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Just want to share an experience and what you guys think
2 years ago we had reserved a site on animoosh lake, that apparently got double booked. We had a long first day that took us 11 hours which was from access point 17 to animoosh. After we finished the 2900m protage it was around 7pm and starting to get dark and when we got to the lake we found that both sites were occupied. It was some sort of school group that was pretty big (15-20 people) so they had both sites on the lake. We asked to see their permits (which they never showed us) but it really wouldn't matter if they had one or not seeing how the next site was too far out of range and it was getting dark, and we had a permit for that lake regardless. They were basically telling us to leave and it was their site, and after a heated argument i put my foot down and said were sharing the site. After a lot of resistance they finally gave up and moved their tents to accommodate us.
To make matters worse, when we were trying to cook our diner (which we had to make on the portage trail because they gave us no room) a bunch of kids kept running past our stoves nearly knocking over our food a couple of times. And they had the nerve to tell my friends to smoke in the bush because they don't like cigarette smoke. I was furious at these people and how rude they were considering the circumstances we were in. They eventually all went to sleep once the sun set and we drank and that of course makes any shitty situation better.
I've seen on jeffs map that some sites can get double booked, but that seems asinine, how could that ever be allowed.
Do you think they had a right to be mad at us? Do you think i was over the line by making them share the site? How would have you reacted if you were on either side?
Just typing this has brought back some rage haha. But then i think to my upcoming trip and it all fades away.
Let me know what you guys think
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This happens all the time. The park needs to get on this. We used to do a regular trip to pen lake. Got there one year and had to paddle all the way to the other end of the lake to get a spot. Odd there are more sites available than are allowed to be reserved. So next year. I got a spot and my brother also reserved a site for him and his kids. Odd had to paddle all the way to the end of the lake again. Only one spot left! We can fix this. So next year I reserve a site my brother reserves a site and my friend also reserves a site. Odd still only one site left. Everyone slept on my site. Filed a complaint park basic response. You found a place to sleep didn't you. They don't care even a tiny bit.
The park needs to step up enforcement, they are destroying the experience for those who play by the rules. Make the fine so unreasonable, that if the ranger catches one person a day it pays his wage. This would discourage this activity.
Last year so similar situation. On pen we had 3 sites. Stopped on the site on the north side of the land spit at the north end, dropped off some things, moved across to the island site and was dropping of a few more things to set up two sites. While we were on the island, a monster group 20 plus with 6-8 canoes showed up and claimed the whole island. Upon announcing we had 2 sites they said yeah we should have had 2 sites but they didn't. It was great they were taking the whole spit (even though they only had one site for all of them).
Getting tired of this bs. Debating going back to Algonquin at all this year as this sucks big time to continuously run into the same problem. Park does not care at all.
Vent over.
In answer to your question, knowing the situation I have been in with little ones in the canoe, I keep an eye on the shoreline at dusk to offer a spot for people stuck in the same position. Ther is enough space for all of us out there if we share a bit and help each other out in times like that. It just makes me angry---- the people flagrantly disobeying the rules to the direct detriment of other people with no real recourse and the park really not willing to enforce even basic rules.
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hoser89 -
What's even worse is though there are two campsites on Animoosh Lake, they only 'reserve' one of them, leaving the other one completly unreservable, as a vacant site for someone in need, delayed due to weather or anything else.
So the fact that this 'group' claimed they had even one permit (let alone two, which is impossible for that lake) means they were completely full of it. If your permit had Animoosh Lake on it for that night, I would highly doubt theirs did too. I've never heard of double booking a lake (that's not to say it doesn't happen) but I can tell you this, they won't issue more permits than there are 'reservable' sites per lake. (Confirmed this with the East Gate last year when myself and another were trying to book both sites on a different lake).
If I had to guess.. chances are that group was supposed to be on Dickson Lake, but got too tired and couldn't make it.
Sorry to hear about your crappy experience. Too bad it wasn't just an hour earlier, could have made it to Dickson, which from access 17 would have been a feat if I've ever heard one.
Last edited by Peek (4/15/2016 6:59 am)
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When I read stories like this I always try to keep in mind that the majority of canoeist in the park are really good people and would go well out of their way to help you.
That said it is hard not to let stuff like this really upset you. I personally would have lost it.
A minority of selfish people ruining what should have been a great experience.
Still baffles me every time I see toilet paper littered all around the Thunderbox. It is right there people. !!! But don't get me started.
To avoid as much as possible the above situations I try to:
- book on lakes with only one bookable site. Although sounds like it wouldn't have helped the original poster. Like Peek says though when you arrived at the lake at least you would have immedaitely known you were 100% in the right and they we selfishly squatting.
- a couple of days before I go I check the lakes I will be on. If any are fully booked or even close I will change my bookings if at all possible. For example no way I would ever show up on Tom Thompson/Bice/Pen etc when I know the lake is fully booked.
- Am beginning to stay away from Hwy 60 whenever I can and time permits.
If you are stuck I will make room on my site anytime 
Last edited by ShawnD (4/15/2016 7:57 am)
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Shark - It really does suck that there are people who don't follow the rules, but such is life, there are tons of assholes in this world. It's really unfortunate that the park would have such ridiculous rules, and no enforcement. We saw a ranger that year (a couple days after the incident) an told him about the situation and basically said there's nothing he could've done about it
Peek - Yeah that makes it even worse, and I suspected they weren't supposed to be there at all anyways, but what can you do out there right?
The funny thing about that trek was when we got our permits the guy at the permit office basically called us crazy and that hes only seen 2 or 3 people try to go that far in a day, needless to say we knew then we were in for it haha. We let someone who shouldn't have planned the route do it, but lesson learned, he's no longer a part of the planning committee haha.
The fact that the day took so long in the first place made me even more angry at the day, but it also made sleep reeeeall good that night.
ShawnD - i would say 90% of the people ive encountered in the park are good people and treat people and the park with respect which is awesome, but there are people like the group i encountered or people who leave garbage behind that really suck.
Yeah those are good ideas, ill have to check close to launch time. We always try to get out as far away from an access point as possible, i come to see the park and wildlife not people.
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One year when hiking Western Uplands trail we had scheduled to stay at Ishkuday lake on our last night and someone was already on the site; we kept on trucking onto Rain lake and ended up using an un-occupied canoe site; which in hindsight was MUCH better than it would have been staying at Ishkuday lake as Ishkuday isn't the "prettiest" of lakes and the canoe site we stayed at had a nice fire pit and benches etc...
If it came down to a situation where I was on a booked site and someone came to us and said that all of the other sites were in use or that they couldn't make their scheduled site due to (whatever circumstance) I can't see myself having an issue sharing the site for any reason and I would HOPE that if the tables were turned there wouldn't be an issue for someone sharing their site with us.
Last edited by breed85 (4/26/2016 12:31 pm)
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