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I've got a solo trip in the works for this Fall. Day 3 of 4 will have me going from Rosebary down the Tim, then across the 1450 (or so) meter to Queer. Day 4 will be "getting out" day.
My immediate thought is to continue on to Little Trout to get closer to Ralph Bice, so I can hopefully clear Ralph Bice before the wind picks up on Day 4, but is there any compelling reason why I would want to remain on Queer that night and have a bit of a longer paddle on Day 4 to get out?
I don't think I've been on either lake in 30 years or more. On the PCI listing, Little Trout certainly has a lot more reviewed campsites than Queer, but the reviewed campsites on both look ok to me.
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A few years back, Queer Lake was subject to shoreline flooding due to a beaver dam at the lake's outflow. As a result, there was a bit of tree die-off around the shoreline. That can add a spooky appearance to the lake in the minds of some. The two photos are from going on 8 years ago, from CS #1 on the PCI.
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Depending what site you stay on Queer, I don't find it that long to get back to Little Trout. Queer can be a bit more secluded from the elements than Little Trout if you run into bad weather, in which case I guess Bice will be a bigger problem. Great site on the west shore with a nice point on a little rock face mid way down the lake on Queer. Easy to pull canoe in off the side. I guess if getting out is your priority, go for Little Trout - just a portage away to put you at the far end.
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One thing I've started to consider on final trip days is the distance. I used to always try to have a short paddle day on the last day so I didn't feel like I had to rush in the morning and so I could get back to the car in good time for the drive home.
But lately, I've been regretting that decision as I'm not ready to leave yet even as I'm paddling up to the access point. My instinct is starting to shift to give myself a little bit longer trip out. But I need to remind myself of this when I'm booking trips as I'm still somewhat in the automatic mindset of "last day must be short."
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Thanks for the replies, everyone. It sounds like there's not a super-compelling reason to choose Queer over Little Trout, so I'll probably stay on Little Trout to try to get a jump on the Ralph Bice wind.
And Claire is spot on - for sure gotta-get-out-of-here-itis sets in. When I jump in the car I've got about 530KM to lay down, so I do have to position myself for a reasonable exit time, and it is hard to continue relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the place when you're mind is starting to turn toward arrival time at home.
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"When I jump in the car I've got about 530KM to lay down, so I do have to position myself for a reasonable exit time, and it is hard to continue relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the place when you're mind is starting to turn toward arrival time at home."
------------Yup. Ditto. and exactly.
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We have had to deal with the same "ominous departure" issues and nearly a 900 KM travel home from the park. We used to plan trips to end that last morning very early and do the all-day drive home to Pennsylvania but the last couple of trips we have finished up at a more leisurely pace and stopped in Bancroft one time and Newboro another. It really made for an improved outlook on the end of the trip and the opportunity to savor every moment as opposed to looking forward.
CanoeClaire wrote:
But lately, I've been regretting that decision as I'm not ready to leave yet even as I'm paddling up to the access point. My instinct is starting to shift to give myself a little bit longer trip out. But I need to remind myself of this when I'm booking trips as I'm still somewhat in the automatic mindset of "last day must be short."
Exactly. My haul is around thousand kilometers and I'd rather drive overnight than waste a day of paddling.
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