Trip #5 - May 2007 - Pen Lake

In May of 2007 we gathered a group of 9 and set out to explore more of Pen Lake. Our friend Steve brought up some of his friends and family and we went up with our Dad and his friend Jim.
We stayed on the Western most island, the Southern side of the island. In the future Blake will stay on the Northern site on this island.



This is the group of campers that assembled for this trip. 9 people is the largest party that you may have on one site in Algonquin.

Dad's friend Jim was an expert with a rope and we all got a lesson in scaling a tree using nothing more than a rope and some really cool knots.

We camped on the west island at the North end of the lake. The South site was the most inviting for a large group such as this. Our Dad is pictured here with my brother and I. We spread all the tents out so that each person had some privacy and nobody would have to hear some of the campers snoring.

Blake making his first attempt at scaling the tree. It is amazing how much one small branch will hold if rigged properly.

This is a view from a rock face we climbed up to. Off in the distance you can see the South end of Rock Lake. We estimated that the drop from this point was about 80 m so nobody wanted to get too close to the edge.


Blake and I near the edge. You can see Pen Lake in the distance.

Trip #4 Clydegale Lake - October 2006

This 4th trip into the interior of Algonquin was another first for Blake and I. After the last trip our buddy Steve managed to round up some friends that were willing to give this type of adventure a try. The one thing that I learned this time around was that no matter how many planning meetings you have prior to your trip newcomers will always find out the hard way. As you will see soon packing lite is an essential part of enjoying your trip not the other way around.


Because this team included six campers we drove up in separate vehicles. Just beyond the west gate we came upon two moose grazing in the long grass along highway 60. This was a first for the newcomers so we stopped and took some pictures.

This above shot should be a poster shot for what not to take camping into the interior! I was a little concerned about the amount of gear our newcomers took along. My brother Blake and I led the way across Rock Lake and I felt it would be best to hug the west shoreline just in case they dumped their canoes or river barges which ever you might call them! We managed to get to the Pen portage with little excitement and then the newcomers got a taste of why you don't pack everything you think you might use or want when portaging into the interior. I explained that you carry what you pack and then Blake and I made our single trek up into Pen. Our friends that thought they knew better made four trips back and forth across this short portage before all their gear was finally on the banks of Pen Lake. I felt sorry for them but everybody tends to learn the hard way when it comes to giving up creature comforts to pack lite.

Brother Blake and I took some time to explore the top of the rapids leading into Rock Lake from Pen while we waited for our friends to recover from the portage. This is Blake in his new rain gear, the gear he made mention about in our trip#3 log. The rain gear is cool the hat isn't but that is just my opinion. I think he looks like a Dick Tracey wannabe.

Some of our gear sitting on the dock at the put in to Pen Lake. You can see we both have canoe packs and they are a great thing when travelling in spring or fall (Rainy Season).

This is Blake relaxing in his tent at our Clydegale Lake campsite while the rain is coming down. Even with good tents it is always a good idea to make room in you pack for a small tarp like this one. Your tent may stay dry without a tarp but the area immediately outside the tent door will get wet unless you cover it with a tarp. This makes getting in and out much cleaner and less likely to track pine needles and dirt into you sleeping gear.

This is a picture of the site, notice the folding lawn chairs. We decided from past trip experience that taking a chair like this can pay dividends if your site has no tree stumps or other places to sit. If you look around you can pick up a small chair like mine in the middle. This chair has an aluminum frame and no arm rests. I can pack this chair inside my canoe pack and it weighs less than a pound.

One of the excursions we decided to take was a trek through the woods to a small lake called Gale Lake. Though only about 800 m as the crow fly it was much longer given the terrain that we faced on our journey. Brother Blake made use of his hand held GPS ans a compass along the way.

After about an hour or so we emerged on this really cool lake. The first thing I remember saying to myself was I wonder if this lake has any fish in it. later that day I made a return trip with my pole and spent some time trying my luck in a few choice locations. I never got so much as a nibble but it was worth it given the piece and quiet.

The second excursion of this trip was one up the South Madawaska river. This paddle was fun and attempting to paddle up over beaver dams against to current proved who was the most experienced paddlers of the group. The river brings you up to some rapids that in fall are too shallow to paddle up through. We pulled the canoes on shore and walked the portage up along the side of this twisting river.

This was the four of us that made this day trip. We are posing beside the portage sign at the bottom end of the 630 m portage into Clydegale Lake. If you look closely you can see that my left leg is soaked. I made a rookie move when exiting the canoe at the portage and ended up slipping into the river. Wet feet and only one pair of footwear, not a comforting feeling.

Our trip to the Madawaska took longer than expected and the days are short this time of year. We managed to get back to camp just before dark. It is always a good idea to take flash light and map of the lake whenever you venture out for little trips like this. If you run late and end up paddling in the dark a flashlight and map goes a long way to getting you back to camp safe.

This was one of the only times the six of us stopped moving long enough in the same place to snap a picture. The swift water behind us is the flow from Clydegale down into Pen approx. a 9 m drop in elevation over a 200 m distance. I hear that the fishing is good at the base of the rapids in the early Spring though I have yet t try my luck.

This is a shot taken while we were getting ready to head home. The reason for choosing this site in the first place was that we had a North wind on the first day so even though the site is elevated it provided cover. This decision came back to haunt us the second day when the wind turned right around and brought with it some rain. Over all the trip was a blast and this group of guys got along great.

The journey out along Pen was awesome. The lake was like glass and this made paddling a dream. You can see in the picture just how much gear the others took in. I never would have imagined bringing in a cooler like the one these two brought along.

We all made it back and nobody got hurt.I was glad to have a chance to show this great place to some new people.

Trip #3 - May 2006 - Pen Lake

In January of 2006 we started planning an epic 3rd trip into Pen Lake with our friend Steve. This trip was going to be all about exploring all we could of the peripheral lakes and portages that feed to Pen, as well as some select rock cuts identified on our Chrismar map (Chrismar is a manufacturer of high quality mylar waterproof topo maps of the park). This was Steve's first trip into the interior of Alqonquin, and our first trip in May.

Grant and Blake looking like idiots in our $5 matching rain gear at the start of the Rock to Pen portage. The rain gear lasted about 300 m before the pants ripped to shreds. At the time we thought matching was cool, but viewing this shot after the trip explains why the campers we passed on the portage were laughing...

Half way across Pen we stopped for a hot lunch on the East shore. The lake seemed calm at the put-in on Pen, but after we passed the narrow channel between the two islands we were met with 2 foot waves that washed over the bow. I (Blake) was sitting in the middle of the canoe on the floor of the vessel in my torn $5 rain gear, as you can see in this picture my jeans are soaked. Steve on the other hand had a $20 pair of rain pants on that were of much higher quality and was dry. I now own the same brand. Lesson learned.

A further lesson learned, this trip was the last one in which I wore blue jeans. They take hours to dry once wet or damp and they weigh a ton.

The canoe you see here is a 16' heavy-duty fiberglass which weighs in at 93 lbs. This was the last time this canoe made its way into the interior.

A view of our site. The last site on the east shore of Pen before you reach the Clydegale Lake portage.

Blake enjoying a relaxing read by the fire during our first evening. Shortly after this photo was taken the weather turned cold and the 3 of us gave up on cleanliness and laid down around the fire, directly on the dirt. We all fell asleep there on the ground for an hour or so. The combination of very little sleep the night before in anticipation of our trip coupled with portaging a 93 lbs. canoe and paddling the length of Pen lake into a strong headwind must have taken a toll on us, but that warm fire was great.

Steve and Blake on an outcropping we saw from the lake and hiked up to.

A great waterfall at the start of the portage from Pen to the Galipo River.

The 3 of us at the base of the big fall from Galipo River down into Pen Lake. Elevation difference between river and lake: 18m

Steve and Blake standing by the fast moving channel between Clydegale and Pen Lake.

Grant by the falls from Galipo.

Grant and Steve log walking across a small bay north of our site. I didn't want to get my only pair of footwear soaked like Grant did moments after this photo was taken. Grant does not recommend log rolling in the interior of Algonquin. Lesson learned.

Trip #2 - June 2005 - Pen Lake & Rock Lake

This was our one and only trip into the park during June when the mosquitoes and black flies are so bad the park is practically empty. We were in the park for 3 nights total and the original intention was to spend all 3 nights on Pen Lake. The bugs were so bad combined with the 30 degree plus temperatures and ultra humid weather convinced us to change our plan mid trip.

Blake's tent and canoe pack. All new from the lessons learned from the 2004 trip. Nothing ruins the start of a trip faster than wet sleeping bags and no dry clothes to change into. A waterproof canoe pack is the number one must have piece of gear for canoe tripping.

You can see in this photo how muggy and still the air was. If you look close enough you can see the bugs in this photo. We knew going into this that the bugs would be an issue, but having to wear full length layers all day in the hottest muggy weather is a real pain.

On our third day we awoke with a plan to beat the bugs. First thing in the morning we broke camp and Grant and I left dad and all our gear at the waterfall at the top of the Pen to Rock portage. We paddled in record time to the beach at Rock Lake campground, hiked to the pay phone and called the Park office to change our reservation to Rock Lake interior for our final night. We hoped Rock Lake would have more wind to keep the bugs away. After confirmation of the change we paddled all the way back to the Pen portage to pick up dad and all the gear, we then headed for the best site on Rose Island, and boy was it worth it. We spent our last full day swimming, snorkeling and fishing for Rock Bass off the West side of the island. The hot sun and wind came out and blew the bugs away.

I was able to snorkel along the rock face while Grant fished above, I could see a school of Rock Bass and point out to grant the right place to put his line as well as get a great underwater view of the fish being caught on the hook and fighting. Grant managed to reel in 5 decent sized Rock Bass in total.

This site has plenty of room to space out our tents. Grant opted to pitch his tent on top of the high point of the site overlooking Picto Bay.

This photo shows the size of the usable area of this site. I am sure it is a favorite of many campers. One of the few benefits of visiting the park in June is that sites like these are usually free for the taking.

This little fellow became our supper. Just kidding.

Trip #1 - September 2004 - Pen Lake

This trip was our first time back to the park since we were kids, so this is really where it all starts.

On our hike to secluded Sandy Lake we got off track and our short trip turned into a long bushwack. Along the way we found this little marsh which was on our Chrismar map and allowed us to determine exactly where we were. It was this trip that made me buy a handheld GPS for future trips.

Someone had been here before.

A view of the islands which have 3 sites between the two of them on Pen Lake. In future trips we will eventually stay on every one of the sites on those islands.

Dad is on the lake in the canoe, just off shore from our camp.

Here's Grant, on the edge.

This location offers the best view of Pen Lake there is. If you're willing to make the steep climb up to it you'll find that the trees open up to a rocky ridge and you get a great view of the lake. This is on the north side of Pen, close to a nice secluded site, and in fact the very same site we stayed on this trip.

We stayed in the park for 4 nights this trip and spent it all on the same site on Pen. We learned a lot this trip about interior camping, and after paddling in in the pouring rain we learned the value of a good waterproof canoe pack. We also started to learn how to pack lite for portages including the right kinds of foods to bring, and what to leave at home.

After the first day the weather cleared up and we had a great couple of hot September days and crisp nights under the most stars we had ever seen.