Algonquin Adventures / 2018 highlights

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 12/29/2018 7:16 am

With 2018 stumbling across the finish line, what were people’s tripping highlights this year? For me there were two, the trip down to Clover just after ice out and the loop up to Hogan out of Opeongo in September.both trips were awesome with lots of great memories.

Some of my favorite sights were the ruins of a ranger cabin on Guthrie, the beaver meadow in between Grasspink and Pogonia, the ruins of an old saw mill on Club, discovering that there are actually high falls at High Falls, the cliffs on Hogan and Tarn and bumping into moose on the Tim and Little Oxtongue.

**Posted by trippythings** 12/29/2018 7:50 am

My highlight was definitely one of my moose encounters. I had a bull moose swim across a small narrow to my campsite (first time in real life I'd seen a moose swim), and then two hours later while travelling, I saw 4 moose together (bull, moose, 2 calf) and was able to get right up close and watch them for 20min.

What made it even better was that we started the trip hoping to see moose, and tried our best to spot them, but had no luck the whole trip. Then we saw these 5 moose in just a few hours on our last day while heading back to the car.

**Posted by Steve E** 12/29/2018 12:23 pm

Mine was the 6 day trip I did with my dad on Sec Lake this November. 6 days is such a nice amount of time that totally allows you to truly unwind. My favorite part was the night hike we did up to the Barron Canyon

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 12/29/2018 3:45 pm

That night shot of the Canyon is one of my absolute favorites.

**Posted by Methye** 12/30/2018 10:41 am

1. Going in five days after ice-out, the earliest I’ve ever gone canoeing, and seeing the big slabs of ice and snow on sheltered slopes.

2. Taking some coworkers (recent immigrants from China) canoe-camping and watching them paddle off by themselves one evening. “We were in the middle of the lake and we couldn’t see anybody.” Was the first time they had been somewhere where you couldn’t see any other people.

**Posted by Steve E** 12/30/2018 12:51 pm

AlgonquinLakes wrote:
That night shot of the Canyon is one of my absolute favorites.

Thanks!

**Posted by Steve E** 12/30/2018 12:52 pm

Methye wrote:
2. Taking some coworkers (recent immigrants from China) canoe-camping and watching them paddle off by themselves one evening. “We were in the middle of the lake and we couldn’t see anybody.” Was the first time they had been somewhere where you couldn’t see any other people.

That is pretty cool eh? Things we take for granted living around here sometimes....

**Posted by swedish pimple** 12/30/2018 5:58 pm

2018 highlights,,,, i made it into burntroot and out, ,grinding trip,

Last edited by swedish pimple (12/30/2018 6:31 pm)

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 12/30/2018 7:52 pm

Methye wrote:
2. Taking some coworkers (recent immigrants from China) canoe-camping and watching them paddle off by themselves one evening. “We were in the middle of the lake and we couldn’t see anybody.” Was the first time they had been somewhere where you couldn’t see any other people.

This is a really cool story and what an awesome experience it must have been for your co-workers.

**Posted by Blobsquatch** 12/31/2018 7:42 am

It's really nice to read about everyone's experiences in the Park this year, thank you for sharing.

2018 was significant for me as for many years I have dreamed about operating a ham radio station from the shore of a wilderness lake. I finally made it happen this year when in August my friend and I took our daughters into the park and backpacked into Provoking Lake. Sitting on a rock just a few feet away from the water's edge, I was able to make many contacts from coast to coast in North America. As a bonus, I recorded the experience on video for my YouTube channel.

Being respectful, I only operated for about an hour and a half and kept the volume low so as not to disturb others on the lake. Of course, when the operation was over and we hiked out, we left no trace . Another one checked off my bucket list.

Happy New Year, folks!

Last edited by Blobsquatch (12/31/2018 7:52 am)

**Posted by oldboyscout** 12/31/2018 9:14 am

Mine was coming around a bend on the Tim river and coming face to face with two young moose in September! Also I recently hiked some trails along the highway 60 corridor in the snow; first time I've been up in the winter since I was a "young boy scout".
Happy New Year!!!! I look forward to new trip reports and pictures this year and also my own time in the park!!

**Posted by APPaul** 12/31/2018 10:58 am

-A abnormally loud lake in the winter. The temps dropped fast overnight. The lake had a thick layer of ice, covered in a thin layer of slushy water. Something about the conditions were just right, it sounded like a thunder storm under the ice all night. The constant noise was oddly soothing.
-Canoeing Whitney to Ragged Lake and back in two days. 100klms in two days!

**Posted by MartinG** 1/01/2019 3:26 pm

Highlight of 2018 was our spring trip. After a couple of failed attempts and years of looking at possible paths we finally got to see some of the lakes south of the Nip. It was well worth the wait!

Loontail

Coldspring

Kennedy

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 1/01/2019 8:27 pm

MartinG wrote:
Highlight of 2018 was our spring trip. After a couple of failed attempts and years of looking at possible paths we finally got to see some of the lakes south of the Nip. It was well worth the wait

That’s a cool trip. What route did you take to get down to Coldspring?

**Posted by MartinG** 1/01/2019 9:32 pm

We went through Browse.

**Posted by dontgroandaddy** 1/02/2019 12:06 pm

For me it was our family trip (plus a friend) in August looping from Magnetawan. The trip had so much involved: First time with the whole family, we added daughter's bestie for what will probably be her only canoe trip ever (her family is moving), I had to get past a rotator cuff injury for the trip, and my wife had to overcome the equilibrium effects of a vestibular schwanoma tumor (spelled that incorrectly) to be able to go confidently, and do some carrying and she paddled and the whole thing. The portage conditions were, in a word, awful (soaked, just soaked), so it was really a test of a magnitude I did not expect for her, and that's what stands out. Bonus we saw two bear cubs climb a tree.

**Posted by Methye** 1/05/2019 2:48 pm

...and, dontgroandaddy, reading your report of that trip was one of the highlights of the year, too.