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Algonquin 18 Part 1

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Colrain MA
Although my trip was longer then Algonquin lakes my report will be far shorter.

I left home at 2AM on a 12 hour drive to the park with a mandatory stop in Huntsville to the Muskoka Brewery for lunch and a quick stop into Algonquin Outfitters to buy the best bugdope for the local infestation. Then North up Rt 11 to South River to the Swift Dealer. I had a foot pedal break on my Keewaydin 15 and figured they'd be able to help. They guys at the store were headed to the factory and told me to follow. I got a short tour of the factory, given 2 tubes of adhesive, and directions to Access Point 1.
The crossing of Kawawaymog Lake was difficult with a strong wind out of the North but I was able to relax on the Amable du Fond River right up to the 'Cow that Won't Move.'

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At first I enjoyed watching her, but as I drifted onto the bank I the attacked by all manner of flying insect. Failing to see the humor in all this I slapped the water, and the side of my canoe while yelling at her.

Nothing, she just kept grazing.

I stood up in the canoe and repeat my attempt. I got her attention and she slowly move on.

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At the end of the carry I found the wind was blowing straight in on me figured it was far enough for the 1st day and a good chance to put the final touches on me gears. The bug weren't too bad with the wind blowing in, but I still had to put the 'Bug Shirt' on to get any work done especially later when the wind died down. Time for a Rum and Cigar.

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The next morning I was up before sunrise.

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The water on West and East Arms of North Tea Lake was as quite as I was going to see on most this trip and quickly made it to the Carry to Manitou Lake. Things were going too smoothly. Stepping into the woods on the 1st leg of my double carry I was ambushed by a cloud of bugs and retreated back to my light bag for the bug shirt.

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A short paddle up Manitou I could see a beautiful sandy beach. As I got closer I saw a campsite sign on it and figure it would be a great place for lunch. With dry fire wood all over the beach, turtle tracks in the sand and a great spot to put the hammock up I decided to stop for the day @ 10AM.

Hey I'm on vacation here!

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I did have lunch followed by a nap, followed by collecting wood for the evening fire.
After supper I lit the fire and with a little greenery from the hemlock blowdown, the bugs stayed away.

I caught this picture of a Snapper laying eggs just before sunset.

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Another beautiful morning on Manitou and another sandy beach at the carry into the Amable du Fond River and on to Kisok Lake.

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This post is a bit heavy with pics so I'll break into 2 here.
 

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nice trip and report...rum & cigars two of my favorite bug remedies
 
Nice report, I loved your pics. What rum are you enjoying, I am a rum fan myself. I have recently found Mt Gay 1703 Barbados Rum called Eclipse. It is inexpensive but tastes Great.

Bob
 
Nice canoe trip and a sweet beach vacation all rolled into one. What's the hurry. I'd call that superb planning.
 
Nice report, nice shot of you relaxing in the chair, doesn't get any better. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to part 2
 
Day 3 continues.

The Carries down to Kiosk were in great shape with lot's of vegetation to look at and I was able to skip the 400m Low Water carry. I saw my first group since starting, we passed with non-verbal wave. I was fascinated with all the saw logs in the water at the western end of the lake. Some resting on about a 30˚ angle with just the very ends sticking out, but there was a hundred or more of them and many more resting on the bottom. The map revealed it was the site of the Sandforth Lumber Co.
I spent the night on Kiosk, the bug zeroed in on me as soon as I landed.

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I got off to an early start and was greeted with a wind out of the NE that would be with me for the rest of the trip, oh ya w/gusts.

At this point if you are foolishly planning to do this trip I yield to the wonderfully written 2 part report by Algonquin lakes on this section of it.@

https://allofalgonquin.com/2018/06/19/welcome-to-kiosk-the-mouse-lake-swarm/

I met and talked with a couple on Mink Lake. They had been out on Cauchon Lake for 4 days and I was the 1st they had seen. I complemented them on their choice of canoes, they were also paddling a Swift Prospector 16.

From the bottom of Mink the trip changed. I had paddled mostly lakes with relatively shot carries, now it was reversed. I spent the night on the south shore of Mouse and was greeted with a 1705m and then a 1495m carry before turning north on Erable Lake then Maples. Algonquin lakes continues north at this as I turn west.
I spent the night on Rat Trap, a wonderful little lake that needs a change of name.

1600 meters of carries and I was into Three Mile Lake, another 1200 and I was home for the night on Upper Kawa 'Lake'(?). A small bug infested pond, but with plenty of firewood.
At this point is knew I needed to get out but still had one more night in the woods. I decided to get up early and make for the site I stayed at on West end of North Tea, a long day but with plenty of options to make it a shorter day. What I didn't want was to get stuck, windbound somewhere.
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Biggar greeted me with a strong wind out of the NE and strong gusts. The 3 carries up to North Tea were welcomed.

The Mangotasi Arm of North Tea was the same thing. I put in at a rocky site on the west end of East Arm. The wind was pounding me into the rocks and I almost lost the canoe in the rough unloading.
It was still early so I waited a while to see if the wind would die down. I found a better site for on the back side of the site to launch and should have moved my gear there earlier but didn't, so when the wind did died I move all my gear quickly. I still didn't like the launch site and found a couple logs to put on the rock as rollers. Loaded the canoe and pushed the canoe out over the rocks.

Paddling into West Arm the wind was trying to drive me into the South shore, but I could now see my destination, only 4km dead ahead.

I got blown into a small cove and paddling out around that point I could see the rocky point I had been paddling towards. Rounding the corner I felt a rush of relief, I made it.

Paddling to the back of the point where I had unloaded on the 1st day something looked wrong. I paddled a bit farther only to find that it was an island and not the rocky point I was looking for.

RATS! or something close to that, that adults say when they screw up.

I landed and reach for my map, RATS, not in the seat back. I pull out my Heavy Bag and search the top, no map. I now am remembering that I had it back at the rocky site and had set it on the ground next to the rollers with the first load of gear. RATS!

I paddled back to the point by the cove and made camp for the night hoping for the wind to died down in the morning.

RATS! I woke up to a wind as strong as the day before but without gusts.

As I packed I knew I could paddle out IF I could find OUT.

Longer Story Short.

I sat down before taking off to have a cigar. I pull out my camera and set it beside me to get to the cigars. While smoking I was thinking RATS if I had just one clue I could get out of here. I turned and looked down at my camera. I had taken a picture on the sunrise on the second morning!

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I scrolled thru the pictures and found it. Turning to the East I matched the Ridge between the two Arms of North Tea, but right now I had an Island in the way. To get rid of the Island I had to paddle north. I then re-search to north shore for a break in the ridge where the river flowed in. Nothing unless it was hiding behind one of just a couple islands, so I assumed the river was to the West of me.

So the plan is to paddle out on the lake, into the wind to see if I can find 'Out' with a fallback position on the Island I thought was out.

I loaded the canoe and climbing in was blown down the cove again. I got it turned around and paddled on into the lake slowly, mostly just trying to keep the bow in the wind. I started to see that the West end was low and further out I started to see another rocky point.

Got to be it. I turned towards it and soon after I saw a Red Canoe coming out. I had been on 32 lakes or ponds and these guys are only the third group I've seen in 8 days.

By the time I got back to Kawawaymog Lake the wind was at my back.

Rolling thru South River had to stopped to shoot this picture

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I spent the night in Huntsville, had a very large steak

Rap up.

It's a big route, I didn't do a total distance additio, but like I said before 32 Lakes or ponds, 27 Carries, 7 of which are +1000 meters the longest @ 1705. But the carries are in great condition, I think there was only 2 logs I had to step over. The Carries where easy, in that direction, and there was only a few times I had to sectionally 3 carry.

If I was 20 years younger I'd like to try this route again with a couple days added to it but NOT in RATTING bug season

One other thing. The crews that were in there this spring did a fantastic job of clearing the carries, sites and firepits. I don't know if it has something to do with just the North part of the park, early in the season, but everything was well maintained, I saw only one site that had toilet paper on the ground. I won't take my wife into the southern section, but the North was as nice as anywhere I've seen in the Whites of NH or the ADK of NY.
 

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Watching the Sox get blown away by NY I got bored and ran the numbers on the trip

105 km round trip
16 km of it were carries, for a total of 48km in double carries
137 km/87miles total w/double carries
 
Great and enjoyable read. Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for posting.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for sharing that. It was very nearly a paddling-hiking trip. It sure sounds like you donated blood. Strangely the bloodsucking bugs have been fairly absent here in the south of the province. I'm not complaining, just wondering where the bugs at. Maybe they followed you north? I've never really totalled up trip mileage before, but I get that it helps to measure daily efforts to cover that ground. With the short days my wife and I put in I tend to plan for ideal campsite locations rather than maximum miles covered. That speaks more to our slow trip through life rather than anything else. Or maybe we're lazy. That too. But you set a goodly pace to see everything there was to see, and slowed down to fill up on what there was to fill your soul. Nice trip.
So, how big was that steak?
 
You also have "The Jewel" within a couple hours drive and can just pop. I might get a trip or two a year there with a 10-12 hour drive. So I have to make the most of a trip.
 
You also have "The Jewel" within a couple hours drive and can just pop. I might get a trip or two a year there with a 10-12 hour drive. So I have to make the most of a trip.

So you're saying it was a really really big steak.
 
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