Algonquin Adventures / 3 days on Pen lake

**Posted by Methye** 6/12/2016 10:13 pm

Hey, went into Pen Lake at the beginning of June. Just wanted to paddle around and check out some campsites for a trip in August. This time, I chose the site with the most mosquitoes, and fed them well.

Trip report: https://neelands.smugmug.com/Canoe-trips/Pen-Lake-June-3-5-2016

**Posted by Treater** 6/16/2016 6:15 am

Nice report. Thanks for posting. I like the idea of a campsite logbook. Not sure how well it'd work in reality. Which site on Pen are you at? I'm taking some people in this summer and the beach looks nice.

**Posted by scoutergriz** 6/16/2016 7:01 am

that's the site 1/2 way down on the left after the islands, It's a very popular place.
Methy; there is a channel between the islands, but it's hard to see until you're on top of it. if you go south between the islands, the channel is right down in the bottom- left corner. it's about 4' wide and runs west to east.

**Posted by Shayne74** 6/16/2016 11:31 am

The portage to clydegale is another easy one. Shorter then rock to Pen. Worth the hike in my opinion. We noticed the beach site in may . Looked like a nice spot. Thank for the report.

**Posted by kellycamps** 6/16/2016 6:32 pm

Nice report. I've only stayed on Pen once but really liked the lake. Thanks for sharing.

K

**Posted by tentsterforever** 6/16/2016 6:59 pm

Those pics bring back memories; stayed at that site, thought it would be a great idea to put the tent on the high knoll between the tall pines, having a great look over the lake.. BAD idea, it is mostly gravel, and had stones poking in my back the whole night. Moved real quick to the lower camp spot.
Lovely trip report!

**Posted by Methye** 6/19/2016 12:40 pm

Thank you everyone for looking at my report, especially considering it was not very epic.

scoutergriz, thanks for the tip about the passage between the islands. I should've known that, as i went through there 4 years ago, but a quick cursory glance makes it seem impassable.

treater, the log book already had a few interesting entries. One party had put in at Kingscote (?)(anyway the south end) and was heading to Brent and Kiosk. But i could see room for abuse; e.g. ignorant campers using the notebook paper to start fires.

Shayne, I gotta leave Clydegale for next time. gotta have something to do!

Kellycamps, it is a lovely place; considering how accessible it is, i'm surprised the sites were not more beat up. Thinking about how the Joe Lake sites one portage from Canoe Lake are pretty grim.

Tentsterforever, I kicked myself for not bringing my hammock. It would have been cool to hang on the knoll, well above the gravelly pokey bits. Although with your username, i'm guessing you'd disapprove ;-)

**Posted by tentsterforever** 6/19/2016 3:33 pm

Metheye; oh how I laughed at your response. You're right though, I have tried a hammock, and was unceremoniously dumped several times after falling asleep on different occasions, with my daughter in a twist from laughing so hard. It was not dumping that hurt, it was the sudden stop.
And, finding trees to hang from in Georgian bay turned out to be too difficult....
So a tent it is. Forever.

**Posted by ChristineCanoes** 6/19/2016 4:40 pm

Can you tell us about your bug net?

**Posted by Methye** 6/19/2016 6:28 pm

Sea to Summit Mosquito Pyramid Net (double) 275 grams size: 240cm (7'10")L x 170cm (5'6")W x 130cm (4'3")H I got it at Europe Bound in Toronto. Can't remember the price. Though the name is double, realistically there is room for one person to sit (in sanity) within the net eating dinner.
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Mosquito+Pyramid+Net+Shelters&o1=1&o2=1&o3=147
click on "double"

I think they used very small people in the photographs for the ad. Anyway, it was easy to set up and i was happy to have it. It would have been better (but heavier) if there were an easy way to get in besides lifting a corner off a stake.

Last edited by Methye (6/19/2016 6:30 pm)

**Posted by MartinG** 6/19/2016 9:34 pm

Great pics. Pen looks like a nice lake. Is that a Miles gear Bivy? What did you think of bivy vs hammock?

**Posted by Methye** 6/20/2016 10:24 am

Yeah Miles Gear über bivy. I like it a lot. It's roomy, it's waterproof, it's breathable, it's light.

I bought it because 1) I am a gearaholic, and 2) I wanted something for sites where I wasn't certain if I could hang, 3) I wanted something lighter than my bridge hammock, and 4) I don't have a tent.

I took it hiking on the Coastal trail in Pukaskwa last summer, in conjunction with a small tarp (to have a place to sit and cook in the rain), and was happy with it.

Two "Delrin" plastic rods give it shape. It fits a large (25-26" wide) All-Season NeoAir inflatable pad with room to spare, so it is darn comfy. The ground sheet is Tyvek. The bottom is Tyvek. The top is that soft stuff that FroggToggs rainwear is made of; fragile but waterproof and very breathable. So far so good. It has a bug net so your head and shoulders are out in the fresh air and you can see stars, but you can pull the cover down on top of you in case of rain. It poured on the Sunday morning of the Pen Lake trip and it worked like a charm. Not too stuffy inside.

All that said, I was at MEC the other day and saw a new, very light one-person tent that would be more practical and the same price. MEC Spark UL 1+ . If I were doing things all over again I would get one of those for my solo trips. It would provide me a place to sit, free of flies, instead of needing a separate bug net to go under a separate tarp. But I've spent so much on gear. I'm gonna spend my money on trips to Algonquin, etc., and fewer trips to MEC, etc. , and make do with the gear I have for a long while.

Tl;dr. Bivy is good, but so is a light tent. Hammock is best, but doesn't work everywhere.

Last edited by Methye (6/20/2016 10:25 am)

**Posted by ShawnD** 6/20/2016 1:47 pm

The bivy looks really interesting. Quite big. I have contemplated adding a bivy for a while but kind of arrived at your conclusion re: light 1P tents.

Been eyeing up the Nemo Hornet 1P 2 lbs Even and gives you a lot more head room and the vestibule ..

Really like the bivy option though to be open to the stars with just an easy zip up if the rain starts ..

**Posted by MartinG** 6/20/2016 3:56 pm

@Methye. Thanks for the review. I have come to a similar conclusion. If I find myself in need of a Gearfix I will look to the Uber Bivy!