You might consider taking the water taxi up Opeongo and have them drop you off at Hailstorm Bay so you can paddle up Hailstorm Creek. You'll see some decent scenery on the way, cover  a lot of area and have a very high likelihood of seeing moose in the creek and wetland. AO runs a day trip pkg to that area specifically for moose watching. If you want an easy portage, head into Happy Isle for the night and have the taxi pick you up the next morning. Efficient use of your time, see a lot and very good chance of moose sightings. Also some classic AP sites on HI.

Sure did.  Close encounter with moose, spectacular fall colours, intense off-trial hike, fantastic fish shore lunch and great photos.
Also, two intense wolf howls over the past two weeks, eagles, fishing, great weather - what a perfect fall so far.

Sounds like a great trip/experience!  Any pics or video to share ?

Well in the meantime, can you tell us where you ended up going, what kind of fish you caught and where you hiked to?

DanPM wrote:

Well in the meantime, can you tell us where you ended up going, what kind of fish you caught and where you hiked to?

 
Tim Lake for colour, off-trail hiking and shore lunch, highway 60 for moose and hiking Track and Tower trail.

I scouted Rain Lake a couple of days in advance, camped and hiked the railway line, but I concluded that a moose sighting was unlikely.

My wife and I found a couple of gem spots, before and after that weekend, that I'm keeping to myself for now