Thanks for the tip! Would you recommend Maggie East or West? And are the sites at Maggie relatively isolated from each other? 

Also, looking at the online reservation, it states 5 campsites at Maggie East. When you get your permit, do you determine which of the 5 sites you take then? Or when you arrive to the actual location you just setup shop?

Last edited by andrewr0520 (3/09/2016 10:11 am)

Hi Andrew,

This sounds great! I've done a number of treks on all sections of the WUT trail (some solo, some not) and have loved every one of them. The site at Little Hardy is fairly private and peaceful, and may have a small sandy beach depending on water levels. There is definitely only one site there, same as with Norah Lake, so no neighbours to worry about. I have never taken the side trail to Norah, so I can't comment on it personally - however, I have read a couple of accounts indicating that it's a nice, secluded site (it's on my to do list!). I've stayed at the nearby Eu Lake which is also quite nice.

I don't have a dog, but I have seen backpackers with dogs on a couple of occasions. Late July should be a good time for bugs. We did the Lacloche trail at Killarney in late July last year and there were hardly any mosquitoes (the black flies were long gone). My solo trips have been in Late May which means bad bugs as a tradeoff for a very quiet trail.

As for bears, I'm not aware of any concerns on this trail. There seems to be some activity at Faya Lake on the Highland Backpacking trail, but that's a long way off. Having said that, there's always the possibility of an encounter. I've had a total of five encounters (two in Algonquin, three in Killarney), none of which have been on the WUT 1st loop. I have to say that I'm not nearly as fearful/concerned now as a result of seeing them. Making some noise (e.g. bear bell) is a good idea to mitigate a possible encounter. Also, properly hanging all food, cookware and scented items away from the site is something that I strictly adhere to. I do carry bear spray as a 'just in case' item, but don't expect that I'll ever need it. To be honest, I'm more concerned with chipmunks than anything else...

Hope this helps and sorry for rambling. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer as best I can.

Cheers,

Rich
 

Awesome, thanks for the replies guys!

For some reason I can't change my online reservation until March 19th, so I'll try to change it then, but if not, sounds like I'll be OK either way. 

What's the tick levels like out there? I will be doing a few checks daily of myself and my dog, and will have preventative measures in place, but sometimes those buggers latch on regardless. 

Rich, as far as bears go, I completely understand and plan to hang all food, scented items etc. Do you keep your backpack in your tent at night then? It would probably only consist of clothes at that point I guess, so it should be OK in the tent? 

And as far as hanging food, my plan is to get those scent-proof ziploc bags, store food and scented items in them, then place the ziplocks in a stuff sack and hang the stuff sack. Is that a good method? 

This specifically: 

http://www.mec.ca/product/5044-253/loksak-opsak-odour-proof-barrier-bags-2-pack/?q=opsak

Again, thanks for the advice, I really look forward to it, but just want to make sure it's a safe trip!

Last edited by andrewr0520 (3/09/2016 10:50 am)

Little Hardy is a nice lake and you should be able to get there within 3 hours. The leg from Little Hardy to Norah would be another 3 hours leaving about 41/2 hours on Day 3 to complete the loop. Very doable. You'll experience a lot of rolling hills on the first two legs of your trip. The portion between Maggie and Norah is generally considered to be the most challenging section. The portion of the trail after Norah is a little easier going with less elevation changes. 

If it was me I'd also go as Shawn suggests and do Maggie on the first night and EU Lake on Night 2 but either route is fine. EU is a nice site and, unless I'm confusing it, so is Norah but it is a steep (but thankfully not too long) climb up to the site. As it's been a few years since you've been backpacking a shorter "shake-out" Day 1 is probably a good idea. If you want to post a list of your gear, I'm sure many here would be more than helpful in advising how you may lighten your load. 

In the backcountry the sites are generally spaced fairly well for privacy so I wouldn't have any concern there and any reservation will be for the lake (or section thereof) and individual sites are on a first-come basis. I've only seen a bear once and he was running into the bush a meadow away. Just keep a clean site and hang your food away from your site. 

As far as dogs go, many people bring their dog and mine always comes with me. They should be leashed but often are not. There are a lot of threads about dogs on the trail you may want to have a look at. 

Enjoy. Look forward to your trip report.

Last edited by Algonquintripper (3/09/2016 11:23 am)

andrewr0520 wrote:

As far as drinking water goes, do you purify water for your dog as well? Or do you let him drink straight from streams/lakes? I'm bringing a LifeStraw and potable tablets to purify, and always have the option to boil. I've read on a few sites that most Algonquin water is safe enough for us humans to drink, but I'd rather not risk it. 

It would be pretty hard to stop them drinking on their own with all the streams and lakes but it's not an issue. Dogs have a much shorter digestive system than we do so they clear bugs much more quickly as well.

a LifeStraw and potable tablets as a backup sound fine. I use a Sawyer Mini myself.

Your pup will have a blast, I'm sure!

Here are a couple of pics of mine on the trail


Ready to go


Always first to bed
 

People bring dogs all the time. I am sure you will have a great time. 

Would you guys recommend swimming in Little Hardy and/or Norah?

Last edited by andrewr0520 (3/21/2016 9:41 am)

Thanks Rich!

One further question - do you guys bother bringing a hatchet? I have Coghlan's Sierra Saw, which from the reviews I've read is an awesome little saw. Would the hatchet be overkill? I would like to have a campfire, albeit a small one as it will be only for me.