Trip #10 Pen Lake - September 2009

In September of 2009 I went on a trip to the park with my friend Matt.  Grant was not able to join us this trip so just Matt and I went.  Ever since Grant and I's visit to Fork lake and it's great island site I have wanted to return there.  As this was to be Matt's first trip to Algonquin, I thought that that lake and site in particular would be a great introduction.  As we were going into the park in late September and Fork lake is rather off the beaten path I figured we would have no problem getting the island site, and in fact would likely have the whole lake to ourselves anyways.


Due to the fact that there are no portages on the way to Fork lake and most of the paddle is along a small creek speckled with beaver dams, combined with the fact that water levels were expected to be fairly low, I decided to not bring my dad's expensive Ultralight Kevlar canoe and instead take the old "rubber" Coleman canoe that we have had for a few years.  The Coleman is heavy, slow, pushes water like a barge, has no yoke, and is not something you want to portage with.  It is however very durrable, and can survive any rocks, scrapes, ramping off beaver dams etc. that you throw at it.  Seemed like the perfect choice to take to Fork Lake.


Driving into the park it rained on us as usual, but by the time we reached the access point at Sunday Creek the weather had subsided and was a overcast, but dry day.  Maybe too dry actually.  In fact it had not really rained for weeks in our parts of Ontario, and when we got to the put-in for the canoe, I was shocked to see that the water level was a good foot and a half lower than when Grant and I had come there in August the previous year.  Looking at the mostly dry culvert we had paddled through just a year ago I realized that there was a chance Sunday creek was going to be very hard to paddle up without constantly getting out of the canoe to drag it.  We decided to put the canoe in and cross under the highway via the culvert to start our journey on the other side.

Well we bottomed out the canoe in the culvert and had to get out and drag the canoe through it to the other side.

Where did all the water go?

On the other side of the culvert I got my first good look at Sunday Creek and I remembered as a 10 foot wide river was nothing more than a muddy ravine with some puddles periodically dispersed every few feet.  We could not canoe up this, it could take hours upon hours to literally travel a single kilometer.  Not yet willing to give up, Matt and I left the canoe in the culvert and entered the marsh on foot to see if the creek opened up after the next few bends.

Ever try to walk through a marshland?  Well its so overgrown that you can't see where you are stepping and every few feet there is a hidden hole that sucks your leg up to the groin.  Each bend we came to showed us the same bleak picture, a muddy creek bed with no chance of canoeing down it.  After about 200 metres of hellish treking we decided that it was no use, we would not be reaching Fork Lake.  We would not be staying on my favorite site in the park.  We turned around, hiked back to the canoe, caried it back to the van, strapped it on, and though: Now what?

Well the closest access from Sunday Creek was Rock lake, and I know it and Pen very well from the last few years of tripping.  Matt had never seen any of the park so why try not for a site on Rock or Pen and show him the cool places?  I just hoped that there was still a site open on one of the lakes for us...

We were lucky, of the 18 sites availible on Pen Lake, all but two were left availible.  As it was getting late in the morning already we happlily changed our reservation to Pen lake, put in the canoe and gear, and made our way across Rock Lake towards the Pen portage.

Making our way across rock in record time with a strong wind at our backs

What had seemed like a great canoe for creek running, the Coleman canoe was not designed as a lake crosser, and it was painful to see most of our paddling effort wasted on the huge bow-wake the Coleman was pushing.  On the bright side we were helped along by the strongest back wind I have ever experienced canoeing in the park.  the wind literally pushed us across Rock lake in record time.  I can only dream about the speed we would have attained in my dad's sleek kevlar canoe with that wind.

Here is Matt making his way over the old logs that have been piled up here over the years

My favorite shot from this trip

After two tripping the portage, Matt and I spent a good while exploring the rapids that fall from Pen to Rock Lake.  It was very interesting to see this familiar site so dried up, in fact everything looked different to me about the area as the water was so much lower than I was used to.

The park has all you need, including running water

We considered taking the site on Pen right beside the rapids, but Matt wanted to stay on the one of the islands instead so we made our short paddle over there.  We first stopped on the Eastern island, which is technically the only island, as the other one is ususually connected to the mainland with a narrow strip of beach.  I have stayed on this island before, and it is quite exposed to the North wind which was blowing like crazy still.  We left our canoe on the beach and walked to the back of the island, and hopped across the rocks to the other island to see how it looked.

I have also stayed on this island before, on the Southern site which is really nice.  It was however occupied, but we found the North site was open and it had a few more trees on it compared to the other island to block the North wind.  We decided we wanted it so we had to run back over the rocks to get our canoe and claim our site.  We knew that this lake was to be all but full for the night, so this site would not be free for long.  This assumption was true, as for the rest of the day we saw many dissapointed campers veer towards our site only to see that it was occupied and turn away.

The wind was cold that first day, but it warmed up quite a bit the next day

Relaxing eh?

We started a small fire and had some food but the wind was cold on our backs so we went to bed fairly early.  The first night the wind never let up, but Matt and I were smart enough to bring tarps with us which we positioned over our tents as wind blocks.  Inside out tents we could not feel the cold wind at all.

These tarps made all the difference that first night blocking the strong North wind

Something new this trip, I brought a small hatchet. I don't usually bring one when portaging, but then I never planned on portaging did I?

 

The next morning we woke up to a clear blue warm sunny day.  We set out to do some hiking, and paddled to the portage to Gem Lake, left the canoe and hiked up to the rock lookout that I had been to before on previous trips.

Here is Matt taking in the view

Living on the edge

After climbing down from the cliffs we hiked the portage to and from Gem Lake, and decided to gather some driftwood from the shore near the portage to take back to our site for firewood.  We loaded a couple hundred pounds of wood into the caone, something I would not have done with my dad's Ultralight canoe, but was easily handled by the bargelike Coleman.  We took our time paddling back to our site as the wind had totally stopped, the sun was hot and was nice to just feel the sun warming us up on the lake.

Like I said, it was nice to feel the sun on our backs the second day

On the way back we saw a huge snapping turtle sunning himself on a rock, he dropped into the water and I watched him swim away under our canoe.  The lake was so flat that day that I could clearly see the bottom of the lake the whole span between both islands, even though it was at least 15 feet deep.  Would have been great for snorkeling with that sun shinning through the water.

Turtle, likely older than both of us combined

We spent most of the rest of the afternoon relaxing around the campsite, but as it got later we decided to paddle to the end of Pen lake and maybe explore the falls that connect Clydegale Lake to Pen.

We did not anticipate just how slow the Coleman canoe would be crossing the lake, and by the time we reached the end we found the sun was only a few degrees above the horizon, it was turning to night and we would still have a long paddle to get back to our site.  We decided to turn around and make our way back rather than risk going any further.

As we paddled the sun set over the horizon and the stars started to come out.  It was fully night by the time we were near our camp and at this point we were basically guiding ourselves by the stars, the stars were very bright that night (and I know them very, very well), so it was easy to keep our bearings.

We finally approached our island and had quite a time finding the small gap in the rocks to squeeze our canoe through, I'm sure fellow campers where a little concerned to see us on the lake after dark, the temperature had fallen quite a bit and the air was cold.  We soon however made it to our site, fumbled in the dark to find some warmer clothes, and spent the rest of the night sitting by the fire.

The next morning we paddled out in a thick fog.

Trip #9 Clydegale Lake - May 2009

Trip #9 was full of firsts as you will soon read in this Blog.

This site had a bit of everything including a great canoe access pictured on the left of the above photo. The sand made for easy access and is also great for washing dishes (natures S.O.S. pad).


Dad entertained every evening with some tunes of the harmonica.

We set up a small shelter utilizing a tarp and some thin rope. This small shelter was great because we could position it close enough to the fire to feel the warmth but not to close that we smoked ourselves out.

This picture shows how calm the lake was on the way into the interior.

Prior to this trip I read in a persons blog that fishing is pretty good in the waters near the Pen to Clydegale portage. I only caught a large rock and some water logged trees. The park was conducting a fish survey and they gave me a package upon entering the park. The package included a lure. Leave it up to Ontario Parks to buy American made lures and put them in a Canadian fish survey care package. This lure now rests at the bottom of the lake at the brink of the falls leading into Pen Lake from Clydegale.

Dad didn't want to get caught in the rain without his rain gear so he pushed on and bared the heat of these heavy duty pants.

Dad acquired a canoe pack a few years ago and he to agrees that this is the only way to enter the interior.

I made a brief attempt at fishing near the bottom of the South Madawaska River portage into Clydegale. This picture looks better then the fishing that is for sure.

This picture shows the sleek Alchemist 16' Ultra Lite at the sandy entrance to our island site.

Once again a reminder that winter hasn't been gone for very long. You don't have to look too hard to find signs winter.

We purchased a new canoe an Alchemist 16' constructed of Kevlar and Carbon Fiber. This canoe is extremely lite and a dream to portage. We discovered that it was less stable than any other canoe we had tripped with in the past but what is lost in stability it gained in speed and maneuverability. With this trip being just Blake Dad and myself it was a tight fit for people and gear in this canoe but we managed.
We endured all sorts of weather this trip. Sometimes calm and sunny and other times very windy with rain or snow. The sun sets pretty early still in May.

The location we picked for camp was an island site down in the S/W end of the lake. The island was well protected for most sides and was very private.

Blake took an opportunity to take a swim in the frigid water. The island had a small neighbouring island to the south that was home to some nesting birds. Blake found this discovery out the hard way and was chased off the rocks by a very unhappy mother bird. I always knew Blake was a natural around water but running on water was a surprise to me!!

The coolest geeks in Algonquin or at least that is what Dad called us when he snapped this picture. We planned a day trip to Little Canoe Lake located South of Clydegale Lake once you walk the 1990 m portage.

Blake programmed his GPS and I packed my fishing gear and we were off. The weather was great when we headed out.

We also took an afternoon trip with Dad up the South Madawaska River to the portage. We all took our fishing gear but not much time was spent fishing this time as you will soon see. The sun was out when we left and other than some snacks we didn't really pack too much extra stuff since this was to be a short trek. Shortly after paddling to the start of the portage was heard a very load crack of thunder and within minutes the temperature dropped by about 12 deg. C. The wind turned around 180 deg. and the clouds rolled in. We walked the length of the portage and then once we reached the end the rain started. We made our way back to the canoe and I started to get in my seat in the stern of the canoe. I had asked Blake to steady the canoe while I got in but I guess he didn't hear me as he was talking to Dad about something. Just then I lost my footing and made a back flip into the river in about 3' of water. I looked up and both Blake and Dad looked on in amazement at my acrobatic maneuver. I had no change of clothes with me and no extra boots or socks left back at camp. The weather was now -1 deg. C and we had a good 40 min. paddle back to camp. With the rain coming down we all got wet just I was wet every wear even in my boots. We made it to camp and each of us went in our tents to get warm.

This picture shows how crowded the canoe was on the journey in and out of the park.

This is Dad's new tent from M.E.C (Mountain Equipment Co-Op). This is a three season tent that Dad bought for this trip. He had one complaint and that was that it has very little venting and therefore tended to contain lots of condensation from your breath. A tent candle could be used to eliminate this phenomenon but for this trip Dad didn't have one. A tent candle is a long burning collapsible candle that can hang inside the tent and believe it or not keep condensation in check. Care must be taken when utilizing one of these for obvious reasons so I would recommend talking to an outdoor supply company about the best one for your tent.

This shot was taken during one of the moments when the sun did shine. Like I said before we experienced all types of weather and on the way out we paddled the length of Pen Lake through blizzard like conditions. In all the trip was fun and Dad had a good time as well. It is important to select a route that is realistic for all participants. Too long a trip or too rushed a trip can take the fun out of it if not everyone is able to keep up with the required pace. This trip is just the right distance for a four day trip. The two portages are short and relatively easy to complete.

Trip #8 - Sunday Creek to Fork Lake - August 2008

In a rare August visit to Algonquin Park, Grant and I decided to try something new and different again and stay on a Fork Lake, which is accessed via Sunday creek. Fork lake is an easy lake to access as it requires no portages to get to, and is only a 3-4 km paddle from the access. You may think that this combination would be a recipe for seeing lots of fellow campers, but due to the fact that fork lake only has two sites on it, and only one of those sites is really any good, the stay on fork lake is pretty quiet.


Grant and I on the boardwalk bridge over the bog at the Sunday Creek access. There is a nature trail here that winds all through the bog to the left, we chose not to walk it this time, but I think we might take the time to walk it if we ever go back here. (I would come back here in the future with my friend Matt, only to pass up walking this trail again... next time for sure!)

An interesting part of this launch is that after paddling 10 feet, Grant and I both had to get out of the canoe to lift it and our gear over the first of many beaver dams that blocked our way. Even more interesting is that you have to actually paddle your canoe under the culvert you see here to get to the other side of Highway 60.

A shot looking back at the bridge over the bog from which we came, as we paddled through the culvert.

The trip down Sunday Creek was really a lot of fun. I enjoy paddling down a river far more than crossing an open lake, you just feel like you are really getting somewhere even though I am sure we are only going half the speed we would paddle if we were on an open lake. Lots of stuff to look at in the river, and beaver dams to try to ram over.

Here we are pulling the canoe over another beaver dam, still on our way in along Sunday Creek. It is worth mentioning that going in August was a rare treat for us as we are very used to going into the park in the cold months of May and October where you have to pack a bit more clothes and a warmer sleeping bag. We usually wear heavy ankle high hiking boots into the interior, but I think here Grant was wearing running shoes and I was wearing Crocks of all things, though they came in handy for wading into the water to pull the canoe out of the shallow spots by the dams. Much like every other trip we have made into the park, it rained on us driving in again this trip but also like every other trip soon passed and turn into a nice sunny day. I remember the sun finally poking out of those clouds on the paddle in and the temperature shot up really fast. It was nice to be able to get my feet wet to cool off.

This is a site we stopped to check out on Norway Lake, which you must pass trough to get to Fork Lake. This is one of only two sites on Norway Lake as well.

A view of the mouth of Sunday Creek as seen from the site on Norway. Not really a nice site to swim from In my opinion.

The first and so far only Trout either Grant or I have ever caught in this park. We weren't even trying to fish, we were taking a short 10 minute paddle to the single portage on the end of Fork lake, Grant threw out a line just for something to do, and boy was he and I shocked when he pulled in this fish. We quickly turned the canoe around back to our camp site and started a cooking fire.

Grant fillet the fish about 1 minute after catching it, and we had cooked and devoured it about 10 minutes later. It's interesting but we did not need any oil to fry this fish, it seemed to cook in its own natural oils. It was just about the best tasting fish I think I have ever had. With every other food we have to eat coming out of a bag, it's refreshing to get a hot fresh meal like this trout.

Later on that day Grant and I decided we would walk the portage from Fork Lake to Jean lake, and that little walk turned into just about the scariest 30 seconds of my life. As we were turning a bend in the very overgrown portage, Grant stopped in his tracks, pointed down the trail and said, "Blake! A bear!". He then turned 180 degrees, ran straight past me and continued to sprint directly back towards the canoe. I chanced one millisecond to look ahead of me, saw a gigantic dark brown mass just off the trail 40 feet ahead of me, turned, and did exactly the same thing.

Now I know that you are not supposed to run away from a bear as it may lead it to give chase, but Grant had already started this little faux pas so what was I supposed to do, stand between him and a no-doubt already charging bear, or get the heck out of there too? Well my heart was pounding and after about 10 seconds of sprinting I yelled to Grant, "Wait! Stop running, this is not what we should do." If it were chasing us we would have no chance of outrunning it anyways as we were still a few hundred meters away from our canoe.

We both stopped. We both listened. We heard no bear chasing us, so we slowly turned around, walked a few feet back up trail, and took a second look at what we were running from. What did we see? A giant bull moose! This thing was huge. You may have seen a moose on TV, you may have seen the ones around Highway 60 that lick the road salt, but you have never seen one like this. This moose does not lick road salt. This was a giant of the woods.

We now better understood our situation, this was not a bear, but this was still a very dangerous animal, and were were clearly within charging distance. This moose was also not backing down, it was not afraid of us. We decided we could not leave without at least a half decent picture of it so I chanced a few more feet towards it, climbed about 6 feet up on some tree branches and snapped a few shots. The picture does not do it justice. Needless to say he was not going to move for us to continue our trek to Jean Lake, and we were not going to push the subject. We never did finish our walk along that portage, and curiously Grant was not nearly as enthusiastic as usual about wandering through the woods for the rest of that trip.

Grant standing on some logs at the start of the portage to Jean Lake.

Unfortunately for us, when we initially arrived at Fork Lake we found that the site we wanted was occupied, leaving us with the only other site on the lake which was pretty small even for two guy's. As we were only staying for two nights this trip, and it was Friday - the start of the weekend, I figured whoever was staing on the island site we wanted would be there for the rest of the weekend. We chanced a paddle near the island to check it out and i could see that it was a great little island with a nice mix of open area and a nice little patch of trees to boot. Man was I dissapointed it was already taken!

A photo of our site from the first day. you can see how overgrown this site is, and how uneven the ground level is.

The thunderbox. Any questions?

The second day we awoke and grant went out in the lake to fish when he noticed that unbelievably, the island site that we wanted so bad was now open! Somehow the campers on that site must have packed up and left in the wee hours of the morning because we never saw them go. Very strange that they would leave on a Saturday, but I was not complaining, against all odds, we now had a chance to take the glorious island site! Only one problem: we had to get our gear on the site to claim it or else risk losing it to anyone else entering the lake for the night. Our whole camp site was still set up on the crummy site including our tents and all, so we decided to just grab and drag out assembled tents and all of our gear into the canoe and bring it all to the island as soon as possible. We set a personal best record time for breaking camp, as we had completely moved our whole camp to the island in less than 10 minutes.

turns out our fears we unfounded, as for the rest of the trip no other campers entered the lake, so essentially that lake was ours for the rest of our stay. Silence and solitude.

Canoes are great workhorses, it is much easier to paddle a couple hundred pounds of wood across a lake than to drag it by hand through the forest.

The island site turned out to be everything we had hoped for and more. It gave us great flat rocks to enjoy the sunshine on, trees to procvide shade for out tents, a great swimming spot that we made use of in the hot August afternoon, and a great view of the stars that came out that clear night.

Our island site also had one other very pleasant supprise for us. Most of the open areas were covered in hundreds of wild blueberry bushes that had berrys perectly rippened on the branches. Together Grant and I ate handfull after handfull of the sweet berries. It was just our luck that we were there in early August as the berries would fall off the plant by the dozen to fill your hand. Fresh fish and fresh fruit from the land all in one trip.

We ventured for another hike up a hilltop overlooking the South end of the lake and found that black bears had been here as well. You can see from their droppings that the eat quite a few blueberrys this time of year too.

A photo of grant on the hilltop near the bear poo.

This is the part of the island that we swam from. As you can see, the weather was perfect.

Because of the openness of the island, we had a nice moderate crosswind to fuel our fire. We gathered a huge old stump from the side of the island and dragged it over to our fire. To this day that fire was the best burning, biggest, and warmest we have ever had in the park.

The next morning we paddled out of Fork Lake in a thick fog.

Fork lake is a great little lake that is off the beaten path and one I want to return to someday.