Algonquin Adventures / Clover to Tarn... to St. Andrews... to Stratton. Day 3 (video)

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 5/23/2018 3:24 pm

So this was the day of our trip I would define as "seriously, why did we do that?". After the slog from Clover to Tarn, we didn't much like the campsite there, and decided tacking on another 4.5 kilometer steep as hell portage was just a thing you do. And so we kept going. I'm still shaking my head.

**Posted by boknows** 5/23/2018 5:57 pm

Well, nice video and I have canoed most of Algonquin Park over 50 years but I have never been there where you were, have no intentions of ever being there, and will tell everyone I know never to go there! Other than that, I am glad you and Drew came back with all limbs still attached to your bodies.

**Posted by Peek** 5/24/2018 8:02 am

Uppa - I much enjoyed part 2.

The only good campsite on the entire low-maintenance route between St. Andrew's and Macdonald Creek is the one you stayed at on Clover Lake. Little Tarn too hilly (but great view) and Tarn.. well.. kinda sucks!

It's crazy (and sad) to see how much the Guthrie Cabin has deteroiated in the few years since I've been through there. I guess its true what they say - once the roof on a cabin goes its only a short matter of time before it's completely reclaimed by the forest.

Overall great set of vids - looking forward to the next installment.

**Posted by breed85** 5/24/2018 10:30 am

I like how AlgonquinLakes canoe in the Youtube thumbnail, looks like a canoe that one of the white walkers from Game of Thrones would have!

**Posted by Peek** 5/24/2018 11:16 am

damn man, how hard did you guys ream-out the Tarn Campsite to the Sand Lake Gate Staff.. they closed it for 'maintenance' lol. ;)

**Posted by Abe Froman** 5/24/2018 11:23 am

When Uppa speaks *hit gets done, after last year they cleaned up the the portage so he could make a second attempt at clover.
Way to go Uppa, thanks for being our voice!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 5/24/2018 11:23 am

@bo: Thanks. And yes - telling people not to go there is a good idea! Although I will say that Clover Lake and that beautiful campsite are worth the trip that far. Just then go back the way you came instead of carrying on!

@breed: I believe the material is 'ballistic nylon'. Whatever it was, it was tough and light and pretty. Almost - almost - makes me appreciate canoes.

@Peek: Hahaha - I wonder if someone from the park watched my video ;) I didn't actually even stop at the gate on my way out, but maybe Drew did. I don't think we ever actually found a thunderbox on the Tarn site, although Drew did a lot more exploring than I did so maybe he tracked it down. There were fallen trees everywhere though - it was certainly in need of "maintenance". Glad you enjoyed the vid!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 5/24/2018 11:27 am

Abe Froman wrote:
When Uppa speaks *hit gets done, after last year they cleaned up the the portage so he could make a second attempt at clover.
Way to go Uppa, thanks for being our voice!!

Ah yes, my juggernaut of a 500 subscriber YouTube channel makes the park jump ;). Nonetheless it is pretty funny that they had been through clearing those portages since last year. I did wonder for a minute if they'd watched my video, but then I remembered that I posted it in the dead of winter.. so I definitely can't take credit for that. Just complete and utter luck.

It's definitely interesting that the Tarn site is suddenly closed for maintenance, but I'd be amazed if my video had any influence on that. At least they didn't close it before we went through - I'm not sure we would have intentionally chosen Clover to Stratton as a one-day trip.

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 5/24/2018 12:14 pm

I stopped at the gate on the way out and mentioned that the Tarn site could use some work. I also asked if they’d put in a chairlift to get up and over the Stratton/Tarn portage so fingers crossed!

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 5/26/2018 3:19 pm

Bob, I just got a chance to watch part two. Awesome work. You captured that day perfectly. I actually loled when you described the Pogonia to Grasspink portage as the longest of the day. I still can't believe we covered all that nonsense in one day.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 5/27/2018 3:13 pm

AlgonquinLakes wrote:
Bob, I just got a chance to watch part two. Awesome work. You captured that day perfectly. I actually loled when you described the Pogonia to Grasspink portage as the longest of the day. I still can't believe we covered all that nonsense in one day.

Thanks! Yeah, this video turned out really well if I do say so myself. Of course a compelling story helps a great deal, and that was certainly a story-worthy day. I've been slacking on the next video because it's hard to compete . Ah well.. at least the final video will have "I did 16 portages as a day trip" to wrap it up properly ;)

Last edited by Uppa (5/27/2018 3:13 pm)

**Posted by MartinG** 5/28/2018 6:45 pm

Wow! That was definitely a two Spork kind of day!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 5/29/2018 12:43 pm

MartinG wrote:
Wow! That was definitely a two Spork kind of day!

When Drew left, he gave me his spork. Well technically it's this plastic thing with a fork on one end at a spoon on the other. He may have saved me from fatally cutting myself over the final 4 days of my trip ;)

**Posted by MattJ** 5/30/2018 5:49 am

Bravo! Having noted on the thread about Clover that Drew barely makes a cameo in that video, it was nice to see him appear long enough in this one to give an incorrect update on the time. Nothing like finding out you're an hour later on a Hell Portage than you think you are!

We went through in mid-July, staying first on Little Tarn after a b.s. day of hacking through the grasslands of Pogonia. The Tarn->St. Andrew's portage somehow still had an abundant supply of blackflies to go with the expected mosquitos. Our day called for a return to our car at Achray and a relocate to Eustache. I remember stumbling into the office at Achray looking for more Muskol and the kid working there said, "Well we do have these aerosol cans of Off! Citronella." "That's not gonna do it," I said, "But gimme two."

-MattJ

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 5/30/2018 7:39 am

MattJ wrote:
Bravo! Having noted on the thread about Clover that Drew barely makes a cameo in that video, it was nice to see him appear long enough in this one to give an incorrect update on the time. Nothing like finding out you're an hour later on a Hell Portage than you think you are!

We went through in mid-July, staying first on Little Tarn after a b.s. day of hacking through the grasslands of Pogonia. The Tarn->St. Andrew's portage somehow still had an abundant supply of blackflies to go with the expected mosquitos. Our day called for a return to our car at Achray and a relocate to Eustache. I remember stumbling into the office at Achray looking for more Muskol and the kid working there said, "Well we do have these aerosol cans of Off! Citronella." "That's not gonna do it," I said, "But gimme two."

-MattJ

Hey, that's not the only time he appeared! But like I mentioned in the other thread, I just didn't take a lot of video of Drew in the first place. He was perfectly willing, but I'd never met him before this trip. Sticking a camera in a stranger's face on a regular basis felt like a jerk thing to do... so I didn't. We were out there to go camping, after all. The video stuff always comes second to that.

But yeah, I don't know if this is a conversation I had with Drew or just an internal monologue while being miserable on that Tarn - St. Andrew's portage, but the thought of doing that portage during bug season... *shudder*. It was already a terrible portage and we had more or less perfect conditions for it. It could have been much, much worse - as it sounds like you experienced.