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Trips in Algonquin

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While I probably won't be able to do anything this year... what are some good 3 to 4 day trips in the park for a tandem couple?

Also what are good times to go? After labor day is tough for us as is early spring (school schedule).
 
Rock-Pen-Welcome-Louisa-Rock. I have probably done some fifty Algonquin trips but most of mine have been over a week long. I don't visit in high summer. That route was our last years spring trip. There were only a few portages..the longest some two miles long but in good shape. Two of the others were one mile and three others a couple of hundred meters. You probably will find yourself walking a bit in Algonquin.

Best to reserve the route if you can't make it before school is out or after Labor Day.

Also see www.algonquinadventures.com has a number of suggested short loops. Rather than get into specifics if you want a real backcountry experience you probably need to alter timing or stay out longer than three nights.

also see Jeff's map

http://www.algonquinmap.com/
 
Thanks! We can do more than 3 nights during summer. My concern is carrying enough food for that long.

How do you guys carry food out there? Is a barrel sufficient or do you need bear containers? And can food barrels be rented in proximity?
 
Dehydrated. Two of us can live off food in a 60 liter barrel for two weeks. 30 liter for one week. Algonquin Oufitters does rent food barrels.

Three nights of dehydrated food is a very small space.

This video was posted on CCR under the bear container discussion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XLYbXXIbUX0

Note that hanging is not a cure all but bears may not have the know how to break in to a barrel..though they are not presumed to be bear proof. The canisters of course are, but you are right in that they are designed to carry a weeks worth of powdered food for one. Not that much capacity.
 
I have a bear canister I currently use for ADKs where necessary and I can carry about 4 days of dehydrated food for two in it. I'd hate to have to carry two of those buggers...

I asked about a short trip because we can keep light, even carrying our bear container... I just lash it to the canoe for carrying and transfer the food into it at night - I find it is easier to carry the food in a pack - it takes up a lot of wasted nooks and crannies and doesn't need to be dry bagged. That is at least my current method. But we can only do 4 days/3 nights. Best part is no double carries this way.

We'd have to rent a barrel to go longer - hopefully my wife could hand carry a 30L on portage to avoid double carries.
 
Hand carrying a 30 liter barrel on portages of a mile or more is extremely tiring. Outfitters also rent harnesses. Barrels except on river trips are usually not stand alone items.

What bear container do you have that is waterproof? My Counter Assault canister is decidedly not.
 
Mine is a Garcia and I'm sure it is not waterproof. I keep my food in my pack except at night - those things suck to put in your pack. My food is always sealed in plastic bags so there is no need (in my mind) bag it again and my pack will float. I'm using my backpacking pack for canoe tripping. I used to have a 90L bag, now I'm using a 65L bag. My wife has the same size. I can carry my canoe and pack for quite a ways (about 70lbs total)... two miles might need a couple breaks.

The straps would necessitate a double carry for the barrel because my wife has her pack to carry.
 
Either one would be fine for a novice like me. I'd just like to get a taste for the area.
 
I’m happy you’ve got Algonquin in your plans L’oiseau, I’m sure you and Madame L’oiseau will enjoy it. Making reservations are recommended in the summer. Not so much after Labour Day. Choosing to go during the week Monday to Friday might also help to avoid the crowds. Despite sharing portages and lakes with other paddlers, you’ll still find some very pretty places all to yourself. I also suggest one of these : http://www.algonquinmap.com as Yellowcanoe has already suggested.
The “main street” via Canoe L. to Sunbeam L. and Tom Thompson loop is good for a 4-5 day trip. You will see people, but stopping and talking on trails isn’t such a bad thing. Don’t forget to factor in time for swimming and exploring. I tend to wander as I’m heading for the next portage, checking out little bays and backwaters.
This guy has a good blog that I think you’d love: http://www.markinthepark.com
A food barrel and harness is something I’d strongly recommend. I used to hang it, but don’t anymore. Keep a clean site. The chipmunks and raccoons act like they own the place, which I guess they kinda do. My 30 L barrel holds enough for the 2 of us for a week, including some fresh food for the first couple days. Don’t worry about doubling the carries, just choose a route with shorter ones, say less than 1,500m. Take it slow, and don’t forget to snap photos. The portages are fairly well trodden, so even the longer ones are a nice walk in the park!
Take care,
Brad
 
Thank you Brad. We may take a different approach to Algonquin than the Adirondacks. Time will tell. Even a 4 day trip looks nice to me.
 
My wife and I sometimes "aller retour", we go in to a lake for a couple days base camping, and then return by the same route. You don't have to do a loop, it's just that sometimes it's nice to see new views around every corner, but it ain't necessary. Algonquin holds a lot of promise for trips of any length and purpose.
 
The Kioshkokwi area and also Barron Canyon are very nice..the latter spectacular but in the summer a bit busy. You will find less crowding in the north east end of the park. But its a bit farther for you from your end of NYS. For the same reason, proximity to Toronto, the 60 corridor is more heavily used.
 
My wife and I sometimes "aller retour", we go in to a lake for a couple days base camping, and then return by the same route. You don't have to do a loop, it's just that sometimes it's nice to see new views around every corner, but it ain't necessary. Algonquin holds a lot of promise for trips of any length and purpose.

We do that as well. It can be nice that way - saves a lot of effort breaking and setting up camp every night. Also you can have a pretty fat base camp.

I have a possible scouting mission I may do this year up in the Adirondacks where I may do that at least for two nights to scope out this bushwhack:

http://www.adkforum.com/showpost.php?p=200986&postcount=1

My plan was to get up to Lyon and stay there a couple days and hike to those other ponds to see how accessible they are. I'd like to eventually get over to Sunshine (on another trip of course) if I can get my 16 ft'er over there. Once I get to another pond and can camp there a couple days I can bushwhack without the canoe.

I'd love to do some of that with a small solo like Conk has but my wife won't let me buy one yet. Eventually I think we are both going to wind up with our own solo boats.
 
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Demarcus dude, I think I met you on the north end of Ara Lake in 1999, dude! You were the guy in the speedo that was crying behind a log because the friends that you spent so much time with in that beautiful place got sick of you saying the same thing all the time, so they left you there, in your speedo. Am I right dude? You wants to share any information about it then please share me dude???????????????:):):):):):):)
 
Mine is a Garcia and I'm sure it is not waterproof. I keep my food in my pack except at night - those things suck to put in your pack. My food is always sealed in plastic bags so there is no need (in my mind) bag it again and my pack will float. I'm using my backpacking pack for canoe tripping. I used to have a 90L bag, now I'm using a 65L bag. My wife has the same size. I can carry my canoe and pack for quite a ways (about 70lbs total)... two miles might need a couple breaks.

The straps would necessitate a double carry for the barrel because my wife has her pack to carry.

I don't know if this would help in your case, but I have a Garcia with the nylon carrying case. I clip it to the sternum strap on my Granite Gear Portage Pack. I carry a week's worth of dry food plus toiletries plus a trash bag in it, and manage it on portages up to 2.5 miles at a time. Visibility is not a problem. Also carry a full 750ml fanny pack by a shoulder strap - that is a nuisance, but I deal with it. My 12 lb Hornbeck pond hopper does not appreciably factor in to the weight total.

If each of you had a bear cannister clipped on the front, one of you might be able to single-carry, but I would hate to think of the other trying to single carry with all I described and a real tandem canoe.

YC, I think I recall something about how you and your husband sometimes arrange things so that you go ahead faster on a portage while he starts out slower with the tandem canoe plus gear, and then you double back empty handed to meet him halfway and lighten his load of the extra gear, so the two of you can complete the portage together. Did I get that right?

I don't know if that sort of strategy might help your situation, l'oiseau. If having two bear cannisters doesn't sound appealing, maybe having one barrel but having the person who doesn't carry the canoe carry the barrel and use the strategy described above?

As our old scoutmaster used to say, it was a idea, maybe not a good one, but an idea.
 
Tandem the old one.5 trip portage. I take a pack and paddles and water. He takes the canoe and sometimes a small pack. We walk about halfway. He puts down the canoe and walks back to get the other pack or barrel. I keep walking to the end and get rid of my stuff. We walk back (me unloaded, he loaded) to halfway and meet. Then I take his pack and he takes the canoe.

Our reason is because once he was alone with the canoe and wandered off onto the wrong game trail. This way when he has the canoe he is always "supervised"
 
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