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Hello all, first forum post here, i'll try to keep it neat and tidy. Myself and a friend are planning on going on a trip leaving May 7 (Ice out is worrying me as much as everyone else). Latter isn't an option due to work commitments. We're both experienced campers, or as experienced as a couple of guys in their early 20s can be. And leaving from Ottawa.
Here's our proposed trip:
Day 1- Access 9 to Welcome/Harry's Lake
Arrive early allowing for put-in and a long afternoon of portaging.
Day 2- Wecome to Louisa
More relaxed day
Day 3- Louisa - Head
Day 4- Head - Whitefish (via Head Creek and Madawaska)
This day is longer than we'D like but there are no campsites from the Madawaska to Whitefish Lake. I'm hoping that the spring current will make our lives easier paddling downstream for a few hours.
Day 5- Whitefish - Access 9
Lazy morning and head back home
We're not sure if this schedule is too tough given spring conditions, as we haven't been this early before. Please let me know if we've bitten off more than we can chew, and any other good 4 night loops we could do. We'll be two paddlers in one canoe, and will pack as light as is feasible but will almost certainly have to double portage on days 1 and 2.
I've included everything I can think of off the top of my head. I look forward to hearing from the community, we can't wait to get out and paddle.
Thanks 
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The main problem is that your buffer time comes on the last day, but since there are no campsites between Head and Whitefish, if you need that buffer time earlier in the trip you'll be limited and won't be able to make it anywhere past Head, and then your last day will be the travel from Head all the way to Rock, plus the drive home.
It's probably doable, but there are definitely some long portages and potentially windy lakes that will need crossing, and I don't know what the river travel will be like in early May, so just depends on how you want to roll the dice.
An alternative would be the same trip but going from Head to Cache access point and getting one of the outfitters to shuttle you back to your car. Plan for Welcome, Louisa, Head, with one rest day on any of those lakes.
Another option would be the classic loop back to Rock through the 3km portage (it's long but very flat and easy). It would definitely be an easier trip for 4 nights though vs. what you originally planned. But Clydegale is a really great lake so you could add that in and do Rock --> Clydegale --> Welcome --> Louisa x2 --> Rock
If you wanted to look elsewhere in the park there are lots of options as well.
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I think it is workable. Day 1 and 4 are long-ish and if weather conditions are not good those days they will be memorable and test your mettle but downstream creek travel day 4 should make it a little more palatable. Pack light and single carry the portages - that will help to make it manageable. If you have to double carry every one it becomes a pain - although day 4 portages are short so even that isn't the end of the world. Just hope you don't get wind/rain/snow on those long days.
Trippythings options are viable as well. Could even look at looping a little further west...
Day 1 - Rock to Harry
Day 2 - Harry to McGarvey
Day 3 - McGarvey to Phipps
Day 4 - Phipps to Louisa
Day 5 - Louisa to Rock
That sort of spreads your travel out a little more evenly and you hit some good trout lakes along the way.
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I like PaPaddler's loop better than yours, but either should be doable ;)
On May 9th - assuming you can even go paddling on May 9th - portages will not yet have been cleared. That may be a total non-issue, or you might have 50 blowdowns to contend with. Best to plan a bit conservatively on ice-out trips.
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Do you plan on doing some fishing? The only part that puts me off is paddling by the highway on motor boat lakes for the last two days.
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Thanks everyone for commenting, we're looking at the alternative loop proposed by PaPaddler, but I think we're gonna stick with the original loop, less time on big lakes.
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