Algonquin Adventures / Visiting Dickson after it finally reopened: 6-Day Loop

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 1/20/2022 9:12 am

As you all no doubt know, Dickson was finally reopened to camping in mid-June after a seven year closure due to a blue-green algae bloom. I decided to make a trip around that in order to spend a couple nights there. My loop was through the Shall Lake access point, with nights on Booth, Round Island, Dickson and McKaskill over six days. The portages between Booth and Round Island remained much as I remembered them from my last trip through there, with a mix of "not too bad" and "where the @#$@# is the trail?". The long portage from Round Island to Dickson was actually pretty decent, although the other direction would have been a different story. Dickson itself... eh. The lake is beautiful, but I had a hell of a time finding a campsite I wanted to spend time on.

The only people I saw on Dickson (and I checked out pretty much every campsite on the lake) were a pair of MNR employees who had been flown in. I chatted with them for a while but didn't get into what they were doing there. Best guess is they were testing the water and probably pulling up some fish to check toxicity levels. The portages between Dickson and McKaskill are actually pretty decent, aside from some super dodgy boardwalk in places - my foot actually went through in one spot, after which I decided I'd rather trudge through the muck than break my ankle. The portage out of McKaskill (technically out of Dove) to Shrew, one I've done before, almost broke me this time around. It was early, everything was wet, the bugs were out in force and there were a couple of nasty climbs that just killed me that morning. But all in all it was a great trip, and I ended up having a fantastic rest day on a beautiful campsite on Dickson.

This 15 minute video covers Days 1 and 2 - the Shall Lake access point to Booth, and then on to Round Island. Part 2 will cover the rest of the trip and will be online tomorrow, I'm just finishing it up now.

Hope you enjoy it!

**Posted by oldboyscout** 1/20/2022 11:37 am

I watched this on your youtube channel on the weekend!!
Excellent as always; I like your new editing style very much, even though in January I don't mind viewing three hours of trip videos at a time.

**Posted by Zemantics** 1/20/2022 3:38 pm

I assume I'm speaking for others, as well, in saying I'm disappointed this wasn't a fishing report...

Just teasing. This is a great route. I did a few years back in reverse of yours during early May and remember thinking to myself how I wouldn't want to do the Round -> Booth direction in full foliage. The trail road along some ridges at one point that I could imagine being swallowed up by brush in full growth.

I assume you stayed on the "point site" on Round? Those other sites could use some work...

Last edited by Zemantics (1/20/2022 3:39 pm)

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 1/20/2022 6:08 pm

oldboyscout wrote:
I watched this on your youtube channel on the weekend!!
Excellent as always; I like your new editing style very much, even though in January I don't mind viewing three hours of trip videos at a time.

Thanks oldboyscout! It's definitely a long, long time until camping season right now. I pass the time watching trip videos and making my own, but unfortunately I didn't get many trips in last year. I'll have to make up for it this camping season!

Zemantics wrote:
I assume I'm speaking for others, as well, in saying I'm disappointed this wasn't a fishing report...

Just teasing. This is a great route. I did a few years back in reverse of yours during early May and remember thinking to myself how I wouldn't want to do the Round -> Booth direction in full foliage. The trail road along some ridges at one point that I could imagine being swallowed up by brush in full growth.

I assume you stayed on the "point site" on Round? Those other sites could use some work...

It's been a long time since I've taken a fishing rod on a camping trip, but I've been telling myself for years that it's time to get back into it. Maybe one day it'll even happen! Yes, that's the point site on Round - as you say, the other sites leave a lot to be desired.

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** 1/20/2022 10:50 pm

Great start to the trip, looking forward to seeing more. Kids watched it with me and also enjoyed it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 1/21/2022 1:50 pm

Thanks Drew! The other half of the trip will be up in a couple of hours.

**Posted by oldboyscout** 1/21/2022 2:30 pm

Uppa wrote:
Thanks Drew! The other half of the trip will be up in a couple of hours.

YAY!!! I've got something to watch on a cold January Saturday morning. . . . . . . . .

Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 1/21/2022 4:15 pm

The second and final video covering days 3-6: Round Island to Dickson, to McKaskill and then out is now up:

Last edited by Uppa (1/21/2022 4:15 pm)

**Posted by GordK** 1/24/2022 11:28 am

Great videos Bob, thanks for the posts. Looks like a lot of production work for the final product and it paid off! This time of year i'd likely be happy enough watching 2hrs of unedited rambling but still nice to watch some well edited videos : ) I noticed OTG was a supporter. Went to their site and most/all meals are showing as sold out. I gather maybe a restock during the off season.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 1/24/2022 3:46 pm

Glad you enjoyed it Gord!

I've "known" Randy, the owner of OTG meals, for many years through Facebook. Last Spring he sent me a bunch of his meals with no strings attached, just to try them out. And so I took them on that camping trip having never tried them before. I filmed probably a dozen takes of me talking up trying out his food while I was sitting on that Round Island campsite and ultimately left them all out of the video because I just felt... I don't know - slimy? - for singing for my supper, so to speak. I settled for a brief mention and left it at that.

But the food is good! I think the main thing I really appreciated is that it's not massively over salted and over spiced like most of the dehydrated meals I take with me. It just takes like good food, not food you have to chase with two liters of water.

So yeah, it's safe to say I'll be ordering a bunch when I finish off the freebies. Provided he gets stock back in that is!

**Posted by GordK** 1/26/2022 11:26 am

Yeah you could overdo it for sure . But without starting an ethics debate, I'm happy to check out the odd sponsor as my price for viewing and really in these cases it is more like a product heads up i might appreciate. I wasn't long in getting a NoBugZone for example after they were mentioned in a few TRs a while ago and am happy with the decision.

Last edited by GordK (1/26/2022 11:27 am)