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Greetings all.

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New member here from southeastern PA . Been paddling since I was 13 in Boy Scouts in the 1960's; all manner of paddle craft from flat water to tripping to white water in Canada and the US northeast. Although I've been rather far from the water since my last Allagash trip with my son about 8 years ago, I'm raring to go again now that semi-retirement may give me some time to get wet again! I plan to inaugurate the next chapter with an ice-out solo trip to Algonquin Park, hopefully the northwest corner which I've not seen before. Hopefully, I can get my grandsons involved in the next few years as well.

I also rock, ice, and mountain climb; winter camp & cross country ski/snowshoe; road bike many miles per year. Building contractor by trade.

I'm enjoying reading many of the posts on the forum, both trip reports and gear discussion as I'm a bit of a gear guy.
 
Welcome Patrick.
Sounds like you have pleanty of experience to contribute to the richness of this forum!
 
Hey Sweeper,

Thanks for the trip report. Its been a while in replying, but I appreciate the sentiments in your report. Sometimes it's a good thing to get our butts kicked once in a while to remind us of our shortcomings! I'm thinking of a similar trip, starting at Kiosk and going clockwise among the same lakes/ponds: Kiosk, Mink, Mouse, Erables, Maple, Three Mile, Bigger, North Tea, Manitou, and Amable du Fond back into Kiosk. If its rough going, I can cut off Biggar and North Tea by going north from Three Mile into Manitou and then on to Kiosk.

As a kid, my Scoutmaster was a young bachelor who was an engineer for Boeing Vertol division, working on the Sea Knight and Chinook helicopters (essentially the same helicopter but for the Navy and Army respectively). He was sent to Arnprior, Ontario at the Boeing facility there in the early 1960's and became familiar with Algonquin Park at that time.

He was a mentor and friend, having much more influence on my life than any other male. He introduced me to nearly all of the outdoor activities I now enjoy (and have passed on to my son), but more than that he instilled a sense of the joy of discovery, and the self-confidence necessary to imagine unique outdoor pursuits and make them actually happen.

So, I thought in his honor, I would drive through Arnprior on my way to the park and then immerse myself in the place where he first introduced me to tripping as a boy.
 
It is a nice route. I don't think I can do it again but I did it about 15 years ago before I was 60 and found the weather quite nice the bugs OK and was treated to moose feet and legs outside my tent door on Big Thunder. I didn't find the ports strenuous then but it was hot and swims were essential. I did have a 35 lb solo canoe which always helps. Manitou is incredible with all those beaches.
 
Patrick!
Welcome aboard and good luck with your planning and execution of next Springs ice out trip.
I like the NW corner of the Park, too. Very different and not nearly as crowded as some of the southern lakes and portages. If i did have one recommendation it would be to carefully consider the portage Manitou to Three mile- that 3km portage is brutal!( especially on this aging body!) Very steep going up Manitou to Three mile.

Not many make a pilgrimage to Arnprior , unless of course they are from "the 'Prior"! That former Boeing facility is still there at the end of the runway- now Arnprior Aviation and making parts for 777 and 787's, I think. Interestingly i've never known anyone outside of Arnprior who was even aware of that aircraft plant...

Welcome aboard again!
Bruce
 
Thanks for the welcome Bruce,

Although I didn’t mention it in the earlier post, I have yet another connection to Boeing at Arnprior. My uncle on my Mother’s side was also employed at the Pennsylvania Boeing plant during the same period (and his sons - my first cousins, were in the same Boy Scout troop with me!) and was also sent to Arnprior. I remember it well as it was a significant hardship for my Aunt and cousins for their Dad to be gone for over a year!

That Uncle was quite a fellow- he was a WWII veteran of the American Army Air Corps, a P51 pilot with numerous successful missions and several combat kills.

Without going too far off topic... I consider myself lucky to have had so many family members of the “greatest generation “ in WWII. My Mom served in the European theater with the American Red Cross, my Dad flew blimps out of Brazil patrolling for U boats in the South Atlantic, my aforementioned uncle had two brothers in the American bomber force, and my wife’s uncle was a B17 pilot shot down over Germany and a subsequent POW.

And, while I’m on that subject, one of my Boy Scout troop’s earliest Scoutmaster was an infantry officer in WWI. I had the great good fortune to know him personally both through our church and Scouting. He was a personal friend of Lord Baden Powell, the founder of Scouting, and after getting snowed in at his farm after a winter hike, was regaled with his account of life and fighting in the trenches of France & Belgium.
 
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Patrick,

Not too far off topic for me!
Military history and canoeing are both strong interests of mine. Can't quite match your family history in WWII but I lost a great Uncle at Dieppe and my grandmother glued Mosquito wings together in Weston.

There is a strong military presence in that part of Ontario. Besides the obvious in Ottawa with the national museums, you have the "Diefenbunker" in Carp, Vintage Wings in Gatineau, Chalk River Nuclear facility on the Ottawa River and CFB Petawawa that borders Algonquin Park.

Wow! Knowing someone who was a personal friend of Baden-Powell would have been very interesting.
Cheers!
Bruce
 
In 1921, Col. Clifton Lisle the scoutmaster I mentioned, took a contingent of Boy Scouts from the troop on a trans-Atlantic voyage to meet Lord Baden-Powell. Ever since, our scouts have worn a white sailor’s cap as part of the summer uniform to commemorate that trip. It was in fact the first so-called “summer trip” which has become an annual event for older scouts in our troop which are typically arduous, adventurous outdoor trips to remote locations. It was on one of these summer trips that I made my first visit to Algonquin Park!

On a side note, while poring over my Algonquin canoe map, I noticed that there is a Baden-Powell Lake to the northwest of Burnt Island lake. I guess I will have to bushwack my way in there one day!
 
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