Hi Drew

Just placed my order! Looking forward to a good rainy day read.
 

Just put this question to Google's AI search, "Will AI's tendency to "hallucinate" incorrect information cause disenchantment by users?"

The answer I got was ...

Yes, user disenchantment is already actively occurring. While the initial wave of AI search was driven by novelty and convenience, users are experiencing a noticeable "trust hangover" as the real-world consequences of AI hallucinations become clear. 
   
1. The Steep Drop in "Helpfulness" Ratings
- Erosion of Trust: Data tracking user sentiment reveals that the percentage of consumers who find AI search more helpful than traditional search dropped from 82% down to 54%.
 - The Skeptic Growth: Over that same period, the camp of absolute AI skeptics grew sixfold. Only 19% of users currently say they fully trust AI search results, compared to 45% who trust traditional search engines.

2. The Scale of the Problem
 - The 10% Problem: Peer testing indicates that major systems like Google's AI Overviews have achieved a solid ~90% accuracy rate. However, because Google processes over 5 trillion searches annually, a 10% error rate means tens of millions of incorrect or hallucinated answers are generated every hour.
 - The Sourcing Paradox: Even when the AI's final answer is factually correct, studies show that over 50% of those summaries are "ungrounded," meaning the websites the AI links to as "sources" do not actually say or support what the AI claims they do. 

3. Faded Convenience and "Double Work"
 - Loss of Instant Gratification: Users initially loved AI search because it provided a frictionless, single-paragraph answer. Now, because users are aware that AI routinely fabricates things, 86% of users feel forced to manually verify AI claims against original source websites before accepting them.
 - Wasted Effort: Once a user has to double-check the AI's work by clicking the links anyway, the core value proposition of AI search—saving time—evaporates.           

4. High-Stakes Anxiety
- Da

This new form of search engine .. the clickless AI overview .. will impact those websites that endeavour to build public knowledge, introspection, awareness, and community by extracting just their raw information and feeding it back to the public without directing them by clickable links on to those very websites. Unfortunately, the general public won't realize what they are missing. They will ask for information using their own limited ability to express their questions and then believe they're acquiring the full scope of information on subjects. Unfortunately, they'll continue to "not know what they don't know" .. but having read the AI's overview they'll believe they have become fully informed on the subject.

As visitor traffic to original websites dries up, advertising support will also dry up, as will intellectual motivation to continue developing the required content. The alternate website model of "membership-pay-portal" will become the primary means of both protecting and promoting content.

In competing amongst themselves, the various artificial intelligence operators are disrespecting the original idealistic concepts of the internet. Ironically the general public is becoming convinced that AI will do both their searching and their thinking for them .. in other words allowing themselves to be "dumbed down" all the more!
 

I'm thinking the logic is that making a canoe "traceable" might impart a sense of "accountabiity" to anyone using that canoe in conjunction with unlawful activities ... like when a car leaves the scene of a crime ... "Did you get their licence plate number?"

FYI - I just realized one of my Hyundai's key fob's buttons has a "double-trouble" feature. One of its buttons not only unlocks the car, but if the same button is held down for a few seconds it'll lower the front windows. Finding this out brought a troubling scenario to mind .. lock up the car, throw the fob in a secure side pocket of the pack, walk over to the ready canoe and toss the pack in. Unrealized, the pack immediately gets pushed against the thwart and so does the key fob .. just beyond earshot, the car doors unlock and the windows lower! Five days later upon returning to an unsecured car it's discovered the storms that had recently pummelled the tent have also drenched the car's interior.

I just went through a similar experience with the car safe in the garage .. after which I researched the "double trouble feature" online. I'll be searching for a compact "fob-clamshell" in which to safely secure my key fob.

HA! I just went into the dashboard set-up feature and was able to deactive the "Remote Window Control" (by fob button) feature. But I don't think I can deactivate the basic "Remote Door Opening" (by fob button) feature.

Trying to determine which of the Opeongo South Arm campsites are closed on account of the June 2025 storm damage, and whether those closures are incorporated into the reservation system's reservable numbers.

I've been told that the new version of the official park map reflects the closure of the affected campsites. Has anyone seen the new map? Are the affected sites removed from or indicated on the map?

In my searching around online, I came across the following FaceBook post and image from August. It appears to show 18 impacted campsites.


And here are those campsites indicated on the Algonquin Adventures PCI sub-map (from "Jeff's Map") ...



Has anyone got any additional or updated information ... on either specific campsites or the reservation system?


 

"bheard" asked, "what about a sub-forum spot for such questions? Suggestions for places as classically backcountry but suitable for folks nursing injuries or just plain getting older."

Well, here it is! 

Drew (All of Algonquin) has just published his account of a morning's worth of checking out a number of brief hikes into the backcountry from Highway 60 .. https://allofalgonquin.com/2026/01/25/day-trippin-the-highway-60-blitz/
Reading his account reminded me of some "Highway 60" recollections of my own. Back many years ago, there were many more opportunities to pull a car off the asphalt and to hike north or south along many trails and portages.

Then the highway got "improved" with many blasted out hills, filled-in low spots, and miles of added guard rails. Unfortunately these "improvements" eliminated these opportunities to "pull-off-and-poke-around".

Amongst these "forgotten accesses" is a popular canoe route between Canisbay and Cache Lakes that actually crosses Highway 60, and belatedly got formal cuts built into its guard rails .. but without any opportunity for cars to drop-off or pick-up canoeists. There was also what seemed to have been an unofficial foot access to Heron Lake on the south side of Highway 60 just east of the West Gate, but a guard rail and grade change have eliminated that. And unloading a vehicle and its canoe directly to Sunday Creek from the south side of the highway isn't practical or safe any longer!

As I typed this forum post, I searched out some of these "accesses" using "Google Earth" and checked out Drew's hikes. This exercise took me back to the early '90's when I participated in a number of the guided interpretive hikes conducted by park naturalists. I recall that some of them were conducted along trails starting from Highway 60 without marked accesses .. some located on the opposite side of the highway from formal interpretive trails.

I wonder how many people these days are poking around these unmarked or poorly marked nooks and crannies? Have any others recently discovered overlooked little gems along Highway 60?

My gear has been accumulated in over three decades. I have a viable 3 season bag and I do have a viable fleece inner bag.  I'm looking to replace my old summer bag (with long-gone labelling) and simply want to keep the 'packing-bulk' down. 

As for water filtering, I have an MSR MiniWorks Pumping Filter that's approaching the point of needing a new filter and I'd appreciate any experience-based recommendations for more compact alternatives.

Other than that, I'm pretty well equipped with light equipment.