A Walk In Algonquin Park

Trip Planning for the 1st trip of the year

Jenn Kerr — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:37:19 +0000

Well I’m in the midst of planning for my first camping trip of the year. It’s not my first trek to the park this year but it will be my first time camping this season. I’ve got the list made..although not set in stone yet. I’m thinking some steak is always good . So this year the question as I plan is…what books to bring and where do I want to paddle? I’m car camping however going canoeing is always a sure thing! What are your plans for this summer? How many trips are you taking?

Just remember…whatever you do…

~Enjoy your trip!

It’s a cozy fire type day..

Jenn Kerr — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:56:06 +0000

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been away so long from this blog. Unfortunately life got in the way lol!

Easter weekend is coming up however this year there is still ice on all the lakes. Some lakes are starting to open and others like Tea Lake seem to be almost completely open. However up north today there is a snowy drizzle falling that makes you want to crawl under your blankets in front of a cozy fire, with a cup of tea and a book. That being said..I leave you with the words that a friend wrote for a day like this.

Three degrees and raining

That is the weather today -
add in wind: gusty and blustery,
patches of snow in the woods,
lakes and ponds covered with ice.

Put another log on the fire,
make a cup of tea,
settle down with a good book:
it’s that kind of day.

I’ve been on canoe trips on days like this,
including the frozen lake part:
I highly recommend it,
if you need some character-building.

There was Temagami in October:
I was a bit embarrassed that the tent I loaned my friends
leaked like a sieve on a windbound rainy cold day.
At least that gave us a project.

Or the James Bay Lowlands in June,
on a river with an unpronounceable name,
camping on nature’s largest sponge.

After carving out a hideout in a spruce thicket
we blew up one stove
and the spare didn’t work.
That night the river rose a foot:
now I always tie my canoe to a tree.

Years ago, on the barrenlands in July
(Yes – rain, snow and frozen lakes)
with wind so strong you could lean into it
and not fall over.

Eventually the sun comes out.
You revel in it, dry out,
and make light of how uncomfortable you were
the day before.

It all gets stored in the memory bank
and you will inevitably do it again.

Even in Algonquin, mild-mannered Algonquin,
one day in May,
I drove into Magnetewan Lake,
with a vague plan to meet some friends
already out there.

There was snow on the ground and it was raining,
the ice had been out for a couple of days.
I got out of the car, and let the dog out.
The solo canoe stayed on the roof.

We walked down to the dock and had a look around.
I stuck my hand in the water.

I looked at the dog, already wet and doggy-smelling.
He looked back, in that soulful way that dogs have.
This time I had a choice:
I went home and made a cup of tea.

Gordon Baker, April 16, 2011.

Trip Report – Mother’s Day 2009

Jenn Kerr — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:47:08 +0000

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

Jenn Kerr — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:08:02 +0000

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

Jenn Kerr — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:01:21 +0000

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!

Spring is here…but so is the snow!

Jenn Kerr — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:34:21 +0000

Well it may be April but we are getting one heck of a snowstorm right now! Some of the lakes around the Kawartha’s are starting to thaw but it will still be a good couple of weeks til the canoes can go in.

I know its been a while since I posted last but there has been a lot of tragedy in my life lately. My mom passed away in January suddenly so I’ve been taking time off for that. I also started school in the fall so that has kept me pretty busy.

I only know of 1 trip that I’m taking this year but the route hasn’t been planned yet.

Have you planned your trips yet? If so where are you headed?

~enjoy your trip!

Canoe Trip 2008

Jenn Kerr — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:08:26 +0000

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

First trip of the year!

Jenn Kerr — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:54:22 +0000

I have just come back from my first camping trip of the season. I went to Canisbay for a nice quiet time with just my ipod, sirius radio and a good book or two. It was quite relaxing.

While there I have discoverd that there is a new type of pine tree growing along Hwy 60. Particularly at the Whiskey Rapids trail. I took a photo so that you can see this new type of tree….

This is the Cell Phone Tower Pine tree. I’m only showing you this so that you don’t drive off the road from laughing too hard!

I did see two female moose this trip which was nice….hopefully my moose count will rise higher than last year.

A word to the wise…..the bugs are horrible!! If you are going camping make sure that you are well prepared with bug spray. I was dousing my self every couple of hours. The water at Canisbay is nice…not sure about the rest of the lakes.

Just as a side note…it is the Friends of Algonquin’s 25th anniversary this year. Check out the special section in the Algonquin Park Paper which you can find at the park gates.

Thats it for now
~Enjoy your trip

Spring is finally here!

Jenn Kerr — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:05:38 +0000

Over the last couple of days the Algonquin region has finally welcomed in the warmth of spring! The snow is melting and the rivers are running high. The ice has not yet gone out on my lake but I will keep you updated that way you can get that canoe finally in the water. Don’t forget the reservations line is officially open for back country reservations!

Enjoy your trip!

Spring is Here!

Jenn Kerr — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:58:01 +0000

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!
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