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5/13/2017 8:50 pm  #1


Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Part 2 is now up, which is my return trip from Round Island via a logging road (no, that was most definitely not the original trip plan). I got a YouTube notice about  including a copyrighted song that "may" result in ads being shown. I thought I used only creative commons music, so not sure what's up with that. Please let me know if you get bombarded by ads watching the vid and I'll rework it to remove that song. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2eL87-lTdc

 

5/13/2017 10:33 pm  #2


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

It says its private.  Good job on part one.

 

5/14/2017 7:02 am  #3


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Oops. Fixed!

     Thread Starter
 

5/14/2017 8:36 am  #4


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Wow!!
Kind of a "Murphy's Law" trip.

Glad you got out safe

 

5/14/2017 11:00 am  #5


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

That grin was well deserved!

 

5/14/2017 11:02 am  #6


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

I'm guessing Round Island is not high on your list of lakes to revisit. In spite of how this trip turned out for you, I'm still incredibly disappointed that my trip starting on the same weekend was cancelled. All experiences are unique. This one will serve to inform future trips. I hope we cross paths again. GREAT videos! I will definitely make a video to share with AA! Thanks you again for the camera! You might just have to wait until the fall.

 

5/14/2017 5:57 pm  #7


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Do you have an app with Jeff's Maps on your phone? Can you actually see your location directly on the map when you open it up? 

 

5/14/2017 6:42 pm  #8


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Yes. Download Avenza maps on the App Store. Search jeffs map. You can get the temagami, Killarney and Algonquin maps and they work with the iPhone GPS to show you exactly where you are. Very cool. If you don't use iPhone it's also available for android. Go to the jeffs map homepage and click on the free download tab. 

 

5/16/2017 8:32 am  #9


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Yep, what Jdbonney said. 

I've never taken a GPS on a camping trip, and usually I don't even have Jeff's map loaded on my phone. The time of year and the forecast had me especially nervous about this trip, however, so I took more precautions than usual, which turned out to be a really fortunate decision. I had to whip out the phone a few times on this trip, both when paddling my 'accidental rapids', and on portages when the path forward wasn't at all obvious. It's safe to say I'm always going to keep room on my phone for that map from now on. 

     Thread Starter
 

5/16/2017 11:43 am  #10


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Uppa, that's some crazy stuff man. Enjoyed the reports! I finally finished the 2nd part. It's too bad it wasn't the exact trip you wanted, but at the same time you still managed to get out there and get through it all unscathed. I bet you thanked your foresight for the extra sweater over 100 times on that trip - good call.

The best part about this trip, will be your future ones this year. They’ll feel like a warm breeze when you think back to this trip.
 

 

5/16/2017 12:15 pm  #11


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Thanks Peek!

Yeah, I think the biggest takeaway for me is to stop stressing over the forecast leading up to a trip. I genuinely enjoyed myself despite the conditions being miserable, and it's not likely I'll ever encounter much worse than that in Algonquin. 

Although I also have a piece of your advice to thank for my trip enjoyment. I'm paraphrasing here, but it went something like "bring lots of alcohol". I had no shortage of whiskey to help pass my tentbound time!

     Thread Starter
 

5/17/2017 7:34 am  #12


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

lol. I live by the 'I'd rather come home with a little extra versus run out while out there - as there is no 'I'm headed to the lcbo, I'll be back in 10'' rule of thumb. 

Glad you made the most of it Bob - that's what it's all about. Sometimes will be good, sometimes will be great, then there will be times you just want to go. But I find that feeling passes, so long as I can occupy myself with something.

By the way. I've wanted to visit Round Island for several years now. Forgetting everything about the weather - would you go back there? 

 

 

5/17/2017 8:26 am  #13


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Peek wrote:

By the way. I've wanted to visit Round Island for several years now. Forgetting everything about the weather - would you go back there? 

 

The portages to it out of Booth aren't in great shape. Not just the blowdowns, there were a few times when I just flat-out couldn't determine where the trail was. For a good 100 meters on one of those portages I was bushwacking with no idea if I was going the right way (it was light bush at least). I chatted with Larry Hyett and he had the same experience. He actually commented on my first vid with these words:

We started that series of portages into Round Island from the campsite right at the bottom of the first portage and it was one of the most exhausting days I've ever had. You did that and paddled in from Annie Bay. You must've been totally wiped. We got lost a few times on those portages too. We had to pull out the GPS to figure out which way to go. Lots of animal trails that look like portages.

But the answer is yes, I'll be going back. Despite staying on Round Island for four nights I barely got to see it. I was exhausted when I came in, it was raining or snowing almost the entire time I was there, and it was snowing when I paddled out. 

But I won't be going back this year - need time to forget the pain first!

 

     Thread Starter
 

5/17/2017 9:43 am  #14


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

That's very disappointing to hear that the portages from Booth to Round Island Lake are in poor shape.   It's been at least 20 years since I have done that route and I do not recall any problems getting through that section.   It was a four day trip from the Shall Lake access point that took us through McKaskill, Dickson, White Partridge, White Partridge Creek, Lavielle, Round Island Lake and Booth.   There would have been some blowdowns as it was an early season trip but given the large amount of portaging and short time available, we would have been hooped if there had been any substantially bad portages along the route.

 

5/17/2017 10:01 am  #15


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

To be fair, they'll be a lot better once someone goes through and clears the blow downs and things dry up a bit. It was the combination of walking over/pulling over/scrambling around blow downs, dealing with flooding, mud and muck, and occasionally not knowing where the path was that made them so rough. I started the 1975m from Booth around 2:15 and didn't reach my Round Island campsite until sometime after 8 PM. I mostly single carry, and I took no breaks of more than a couple minutes in length.

The 650m from Presto to Marshy should probably be identified as two separate portages divided by Presto Creek though. The creek was deep enough that I had to paddle across it - I don't think that's drying out any time soon.

 

     Thread Starter
 

5/17/2017 3:19 pm  #16


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

I finally got to watch part two, and it's fantastic. Love that we both ended up walking out logging roads that week. Congrats on finishing your long portage. 

What do you use to shoot and edit your videos?

 

5/17/2017 4:56 pm  #17


Re: Part 2 (of 2): 6 Day Solo, Opeongo - Round Island

Thanks! And yeah, when I read on your part two that you'd portaged out a logging road I was actually laughing. It was just that kind of weekend.

Two cameras went on this trip. The majority of the filming was with a Panasonic Lumix TS5. It's the waterproof camera I have attached with a suction cup mount to my kayak. I'm quite happy with it, although after last summer's inaugural trip with it, I don't entirely trust its "waterproof" claim. The two times I actually put it under the water, a short time later the lens was so fogged up (on the inside mind you) it was practically useless until I gave it time to dry out in the sun. It's more 'water resistant', but a complete dunking won't destroy it. 

The other camera (not waterproof) on this trip was a Sony DSC-RX100 III. It was my experiment with replacing an SLR with a much smaller and lighter camera. I liked it, and it's going to keep coming instead of my SLR, primarily for weight and bulk reasons. 

The video editing software I use is CyberLink PowerDirector 15. I was using something else last year and it had some flaws that were driving me nuts, so I bought PowerDirector on a boxing day sale, and I have to say I'm very happy with it. It seems to go on deep sale regularly, so don't pay its (ridiculous) full price if you're in the market. 

     Thread Starter
 

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