| Where In Algonquin? » Where in Algonquin #Mario Lemieux » 10/12/2016 12:11 pm |
Wow. Next time I'm up I'm going to post one of those impossible pictures. I guess I make them too easy.
You got it, Treater, right off the bat.
And no cell towers in sight, Swede! That's a big reason for me to venture into the interior...unwind and unplug!
| Where In Algonquin? » Where in Algonquin #Mario Lemieux » 10/12/2016 11:38 am |
Big water is seldom seen so serene. Hopefully the image quality is good enough.
| Where In Algonquin? » Where in Algonquin? #65 » 10/12/2016 9:38 am |
Ragged Falls?
| Trip Planning » Crow River Rapids and Portages » 9/21/2016 12:51 pm |
Have done the route a couple of times and have portaged the 1220m and 385m portages and then run the rest...but those were May trips with higher water levels. I would expect that autumn levels will be substantially lower unless you are graced with soaking weather in the coming weeks. As such, the shorter portages may be quite boney and rock-filled. One option is to scrape your way along; second option is to line the canoe but cooler water temps will call for good, high waterproof footwear; third option would be to float as much as you can and occasionally step out with one or both feet to lighten the load, fourth option is to portage.
Spending the first night on Big Crow and getting an early start would make portaging most of the rapids a relatively easy affair - although still a substantial day of six or seven hours of travel. You shouldn't have to worry about wind until you hit Crow Bay and even that has many protected routes to get through. If you want to plow through from Opeongo to Lavieille after an early water taxi...I can tell you from experience it is a long and difficult slog in good weather and will teach you a lesson in bad weather!
The route is beautiful with a great mix of broad river, confined river and open lake travel - a true classic Algonquin trip. Enjoy the heck out of it!
| Catch-all Discussions » Weather Forecast websites » 9/13/2016 7:22 am |
I take the weather reports with a grain of salt. I typically look at theweathernetwork's website in advance of a trip but when I do there are several caveats:
1. I only "trust" the weather report out to about 48 hours...anything beyond two days suffers and immense drop-off in accuracy and will likely change. Something 5 or 6 days out it generally a crap shoot. Beyond that is plain absurd. As evidence of that, here's the forecast from today that shows substantially different conditions than you referenced...
2. I look at the POP and wind estimates. The probability of precipitation tells you that, under these conditions, you would expect to receive precipitation X% of the times these conditions occur. So an 60% POP means that you will probably have some precipitation in 60% of the situations...not that it will rain 60% of the time. These also are a bit of voodoo science trying to apply specific numeric indicators to what is a very fluid and transitioning process. The wind predictions are also locally variant so that they are a general guide and not a hard and fast prediction by any means.
In the end, we live far enough away that we prepare for the worst possible conditions and cope with whatever we are dealt. I could hardly imagine a circumstance where I would cancel a trip due to the forecast, as I have read many others' accounts of making those decisions. For me, part of the enjoyment of the outdoors is experiencing them in a variety of circumstances and conditions...and sometimes that includes getting lemons and making lemonade.
Any wind prediction under about 20 Km/hr would not prevent me from taking a trip...although I would evaluate the conditions that I observe on the lake on that day and make a judgement call on "we can safely do this" or "let's wait this out until conditions improve". I have read accounts of individuals who are quite wary of paddling in the wind; for them, I
| Trip Planning » Input needed for portage route » 9/08/2016 2:55 pm |
Whatever the source of that map is, destroy it and get Jeff's map. Jeff's map is also great for online trip planning with access to it through his website in the previous post. In the field, the printed maps are waterproof and float. You will be highly satisfied!!
| Trip Planning » Input wanted - Achray weekend » 9/07/2016 6:45 am |
You also could consider staying at one of the string of campsites on the peninsula at the very bottom of Grand Lake and doing short trips from there up Carcajou or through Johnson and Berm Lakes. The grand peninsula was long used as by native inhabitants before the arrival of European settlers.
You're also a short paddle from the one pictograph (not too difficult to locate on a vertical rock face right near the water, but also not a massive mural...more like one little red image). Additionally, you will be a short paddle from the location of the "Jack Pine" painting done by Tom Thomson in the early 20th century. There is a beach there for swimming...if it's a warm day it could be worth a dip but watch out for sharp mussel shells in the shallow, sandy bottom.
Stratton Lake can prove a difficult paddle on a return trip if the wind has whipped up but the narrows between the two large lakes are quiet and serene.
| Trip Planning » Input needed for portage route » 9/06/2016 12:42 pm |
Sorry, when I wrote "motors" I meant "motorboats" (of limited HP) are permitted on that lake. You see the little motorboat icon on Jeff's map? That's the tip-off; as well as that it is connected to Cache Lake which has full access including a ramp as well as many cabins.
And I think RobW might be onto something. We went to Bonnechere in a day and I was about done. We could have gone farther but it felt good to stop. We at lunch on Big Porcupine and travelled in a fairly leisurely manner that day with a group of six including three kids.
| Trip Planning » Input needed for portage route » 9/06/2016 11:27 am |
Hi Pazmore,
Welcome to the forum. The route you selected looks great. It will be nice, full days on day one and two and then an easy finish.
One thing I would consider altering would be to paddle around the peninsula in Big Porcupine - but I prefer to paddle instead of portage. That's a day with five or six portages already...the loading/unloading gets a little monotonous after a while and if you can eliminate a pair of those events (as well as giving your legs a longer rest after the portage from Ragged to Big Porcupine) you might see it as a positive.
The other consideration would be to spend that last night on Little Island lake - it will have a slightly more interior feel than Tanamakoon might (allows motors, camp on the lake, easy access).
| Fishing » American Eel in the Park » 8/31/2016 6:56 am |
That would be a remarkable feat for an eel...I believe there are at least three dams downstream of that point that they would have had to jump over.
What did they look like? Size, color, environment seen in?
| Campsite Cooking » The Mysteries of Powdered Eggs » 8/23/2016 6:04 am |
You would have to nearly double the recipe when going from a 6" pan to an 8" pan. Area of 6" pan is 113 square inches and area of an 8" pan is 201 square inches. That's why it always pays to get the large pizza...the additional surface area associated with a small increase in radius or diameter is deceptively large!
We've had similar issues but the end result is something sweet and chocolatey...so it's never a total flop!
| Trip Planning » Trail from St Andrews Lake to Water slide » 7/25/2016 5:58 am |
We've camped on St. Andrews and have always taken the short portage to Stratton and then paddled down to the busy and easily identifiable trail to the falls at the lower end of Stratton. It makes it easier if you choose a campsite on St. Andrews closer to the portage to Stratton...there are two or three nice ones there, a couple with a beach and the point one is quite spacious and tree-covered.
| History » Tom Thomson presentation at Achray » 7/18/2016 11:04 am |
I so wish I was closer than the 750 miles that are presently between me and Achray. I would have loved to hear your first-hand account and observations - especially with the two perspectives of Bob and Diana which are so unique from one another!
| Campsite Cooking » Dehydrated and dry food vs real food » 7/18/2016 10:54 am |
I love this topic because it opens up my eyes to the variety of alternatives out there. While the original post is somewhat old, the information in it never is!
We usually do trips that have at least three or four portages on the first day (and as many as eight) and have never done one of the "exterior" interior trips so our approach is more concerned about weight reduction. That being said, the only fresh meat we have brought would be for the first night or the next morning - pork loin, steaks, bacon or sausage - that were frozen and wrapped in newspaper then stored in the center of the pack. We've arrived at a site and the center of the meat is still frozen so this could easily last into the second or third day (or even longer) with better insulation and weather conditions. So our ratio of "fresh" to "dehydrated" is probably 15% to 85% (although it's probably 30% to 70% by weight since fresh food is so heavy). We occasionally bring chicken or tuna in a foil pack for some dishes - but that doesn't require any special storage conditions.
We use a set of small drybags for food that are fit into the backpacks - I've never owned a barrel and am not particularly interested due to their fixed dimensions (not crushable or pliable) and also the extra weight. We use a system of lightweight, cheap color-coordinated bags from WalMart - one small blue one for breakfasts, orange ones for lunch and green ones for dinners. We pack those into a single drybag backpack to hoist over a tree limb for the evening using a nifty pulley system to make it easy.
We have evolved our meals into more home-made dehydrated items over the years - we used to do freeze-dried and rice dishes (rice-a-roni was a staple for us in the 70's) but now mix it up a great deal. Spaghetti is an easy meal - and easy to dehydrate the sauce at home so it's a simple, lightweight meal that can easily be enhanced with a block of parmesan cheese shaved over the top (and adding a little dehydrated
| Campsite Cooking » Recipe - Unstuffed Stuffed Peppers » 7/11/2016 11:11 am |
1/2 Cup dried or instant Rice
1/4 Cup ground beef, dried (salt, pepper and any other seasoning you'd like during browning)
1/4 Cup bell peppers, dried
1/4 Cup tomato sauce leather, tightly packed
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 Cups water
At home: Pack Parmesan and tomato sauce leather separately in small plastic bags. Enclose in a large plastic bag with rice, ground beef and peppers.
On the trail: Combine all ingredients except Parmesan cheese in a pot with the water and soak for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil and cook with the lid on for one minute. Remove pot from stove and wait ten minutes (in a cozy, if you have one). Stir in Parmesan cheese, serve on a plate or in a bowl.
| Trip Planning » Big Trout to Shippagew - which portage route is better? » 7/11/2016 11:02 am |
I've walked the P1335 from Longer to Shippagew and it was a routine portage - nothing too steep or difficult. The 300 between Big Trout and Longer is level and a simple straight shot. I've never done the Blue Lake route though. This really is a case of 6 in one, half a dozen in the other.
The only argument against the Blue Lake route is that you are doing two "climbs" up to 421 and 427m elevation. The Longer Lake route has one "substantial" climb and I don't really count the P300 as a climb since it's so flat.
| Equipment » Posion Ivy on your Gear » 7/11/2016 6:49 am |
A good scrub with a wet washcloth of the suspected oil-carrying product should work. The real trick in your case is identifying the carrier of that invisible oil. This video is exceptionally revealing of the nature of the oil...
