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3/07/2016 11:04 pm  #1


2 options for July trip. Pros? Cons?

So we have potential for a July trip with what could be up to 8 guys. All relatively fit, like minded individuals. Varying canoe trip experience from veteran to first timer. Poor bastards. Lol. 1st route I'm looking at leaves Rain lake and sees the first night on Misty Forks. Get the long day out of the way.  From there head to Sunbeam,  Brule and islet for night 2 , 3 and 4 returning via Rain. Day 3 Brule to islet Will be a grunt for portaging albeit short mileage wise.

Secondly I'm thinking of taking off from the AO oxtongue dock and heading up stream on the river , crossing 60 at park lake to first night on hilly. From there tanamakoon, upper/lower twin falls downstream on the oxtongue from canoe and night 4 just upstream from ragged at gravel falls.  Allows for some shorter days and a stop at canoe lake for lunch and a beverage.

Any suggestion or input appreciated. The only stretch of the 2nd route I haven't paddled multiple times is south of 60 to smoke. Otherwise I have a good idea of what to expect.

The first is more remote but requires allot of grunt work. I feel the second offers a few challenges for the intermediate  guys and breaks in the newbies without being too harsh.

 

3/08/2016 10:12 am  #2


Re: 2 options for July trip. Pros? Cons?

OK well first of all could you clarify, on the second option, what would be the route from Tanamakoon to Canoe?

Regardless though, I like the first option better. Particularly for a peak summer season trip. In July Camp Tanamakoon (and Pathfinder if you're going through Source) will be in session, Smoke and Canoe Lakes will be full of cottagers, and all access points will be active. I mean, we all have our preferences. Personally I don't like passing through multiple access lakes and "frontcountry" areas deep into a canoe trip, especially in Algonquin where there are so many options that avoid this. Granted the first route is more portage heavy but I find portages weigh all the more heavily on my shoulders when they don't even get me any farther into the backcountry. Like I say it's a personal thing -- some people just like the activity of paddling or the park scenery, and are perfectly happy to paddle parallel to Highway 60 among cottagers and day trippers -- but I worry you might be selling the first timer(s) short if their first Algonquin experience involves paddling and portaging canoes to places that others are clearly driving cars and motorboats to... all the classic canoe country portaging without the classic canoe country solitude.

So, needless to say, I like the first route better. For the reasons I just described and because it'll be a good area for wildlife in July. But perhaps it can be tweaked to make it a little more humane? Is there a reason you want to camp on Islet Lake specifically (bass fishing, perhaps)? If not, you could cut down on long portages by skipping it, and travelling from Cranebill to Rain via Moccasin and Jubilee. And just so you're not backtracking, spend the first day travelling to Misty via Daisy and the Petawawa. If you do make that change, consider whether you want to keep Rain as your start/end point or switch it to Magnetawan.

As you may know, "Misty Forks" is just part of Misty Lake for reservation purposes, so you can decide how far east on the lake to camp based on how the day goes.

Last edited by DanPM (3/08/2016 10:13 am)

 

3/08/2016 5:15 pm  #3


Re: 2 options for July trip. Pros? Cons?

All valid points. Will put it to a vote a see what happens. I particularly like the more remote  option. The low maintenance  ports through Cranebill  have been my nemesis on a few trips a in that area. We have done the one from lily pond however we always find an excuse to by pass the one to hot as we are heading toward daisy or mag access. I figured if we booked islet we would have no choice. Never been to islet so I would like to knock that off the list. I know the group will lean toward the other loop as we all know where AO is and will be arriving at different time through the night.  Nice to have some familiarity  when arriving late and accommodation of tent cabins awaiting. I'm going to look and see what else I could put together rather than camping on tanamakoon. Maybe little island. Looping back to canoe via source for the sake of the loop. Doesn't really make sense but oh well. Will let you know how the vote goes  . Thanks for input.

     Thread Starter
 

3/08/2016 6:37 pm  #4


Re: 2 options for July trip. Pros? Cons?

Shayne74 wrote:

So we have potential for a July trip with what could be up to 8 guys. All relatively fit, like minded individuals. Varying canoe trip experience from veteran to first timer.

Either way, sounds like you'll be covering a lot of ground. Be sure the newbies are up to it. Being fit doesn't necessarily mean they are up to a hard canoe trip. Their canoeing muscle groups may not be conditioned to the long hours you are planning.
 


Dave
 

3/08/2016 9:34 pm  #5


Re: 2 options for July trip. Pros? Cons?

Definitely.  We spend allot of time together mountainbiking and road cycling and running.  I have a pretty good idea of what it's gonna take. All these guys have it. They enjoy suffering lol.

     Thread Starter
 

3/08/2016 9:50 pm  #6


Re: 2 options for July trip. Pros? Cons?

Shayne74 wrote:

Looping back to canoe via source for the sake of the loop. Doesn't really make sense but oh well.

I think routing "for the sake of the loop" does make sense -- it's always more fun to cover additional waters than to backtrack. That's why when I suggested rerouting the return leg of option 1 through Jubilee, I also suggested routing the outbound leg through Daisy and the Pet, so you're never retracing your steps. Still, in the option 2 case, it does make for even more access lakes, summer camps and highway crossings.

If the convenience of a Highway 60 start is a factor, you could do a trip starting at Canoe Lake that goes into much of the same area as option 1. You'd still start out amid motorboats and camp kids for the first day, but at least the newbies could experience the gradual transition from cottage country to wilderness over the course of the day's progress.

 

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