Back in Algonquin and Life was Good

I was delighted to get a call from my good friend Mike with an invitation to canoe camp again in Algonquin Park. Last fall, we tripped for a few days, and it was great even though it included a couple of 1.5 KM portages.  This year’s trip was to have fewer and shorter portages. I’m a year older, and that sounded good to me.

We were challenged to find a 3 day good-weather window. Given that we would be canoe camping, we’d be keeping the equipment to a minimum, and that meant being more vulnerable to the elements, wind, rain and cold temperatures. Theweathernetwork.com was our saviour, providing the detail we needed to make our go/no-go decision.

I canoed with a ski-buddy, Bruce, but it was the first time we canoed together. It didn’t take long to recognize Bruce’s many years of experience, and that would help ensure a successful trip. This trip had some additional risk in terms of cool weather and cold water; above all else, we needed to stay dry. Mike canoed solo in his handmade ultralight.

With the canoes loaded, we paddled down Rock Lake. There was a light wind at our back, clear blue skies, and a temperature of 15 degrees C. The portage from Rock to Penn Lake was easy.

A short distance down Penn, we found a site on the end of an island. It would give us sunshine from the east in the morning to help warm us after a cool damp night. The site would also provide for sun from the west to keep the site temperature up until late day. It’s seldom that prime sites are so readily available because they’re often already taken by those campers staying long term. Tripping mid-week in the off-season had paid off.

With our camp set up, we relaxed in the late day sun and watched it set. Life was good for us in Algonquin.

Click here and I’ll tell you a tale about the unexpected:
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-unexpected.html