Trip Planning » Both Lavielle and Dickson closed for the whole season? » 3/10/2017 4:54 pm |
Even if its reach doesn't extend beyond Lavieille and Dickson (and I know Lavieille isn't a given at this point), that makes for a very difficult passage through that part of the park. There are no other lakes nearby other than tiny ones with 2-3 campsites. Getting a campsite on Little Dickson will suddenly be on par with trying to book Joe Lake for a long weekend.
I'm not suggesting the park has to "do something" - realistically there's nothing to do. But if the Spring flyover confirms Lavieille isn't (yet?) infected beyond Hardy's Bay, I'm definitely booking a couple nights there as soon as possible. This will be the third year in a row Dickson is unavailable for camping. It'd be a shame if Lavieille ends up shut down the for the next half decade. I'd like to go say 'so long for now' just in case!
Trip Planning » Both Lavielle and Dickson closed for the whole season? » 3/10/2017 9:42 am |
I tweeted Algonquin Park and got a response almost immediately.
Catch-all Discussions » Merely a Lurker No Longer » 3/09/2017 3:36 pm |
Welcome guys! Always happy to see lurkers come out of the woodwork!
Trip Planning » Both Lavielle and Dickson closed for the whole season? » 3/09/2017 10:07 am |
I noticed the same thing yesterday on the online reservations system. I mentioned it here and in a couple of Algonquin facebook groups, wondering if there had been a notice posted somewhere or if anyone had some inside info. Nobody seems to know anything.
Trip Planning » 9-day Spring solo - now reworked to be even worse! » 3/08/2017 12:04 pm |
Hrm. I was checking out the possible route change on the online booking site, and aside from the usual "beyond a reasonable travel time" nonsense that means I can almost never actually use the online booking option, I just noticed that Lavieille is unbookable on any date (along with Dickson). I guess the blue-green algae spread, or perhaps they're just playing it safe?
In either case, I'm not going to bank on a route I may not be allowed to book, so I'll stick with my originally planned route (which is similar to this, just out of Opeongo instead and doesn't involve Lavieille).
Thanks for the help folks!
Trip Planning » Portages in early Spring - what's the worst you've encountered? » 3/08/2017 11:59 am |
Yeah, I think Peek stole the show. Way to stick with it!
It sounds though that Peek's experience was the exception and the usual portage experience, even in early Spring, is just the occasional blowdown. Which matches what I've always encountered, but good to have some confirmation, even if it's just through the lack of horror stories!
Where In Algonquin? » Whereis this #108 » 3/07/2017 11:01 am |
Upper Kawa.
Campsite Cooking » what kind/brand of freeze dried to you like and why? » 3/07/2017 10:38 am |
I have a few favorites that have stayed that way for years, like Mountain House Chili Mac.
2-3 years ago MEC started carrying AlpineAire. I can honestly say that after having tried many of them since that time, I've enjoyed every single kind I've tried. It's definitely my go-to brand now.
Trip Planning » Portages in early Spring - what's the worst you've encountered? » 3/07/2017 9:45 am |
This seems trip planning related to me, but please move the thread if I should have posted it somewhere else. Planning for early Spring trips can require extra care, as the weather, the water temps, and the portages themselves can all be unpleasant.
I've done quite a few 'ice out' camping trips in Algonquin, heading into the park within the first couple weeks after the ice going out. Generally speaking that means the portages haven't yet been cleared, and that can definitely add a speed bump to your travel plans. But I've never encountered anything significant. I'd say the worst I've run into was the 2.4 K portage between Tom Thomson and Ink a few years ago, where I had at least three significant blowdowns to climb over / under / find a way around. But I'm wondering if any of you have encountered conditions that had a significant impact on your travel plans, or added a huge amount of time to your day. There are notes on Jeff's Map in places that say things like "... trail decimated by a wind storm... impassable" so I know such things can happen - but have you personally encountered portages that were in truly rough shape?
If you've got any horror stories, I'd love to hear them!
Trip Planning » 9-day Spring solo - now reworked to be even worse! » 3/07/2017 9:33 am |
Thanks for the feedback folks. Heavy wind is more of an annoyance in a kayak than a showstopper (and this is mostly a river trip anyway), but yes - the big wild card in the equation is the state of the portages. If I were to encounter portages littered with fallen trees, I could definitely fail to keep to my schedule, and have no easier days to claw that distance back.
'State of portages in the Spring' seems like a good topic for a new thread, so I'm going to post it. Would like to hear some horror stories of the worst you've encountered.
@basil: Aside from the first night's dinner I eat nothing but dehydrated, yeah (and snacks, trail mix, etc). No fancy cooking for me. I boil water on a twig stove, that's it. I can fit 9 days' food in my bearvault (with very careful packing). Well really it's more like 7 days' food, since the first night's dinner is eaten before I ever toss that into the bush, and the last morning I'm probably just munching on whatever happens to be left before heading for the exit.
@Martin: good to know. I've only used AO up until now for some reason, not sure why I've never given OO a try.
@UpTheCreek: thanks for the info. I was in as far as McKaskill last Spring so I know the Dove/Shrew portage (walked it both directions). It's definitely harder on the way back, yeah.
Equipment » rain gear???? » 3/07/2017 9:20 am |
I was just yanking your chain, although I never take jeans camping myself. They're heavy, don't keep you terribly warm (especially if you want to think about a warmth to weight ratio) and once they get wet they're useless and will take forever to dry. I've seen more than one pair of soaking wet blue jeans abandoned at a portage. Of course that requires you to get them wet in the first place, and you're clearly very careful about avoiding that!
Since I can always pull on my spray skirt for warmth as well as dryness when paddling, hiking pants suit me just fine even on the shoulder seasons, but I'd think a thin pair of long underwear underneath hiking pants would be better in just about every way than a pair of jeans, no? The combination would be warmer, lighter and more compressible than a pair of jeans and if you ever did get them wet, they'd dry a whole lot faster.
Equipment » rain gear???? » 3/06/2017 5:31 pm |
Jeans in the back country? Now I understand the 'Loon' part of your signature ;)
Trip Planning » 9-day Spring solo - now reworked to be even worse! » 3/06/2017 3:42 pm |
Thanks Claire. Daylight hours shouldn't be an issue. Even in early May there's a good 14 hours from sunrise to sunset, and my longest travel time in a day is 8 hours. That's based off Jeff's map, and I'm usually a good deal faster than his time estimates. But then shortly after ice-out the portages will have blowdowns or even snow (I ran into both last year) so I figure they'll even out and his times will be pretty close to my actual. Aside from that one 8-hour day, the rest are 7 hours or less, so I'm not really worried about completing any given day's route, just the cumulative effect of them, if that makes sense. But on the other hand, I've been running 50 kilometers a week for the last four months and expect to continue that, so I should be in the best shape I've ever been in for a camping trip. We'll see if running translates to easier portaging, however ;)
Paddling on a cold and rainy day isn't fun, you're absolutely right. But honestly the thing I hate most is having to take down camp in the rain. There's something about crawling out of a cozy, dry tent into a miserable day, knowing you have to pack everything up and go face it that I find really hard. But once I get out on the water I'm usually okay. Good gear and a good attitude go a long way.
There aren't many 'shortened alternatives' I can take on this particular route. While I've ended trips early by blowing past my destination lake and carrying on to the car, I've never actually changed or shortened a route mid-trip. I'm stubborn like that. But yeah, this extended version of my already planned route is just for the sake of skipping Opeongo, so I'm not entirely sure it's worth it. Maybe I'll just suck it up and pay for the water taxis.
Equipment » rain gear???? » 3/06/2017 2:37 pm |
I've been using a Marmot Minimalist jacket the last few years and it's been "okay". Not terribly breathable and the water repellancy didn't last long (for some time I've had to re-treat it before every camping trip). Just a couple of months ago I picked up an Arc'teryx Zeta LT jacket to replace it. I love it from a look / feel perspective but it hasn't been on a camping trip yet or dealt with any significant rainfall, so I'll withhold rating it until I have some evidence to back it up.
When I bought the Minimalist, I thought gore tex was gore tex was gore tex - it turns out that's not actually the case. There are a few different variants and the quality / breathability differences between the different types can be substantial.
I don't take rain pants. My kayak sprayskirt comes with me on all camping trips and it can double as rain protection when I'm paddling.
Trip Planning » 9-day Spring solo - now reworked to be even worse! » 3/06/2017 2:23 pm |
I already have a Spring trip planned and booked based on a thread here a few weeks ago, but one thing about that trip is really bothering me: Lake Opeongo. I'll be heading in within a week or two of ice-out, and Opeongo will be a dangerous piece of water at that time. I don't want to pay for solo water taxi prices in both directions, so I've done a rework of my trip to avoid Opeongo entirely. But that means a lot more travelling distance in the same number of days, and I'm wondering if I'm pushing it. Also I could use some advice/information about the new stretches I've added.
The new route has me going through the Shall Lake access point instead, with nights on:
Round Island
White Partridge
Francis
Philip
Big Crow
Lavieille
Animoosh
Shrew
... for a total of 128 kilometers of paddling and 46 kilometers of portaging over 9 days. No rest days, no short travel days (with the exception of the last one).
So I'll be going down the Crow River from Big Crow to Lavieille on this version of the route. I've been down there before but not for years, and not in a kayak - it was one of my few canoe trips in the park. Any words of advice from anyone about this stretch? Next is the section from Cisco Bay to McKaskill. How are those portages? I know Animoosh itself isn't supposed to be a terribly exciting lake to camp on, but I figure it's safest to have a relatively short day planned given that I have to paddle Lavieille and Dickson. If it's rough/windy I'll be skirting the edge the entire way for safety, which could add hours to my paddle time.
I haven't actually rebooked my trip yet, but I'm strongly considering it. Any advice or feedback of any kind is appreciated!
Trip Reports » New Trip Report Online! (TR 53: Winter Camp on the Madawaska River) » 3/01/2017 1:20 pm |
You've convinced me that my "no winter camping" approach remains the correct one!
At least winter camping with summer gear, anyway ;)
Catch-all Discussions » Outdoor Adventure Show & Toronto Sportsman Show » 2/28/2017 4:08 pm |
I clicked Sean's link, then I clicked the "Online Dealers" link Eureka has on their page for that tarp, then I clicked the first dealer (Tent City Outfitters). They have it at $139.99.