Algonquin Camping Trip Day 1 - A Day of Learning

This trip report was constructed in the manner of basic reference for individuals who might not be familiar with Algonquin and the nature of trips into the interior. As such, there are many rudimentary details that more experienced trippers might get a good chuckle from. In any event, we enjoyed the trip and hope you enjoy the story...
Preparing for our Algonquin trip required thoughtful discussions of personal needs and physical ability. We had to balance the items needed for survival with the fact that Algonquin requires portages, or hikes in between lakes, and therefore everything that one packs must also be carried, including the canoe and paddles between the various lakes. While our route is considered relatively easy to some, the wind and water conditions on the various lakes determines the level of difficulty of the trip. Larger lakes provided greater opportunities for waves and white caps, which also increased the likelihood of tipping or even dumping your precious cargo into the deep water. Thankfully, Joe is a tremendous paddler and has embarked on more difficult challenges in Algonquin however, they were 20 years ago and without kids in tow. We weren't sure just how we would do. Confidently, we paddled away from the Access Point Office and Portage Store on Canoe Lake hoping to find the wind at our backs and a dry place to sleep.


Unfortunately, Canoe Lake provided wind in our faces but required only an hour of paddling before reaching our first portage, just 295 meters. The first portage proved difficult for the kids and we quickly realized that their packs were too heavy and we would need to make more trips than we first thought.

The first portage was a learning experience and helped us to make the rest of the portages more sensible. It became important to use the portages as a time of rest and diversion from the powerful paddling that would become necessary for trip ahead.

We were the only people portaging with pillows. Obviously our kid's ideas of personal needs were a bit different than the average portager in Algonquin.









From our first portage we entered Joe Lake and paddled around Joe Island and onto the East Arm of Joe Lake searching for a 165 meter portage that would lead us to a small stream and another portage, the longest planned, of 435 meters. Evelyn quickly became a pro at landing our canoe and pulling it on shore. Both kids also understood the purpose of the portages and were eager to help us move onto the next body of water. They also became quite interested in the map and what challenges might lay ahead.



We were lucky to get a tip from some other portagers that the stream running parallel to the longest portage was deep enough to get through and we could paddle and in some cases pull our canoes and gear into the next lake without carrying them.


This was my view from the back of the canoe. Both kids took rests from the long day of paddling when both wind and waves were calm. We reached our campsite on Burnt Island Lake 6 hours after we took off from the access point. We were hungry and very tired, but set up the tent, gathered firewood and boiled our first pot of lake water for drinking. The first night was anything but quiet and peaceful.

Algonquin Camping Trip Day 2 - Things That Go Bump in the Night

Our first sunrise in Algonquin was picture perfect. Far from the night we just endured with the critters that were aware of our arrival.



The noise that woke us up the first night was caused by a raccoon that was rustling in this bag of garbage that we had hanging outside in our campsite. We realized in the middle of the night that it needed to be hung up with our other food to prevent scavengers from ransacking our loot. Joe exited the tent with flashlight in hand after I convinced him that something was already sitting on top of our food pack while it was hung high on a rope. He went out to investigate and not only found that a wrapper which once carried a full loaf of bread was now empty sitting on top of the pack, but that this scavenger had a friend and he landed on the ground with a thud right by Joe and took off into the darkness. Burnt Island Lake is known for having rather persistent and skilled scavengers that will perform highwire circus acts in their efforts to empty your food pack!
















We were very happy with the accommodations of our campsite and had plenty of organizing to do.
















All the necessities.

















We decided to take a short paddle to another site in order to do some exploring of Algonquin.

















When we got there Joe showed the kids how to build a fire and how birch bark, even when wet, easily ignites.






















Danek found this great piece of driftwood and considered it "art". He wanted us to bring it home, but we only brought it back to our campsite so we could enjoy it for our remaining days in Algonquin.


















It was time to paddle back to camp. Evelyn and I paddled toward a pair of loons with their baby. As we approached, the wind shifted and swung the front of the canoe too close to the protective family. The parents dove and "attacked" Evelyn's paddle as we were feverishly paddling to avoid a confrontation! Once back at camp, we made a freeze dried dinner and settled in for what we hoped would be a quieter night. Joe hung the food much higher and cinched the food pack much tighter so that our clever thieves would have more difficulty in reaching our food.

Algonquin Camping Trip Day 4 - The Last Paddle

We just couldn't get enough of our last sunrise. While Bermuda has pink sand, Algonquin has pink water.


The skies quickly turned grey and the wind picked up as we left our campsite and paddled back the way we came. Joe became convinced that Algonquin was a native name that, loosely translated, means "wind in your face".



Evelyn resting at a portage decked out in her raingear.


Not only was it windy, it drizzled and at times rained as we paddled and portaged. We decided to try to make it to the car and not camp another night in Algonquin. We originally wanted to camp one night close (2 hours away) to the access point, but the wet weather encouraged us to keep going. The paddle across Burnt Island Lake and Canoe Lake was quite difficult. The wind was in our faces and we were very tired. Instead of paddling through water it felt as if we were paddling through molasses. Everything was heavy, even our lightened backpacks. The wind tested our strength and determination. We tied the canoes together once again to keep us together and Joe was the main force that got us across these large lakes. Evelyn had perfect form paddling and I never saw Danek work so hard to keep us moving ahead. Even when I was too tired and rested, he continued to paddle.



Packed canoes at the end of a portage...ready to paddle, kids?


These yellow signs were the markers that we searched for on the lakes. They marked the portages and identified where the trail would lead and how far of a hike was necessary to reach the next lake. The campsite markers are similar in size but are bright orange.




Joe packing the canoe after the last portage. Keeping the weight low and centered was essential to a dry paddle across the large windy lakes. In reference to other people portaging into the park, Evelyn remarked, "Mom, they have no idea what they are in for".












When we arrived, Joe congratulated Danek on reaching the access point. Thanked him for paddling and helping us get back in just 5 and a half hours.



As we reached the shore and started to unpack our canoes we must have looked and smelled like we knew what we were doing. Someone asked us to help them identify which end of their canoe was the front. They also had no idea who should be in the front of the canoe and who should be in the back, what their jobs would be and just how to paddle. Joe gave them several tips and explained that the person in the back is responsible for steering the canoe and the person in the front is not allowed to complain about it. Paddling is really an art and your skill is tested in windy and whitecap conditions. There really is much more than just the "J" stroke and steering your boat into the wind. This trip taught us much of what Joe already knew and without him our trip would not have been nearly as successful or safe.

This was the end of our trip and the end of our family's first Algonquin interior experience. We were dirty, sweaty and very tired but extremely proud of our kids and how well they adapted and rose to the challenges of this adventure.

A Camping We Will Go...

We are preparing for our first primitive camping adventure in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario. We will be spending 4 nights under the Canadian stars listening to the local loons and wolves by the pristine waters of Algonquin. Our camping begins as a 6-8 hour paddling and portaging (carrying canoe and backpack between lakes) trip through a variety of lakes and forests. In preparation we have decided to pre-pack and determine just how heavy our packs will be, especially the kids as we will be carrying in our own food and boiling our own water for drinking. We hope to find the fish biting and the bugs not. Stay tuned for an update on just how we survived the wilderness, weather, bugs and each other! Oh yes, leeches too!

Raising a Superhero

Yesterday Danek told me that Dad was getting him a cape. Knowing that Halloween is still 3 months away I asked him, "When are you going to wear it"? He said he wants to wear it around the yard and do superhero stuff. I told him he could wear it for Halloween and we could get him a superhero costume. He disliked the idea and explained to me that he was going to be a REAL superhero, not a pretend one at Halloween. (How could you think of a thing like that mom?) He said he wants to help people and expects to do it when he grows up too. How could I have ever have guessed that we were raising a superhero?

Ocean City, Maryland on July 4th

We went to OCMD with family to enjoy the surf, sand and sun. We stayed right on the boardwalk so that we could be in all the action during our short stay.






We saw the fireworks at the boardwalk through a thick haze. It wasn't the show we had hoped for but, we had a great time from the roof of our hotel. Danek slept through the entire show.



Tommy loved the sand and would have stayed all day if we let him. He'd crawl off the blanket and onto the sand in a heartbeat. The only thing better than the sand was experiencing his first dip into the Atlantic Ocean.




How could we possibly not go to the beach? With kids in tow we enjoyed the refreshing surf and soaked up some rays.



Evelyn surfed the waves on her boogie board.


Jon loaded to the gills (so to speak) to get the kids out near the surf.

Cedar Run Fun

We visited one of our favorite PA places, Cedar Run over Memorial Day Weekend. The creek was not high enough for a canoe but we found lots to do.

We skipped rocks and caught critters of all kinds.



We were pleasantly surprised to find toads in the creek under the Blackwell bridge. They croaked in our hands, jumped at us when we neared their eggs and luckily survived a couple of close calls when we walked along the creek. We played with them, caught them and even gave kisses.


We biked from Cedar Run to Blackwell, 12 miles roundtrip. It was the longest ride the kids have done to date. The weather was perfect and the creek provided some cool weather fun when we needed a break. We have reservations to return in August and hope to bike north of Blackwell where Pine Creek is said to be even more beautiful.

Early Morning Steam

We were hiking in the early morning hours and stopped by to view this geyser. We were unprepared for the wind shift and increase in steam that bellowed out of the ground. The steam was so thick it prevented us from seeing either side of the viewing deck or the location of bison which were originally on the other side of the geyser. We laughed and stayed put for a few minutes, trying to figure out how to keep going without putting ourselves in any predicament with the bison. They couldn't see us and we couldn't see them and we definately did not want to startle them.

















Eventually the steam allowed us to see enough that we could move further down the path to see that the bison not only moved, but decided to cross the path in front of us. There were many of them and some laying down to the right of the path so we decided to turn around and head back.

Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons

Our hike to Hidden Falls around Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons was beautiful. We hiked four miles around the lake, each turn offering gorgeous morning vistas of the lake and surrounding mountains.


The only evidence of local residents included a brief encounter with friendly marmots and some elk dung piled along our trail. As the trail with less elevation and closer to the lake was closed we stuck to the more difficult trail which proved to be worth the effort.






Hidden Falls, our destination, were misting and beautiful. We were disappointed that we didn't see any bear as we were told they frequent the falls often. Signs warned of not consuming food at the falls as the bears are likely to snatch backpacks when one is not looking.







The lake was crystal clear and reflected the mountains beautifully. Our return included a brief ride on the Jenny Lake Ferryboat that is a definate "must do" on our next visit with our children.

Geysers and Paint Pots

The paint pots and geysers were beautiful and mysterious. It is hard to believe that only in recent times has the caldera been outlined within the park. Walking around, it is quite obvious that we are within an active caldera. The weather was perfect and the crowds non-existent. A perfect day to spend in a volcano.

Yellowstone Canyon

Our five day trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone was packed with day hiking and traveling. We motored over 700 miles in five days. There were many highlights of the trip but Yellowstone's canyon was more than we could ever have imagined. The switchback trail that led us to the top of the falls was well worth the trip.