifts we had to get up. These were big rocks and fairly fast moving water. We snuck up on them in the lee of on of the bigger rocks and sprang through them we a flurry of expert paddle strokes. Shane’s work as a front-end steersman has really improved over the years and it got us through despite the river’s insistence that we turn back. Before we knew it we were through the longest portage of our day and on the shores of Manitou lake, barely out of breath and happy to see a wildly hilly lake. Even from our beachy trailhead, we could see hills bigger than any other on a lake in the southwestern sections of the park.

Taking a break along the portage to Manitou Lake

After a quick look around at the cottages in the area we pushed off in search of a site. The water had a slight breeze on it, but it wasn’t much. We got half way down the lake and started to head towards the sites closer to our portage to 3 Mile lake. Turning more directly south we started to hit a headwind. This headwind would not stop for the rest of the week it seemed except to rain. We had a lunch of smoked meat in a wrap at a smaller site between the mainland and the island with 3 sites on it and considered where we might want to stay. The wind blowing straight through our current site made it undesirable, so we decided to keep going towards the string of sites on the eastern shore.

As we paddled along marveling at the view to the south, we passed site after site until settling on a nicely beached area with stairs, a table, and an adjacent site out of the wind accessible by a short path. Here we would stay for 3 nights, so we settled in and got to camping. We were tucked out of the wind for the day, and we didn’t need to go out for lumber this day. In the evening the lake quieted down an we managed a bit of fishing. I think the troughs around the island sites would net us more fish than the sandy bay we were in, but it wasn’t worth paddling out for at this time. Dinner was our only fresh meat of the trip on a kebob, and we retired early having had a long day.

The nights were going to be cold for this time of year, and we knew that. It was dipping towards 5 degrees the first night and we felt it. By the time the sun came up, I hurried towards the eastern-facing second site and enjoyed the warming glow as the sun burned off the mists. Breakfast was a wrap with back, cheese, tomato, and smoked pork tenderloin. I had found this in a bargain bin in at Blue Danube Sausage House where we got a lot of our smoked meats and it was delicious. We also brought ready-to-eat smoked bacon, which yielded a fattier and more authentic bacon than the microwave bacon I usually bring. The benefit of a smoked meat is that it requires no refrigeration, and although it’s fairly heavy it was absolutely amazing.

This was a nice morning, and we decided to capitalize on it. Around 9am, we headed out for a morning fish, hoping to hook into something. While we didn’t get any fish, we managed to snag a wonderful piece of standing dead hardwood for the fire. With such a heavy load in the boat, fishing was getting treacherous so we headed back in to process it and get the site improved. Shane decided to redo the tabletop to improve stability and I did nothing (so as to keep out of the way). The wind had picked up slightly, and shifted southwards to blow through our site, but it died down in the evening and gave us a nice night by the fire.

Overnight, the wind picked back up and we awoke to waves on the shore and a light foam developing, but nothing too bad. The good news was that we once again didn’t need to be anywhere. The wood from the previous day was plenty enough to get us going through this night and beyond. It did keep us from fishing, but that wasn’t the end of the world. We knew that there wasn’t anything worth paddling to that definitely would yield fish, so we puttered around the site. As the skies got more grey and the wind continued to blow I put up my tarp for the first time this trip. We didn’t need it during waking hours, but around 10 o’clock we went to sleep under threat of impending rain. Literally as my head hit the pillow we started to hear rumbling thunder. “Here we go again” I mumbled, remembering the last time I was in a tent in a thunderstorm (it wasn’t fun). We lucked out though, because though the thunder was loud at times, it was a good distance away. By counting the time between flash and bang, the strikes were at least 5km from us. We learned a few days later that it had torn through the Kiosk campground and scared the absolute hell out of people staying there.

The next morning was grey and windy, but at least there was no rain. The swells coming directly down our bay were around 8-12″ tall, and going perpendicular to where we needed to be. The portage to 3 Mile Lake was only 500m as the crow flies, but we decided after packing up to skirt the edge of the shore. The shallow east end of the lake knocked down the swells and we made it in good spirits. Shane mentioned that some people had to pay money for a water ride like that at a theme park. We sidled up to the rocky portage head and got ready for our “hard” portage of the trip.

This isn’t a terribly bad portage, but it has a steep part. Coming from Manitou, it goes fairly straight up for 400-odd meters and then starts to level off. Another 800m of easier trails will lead you to The Road. When you’re on The Road, it’s amazing. For more than a kilometer, it’s a hard packed and wide trail which would be suitable for a side-by-side vehicle or more sturdy pickup truck. You can make great time on The Road. We found a Nalgene water bottle along the way (if you can describe it and where abouts it went missing I’ll try to get it back to you). The portage spits you out at a trail-ending campsite which looked less than desirable but okay in a pinch, and as we caught our breath it started to rain.

The wind wasn’t too bad on 3 Mile and the rain was light, so we decided to push on through the wet to try and get the site we wanted which lay on the mainland across a channel towards the southern islands. This site came very highly recommended from multiple sources so it was our priority, but there were plenty of serviceable sites on the western shore. As we got farther down the lake the rain and wind picked up. By the time we rounded the point to see if our site was open it was officially a deluge, and the wind was cutting right through us. Luckily the site was indeed open, and we flopped onto shore a thoroughly soaked mess. I got the tarp up ASAP to try and get a dry spot, and soon the rain subsided (of course it did). We were miserable for a few more minutes as we waited for coffee to boil, but soon we managed to get into drier clothes and warm up.

After the rain, 3 Mile Lake looked amazing from our site

After about an hour of trying to take care of ourselves, we took a look around and determined that this was indeed one of the better sites we could ask for. There was a spacious firepit area with a protected view east, but out on the warm rocks of the site’s point you got a view in almost every direction. Tucked safely back in the woods were multiple areas for tents and tarps. A few minutes later we saw multiple canoes coming out of the Upper Kawa lake portage and they were all disappointed to see activity on our site. Seems like the paddle through the rain was worth it to snag the showpiece of the lake. The day cleared a bit and we found some good wood for a big bonfire. We wanted to celebrate getting the good site, get warm, and really just being out there. A special treat was watching the full moon rise over our fire, it was so bright it looked like a sunrise.

The next morning looked to be an ideal morning in Algonquin park. The night had been a bit warmer, and I had smartened up to the idea of grabbing the clothes I was going to wear the next day and warming them in my sleeping bag before getting up. After pancakes for breakfast we set out fishing, because this lake was supposed to yield the best trout on our route. We managed a few passes at a spot that looked good, but by 11am, the wind had picked up enough to drive us off the lake again. As the swells pounded the point we were on, we passed a lot of the day making a better cooking area and watching other crews come onto the lake. Better than TV, we narrated the plight of multiple groups trying to find a good site on an increasingly busy lake.

That evening, it rained good and hard, but we had a great tarp setup and it was organized in such a way that we could cook and eat within it’s netting. We rehydrated a big pot full of New Mexico stew and ate with gusto, as it was exactly what we wanted that night. Before the sun went down, we were treated to the clearest rainbow I’ve ever seen. It had clearly delineated colors from red to violet, and was absolutely gorgeous. The real tragedy was that a photo wouldn’t do it justice, but believe me it was pretty. It was another memorable night as a fiery sunset gave way to a clear-ish night despite a stiff breeze.

We woke up the next morning to more grey and more wind. It was around this time that I dubbed this trip “Project Whitecap,” as I have never seen this much chop for a whole week. We got everything packed up after a wonderful breakfast of freeze-dried eggs with smoked venison sausage in a wrap. Normally, powdered eggs turn my stomach, but I guess the freeze-dried stuff is different (good to know). With the canoe packed, we turned with the wind and headed towards the North Sylvia lake portage.

There’s not a whole lot to say about the route between 3 Mile and Maple lakes. The portages are generally well maintained and simple up and downs. We managed to get great time heading down the trail from Boggy Lake to Ratrap, and it was a really pretty walk through the woods. North Sylvia would be nice if you wanted some deep solitude, while Ratrap was not conducive to swimming due to murky water and sludgy conditions. As we got to the end of the Boggy-Ratrap it started raining again, but luckily we were in deep woods that offered protection as we waited it out.

We figured we had had enough of the wind. Rain we could deal with effectively and it was intermittent, but our chief need on a site today was protection from the unrelenting gusts. As we kicked off into Maple, we knew we didn’t want an island site. We had been out long enough to know that even though it looked nice now, it could kick up in a few short minutes. The northern-most shore site turned out to be exactly what we wanted, as it was protected on almost all sides and the unprotected side was only 100m wide before hitting the far shore. It wasn’t an insanely appealing site, but it checked every box we needed.

We set up the tarp to protect from the threatening clouds, and went about getting lunch set up. With tuna-parmesan wraps safely in our belly, the day fell away nicely. Shane went out looking for a standing dead tree for fire, while I got the tent set up and fine-tuned the tarp. After hearing a crash signifying Shane had found his prize, I went with him to bring it back for processing. He showed me that just behind the site there’s boulders the size of houses! They were really neat to see as a 30-something, and 6 year old me would have gone nuts for these. The lumber was high quality too.

Our view from the northern site on Maple Lake

As we hopped in and out of the bug tarp to escape rain and watched the white caps roll through our small stretch of waterfront, we began to talk ourselves out of another day in the Park. If we were to stay another day, it would be spent under the tarp and watching the rain. While we were enjoying ourselves, we knew the weather forecast for the next day was somewhat favorable and made an executive decision to head out on the Saturday rather than the Sunday. We had another good fire, and went to sleep hoping for a nice morning.

We awoke to a bright and sunny morning, but we could hear the wind around the corner starting to pick up even at 7am. We had a quick breakfast of honey/coffee/chocolate bars and packed up. By 9am we were on our way towards Maple Creek and greying skies.

Heading down Maple Creek was actually pretty fun! The portages were well-trodden, if not hilly closer to Maple Lake. The 805m portage was easily the most challenging, as there is a very steep and rocky part about halfway through. Make sure you’ve got plenty of energy left before heading up or down the steep section, as there is nowhere to rest or get off the trail here. Aside from that bit, everything on the portages went great. On the water however, it started to rain about halfway through the creek. It was the same hard, driving rain that chilled us to the bone on 3 Mile, but mercifully it was short-lived. The thunder that came with it made us hunker down on the 130m portage for a few minutes, and it didn’t really leave us alone until we were along the 915m portage towards Kiosk. This last portage was an absolute treat, as it was gently heading downhill and wide open. It was a great trail to end on.

Higher water than usual made this an easy paddle from Maple creek to Kiosk proper

The whole trip I had been fretting about the final day where we would have to cross Kiosk at noon. I envisioned a 2-3hr slog against the wind or having to shelter under a tree along the shoreline as we were battered with weather. It seems though that we had lucked out, the the bay coming out of Maple creek was plenty sheltered, and by the time we were pointed back up to the take out point the wind was at our backs! We lazily paddled past groups heading out against a headwind as we whistled and grinned like morons.

All in all, this was a wonderfully relaxed trip. The portages seemed to be fairly easy and not intimidating, but that may just be in comparison to other trips. The absence of bugs was an absolute treat, one that we haven’t had the luxury of in many, many, moons. Just to be able to cool down and actually catch your breath on a trail made the cold nights 100% worth it. While the wind and the waves and the rain made for a less than desirable paddling experience at times, they didn’t deter us from having a good time.

First Post-Pandemic Trip, June 2020

Posted by iantendy on June 13, 2020

June 6 – 9
# of portages: 12
Total portage distance: 6485m
Total distance: 35.3km
Video Log:

Remember Coronovirus? That was a wild time huh? Well, luckily for us the government has allowed us to enjoy Ontario’s backcountry again! As this was rolled out we decided to head in as soon as we could.

Little Misty Lake, as seen from the portage to Misty

We decided it would be fun to retrace our first foray into the park and headed to Misty Lake by way of access #3. This was well-trodden terrain and we could basically trace the route without a map, so it meant we could get “out there” without having to worry about serious navigation or planning. I was using a few new kitchen gadgets in the city to lighten the load a bit, but we wanted to see how much our perspective had changed since then. We also wanted to deke north on our way back and explore Queer and Little Trout lakes to extend our trip an extra day.

We planned on getting out early because we didn’t have to stop in a park office to get our permit, and we really hope this trend of printing your own permits continues, but I slept through my alarm. We still got a good jump on the day, setting out onto Magnetewan lake around 8:30am. The paddle through Hambone, Acme, Daisy, and the early Pet was unremarkable. We were just so happy to be back where we loved to be. The sun was shining, but not too hot and the bugs were more than manageable.

Our site on Misty Lake

The portaging was going way better than we expected or remembered. We only slipped up twice. Once was on the 450m portage to Little Misty when we happened to throw our packs back into the canoe to paddle along the water for 200m before realizing we hadn’t actually completed the portage. Our second misstep was on the 935m to Misty, where I slipped heading down the hill to the lake about 300m from the end. It was disappointing to me because I was feeling good and strong and wanted to do the portage without stopping. Regardless, we spat ourselves out onto Misty and saw an obligatory moose before heading to our site.

We were hoping to get the site we stayed on last time we had come through, but unfortunately it was occupied. Instead we decided to try the site due north of the Timberwolf Lake portage. It had a beach and seemed kind of nice. Indeed it did have a rocky beach, but it was a bit exposed to the wind and not entirely ideal. We went down to the canoe and were going to scope out the map when we noticed something we hadn’t before. There was a rock near our canoe which was covered in bugs. Upon closer inspection, the “rock” was actually a bloated moose carcass! It was a pretty gruesome sight, with the skull peeking through, but the rest of it pretty much together. We high-tailed it across to the island and settled on the eastern-most site.

Our sites on Misty Lake, note that one of these sites has a large moose carcass washed up on shore

This is a smaller but still very serviceable site. Not too much in the way of level open spaces, but the fire pit has a great view of the lake and the breeze comes straight in from the lake to take care of the bugs. Being the first time anyone had been through this area, there was plenty of cedar pushed up on shore and dry. It isn’t great for cooking over, but with a cold night on the docket it will help keep you warm. We had a few chicken burritos for dinner and settled into our sleeping bags for our first sleep outdoors in a while.

It was a very cold night for us. I had brought a summer bag which is rated to 0 degrees but was still shivering through the cold of the night. It was a hard sell to get out of the sleeping bags and get the coffee going. We would need to ensure that there was a cache of dry and split wood for us when we woke up the next morning. We had a lazily prepared breakfast of fresh eggs and bacon in a wrap, before setting about the day. We had seen the rear end of a boat heading down the Pet, and assumed it was the people on our desired site so we decided to hop in the boat and see if there was another optimal site.

Westward view from our desired site

We looked at a few other sites, but they were fairly overgrown and buggy at this time of year. Definitely serviceable, but I think the island sites (on any of the islands) or the north west sites are the best so far. Our original site was open though, so we haphazardly threw our gear into the boat and relocated to the more sheltered site. I love this site, as it is sheltered but has a view and enough room for a larger group. The people in before us were tidy and left the site nicer than they had gotten it, sweeping around the firepit and stocking some wood. We spent the day looking around the island, fishing, and getting firewood ready for the night. We didn’t want to have a deficit of heat, and we didn’t.

The 3rd day broke cool, but not terribly cold. We slept better, both from physical and mental preparation I think. The sheltered site also kept the wind out, which had been a bit of an issue earlier. We had a cold breakfast of home made granola bars, then broke camp and headed back the way we had come to Little Misty lake. Along the way we saw a different moose munching away near the end of the portage and had to get pretty close to get around him. The climb back up was uneventful, and before we knew it we were at the 2435m portage to Queer lake.

A moose we named Barry on the way out of Misty Lake

At the beginning of this trail there’s some debris from what looks like an old sled, and from what I know of the areas history I would say this used to be a horse trail dragging logs out in the winter or something like that. The path is wide and gentle, free of most of the energy-sapping pitfalls typical of portaging. If it were a bit more graded it could easily be a cart path. Halfway along the portage there’s a bridge near a pond. We were lucky enough to see two moose in the pond before they got spooked by us and left. It is odd to see a male and female like we did, and I wish I had a photo, but I decided to absorb the experience rather than fumble for a blurry shot or 2-second clip.

Queer was absent of any campers except for one soloist who was full of information regarding the more traveled parts of the park. Apparently Ralph Bice and Little Trout were fully booked up the day before, so we were interested to see what was available one lake over. After a very brief portage, we were on Little Trout lake and looking for a site. I knew a few sites on the north side were okay, so we headed that way first.

View from the site on Little Trout

The site I wanted was occupied, but everywhere else had nobody on them. We landed on the westernmost site on the southern shore and declared it perfect for our purposes. There was an easy landing, steep rocky dropoffs from another area of waterfront, a western-facing fire pit with adequate seating, and a shelf to use as a camp kitchen. There wasn’t a great spot to put the tent, but we managed. The real issue with this lake is firewood. We spent hours trying to find something that would burn well, taking to land and sea to find fissile material. Our solution was to use an “upside down” fire with large softwood logs on the bottom to absorb and contain heat, with a smaller fire on top with split hardwood to drop coals down. The wood was wet and the flames small, but the heat was steady and the weather was warming up. Dinner was a huge portion of spaghetti with dehydrated sauce. I didn’t think I would make a dent in it, but wound up finishing my meal in about 10 minutes. We then poked the fire until we were too tired to continue and fell happily into our sleeping bags.

I woke early on the last day, not constrained to my sleeping bag because the weather had warmed considerably. The clouds were out and everything seemed grey. We wanted an early jump on the day because we had to cross a bigger lake in Ralph Bice, and didn’t want to get caught in either wind of beating sun. It was supposed to be hot hot hot this day, so we tried to make the best of what clouds we could. Around 7:30am we were on the water, and went on to the easiest day we would have in the park.

Heading out into bugs on the last day

The portages from this point on were very well trodden, and with no major elevation changes they were fairly inconsequential. Ralph Bice was nice and calm for us as the clouds started to break up. This was only the second time I had been on this lake, and it was interesting to see it at it’s breadth. I had been solo last time and only seen a corner of the lake. The site I stayed at looked remarkably similar, just going to show that some things change quickly in nature, but if humans keep coming some things never change. By the time we got to Hambone lake, the mosquitoes were out in force. This was what I had been expecting the whole weekend, but was the only time I even considered using the bug shirt I brought. Quickly, to avoid the bugs, we sidled up to the dock on Magnetewan and had the van packed for travel. Whomever found Shane’s glasses case and put them on a rock for us, thank you.

Algonquin Big Lake Trip

Posted by iantendy on July 26, 2019

June 29- July 6
# of portages: 17
Total portage distance: 200030m
Total distance: 86.6km
Video Log:

Since last Canada Days’ debacle, Shane and I have been over-planning this trip. We wanted to push farther and longer than either of us have since we were in organized camp groups as kids. This trip was the culmination of months of anticipation, planning, gear/food testing, and all-round knowledge of the craft which is canoe tripping. There were a number of lakes and experiences we wanted to check off, without sacrificing the comforts and methods we are accustomed to.

Our chariot to the Happy Isle portage

We decided to start on the biggest lake in the Park, Opeongo. But to hell with spending a day paddling in, and a day paddling out. Save that for a time when we can get wind-bound and be okay with it. Instead we grabbed a water taxi and were whisked off to the Happy Isle portage at tremendous speed. It was great to blow by campsites, but also neat to get a bigger glimpse of a lake we haven’t yet had time to explore. From the Happy Isle portage dock, we saw a moose cow and took it as a good omen of a nice trip to come.

It was about 2 seconds down the portage that we realized this wouldn’t be the usual doddle through the woods we were used to. It was hot. The bugs were very bad. Our bags were as heavy as they could be and still manage (my pack weighed 45lbs, and there was 25lbs of food between us). But by Joe we were back in the Park after nearly a year absent. The first portage of the day was unremarkable, a well-worn path through to Happy Isle. Nice lake, deceptively big without being overly dotted with sites. Aside from a crowded island, I think you could get away here without hearing much from your neighbors.

The next portage was a doddle. Up and down, which reminded us that not every portage was going to try and kill us. The bugs, on the other hand, we bad here and we spat out onto Merchant lake in a haze of mosquitoes. We were going to stop on a site along the way, but the bugs again forced us out and to have a floating lunch as we gently blew towards the last portage of the day. This portage had a lot of up and down and damn near killed us with the full compliment of food we had in our packs. It got so bad we had to give up our push to single carry and wound up double carrying the second half of the portage. This must have slowed us right the hell down, as a group of people came up behind us that we hadn’t seen at all on our travels.

Ready to head from Merchant to Big Trout lake

We managed to get on the water long before them, and having some water in our bellies made a difference as we careened gently down a creek and into Big Trout Lake. We looked into the first site we came across but the lack of a firepit near the water sent us packing. We felt pretty good as we worked our way to the middle of the lake and came across our site for the next two nights. Our site was high up on a rock, and I was the first to scout it out. I called Shane up to look at the tent pads, then told him to turn around and look at the view. “Wow,” was an appropriate response.

View from the firepit on Big Trout

We lucked out big time, the site was spacious, easy to tarp, full of good firewood, and protected from the wind without being buggy. We were tired and stinky, but this was worth the hardship. We set up camp and relaxed as we eased into the longest trip into Algonquin we had ever attempted. It rained cats and dogs in the evening, but my new bug tarp handled it without complaint. The 2nd day we slept in and lazed around the site, remarking on how we can see why this lake is so popular. With the water taxi, this is easily accessible in a morning and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Heading to the portage to La Muir

We awoke early on day 3, with no wind and a glassy lake. We wanted to hit the 2590m portage to Lake La Muir before it got too hot. This time we were ready for the bugs too. We put on extra bug juice, Shane tucked his fancy bug resistant pants into his socks, and I put on a mesh bug shirt. This made a world of difference and we popped out into La Muir after just over an hour. We took our time on La Muir, as the wind was at our back and there was only one other portage to go. Scoped out a few of the north shore sites to grab some water and stretch our legs, but the bugs drove us out pretty quick. La Muir was nice and the weather great, but Hogan lake was our destination for the night.

Goodbye lake La Muir

Our last portage was marked “buggy” on Jeff’s Map, but it wasn’t any buggier than any other trail. There was a new boardwalk on the La Muir side, and it branched off in 2 directions. Heading to Hogan, make sure to take the trail to the right! From our direction, this was all downhill, and with the length of portages we were hitting this trip 685m was a doddle. By this point we were starting to count out our paces between breaks on the trail trying every time to match or surpass the interval before. We got in the habit of making about 500-600m between each break.

Hello Hogan Lake

Hogan lake was entered by way of a fast-moving creek. It was wide enough to not feel claustrophobic and didn’t have much in the way of bugs. We grabbed some beaver-munched cedar on the western shore of Hogan as it opened up in front of us and made for the southernmost site. This site had previously been burned through and the ground coverage was thick. But the wind could blow through the saplings with enough force to keep the bugs off. Dinner was our first non-fresh meat, but it was pretty great to 2 weary wanderers. We got to sleep early, as all we had to do was one big portage the next morning and then we were done.

The next morning was the half-way point of our trip. The weather was calm as we packed camp up and set across Hogans lake. All we had to do was one 3750m portage. Looking at Jeff’s map, we saw the first 500-1000m was steeply uphill, so we decided to double portage “just the high parts.” We wound up double portaging basically to the first cart path intersect 1/3 of the way along the trail. It didn’t get any easier either, as the middle of the portage was characterized with an overgrown boardwalk. The branches loomed over, pulling the canoe on my head left and right as we pushed through, but we managed to get a good distance covered over the relatively flat ground. The last 1/3rd of the portage was yet more up and down, but mainly down. By the time we met up with the cart path for the last 1200m, we were bug bitten and beaten up, happy to filter some water and get out on the lake.

As with every lake on this trip we had our pick of the sites on Big Crow, so we opted for the one closest to the Crow river. We had a lovely view of the lake along with a sandy beach and open area relatively free from bugs. We had the whole afternoon to relax and get our legs back under us, so we took a quick dip in the lake and relaxed under the tarp away from the bugs. The highlight of the day was that just before dinnertime, a moose wandered into the bay behind us on the river. He grazed around less than 200m from our site all night long. Usually when you see a moose, especially in close quarters, they move along in 20 minutes or so. Not so with our pal Gary the Moose. It was neat to have him around. Other highlights were getting eaten alive by a particularly huge swarm of mosquitoes checking out the Big Crow cabin, and speaking with a francophone who was late getting into the Crow River. Dinner was a hearty spaghetti and we called it an early night. Gary’s clomping kept us up a bit.

Gary T. Moose

Shane had a rough night sleeping, but we broke camp and started into the river regardless the next morning. There was a sign from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks warning us of a predatory bear along one of the 7 portages that awaited us down-stream, so I took to thumping the canoe as we portaged. Became sort of a warm drum to march to as we slogged along. Going with the current was amazing. The river was wide enough to negotiate easily without losing steam in the corners, and the portages were all downhill, which was a nice change of pace. Even with a quick stop at the site half-way along the river (which is nicer than you would think), we were in Crow Bay on the cusp of Lake Lavieille within 4 hours.

Motoring along with the river

After lunch and a break from paddling, we took off onto the water in search of somewhere to spend the next few nights. Lavieille was really a major destination for us. This lake has no “easy” way into or out of it, and with the algae blooms working towards it we may not be able to stay there in a few years. It was important to us to have a great site, and not compromise for the sake of getting off the water. We checked just about every western site between Crow and Hardy Bay and each time we pushed back off. There were a few that we were contemplating, but by the time we started hitting closed sites in the south of Lavieille we were getting tired and a bit downtrodden. It wasn’t until we started back north on the eastern side that we found a great site and settled in for the evening.

View from the “false” fire pit

Our site had multiple tiers. One for the boats, one with a firepit which I wasn’t 100% sure was built by park staff, and a 3rd which was a bit more sheltered and to be used as a living area. The island was close to the mainland and other islands, but the remoteness of the lake meant firewood was readily available on-site. We enjoyed a tuna-couscous dinner and turned in happy with the effort we had put in to getting here. Safe to say we were tired, but the celebratory drinks helped us keep the fire going. As we were just about to nod off, we heard something big clomping through our camp. We told it to get the hell outta there, but didn’t bother sticking out head out to yell at it face to face. Most likely it was a deer or something.

Sunset over Lake Lavieille

Our last rest day of the trip was spent simply enjoying our time on one of the healthiest lakes I’ve ever seen. There were fish everywhere, and the views never got old. Safe to say this was one of the highlight days of the trip. We saw the francophone kayaker from Crow lake make his way through the lake, as well a boat with two gentlemen trying to set a new Meanest Link record. These nutjobs were doing 420km in 7 days! They were on their way to Opeongo that day, with the last day taking them into Huntsville. From what I’ve seen around the net, they made it. I should also note that while I was talking to them, I was able to catch 3 trout from shore in July…in mid-day. What a great lake.

According to Jeff’s Map it’s even longer than signed

Our final travel day was ominous. The weather was actually great, but we had a cloud over our head. All our heavy food was eaten, the packs were tetris-ed together as tight as possible, and we had full water bottles for what we knew was ahead of us. The dreaded Dickson-Bonfield portage, arguably the longest portage in Algonquin Park. 5470m of bug-infested joy. We said our good-byes to Lake Lavieille and headed south. Since 2015 there have been regular green algae blooms in Hardy Bay and Dickson Lake, which has rendered the water undrinkable and the fish life has really taken a hit. This meant we were carrying water from Lavieille to Bonfield. To be honest, the portage isn’t too bad, the Hogan-Big Crow one took more out of us, but damn it’s long. We made it through and checked a big item off our “To Do in Algonquin” list with a whoop of victory once we crossed the boardwalk into Bonfield lake.

One of our many rest breaks along the Dickson Bonfield

I honestly thought the last few lakes were going to be the worst. There’s nothing to see or do on them really, and after completing such a long portage should have meant we were done for the day. Looking at the map, these lakes scream “you’re not done yet!” In reality though, they were kind of nice. Let you remember that the whole trip isn’t just portaging, but a bit of paddling too. Our very last portage delivered us right where we needed to be, so I dropped the canoe early to film our sweet victory before we made our way to the campsite.

Our last night in Algonquin was a reflective one. We didn’t have anything to do the next day as we posted up on a site adjacent to the portage, you could literally walk to the portage through another site. So we sat around like lumps, finished off our vodka, and watched the powerboats zip back and forth across the expanse of Lake Opeongo. We were too grateful for words regarding so many aspects of this trip. Neither of us sustained grievous injury, the food was good and healthy, the portages had been manageable, the wildlife viewing was great without being dangerous or surprising, and even the weather cooperative! I cannot overstate how lucky we were for this whole trip, it makes me nervous that we’ll never get a day of good weather in the future.

Our last night on Opeongo

We stayed up late into the night discussing the trip, highlights and lowlights, while pondering where our next trips might take us. The next morning we haphazardly packed up after a later breakfast and some coffee, then made our way back to the portage head where our boat was coming in. The last evening, I had lost my little gorilla tripod and had looked in every nook and crevice of my gear for. I figured it was gone, and as that was the only piece of gear I had lost wasn’t too torn up about it. Literally as the water taxi was landing, Shane noticed the tripod sitting near the stump I had filmed our victory dance with. What a note to end on.

The water taxi deposited a father and son out for the son’s first canoe trip into Algonquin then loaded us up and whisked us back to the parking lot. That ride seemed longer than the ride in, but after a week travelling under our own power it felt like light-speed. So glad we didn’t have to paddle that lake. Our journey done, Shane and I packed our gear into the cars, exchanged a few photos on my laptop (brought it for this reason), and trundled down the road.

An absolutely excellent trip.

Kawartha Highlands Ice Out 2019

Posted by iantendy on May 17, 2019

May 3-5 2019
# of portages: 4
Total portage distance: 598m
Total distance: 10km
Video Log:

We wanted to go to Algonquin for this weekend, but alas there was still ice on the lakes so we had to audible to Kawartha Highlands. This didn’t bother us though, as we hadn’t been on a canoe trip since last year. This time, I was prepared! I had a bunch of new foods, and wanted to share them with Shane as we prepare for a big trip over Canada day. This was to be a wonderful weekend, buuuuuttttt……

I forgot the food. Again. For the second canoe trip in a row…

Portage into Sucker Lake

Safe to say I was inconsolable. But! Luckily I realized it on the drive up, which was fortunate because I was able to stop in at grocery store on the way up and resupply. Also I was able to get the exact moment I realized I forgot the food on video, which was hilarious in retrospect. Further, this was just a hope skip and a jump to the site so there was not big portages to carry the heavier food over. Once I had my wits about me again, as well as enough food to survive two nights, I was soon kicking off from shore into the frigid waters of Bottle lake.

I’ve been through this lake multiple times, but always in the fall. In the spring the water was much higher, and it made navigating easy as pie. No rocks to avoid, you just point where you want to go and paddle. I needed to make tracks, as it was 6pm and the sun was starting to dip. About 2 hours late I rounded the northern island to see a haze of campfire smoke billowing gently from our site, and hailed my old friend who had set up camp earlier that day.

View from the site

Turns out he had been busy. There was little in the way of wood on the site, but he had made do with what was on hand by slicing a thicker softwood into thin slices, perfect for getting the fire going. While it was warm in the sun, once nighttime fell we were definitely in need of a warming fire. Shane also set up our accommodations for the night. Instead of my usual tent, we would be sleeping in Shane’s ice-fishing tent, which he furnished with a cot for himself, a lantern, and a propane heater. Life was good as I helped him finish cutting enough wood for the night and we settled into dinner of pepperettes from the gas station.

It was a cold night, but the heater helped. Shane had brought a new summer bag to try out, but it was less than stellar even with the sunflower heater pointed right at him. I laughed as I saw condensation on my side of the tent and dry walls on his side the next morning. Apparently the heater was enough to dry it all away. We got coffee going and had a hearty breakfast of eggs and real bacon, a rare luxury that we could afford due to temperatures hovering around zero all night.

Shane extols the benefits of heavy gear

We passed the day fishing, gathering nice dry wood, exploring the lake further than ever before, and testing out some of Shane’s new gear. He had a weather radio, new camp chair, and a pocket saw (with real chainsaw blade) to test, and everything passed with flying colors. I worry the pocket saw may dull too quickly versus a fixed blade, but it did the trick in a pinch. The sun even came out from time to time and graced us with some vitamin D, exactly what we needed after a long winter.

Dinner was that night was the highlight of the trip. Shane has gotten into sous vide pressure cooking, which is perfect for a night or two outside of refrigeration. We got pork chops with a honey BBQ sauce, potatoes, and stuffing cooked to perfection as a tasty treat. It was filling, delicious, and quite safe to eat. Definitely something we’re going to be bringing over Canada day.

Best. Dinner. Ever.

Another cold night gave way to a wonderful morning. Not a cloud in the sky over a lake of glass. We dragged our feet as I made coffee and bacon. I ran out of fuel for the stove as the bacon finished, an unfortunate side effect of a clogged jet from the day before. I did a quick field strip that fixed the issue, but the damage had been done. Lazily we packed up, a chore made easier by the fact that we could just move the floor-less hut shelter out of the way of our sleeping gear and pack up in sunlight. Lazily we coasted back through a short portage and then home to the car. Fishing this time of year was a bust for us, but other than that this was a perfect spring opener.

Canada Day 2018

Posted by iantendy on October 16, 2018

June 29-July 2, 2018
# of portages: 10
Total portage distance: 6685m
Total distance: 39.6km
Video Log:

I have to preface this by stating that I am a flawed man. I generally think I’m fairly sharp, sometimes even witty, but at times I am a absolute pillar of dumbassery. This trip I crowned myself the new King of Stupid, as I managed to forget the ENTIRE FOOD BAG. All the food, sitting in the front foyer of my house waiting to be loaded into the car, was abandoned. We were going to be playing on Hard mode this weekend.

Old rail bed over Potter’s Creek

My wife and I drove to my parents cottage in Haliburton Thursday night. A whole crew was coming up for the Canada Day long weekend, so the plan was to drop my wife and dog there while I paddled around Algonquin Park the next few days. Upon discovering the food calamity, we set about raiding my parents pantry, fridge, and freezer in search of any edibles that would travel and keeps well. I was angry at myself beyond words, but thanks to my supportive wife and generous mother I soon had a whole new meal plan written up and ready. Shane also helped correct my mistake with some staples in his house and a quick trip to the 24hr gas station on the way in.

About to head down Potter’s Creek

I set out early Friday morning, and by 7:30 we had the food distributed to a backpack Shane brought. Canoe lake was beginning to stir with activity, but we were among the first on the water. The summer camps had already started, and it was neat to see a 20-person boat rowing fast between the islands of camp Wapomeo. We began our trip in earnest by turning west up Potter Creek, our first foray into this area of the park and the first touch of adventure for the day.

Potter’s Creek, the deep end

Potter Creek was a tough slog. Even full of energy and enthusiasm, the twisting alder-strewn path was not well traveled, and required lots of walking around. The portages were also poorly marked, if at all, the closer you get to Potter Lake. Our frustration was compounded by the emergence of what would become a real issue, serious bugs. It seems that Canada Day was to be the weekend that the bugs came out to play. The two longer portaged we did in and out of Potter Creek were a nice change, as they hopped up quickly onto the old railbed running along the lake which is now a road. You can imagine our surprise seeing a Park truck coming down our portages, but it was worth it to have level and flat ground to make time over.

Brule Lake, former whistle stop

Emerging onto Brule lake, we were greeted with a smaller gem in the middle of the park and a lovely breeze that kept the bugs off us. To our left ran the rail bed, next to the southern-most site. It was rocky and open, an okay site to sleep on if you needed to. Our destination was the eastern site in the middle of the lake, as it seemed pretty nice from what we could discern online. The reputation was well-earned too, with tons of tent pads and plenty of room, as well as a sunset-adjacent firepit high above the water. The only bad aspect is that due to the high perspective, I’ve had shorter portages than walks to the lake-front.

We passed the night away by fishing around the lake and eating chicken wraps cooked over the campfire. The dusk was calm, and we settled into a warm summer night. At around 2pm, we both woke from a content slumber to a sound neither of us wanted to hear. Rain, thunder, and lots of both. Before long I had to take a peek outside, and with the aid of near-constant lightning I could see the tarp was flapping hard but still there. The fact that the tarp was holding calmed me, because if it blew away, that would mean the wind would be at severely dangerous levels. Eventually I would fall back into a fitful sleep, but Shane wasn’t able to rest easy for hours.

Back on MacIntosh

The next day we were shaken by that storm, it had darkened our views regarding precipitation in the woods. This was our lean day, but we had a nice breakfast of pancakes. We looked around the lake a little bit, but truck noise and chainsaws drove us to abandon the site by noon, opting instead to push into McIntosh Lake to get a nice site. It was hot, a little rainy, and we were in a low place emotionally on that grey day. We saw a lot of blow downs along the trail, fresh from the night before and some trees in the middle of other site tent pads. We were definitely looking up as we set up our tent for the night, having not accomplished much in the way of fishing, exploring, or site development.

Sunrise

Morning fishing

The next morning we woke to a calm breeze and light cloud cover. We had full rations for the day, so that perked our spirits up, and before breakfast we were fishing. This was mostly to keep out of the oppressive bug population that decided to feast on our faces. I couldn’t keep 2″ perch off my line, but Shane managed to grab a good-sized trout by Barnet Island. We spent the day enjoying the sun when it came out, swimming, and generally relaxing. It was nice to forget the storm and hunger from the previous day. Dinner that night was beef tenderloin steak that had kept really well, bagged alfredo, and the last of the wraps. While it wasn’t ideal, the steak turned out amazing. Taking down the tarp allowed us to enjoy the stars as we kept the fire going to keep away any bugs.

Sunset over Barnet Island

The final morning we woke up early and broke camp after cramming down as much food as we had. The clouds were back and by 8am the wind was already starting to tickle the lake. We knew what was in front of us. A 2.4km portage through bug-infested swamp-land, followed by 10-15km of paddling into the wind. By the time we started into Ink creek we were surprised by an onslaught of biting flies, and we knew it was going to be a poopy day.

View from our site

This chair we found abandoned on our site

Last time we came through the Ink-Tom Thompson portage it took us 45 minutes and we were really proud of the time. This time I wound up dropping the canoe about 400m from the end in order to get a reprieve from the bugs and we still made it through in 35 minutes. I can honestly say that those were the most invasive and debilitating bugs I’ve ever come across, and normally biting insects don’t bother me too much. Horseflies, deerflies, blackflies, mayflies, mosquitoes, and any other flying bastard with 10km came down and hurried our butts along the trail. The paddle back was nothing great either. Happy to be out of the woods and moving in a breeze we doddled along to Teepee Lake, where the wind had started to really funnel down on us.

By the time we were on Canoe lake it was properly windy. Although we were weary, hungry, and probably dehydrated, I couldn’t help but feel lucky to be in a tandem canoe as we passed by a floundering soloist. We cut through the bigger swells with ease in Shane’s canoe and paused for a rest in the lee of the islands. Before too long we were on the beach packing away our gear, ready to head home.

Ready to head home

I can say without a shadow of a doubt this was one of our more extreme trips. The lack of food played a role mentally that I wasn’t expecting. Without the expected caloric intake, I was despondent and sulky, only perking up when I had a small snack. Food made that much of a difference. The weather was also against us. That storm was very scary. It’ll be a while before I’m comfortable in the rain outdoors at night again. However, it’s from these experiences that we enrich our “normal” lives, and we learn to appreciate the comforts of home that much more. I wouldn’t have changed a thing, except maybe a bug hat.

Spring trip 2018

Posted by iantendy on May 16, 2018

May 12-13, 2018
# of portages: 4
Total portage distance: 1110m
Total distance: 10.6km
Video Log:

The annual Vanguard trip is upon us! Permits were being issued on the Friday, and we got in on the Saturday. All week Shane (friend), Gwyn (wife), Ginny (dog), and I were fretting over whether or not we`d all be able to head into Algonquin for a quick shoulder season trip and we were not disappointed. Forecasts of rain gave way to bright sunshine and mild temperatures. We set off from Shane`s house in Kearney early on Saturday, stopping only for a quick bite at the Rise and Grill cafe which stocks the best food for a hungry camper.

Shane heads out on Magnetewan

The drive in was actually really good. Low snowfall in the winter amounted a relatively smooth drive, no washouts or giant potholes to worry about. We were on Magnetewan shortly after 10am, with Gwyn/Ginny in the front of the Ewok and Shane soloing his red Kipawa. The lake was glassy, and it felt great to be out in the sun after a long spring melt. The going wasn’t silent though, as the woods were alive with avid campers eager to find their first campsite of the canoe season.

Ice on Hambone Lake

Our first surprise was at the portage between Magnetewan and Hambone lake. Normally barely a blip on the radar, this turned into the hardest portage of the trip due to ice in at the Hambone end. This meant hacking through muddy fescue off the trail in order to get some open water. The highlight was carrying the dog around the mud because she’s little and the mud was ice cold, only for her to jump directly into it when we put her down in the canoe for loading. Once out on Hambone, the going was easy.

Excited for canoeing!

Ginny leads the way

On Daisy lake, we paddled past a few intrepid fishermen and made tracks towards the island sites at the east side of the lake. We wanted a protected site, and having an island would allow Ginny to rip around off lead. The nicer site, close to the south end of the island, was occupied but we were happy to see the other site was open. It’s a medium sized and well-used site, with 3 good tent pads and a thunderbox waaay up a hill, bvut within sight of the fire pit. There is next to no hardwood lying around either, even with a windstorm and few campers on the prowl.

As we had some coffee/tea and waited for the afternoon sun, we explored the island and slowly set up camp. There was no rush, it wasn’t even noon yet. Chasing the dog around the island was fun for a bit, but she started disturbing the other camps (sorry Sandy!), so we put her on a long lead for most of the afternoon. By mid-afternoon we’d had our KD lunch and Gwyn was content in the hammock with her book and the dog, so Shane and I went out fishing. It wasn’t the most productive trip, but Shane managed to pull a splake out. Pretty fish!

Shane’s trout

Back at camp the sun was quickly dipping below the treeline due to our proximity to the western shore, and the temperature followed it. As beautiful a day we could ask for was quickly turning to a mid-May night. We lit the fire and set about warming a coal bed for chicken dinner. Fun fact about cedar, it just disintegrates instead of turning to coal! This makes for a terrible heat supply for cooking, but we managed it despite the ashes (extra toppings). As the night got darker and the temps plummeted we turned in once our lumber started to dwindle, as we wanted to make sure there was plenty left over for the next morning.

Dusk closing in

Sure enough it was a cold night, with the mercury playing with 0c. The next morning was a brisk, but sunny awakening. I quickly got coffee/tea going and the fire stoked up, taking time to figure out that this was probably why there was no early morning fishing occuring around the lake. As we ate breakfast of eggs, bacon, and cheese on a wrap the wind started to pick up. By the time we had everything taken down, there were white caps rolling along the south eastern section of the lake. We decided it would be best to put Shane, Gwyn, and Ginny in Shane’s bigger boat while I took the Ewok up myself.

Together in Algonquin

To be completely honest, aside from the first 300m which I had to set my jaw and just power through, it was a doddle. The breeze quickly became manageable and the whole way back was as nice a paddle as I’ve ever had. I even got recognized from my Youtube channel on the Hambone-Daisy portage! What’s even better, the wind and weather had thawed the ice on Hambone’s portage which made the out very easy.

Heading out on Sunday

Everything considered, the weather was the real star of the weekend. It was supposed to rain, but a pressure system kept that water over Toronto instead. The distance was perfect too. Not too far that it was draining to get to, and not too short that we may as well have car camped at Mew Lake. Hands down, this was one of the best Vanguard trips we’ve had.

IanTendy and the Outdoors

Offering Outdoor Fun from a Opinionated Jerk!

Category Archives: Uncategorized

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