Algonquin Adventures / Kayak Camper: Kiwis in Algonquin (video, 1 of 2)

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 9/13/2018 3:07 pm

In July I took my first cousin Paul and his (adult) son Lukas into Algonquin. Neither had any camping experience and I think Lukas, at least, had never paddled a canoe before. So I did what any responsible person would do and decided that the Lavieille loop was a nice starter trip. Get that Dickson-Bonfield out of the way the first time you set foot in Algonquin, right? ;)

I hope you enjoy it!

**Posted by dontgroandaddy** 9/13/2018 4:33 pm

That was terrific. Way to introduce them to the park, oh heartless one!

I did the Dickson-Bonfield portage on my second trip there, 1981. I made it very clear afterward that I would never take another canoe trip if Opeongo and/or that portage were included in the trip the following year. So the following year we went on Opeongo and did that portage again, and my empty threats meant nothing. But I did experience the fives stages of grief on that carry, and I did subsequently create the five stages of portage as a result.

**Posted by shaggy** 9/18/2018 8:56 pm

The water levels on the Crow river during your trip look a little lower than what we experienced mid August, which we started a few days after the fire ban lifted. I think we had to hop out of the canoe just three times until we reached the 1200m portage, and then smooth sailing, just as you had reported, so thank you for that!

It is really great to be able to see park segments we've visited through someone else's lens.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kayakcamper · **Posted by Uppa** 9/19/2018 12:42 pm

@dontgroandaddy: Glad you enjoyed it! I'm always happy to take other people camping, but not if it means I can't do the sorts of trips I like to do. I warned them what they were getting into, and they still wanted to come. And it all worked out in the end - mostly .

The Dickson-Bonfield was basically the end of our trip as we had a water taxi pickup. And by then Lukas (the son) was a portaging machine. We flew across that portage with only 2-3 brief rest breaks - it was impressive!

@shaggy: Yeah, we had a fair bit of dragging prior to the 1200, although only just for short stretches. It wasn't really that bad, unless, say, you didn't sleep the night before... ;)