Algonquin Adventures / Bushwhacking.....

**Posted by Kurt** 7/16/2017 9:41 pm

I know I'm not the only one doing this in the park, just wondered if anyone wanted to share their reasons for doing it or some interesting stories/encounters while wandering around off the trails....

-I do it mostly for fishing and occasionally historical sites.

-This spring we came upon a fairly extensive grow-op (last year's crop), stopped counting at around 50 "flower pots". Although they certainly found a secluded spot and I'm sure the return was worth it, that had to have been a lot of work. It was interesting retracing the path they must have used.....

**Posted by holycow** 7/17/2017 1:12 pm

When I worked in the park we ran a portage to a single lake so we could easily get away from the corridor crowds. It didn't have a grow op tho, so I'll trade you places.

**Posted by EGB** 7/18/2017 5:26 pm

I've made it into most of the lakes directly south of the Nip within striking distance from Gash to Creation. Native Specks were the goal and I'm rarely disappointed. I'm usually way too busy trying to follow the gps to notice anything.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 7/19/2017 11:14 am

For reasons I still can't explain, a friend and I once bushwhacked our way to, and then entirely around, a lake off of Louisa. It took hours, was exhausting, and served no purpose whatsoever. That was almost a decade ago and I still remember it well, so there's that at least!

**Posted by CanoeClaire** 7/19/2017 2:17 pm

Uppa wrote:
It took hours, was exhausting, and served no purpose whatsoever.

I think this is the perfect definition of an excellent adventure.

**Posted by Algonquintripper** 7/19/2017 11:59 pm

I've bushwhacked around Maple Leaf Lake twice. It took about 6 hours as I recall and was tough going around the western side mainly due to having to navigate over and through logging debris. Half the time I didn't know where I was as the lake was out of sight but I always knew I was going in the right direction. It was great when I finally linked up to the end of the trail up at the north end of the lake. Familiar ground!

**Posted by Kurt** 7/31/2017 10:45 pm

EGB: that's a favourite spot of mine as well, one of the few areas left, hope they never put a trail into any of those lakes...

In my youth I also went on a pointless trek (without any orientation device, because we were invincible) into a small lake near Wenda, the satisfaction of finding it though almost made up for it.....

-Couple of weeks back I went old school with a compass into Rumley, it's a different experience from a GPS. Every time I use one I have to force myself to follow it, instead of my own sense of orientation which usually wants to pull me off the bearing. Without fail, the compass takes me to the exact spot I had planned. It highlights how overconfident you can be about your location and how quickly someone can become lost without even realizing it....

**Posted by breed85** 8/01/2017 6:00 am

Are all of you just bushwacking to these lakes without a canoe, or do any of you bushwack and bring the canoe along with?

**Posted by frozentripper** 8/01/2017 10:49 am

Kurt,

I know I'm not the only one doing this in the park, just wondered if anyone wanted to share their reasons for doing it or some interesting stories/encounters while wandering around off the trails....

If you bushwhack for any distance in APP, there's a good chance you'll cross an old logging road somewhere (or a new one). Some will be in protected areas while others will be in the recreation./utilization zone. There were some great roads in the Hogan and Wilkens lakes areas years ago. The WL road had some tall pines along it but the last time I was there they had been thinned out considerably. The Hogan road, not sure, might be worth revisiting.

Something that makes bushwhacking more interesting is having a campsite picked somewhere out there to overnight in. If the road is overgrown and the area isn't open for logging, chances are you won't see anybody else at all. Most memorable moment might have been being stopped by an unmoving moose during the fall rut. But some good scenery in various places as well.

Last edited by frozentripper (8/01/2017 10:50 am)

**Posted by EGB** 8/01/2017 12:05 pm

Kurt: Rumley is a fave of mine. Osprey nest and a great rock to lie on and watch the clouds go by.
Breed: I brought a Swift Kipawa into alot of lakes. Brutal even at 40lbs and 2 people carry (yoke at either end). Creation Lake bushwack was a disaster of swamp alder. Now I have an inflatable pack raft that makes it a breeze. http://www.alpackaraft.com/product/alpacka-series/

**Posted by APPaul** 8/01/2017 1:13 pm

We do it in the winter a lot, usually to skirt bad ice or to connect to paths, lakes and campsites, or often just for the sake of it.

Something about winter makes bushwhacking more "available". Maybe its because the snow evens out the ground and the leafless trees make it easier to see.

**Posted by frozentripper** 8/02/2017 6:08 am

...leafless trees make it easier to see.

The view while bushwhacking along an overgrown road at this time of year.

**Posted by breed85** 8/02/2017 6:28 am

EGB wrote:
Now I have an inflatable pack raft that makes it a breeze. http://www.alpackaraft.com/product/alpacka-series/

Thanks EGB.
I had been looking into float tubes... but MUCH prefer this pack raft idea.
Watching the videos and looking at the specifications (weight/size) I am quite impressed!
Thanks again for the link and leading me in this direction.

Cheers.

**Posted by Kurt** 9/10/2017 12:19 pm

Well I don't have anything as cool as what EGB brings in but my ancient 14' fibreglass works well enough, it's short enough to navigate through the trees and light enough to push it off of me when I fall over logs etc....

FrozenTripper: I've encountered many roads like that in the park, my favourites are the ones we ran into east of Birchcliff. We were heading in to find the Osler fire tower, the forest back there is mature deciduous with a tall canopy and in the spring you can see for quite a distance around you.... that's why the roads, which were basically tightly packed balsam hedgerows, stood out like sore thumbs, snaking there way across the landscape, under the big maples...

**Posted by Lenny** 9/20/2017 11:08 am

I've bushwhacked solo to Wagtail and the Crow River from Eustache before. Rough terrain and I wouldn't recommend it or do it again. Didn't bring a GPS, just followed contours and Jeffsmaps, ended up getting quite disoriented.

**Posted by Doug.Singlemann** 9/20/2017 1:23 pm

Bushwacked into Thrush Lake, to fish. We left the canoe and PDFs on the first off-shoot of Thrush Creek and followed a ridge to the lake in 20 mins. Fishing wasn't what we expected - found more evidence of people than we expected and the water temp was still too cold. The InReach was left accidentally attached to the PDF so we used Jeff's maps to get back 2.5 hrs. We opted to stay close to Thrush Creek and had to fight all that brush/alder.

Last edited by Doug.Singlemann (9/20/2017 1:26 pm)

**Posted by vanslyke** 9/20/2017 4:03 pm

Bushwacked to Weir Lake, near Sawyer. Wanted to fish but couldnt find a decent shore spot to cast far. Only caught a few creek chubs.