| Trip Planning » ONLY 6 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL "ALL ABOARD" ON THE WHITE P EXPRESS!! » 4/30/2017 6:34 pm |
boknows wrote:
Yup, steak,beverage, potato, sour cream, steak sauce, and salad will be awaiting!
My previous night's dinner will be something I re-hydrated in a bag. To say I'm going to enjoy that steak is a massive understatement. You rock Bo!
| Trip Planning » ONLY 6 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL "ALL ABOARD" ON THE WHITE P EXPRESS!! » 4/30/2017 1:03 pm |
See you there on Sunday!
| Where In Algonquin? » # 137 » 4/29/2017 9:59 am |
Nadine.
| Equipment » FYI: Tent City (Toronto) closing » 4/28/2017 8:33 am |
MEC has always been my 'go-to' store for most of my gear, but they have, for me at least, some holes in what they carry. I used to go to LeBaron to fill those gaps, but they went out of a business last year. Sad to see the options keep dwindling.
| Trip Planning » My first trip » 4/27/2017 2:59 pm |
Hey Daniele,
You'll have a great time I'm sure! Generally speaking the deeper you get into the park, especially once you're over a longer portage or two, the fewer people you'll encounter. With two or three nights there's only so far you can get, especially if you're not experienced paddlers and will want to plan conservatively.
So with only two or three nights, the best way to find seclusion is to start at an access point that's already somewhat off the beaten path. If you're willing to drive to the far North of the park, launching from Brent (access point 27, Cedar Lake) will get you away from the madness that is the Highway 60 corridor in August. You could work your way up the Petawawa to Catfish Lake for a couple of nights then return the same way, or travel from Catfish to the Nipissing and work your way down the river back to Cedar.
Catfish in August won't be empty by any stretch of the imagination, but it will be far more peaceful than anything you could get to from more commonly used access points and is a beautiful lake. And if you travel back down via the Nipissing then that will give you good chances for wildlife viewing. The tradeoff is that this access point can be a very long drive depending on where you're coming from. From Toronto it's about a 6 hour drive. It sounds like you're going to need to rent everything, so you'll need to arrange that in advance if you want to use this access point:
Algonquin Outfitters has been operating the Brent Store since 1982. Outfitting, canoe rentals and supplies for camping trips are all available at Brent. Advance reservations (minimum four weeks) are highly recommended for any rental or outfitting package.
| Trip Planning » Shall Lake Trip - May 4-7 » 4/27/2017 10:53 am |
Same to you!
MartinG was just here at my office (picking up a GoPro) and his group is heading through Annie Bay to Booth's on the 5th, but a few hours behind me (assuming I keep my booking as it currently stands). Looks like I'll probably just miss seeing two different AA'ers in the span of a single day.
| Trip Planning » P3565 Little Madawaska River » 4/26/2017 3:35 pm |
I've got Jeff's map loaded on my phone, which, aside from listening to music, will be the one other purpose it serves on this trip - to figure out where to bushwhack back to the dam. It seems quite a few people have done this, sort of surprised nobody's marked a route with flagging tape by now.
| Trip Planning » P3565 Little Madawaska River » 4/26/2017 3:20 pm |
Well you just worried the crap outta me.
I haven't been, no - but that's going to change in about two weeks when my trip has me heading from Radiant to Philip. My research didn't turn up much about that portage. I found a Larry Hyett video covering that stretch (and I exchanged some messages on Facebook with him asking for more information), but they hopped on the logging road where it intersects the river (or possibly even from Radiant itself - didn't clarify that), so we didn't discuss the start of that 3565m portage since he was never on it.
My own plan was to take the 3565 as far as the bridge then take the logging road the rest of the way and then bushwhacking as you did around the dam area (as Larry did as well). Now you've got me wondering if I should just say to hell with it and take the road from the get go. I really won't want to be wading the Madawaska in early May... my legs are going numb just thinking about it.
Boknows might know something. He chimed in on that stretch in my own trip planning thread. I'm going to double-check what I can find online because you've got me worried.
Edit: and Bo posted while I was still typing away. Did you find tthe portage start difficult to find? How long has it been since you've been that way?
| Trip Planning » Shall Lake Trip - May 4-7 » 4/26/2017 12:50 pm |
I get the feeling "bring some fishing rods" would be your advice for any possible destination Bo, including the nearest mud puddle ;)
| Trip Planning » Shall Lake Trip - May 4-7 » 4/26/2017 12:22 pm |
Hrm, I suppose that means we could run into each other on Round Island on the 5th, if I get there early enough and you leave late enough. I definitely plan on getting an early start, but as I'm coming all the way from Annie Bay, there's probably not much chance you'll still be hanging 'round when I get there.
I've been debating changing Annie Bay to Booth's for the 4th, however, and in that case you just may run into me on Round Island if you're not an early bird.
| Trip Planning » Shall Lake Trip - May 4-7 » 4/26/2017 11:44 am |
I'll miss you on Round Island by a day - I'll be there on the 5th. Leave me some firewood ;)
| Trip Planning » Kinda ticked » 4/26/2017 8:46 am |
Yeah, I'm fortunate enough to not have to play games with my interior reservations, since I'm not staying on any of the easy-access lakes anyway. Many times I don't even bother with reservations and just book when I get to the permit office.
My experience with car camping bookings, especially at busy parks, it's that you pretty much have to play those games to get a 'preferred' site. It means you get multiple chances at your preferred sites on your preferred dates, instead of only one shot at it.
The other way is to be on the lookout every day, multiple times a day, for sites that suddenly become available when others who have used that trick call in to shorten their stays. You more or less know when that's going to happen since the longer they wait, the more it'll cost them, so it just means a week or so of close monitoring at the right time for your preferred dates. I booked 3 nights in the Pinery to take my family camping this July that way (my daughter is 18 months old, so not quite ready for the Algonquin interior yet!). I got a great site about as close to the beach as they come.
| Catch-all Discussions » So when does the ice-out prediction conversation start??? » 4/26/2017 8:02 am |
All my worry and obsessing over the ice-out, and it turned out to be the exact date I picked a month ago in the AO ice-out contest. Next year I'm just gonna pick a date and then sit back, confident I can't possibly be wrong.
I didn't win anything since 29 other people also picked the right date, but then what would I have done with $25 off a rental anyway?
| Sell and Swap » FS: GoPro Hero 3 Black with 12 batteries » 4/25/2017 7:01 pm |
Can't think of a person I'd rather sell it to!
Will message you.
| Sell and Swap » FS: GoPro Hero 3 Black with 12 batteries » 4/25/2017 6:43 pm |
If anyone's looking for a waterproof camera to film some backcountry adventures, I have a Hero 3 black edition I'm not using, complete with the waterproof casing, the skeleton door too if you want it (I never used it so may have to hunt it up), a dozen batteries, the charger for those batteries, the relevant cable(s), a mount or two, and if you want a memory card I'll throw one in there.
Sorry I realize this is a somewhat lazy post but the upshot is I'll sell it for cheap, as long as it's to an AA member who registered before today. On kijiji they tend to go around the $300 mark, but I see one as low as $259, so I'll sell this for $200. And if you're interested and want the specifics of everything included first, then I'll dig everything up to give you the details.
Oh and if you promise to post up at least one trip report video that involves some footage from the GoPro, I'll knock another $25 off!
| Catch-all Discussions » So when does the ice-out prediction conversation start??? » 4/25/2017 3:34 pm |
The Friends of Algonquin Park just reported today as "ice out" day! HAPPY CAMPING EVERYONE!!
-------------Official 2017 Ice Out Date Recorded for Algonquin Park — High winds and heavy rain caused Lake Opeongo, Algonquin Park's largest lake, to shed its ice cover today (April 25, 2017), just slightly earlier than the average ice out date of April 28 (1964 to 2016). Technically, the official ice out date for Algonquin Park is recorded when a boat can safely navigate from the Lake Opeongo Access Point to the Happy Isle Portage in the North Arm of Lake Opeongo. Ice out has ranged from as early as March 29 (2012) to as late as May 15 (1972). For more details see
| Equipment » NoBugZone by Eureka » 4/25/2017 9:38 am |
I'm sure it's just a trick of the light, but the picture on the box makes it look like the mesh comes pre-ripped!
I know I could google it, but you mention the new design shaved "several pounds" off the weight. Just how heavy is it?
