The rock wall up close
As I arrived, a school group of canoeists also arrived heading in the opposite direction. There must have been 15 teenagers and a leader. I’ve got to hand it to some of those kids – they had aluminum canoes and boy did they look heavy. They all managed to get to the other side somehow or another. I shoved off onto High Falls Lake and when their leader returned for his second load I shouted, “Hey boss!? Did I miss the waterslide?” He indicated I didn’t miss it, but if I continued on I surely would. He told me it was easier to access from Stratton Lake; however there was a trail from where we were. I thought I would skip viewing it today and check it out in a few days when I had to pass this area again. I shoved off onto High Falls Lake proper then I thought, “It’s pretty hot, and I could go for a swim,” so I landed back at the portage as a few of the kids were gathering their last bits of gear. I wished them well, and then I cached my boat and backpack behind a giant rock in the woods. With my GPS, some water and a couple snacks, I made my way along a small trail. The trail split, rejoined and split some more – I don’t believe I was following the unofficial trail as indicated on Jeffrey’s map because at one point it looks like it’s on the opposite side of the water. Nevertheless, I finally came to a large pool of water with a giant waterfall on the other side of the shore. It was beautiful; a very high falls in the middle of the forest. It’s probably in the 20+ feet area and mostly uninterrupted; a picturesque cascade. I snapped a few shots and made my way around the pool, up, down, up, down – very rocky and rough terrain.
As I came to the first campsite, it was on a narrow peninsula and with a southern breeze. I felt it was too exposed for my two days of base camping here. The next two campsites looked a little more enticing so I got out of the boat to inspect them. I planned to camp a little further down river, but a great site is a great site so I kept my options open. These two sites were within walking proximity of each other and were both very large and very clean. It look as if someone had raked the area around the fire pit, stacked a good pile of wood off to the side and even sprinkled a little dry pine needles in the fire pit to give it a clean and welcoming look. I had never seen this before and after finding all the sites in the area were like this, it dawned on me that the rangers must have come by to do their opening maintenance. Excellent work, because these sites were all in great condition. Although the two sites were very nice, I wanted to go a little further down the river to see what else this area had to offer. I paddled across a little bay and stopped at the next site. I loved it – flat ground everywhere, all raked and cleaned with the trademark dry pine needles neatly sprinkled in the fire pit and more wood than I could ever burn – great for two days. It was also connected to the site just south of it by a path, about 300 m long. I checked it out. It was a nice site, but not as good as the one I had chosen. Give a man too many options and he’s likely to over think it! The one thing I didn’t like about the site, which I also consider important, was the water access. In order for me to fill up my sink with water, I had to walk in a couple metres as the shore was choked with alder and had no rocks or way of getting water from directly from the shoreline. It was kind of mucky at the shore. The other site connected to this one suffered the same fate. Ah well, wet feet a few times won’t hurt – I was just hoping there were not any leeches in the immediate area. I find Algonquin has more leeches than I like to see, but what can you do? After setting up my tent and having a little snack, I relaxed for just a little while. I found someone had constructed a table so I brought it over to the fire pit and bench area to keep my food sack off the ground before hanging. I went off on a trail to hang my bear rope. It’s a simple contraption comprised of 50 ft of 5 mm static cord and a carabineer to quickly attach and detach the dry sack containing the food. I hung it about 100 m away from my main camp. It was around 6:30 p.m., and I thought I would try my luck fishing in the river. I didn’t really expect to catch much of anything - plus I wanted to paddle upriver through the canyon again. I wanted to get some dusk shots from within the canyon, as well as check out some of those waterfalls along the northern side. As I made my way up the river, I passed two canoes, each with a guy and a girl in it. They had passed my camp heading up the canyon a couple hours earlier and they were now heading back the way they came. They shouted “Hello!” and I returned a greeting. I asked if they knew where the fish might be hiding and one of the girls shouted “At the Rapids!!” She yelled it so quickly I thought they might be pulling my leg. So I said, “Really?” They replied “Yes.” So I was on my way. The river was dead calm and there was no wind when I entered the canyon. The massive walls of rock and granite make you feel like a speck of sand. Forty foot trees growing up the sides of the cliffs and there is still 150 feet above and below them. It has to be the most spectacular part of The Park I have ever seen – and possibly ever will see. I continued up until I arrived at one of the waterfalls. This small waterfall hid behind a couple trees along the shore. Once I landed I could see how it sliced its way through the canyon wall over the years and made its way down to the river below. I took my time on this mini trip up the canyon, as I wanted to see the things I may have missed on my way down. It’s amazing to think there are actually relic plants from over 10,000 years ago in front of my eyes – I only wish I knew how to identify them. I found a smaller waterfall up river again, but it didn’t seem worth getting out of the canoe to check out. It was now 8:30 p.m. and I was impressed with the photos and videos I shot while canoeing through the canyon so I decided to head back to camp. Once back at camp, I made a quick dinner of bannock grilled cheese – sooo very good! I sat in front of the fire for about half an hour and it was off to bed. I was tired from the day’s work – but I didn’t have to move anywhere tomorrow so I could also sleep in!
The disaster the rock saved me from
The wall & plants up close
Some of the plants here are 10,000 year old species
The Barron Canyon, Algonquin Park
I left a few decent-sized logs for the next occupants of this fine campsite
Probably the only time I'll ever say, 'Good thing that rock was there!'
I launched on High Falls Lake and made the short paddle to the northern end. In the narrow beginnings of High Falls Lake there are a lot of submerged rocks and it is studded with little rock islands. You need to watch where you paddle because you could be in very deep water and out of nowhere these giant, underwater boulders appear. I wanted to throw my line in but I had places to be and I had already done enough relaxing for the day. Eventually I came to a rare sight in The Park; for the north end of High Falls Lake has two portages, side by side, perhaps 20-25 m from one another. I had to snap a shot of this because on my last trip with some friends we had actually talked of this same circumstance and how odd it might look. I took the portage on the left leading to The Cascades and in two days I’d be coming from the portage on the right - from Ooze Lake. The sign says it’s going to be a 530 m portage, but Jeffrey’s Map knows better and it was only a 445 m portage. It, like the portage from St. Andrews, was a rock and root-studded path requiring all of your attention to be focused on the ground. It didn’t take long to complete - I was launching at a rocky put in within ten minutes. There were no bugs but I worried they would soon appear as the last two days were really sunny and hot. The Cascades is really interesting. Many little waterfalls, and rock-sculpted creeks can be found here. The constant in-and-out portaging can be a little annoying, but I’m glad I went this way. I completed the 60 m portage and continued along The Cascades. A private-looking site can be found here with great shore access and access from the hiking trails. I wouldn’t mind spending a night here with the constant sound of the cascading water – no better sleeping pill. Upon approaching the 210 m portage, I noticed the water the portage bypassed wasn’t all that bad, and I was confident I could easily skip this portage. The water moved a quickly but with conscious control of the boat, I managed to make it down to the next patch of calm water without so much as a scratch from a rock! I was really happy to do one less portage, so when I came up to the next one, I figured let’s try that again. I looked at the map, and I thought I saw CI as the rapid intensity rating. My boat can easily run CI rapids because it’s not your average canoe. The hull is the same shape as a Swift Adirondack Kayak, but its open hull makes for easy portaging and a canoe experience. You use a double-blade paddle and sit on the floor of the canoe, much like a kayak. The mistake I made was I had looked at the wrong portage on the map - I was looking at the following one, not the one I was about to complete. The beginning of the rough waters were as expected from my misreading, a simple class 1. The fast-moving water was a nice change of pace and made me concentrate a little harder on my steering and control skills – again, I managed to complete that section without hitting any rocks. Suddenly I looked further ahead of me and my heart sank. I was headed for the part that makes this a class 2. Fast-moving water with a good metre of elevation reduction followed by an overlapping flow of water churning with so much force it will flip my canoe and dump me into the lake without question. The open-hull design allows the boat to fill with water in seconds under those conditions. I never paddled so hard in my life. I made a quick dash for the left shore where the portage was. I paddled with such force it strained my back a little – I must have pulled something. I came to a bunch of rocks blocking the shore and the side of my boat slammed into a big rock with the stern end literally hanging over the class-2 section. If I was one second later with my decision to head to the shore, I would be in the river for sure because the rock pinned the boat right in the middle. If that rock was a foot closer to the bow, the rushing water’s force on the stern would have spun it around and sent me into the drink. This would prove to be a lesson well learned. I was a little disappointed in myself to say the least. Such poor judgment, map reading mistake or not, simply cannot happen when out solo.
Small Falls dumping into High Falls Lake
Soon I would learn this entire area of The Park has this rough, rocky terrain. I climbed up to the top of the falls and followed the stream a little more. It was a really cool area; the rocks are very exposed and generally dictate the flow of the water. I came out of some bush and BAM! I’m in the middle of what can only be described as a rock waterpark and directly in front of me was the infamous Algonquin Rock Waterslide. The area was massive. It boasted pools of water at all different levels and depths. Many flat rocks for relaxing or sunbathing. Shallow area for those just wanting to get their feet wet. Deep pools for those who wished to be submerged, and, of course, a rock waterslide. It probably had a drop of 8-10 feet on a 45 degree angle – so the slide is roughly 10-15 feet long, and FUN! Not another soul in sight! I was excited to be here, for I had only heard of this place and seen videos online of people enjoying the slide. I never knew how amazing the other pools and rocks in the area would be. There was even a rope in the lower pool where the slide dumps into it to help people get out of the water. I was ready to go! Even though the water was cold, and only a month ago while on Bandit & McCraney I had snow under my tent, I needed to do this! I unzipped the legs off of my pants, took off my shoes and shirt, and then proceeded to the water. Ouch! It was so cold it stung a little bit. I stood there, going deeper but only inch by inch until I was standing almost up to my knees and at the top of the slide. The water rushing passed my legs with enough force to trip me if I didn’t move slowly and concentrate on every step. I looked at the water below where it dumped into the pool then I realized something – something very important. I don’t know how I overlooked this in the first place, perhaps it was just the excitement of getting to the area but I did not have my PFD on – and this was not water to mess around with. I slowly exited the water and went back to the rock where I left my clothing and other stuff to get my life jacket. That’s when I realized, I left my lifejacket with my boat and pack, almost 1100 meters away. I was kind of frustrated that I forgot such an important device for swimming in cold, fast-moving water. I was not taking any chances so I got dressed to hit the trail. I made my way back to my boat and found it just as I had left it. I was okay with not going down the slide because I would have to pass this area again in two days – and hopefully it will be just as sunny and warm.
St. Andrews Lake to Barron River via The Cascades
Two portages, one answer: leave on the left today, come back on the right in two days
Infamous Algonquin Park Waterslide
Small Falls between St. Andrews Lake and High Falls Lake
A closer look at High Falls
The tent in a smokey forest - kinda spooky!
There isn’t much in the way of help and you can’t be guaranteed you’ll come across anyone for days, or in rare cases weeks. I freed my boat and made the final 30 m carry over to calm waters. I reflected for a while before re-entering the boat. This was something that could not happen again. While I relaxed on the shore, I took another look at the map and planned out my last three portages of the day. The first one, which was right in front of me, was a 275 m around a verified class-1 rapid, and I could see the other end where it met calm water again. The second was a 100 m portage exiting Brigham Lake, and was also a verified class-1 rapid. The final portage was a 440 m around Brigham Chute. I knew enough that any portage around a chute, was not to be run. So I would be able to run two out of three portages with ease – but after my last experience I would be sure to verify that I could see to the other side before proceeding. I passed the first portage with ease, only scraping a couple stones at the beginning of it, and I was dumped into a straight and narrow section of the Barron River. Just paddling this section alone, I knew I was going to be in for a real treat when I got to the canyon proper. The river was lined with hills, had piles of boulders on both sides, and appeared to be getting higher and higher as I continued on. Eventually I was at some impressive rock faces and spotted many birds along this stretch of the river. Upon entry of Brigham Lake, a cross wind came up and the sun tucked behind a few clouds. I thought I might get some rain today, which would have been weird considering how bright and sunny it was not so long ago at the waterslide. I came to the 100 m portage and again, I verified I could see the other side before deciding to run it – another portage skipped with success! I was pretty happy about being able to skip a few of the very many portages I would face on this trip. When I arrived at my final portage for the day, I could hear the thunderous rush of the water over Brigham’s Chute. It was a very scenic chute and the portage was easy enough when headed in the direction I was – I’m sure I’d have very different feelings about it when coming the other way. I got to the other side within 15 minutes and stopped for a little refueling. A mint-chocolate Cliff bar – they’re delicious! I was excited because I was about to paddle down the most scenic area of my trip: The Barron Canyon. It was calm and the sun was out once more. The threat of rain disappeared and I gently followed the current to what would become my favorite area of The Park. The Canyon walls are some 100 meters high and in some places nearly straight up. The eastern edges appear to be more significant, but there are some spectacular cliffs on the western edge as well. At some points I paddled right next to the canyon wall and looked straight up – it was just so impressive.
Algonquin's Natural Waterpark - pools, slides, fun!
The other side of the canyon - it is possible to hike there from Cork Lake
A pair of Mergansers swim together in the Barron River
Another waterfall in the High Falls basin area
I shoved off and made my way north on St. Andrews Lake to the 550 m portage heading into High Falls Lake. This would be my first real portage of the trip. I decided since my pack was still heavy and I had eight portages to cover today, I would try out a double carry. It worked out okay I suppose. First, I took my backpack and some random gear. The trail was very rocky; you had to mind every step and if you looked away from the ground for even a split second, you were likely to trip. The trail is mainly downhill to High Falls Lake, and when I arrived at the put in, it was a nearly straight down mini cliff (about 15 feet) to the water’s edge.
TOURduPARK
The Cascades below P60 (Signed as P15)
These cliffs were carved by glaciers some 10,000 years ago and according to reliable sources a lot of relic plants from that era can be found there. Seeing the trees growing out from solid rock was also impressive as it gave perspective to just how massive the cliffs are. As I came to the part of the canyon where the walking trail is, I was sure to look up, curious to see if anyone was up high on the cliffs watching down on me. I did not see anyone, nor had I seen anyone since the group of school kids at the High Falls Lake portage. I continued down the river at a very relaxed pace. It was pretty early in the afternoon and there were plenty of sites in the lower canyon – so I had no inclination to rush. While making my way through the canyon, I could hear many waterfalls cascading down the canyon walls. Some were easily spotted while others were an unseen trickle in the bushy areas. The waterfalls added an excellent soundtrack to my otherwise nearly silent paddle down river. I wondered what types of fish might be in the river; bass I assume – but what else? Again I was tempted to drop my line, but I figured I’d set up camp first then paddle back for some dusk photos.
High Falls between Stratton Lake and High Falls Lake
Day 2: St. Andrew's Lake to the Barron Canyon
I was awake at 7:30 a.m. and could see it was already very bright outside. I got dressed, rolled up my sleeping bag and pad to get them ready for packing. I wasn’t in a rush to leave the site as I only had an 11.5 km journey to the next campsite – but I have a general routine I like to follow. If I wake up and it’s a moving day AND it isn’t raining, I like to pack my gear and tent right away. Sometimes even before I have breakfast or coffee. I figure since it rains so much in The Park, always take the opportunity to pack your stuff while it’s dry - plus you can just laze around camp all morning afterwards until you have to go! I made a quick breakfast of coffee (Nescafe 3n1 – perfect) along with two bacon (Ready-Crisp) and cheese sandwiches on an English muffin – this would be my breakfast for the next three mornings. Just after breakfast, a really large and strange-looking aircraft was flying overhead and relatively low. It was heading to the Petewawa Armed Forces base I assume. After doing the dishes and packing away the final items, I prepared to leave. One thing I’d mention about this site is, to get to the thunder box you have to climb up a rocky hill for a good two minutes. It was the furthest I ever found a thunderbox from the campsite.