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3/09/2016 8:24 am  #1


Booked first trip!

Just booked my first solo trip into the park! 

I've been previously with friends, but that was years ago. This time, just me and my dog, 3 days 2 nights. The route I've planned is to enter at the West Gate, hiking into what appears to be the lone campground at Little Hardy. The next day, going to head up to Norah Lake. Finally coming out on the third day. 

It's booked for late July. Anybody make this similar trek? Anybody bring a dog with them before? Any bear activity in that general area of the hike (obviously I will take every precaution to avoid them)?

 

3/09/2016 9:58 am  #2


Re: Booked first trip!

I have done the bottom loop with my dog..Just my 2 cents Andrew but if I were doing it again I would stay on Maggie Night 1 and EU lake night 2. Nicer campsites IMO


We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it.
 - George Washington Sears
 

3/09/2016 10:05 am  #3


Re: Booked first trip!

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)

     Thread Starter
 

3/09/2016 10:13 am  #4


Re: Booked first trip!

Sorry only ever stayed on the east side.. A couple sites are fairly close but to be honest both times I have stayed there have been on weekends in July and Aug and it wasn't busy.. No one close to me. 

Nice site out on the point on the east side.


We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it.
 - George Washington Sears
 

3/09/2016 10:23 am  #5


Re: Booked first trip!

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
 

 

3/09/2016 10:26 am  #6


Re: Booked first trip!

...Just saw Shawn's reply after I posted - I haven't camped on Maggie Lake but concur that it's also a beautiful spot. There are a number of sites there, but I suspect some of them would be quite private.

 

3/09/2016 10:47 am  #7


Re: Booked first trip!

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)

     Thread Starter
 

3/09/2016 11:21 am  #8


Re: Booked first trip!

Hi Andrew,

I have never (knowingly) had a tick bite me yet, but I'm one of those who wears long pants and hiking boots even on the hottest of days. I do keep my pack in my tent overnight, but only after doing a thorough search to make sure I didn't forget something even as small as a candy wrapper in a side pocket. 

Those ziploc bags look good - I should probably get a couple myself! I would recommend a Dry Sack vs. a regular stuff sack for the hanging bag.  I prefer to tie a rock to the rope for the launch and use the 10-4-4 rule as an absolute minimum (hang 10 feet off the ground, 4 feet down from the limb and 4 feet away from the trunk). Despite being a minimalist, I carry two 45-foot ropes with me just in case something goes awry. 
A few years ago, I invested in a kevlar bag as per the link below:
http://www.mec.ca/product/5020-583/ursack-s29-allwhite-bear-resistant-bag/
It doesn't hold a lot, so depending on the situation I may use a second bag for cooking gear anyway. There are lots of good trees to hang on the trail, so the bear-resistant bag is probably a bit of overkill on my part. I did many trips without it and never had a problem. 

Rich
 

Last edited by hiker72 (3/09/2016 11:22 am)

 

3/09/2016 11:21 am  #9


Re: Booked first trip!

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)


Dave
 

3/09/2016 11:38 am  #10


Re: Booked first trip!

Thanks again! I need to leash my dog as he's a beagle/jack russell mix....he loves the outdoors and has good recall, but that nose of his and the Jack Russell fearlessness could be problematic I'd imagine if left to his own devices! We do a lot of hiking, mainly on the Bruce Trail and Niagara escarpment, with an average hike length of 15 km or so. Obviously the extra weight on this trip will make it a bit more challenging, but physically I feel very much prepared. The longest one day hikes we've done were 25 km, and while tired at the end of it, my pup seemed eager for more!  I'm a sturdy 180 lbs, and so I'm hoping to keep my pack weight in the 30-40 lb range. As it's my first solo trip, I'd rather overpack on this one and figure out what's really necessary than to skimp on some weight and really miss certain things. Is that a reasonable weight range?

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. 


 

Last edited by andrewr0520 (3/09/2016 11:39 am)

     Thread Starter
 

3/09/2016 12:03 pm  #11


Re: Booked first trip!

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
 


Dave
 

3/09/2016 12:51 pm  #12


Re: Booked first trip!

andrewr0520 wrote:

 I'm a sturdy 180 lbs, and so I'm hoping to keep my pack weight in the 30-40 lb range. As it's my first solo trip, I'd rather overpack on this one and figure out what's really necessary than to skimp on some weight and really miss certain things. Is that a reasonable weight range?
 

Absolutely. I'm in the 180 lb area as well and this weight range should be comfortable. You're kind of doing the opposite of what I did on my first solo where I went a bit too skimpy and walked out a little on the hungry side - not good. 
Here's a link to details of a more recent solo hike that has a gear list if interested (I found the folding wood saw to be especially helpful):
http://wu3bt3.blogspot.ca

Cheers,

Rich

 

3/20/2016 9:08 pm  #13


Re: Booked first trip!

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

 

3/21/2016 5:55 am  #14


Re: Booked first trip!

andrewr0520 wrote:

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!

 
I highly recommend the Ursack along with the scent lock bags.  I'm more concerned about the little critters getting into my food than a bear, and the Ursack is very effective against them.  I can fit 7 days of food in it.

 

3/21/2016 9:39 am  #15


Re: Booked first trip!

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

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

     Thread Starter
 

3/21/2016 2:25 pm  #16


Re: Booked first trip!

Little Hardy has a great sandy bottomed entry point that looked inviting, had I not been camping there in the fall. The sand appears to extend quite a distance into the lake with a gradual drop, so I'm assuming it would be great for a swim (although I can't say if there are weeds further out...)

Rich

 

3/24/2016 10:44 am  #17


Re: Booked first trip!

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. 

     Thread Starter
 

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