TOURduPARK
I checked every site - for some odd reason they were all exposed to wind - regardless of what direction they faced.
It was still early so I decided to pump a little more water to get me through the night and following morning. I finished all the camp chores and decided it was time for a little reward. Fresh orange juice and vodka! I had brought 250 ml of vodka to be mixed with 850 ml of orange juice. It was strong, but perfect and lasted the whole night. I was enjoying my last drink and sitting out on a rock crop looking at a full moon over the lake. The last two nights the moon was so full and bright that I didn’t need a flashlight in all cases while at camp – it was very bright. What happened next has to be the most amazing experience I’ve had in Algonquin Park to date. Just thinking about it renders me near speechless. While out on the rock and looking at the full moon, I hear a loud and clear drawn-out wolf howl. I froze. Not in fear but in sheer amazement. It happened again and again. It gave me goose bumps and had me completely in awe. It was such an amazing sound to go with this picture perfect view of the full moon over the lake. This was a true reward for enduring cold temperatures. Then I could hear pups barking and yapping, it sounded like a lot of them. I could not believe my ears. I was so grateful for that experience. When it finally died down I made my way to the tent and prepared for sleep. After just a few minutes of lying in the tent, the wolves cranked up again. This time I could distinctly hear howling coming from two areas, in front of my tent where the lake was and behind my tent, deep in the forest. The howls were very far away so I do not believe I was in any danger. It was just so amazing. It was after midnight now, and off to sleep I went.
Dinner is served!
Chestnuts? Nope! Steak, peppers & corn roasting on an open fire!
Since it was now a little past 5 p.m., I decided to skip lunch (another deli-meat bagel and marble cheese) and I went right for my steak dinner. I was hungry and alert enough to enjoy it today. I threw a bunch of logs on the fire and let them burn down to make some coals. I threw on the steak, topped it with Montreal steak spice, tossed on some freshly sliced red pepper and a cob of corn wrapped in foil. Cooked to perfection over a fire and thoroughly enjoyed with a little HP sauce for the steak and butter for the corn. I was stuffed. I actually had to force the last few bites down – it was a massive steak, and delicious.
Rehydrated apple sauce with blueberries and honey - YUM!
Bacon sizzling over the coals
I went back to camp and made a breakfast of coffee, a BLT sandwich and re-hydrated applesauce with blueberries and honey. It was the best camp breakfast I’ve ever had. I cooked the bacon over the fire, sliced fresh tomato, toasted my bagel and spread a bunch of mayo on it. I forgot my lettuce though. Oh well, it will be just as good. I devoured that sandwich! My morning paddle must have made me pretty hungry. I rehydrated my applesauce and blueberries, added honey and enjoyed a warm treat on a cold morning. I owe this idea to a fellow canoe tripper.
Campsite on Bartlett Lake
Campsite on Tom Thomson Lake
I was out of the tent at 7:15 a.m., and I was greeted by another beautiful blue sky without a cloud in it! I went to retrieve my food and cookware from the tree, then I boiled water for coffee. I was testing out new kitchen gear on this trip. I upgraded a few items over the winter and so far I am the most impressed with two items in particular. The Sea to Summit X-Series (Plate, Bowl & Mug) and the Sea to Summit Kitchen sink. I finished my first (and second) coffee and decided to go out for a paddle. There was a layer of ice along the shore extending about 25 feet out to the lake. I used my paddle to break up the area I needed to launch and pushed my way through the rest. I paddled up the little creek leading to Bartlett Lake and checked out all the campsites there. The sites on the north-west and south shores are mediocre, and the two sites on the east shore are large. The southern of the two campsites boasted ample level tent space and a large seating area. The northern one had a lot of different rock levels and interesting terrain, though I couldn’t see much space for a tent. It was also situated about 15 feet above the water on a steep incline. I left Bartlett Lake and checked out the conjoined campsites across the bay from mine. They were both large, but had an over-used look to them (as did most sites on this lake). The eastern site had garbage all over it. I don’t know why people do this – it’s not like the city streets where there are people paid to clean them (I’m not suggesting it’s acceptable to litter in city streets). Out here the garbage will be there indefinitely – until it blows into the lake, or attracts animals to the area or someone is willing to pack it out on behalf of a slob of a camper. It’s very unfortunate some people are so inconsiderate. I picked some of the smaller things up and put it in my pockets, since I was on a day trip I didn’t have my garbage bag with me so I couldn’t take some of the nastier stuff.
Coffee, BLT & Apple Sauce
Campsite on Bartlett Lake
Looking good!
Today I planned to move to a site at the north end of Tom Thomson Lake. I took my time while packing up, there was no need to rush since I was only moving to a different campsite on the same lake. With everything packed up I set off for my new campsite at 1 p.m. I paddled along the shoreline checking each site as I passed it. Every campsite was exposed to the south-blowing wind. Even the ones at the north end of the lake were too exposed. Maybe in the summer time I would have made camp up there, but the wind made it really cold. I circumnavigated the north end of the lake all the way to the mouth of the Little Oxtongue River, checking out those two sites. I just didn’t like any of them. So I ended up paddling across the lake and back to the point that separates the north and south ends. I ended up making camp on the western of the two sites there (yes, only two sites over from where I camped earlier). Well, at least I got a good amount of paddling in. This site had a lot of newly broken branches everywhere, as if a wind storm has just passed through. I decided to pitch my tent about 70m from that area, where it looked a little better and safer. I busied myself collecting firewood and I soon found that I was pretty hungry again.
A cool but sunny morning on Tom Thomson Lake
Through the narrows and back to camp
Nice campsite table!
Woke up to a thin layer of ice on Tom Thomson Lake
Narrows between Tom Thomson Lake and Bartlett Lake
tr 13: tom thomson lake
Day 2: Tom Thomson Lake to... Tom Thomson Lake - with a side trip to Bartlett Lake
Awake at 7 a.m. I slept well though it was pretty cold outside last night. I was using new sleeping gear and so far I like how it was working out. I made the switch to a down-filled sleeping bag from synthetic. I find it both warmer and more comfy. I also finally invested in a quality sleeping pad. These really help in keeping the ground cold out and provide a little more comfort than sleeping on the ground itself. I need to find a better solution to a pillow though. I currently just roll up a sweater or jacket but it’s just not working for me anymore. It’s not very soft and I find I’m getting a bit of a stiff neck no matter how I fold, roll, plush or position the makeshift pillow. I’ll have to look into that a little more.