Trip Report – Mother’s Day 2009

Today marked the 4 month anniversary of my mom’s death but instead of moping about all day…I went to Algonquin to enjoy a place her and I both loved.

It was a cool day in the park and this morning the campers woke up to snow on their picnic tables! Yes…I said snow! After stopping at the park gate to get my day pass I headed to the Visitor’s center…and I hoped to see a moose on the way through. No moose but a nice visit to the museum none the less.

After the museum I headed to the lookout trail which is one of mom’s favorites. Be warned…the trails are still quite boggy due to the spring run-off. The view as always is gorgeous and you can see things starting to turn green! The trail itself was in pretty good condition and lightly travelled.

After the lookout trail I headed to the Hemlock Bluff trail. This trail should be named the Hemlock Swamp trail. There is tons of wet muddy areas that you have to go through. I had forgotten how long that trail is. The trail takes you to a lookout overlooking the Madawaska River and then down beside a lake. It really is a gorgeous trail.

All in all it was a great day in the park and I look forward to doing more as the summer progresses. The bugs are just starting to come out now but they aren’t that bad yet because it has been too cold.

I took a ton of pictures and you can find them at : http://tinyurl.com/pvr8ra

Happy Mother’s day to all the mom’s out there!

~Enjoy your trip

Alcohol Ban

Just a reminder before you go camping on the May long weekend, there is an alcohol ban in effect!

Follow this link for more: http://newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2009/05/c8593.html

In other news…I’m off to Algonquin for my first day trip of the season. In honor of my mother (who passed away in January) I’ve decided to spend the day with my brother in the place that she loved! We spent many a summers there and I know that if she could join us she would!

Happy Mother’s Day

~Enjoy your trip

Ice Update 2009

As of April 25th all of the lakes along the Hwy 60 corridor (including opeongo) are open and accessible! Not to sure about the interior lakes but most should be open! Be careful when accessing some of the access roads though as they are pretty muddy! So take the opportunity and go canoeing!

~Enjoy the trip!

Canoe Trip 2008

We went on our canoe this week from Smoke Lake to Parkside Bay.  We had 8 people 5 kids and 3 adults.  It was crazy but fun!  Let me tell you teaching kids how to do a canoe trip properly is an interesting task.

We left Monday at around 11am.  We were able to put in at Smoke lake by 1pm after lunch at the Portage Store.  Paddling up smoke lake wasn’t that hard…the wind was with us.

When we got to the portage we had to make a couple of trips(first timers always pack to much).  Just as a side note…the portage to Ragged Lake from Smoke lake is a steep climb.  If you are going that way you should plan to do it in two trips…one for the canoe the second for the packs.  When we got to Parkside Bay we got an awesome site.  We had a whole Island to ourselves.  The site was nice and big up top and there was a great swimming area.  Lots of firewood was available as well.

We had 3 benches and table and a prep table on our site.  There was a grill left as well.  Parkside Bay ended up being quiet area.  There was hardly any canoe traffic.  It was a really pretty spot.  On Tuesday we got a huge thunderstorm after dinner which made it impossible to do anything.  I ended up in my tent reading the hobbit.

All in all it was a good trip….a little windy on Smoke lake on the way home.  That was very frustrating but I got through it.  Next year we are looking at doing Rain Lake to Jubilee.  I’m a little sunburnt but I had a great time!

~Enjoy your Trip

Spring is Here!

Its struggling to start to get warm but its coming!  Yesterday we got a bit of snow up here but we were able to melt it away today.  The sun is expected all weekend and that is good news for those of us who are looking forward to the canoeing and Hiking in Algonquin.  I can’t wait til I can go camping again!  Just a reminder that you can reserve your campsites starting April 1st.

Enjoy your trip!
—————-
Now playing: Carly Simon – Carly Simon – Its too late baby
via FoxyTunes

New Website!

Ok so the website is up and running.  The whole thing is built.  I have to wait a bit til I can get a domain name but feel free to browse the site and input your route suggestions!  There will always be changes and updates so keep posted and check in often!

http://awalkinalgonquinpark.bravehost.com/home.html

~Enjoy your trip

Blogged with Flock

The Website!

Last post I told you that I was building a website.  The bare bones of the site are up and running.  I’m constantly working on the site so updates are often.  Some pages aren’t working yet as I haven’t built them yet.   The site is located at:

http://awalkinalgonquinpark.bravehost.com/Home.html

I’m hoping to get my own domain name soon…..just waiting on finalizing the site a bit more!

~Jenn

Coming Soon!!!

Due to the recent success of my blog I am going to expand into a Website. The website will house route suggestions, featured Algonquin websites, links to local outfitters and of course this blog. There will also be in the future a spot to input your route suggestions so that new canoers can plan more effectively. I will post the link when I have the site up and running!

~Enjoy your trip.

Thoughts for the upcoming season.

I’ve noticed lately that the interior of Algonquin Park has become the “in” place for the city slickers.  While I have nothing wrong with people exploring and enjoying the park, I do have a problem with people destroying the parks natural beauty.  What I mean is that I’m sick of people throwing their garbage on the portages, people bringing cans and bottles into the interior and leaving them there for others to clean up, people driving everywhere within a campsite when you can bike or walk.  The threat on Algonquin is all too real and we need to protect it.  We as the campers are as much responsible as the park staff and conservation officers.  There are simple things that we all can do to keep the park beautiful.

1. Keep your campsite clean and make sure it’s clean before you leave.
2. Only bring stuff that is completely bio-degradable and good for the environment.
3. Foil does not burn…..bring it out with you in some places it’s recyclable
4.  Freeze dried foods might not taste the best but there is less waste with them and its quick to prepare.
5. Stay on the marked portage.  Don’t go off course to get around someone.  We’ll all get there in our own time.
6. Can’s and bottles are not allowed in the interior so DON’T BRING THEM!  There are tetra packs available now for wines.  Pour your wine/beer into a plastic container.
7. If you bring food like steak or another kind of meat please make sure that your grill and cooking area is clean.  The bears do not need people food…it really isn’t good for them.
8. Speaking of wildlife…..leave it alone.  If you see an abandoned beaver lodge, dam or even turtles on a log leave them be.  You can ruin an animals natural habitat.
9. Use your common sense.  If you think it might hurt something then don’t do it.  DON’T CUT DOWN TREES FOR FIREWOOD.  USE WOOD ON THE FOREST FLOOR THAT IS DEAD!!!!

As you go on your way today remember that Algonquin Park has almost been destroyed before by wildfires and logging…..let’s not let it be destroyed by us!  I love that park and I want my children to love it too!

~Enjoy your Trip!

Tom Thompson – August 5, 1877 to July 8, 1917

Thomas John Thomson (August 5, 1877 – July 8, 1917) was an influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century. He was closely associated with the painters who later became the Group of Seven, but died under mysterious circumstances before it formed

Tom Thomson was born near Claremont , Ontario and grew up in Leith, near Owen Sound. Some biographers report that in 1899 he tried unsuccessfully to volunteer to fight in the Second Boer War, and instead went to a business college in Chatham and later in Seattle, Washington. In 1904 he returned to Canada, and in 1907 joined an artistic design firm in Toronto where many of the future members of the Group of Seven also worked. With his colleagues he often travelled around Canada, especially to the wilderness of Ontario, which was a major source of inspiration for Thomson. His first exhibition was in 1913.

Beginning in 1914 he acted as a fire fighter and guide in Algonquin Park in Ontario. During the next three years he produced many of his most famous works, including The Jack Pine and The West Wind.

Thomson disappeared during a canoeing trip on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park in on July 8, 1917, and his body was discovered in the lake eight days later. The official cause of death was accidental drowning but there are still questions about how he actually died. It has been speculated that he was murdered by a German-American neighbor, Martin Blecher, Jr., or that he fell on a fire grate during a drunken brawl with J. Shannon Fraser, owner of Canoe Lake’s Mowat Lodge, over an old loan to Fraser for the purchase of canoes. Thomson alleged needed the money for a new suit to marry Winnifred Trainor, whose parents had a cottage at Canoe Lake. Rumors circulated following his drowning that she was pregnant with Thomson’s child. Winnifred Trainor made a trip to Philadephia with her mother the following winter and returned around Easter. She never spoke about her relationship with Thomson. A nephew, Terrance Trainor MacGregor, an upper New York resident who inherited her estate, which included at least 13 small Thomson paintings and letters, said the letters confirm their engagement. MacGregor has refused to produce the letters for scholarly investigation. Others believe that Thomson, who produced at least 63 landscape paintings that last spring, many of which he gave away or discarded, suffered severe depression and drowned himself. He was buried at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park on July 17, 1917. Under the direction of his older brother, George Thomson, the body was exhumed two days later and re-interred in the family plot beside the Leith Presbyterian Church on July 21.

None of these theories are conclusive, and the wide range of speculation serves mostly to perpetuate Thomson’s romantic legend. ^[1]

Courtesy of Wikipedia.com