TOURduPARK
Back at the cabin and the boat secured to the porch post for the night
Day 2: Just hanging around the Crooked Chute Cabin
I slept well last night, but I’m pretty sure I heard a mouse or two scurry around the odd time. I’m not sure exactly what time I woke up but it must have been after eight as it was pretty bright out. I opened the cabin door to a wonderful view – sure it was a little overcast but dead calm and quiet. All I could hear is the faint rumble of the rapids a few hundred meters up the shore. I didn’t waste any time getting both the gas stove and the wood stove going – I wanted hot coffee and a warm cabin – two easily solvable problems. With a good base going in the woodstove I tossed in a few ‘over-nighter’ logs to really get the cabin warmed up. It wasn’t too cold out but hey, why be cold if you don’t have to?
With my coffee in hand I decided to take a walk over to the rapids – I had noticed a few trails here and there all around that area on my way in and I wanted to check them out. The hike was a bit longer than I expected but it didn’t matter – I had nothing to do today. Eventually, I arrived back at the steep hill I was forced to climb yesterday and carefully made my way back down, trying to avoid spilling my coffee as best as possible. I decided to take the first trail and see where it leads. It’s very narrow and snakes its way through the forest, eventually coming out a few dozen meters away from the base of Crooked Chute. With a hop, skip and a jump I managed to get to the actual ‘crooked’ part of crooked chute and man – those loggers weren’t kidding. It is intense and this is October – I couldn’t even imagine what this would look like in May. I poked around the area for a while, taking note of the blast channel on my exit. As I made my way back to the cabin, I thought I heard voices through the woods but I never saw anyone between where I was and the cabin.
It was around four in the afternoon that I decided to get the fire going and relax outside with a drink. The entire day had a very relaxed vibe to it and I really enjoyed doing nothing. I’m glad I decided to save the trip down to the Natch for tomorrow because it eventually began to rain. It wasn’t a huge storm, but enough to get me back in the cabin. I grabbed a patio chair and sat just inside the cabin with the door open – I wanted watch the rain from the sanctuary of the cabin. It’s always nice to watch a rainstorm without actually being in it. The rain didn’t last long – a little over an hour and by then I was making dinner. Tonight, I would feast on Butter Chicken on Indian style rice. Really easy to make – really awesome to eat! As dinner was cooking I got the fire outside going and tossed on a few more logs to keep me company as I enjoyed another outdoor dinner. This is probably my 2nd favorite Algonquin meal. I wasted no time getting this delicious dinner in my gut and proceeded to clean up.
Once back at the cabin I decided to get breakfast going as it was nearly lunchtime! Breakfast would be simple, pancakes topped with bacon and maple syrup. Ya can’t beat that! It was still gloomy out as I made my way to the shore for some dish water. The local resident red squirrel seemed to take offence to my presence and things kept ‘falling’ nearby from the sky but every time I looked up this guy I would chatter at me then run off. I’m pretty sure he knew exactly what he was doing. With the dishes done and the cabin cleaned up, I debated heading out in the canoe and going down to the Natch cliffs. It was noon so I had plenty of time, but I didn’t have much drive to do it. The weather was fine, I just wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to a day trip like that. I sat on the cabin porch for a bit debating my options and decided to keep it local for the day. I grabbed my camera and Nalgene then made my way down the trail leading south from the cabin. It goes for a while and mostly follows the riverbank. As the river bends east the trail continues south and into the thick forest. I kept walking, just to see where I would end up. Eventually I came upon a little cabin sign with an arrow pointed in the direction I had just come from. I’ve seen this symbol twice before – once at the trailhead to the Lost Coin Cabin and also at the trailhead to the McKaskill Lake Cabin. I’m not sure who these symbols are for because there isn’t supposed to be road access to these cabins and I doubt they’re for the maintenance staff as they would already know where the cabin is. Weird. Maybe from a time long ago – I’m not sure.
One of the best Algonquin meals I've had to date - Butter Chicken on Indian Rice
tr 39: CrooKed Chute Cabin & The Natch
A slice of the cabin's history
The beginning of Crooked Chute Rapids
Looking at the end of Crooked Chute Rapids from the cabin's beach
I wasted no time getting this guy going again in the morning
Relaxing by the fire with a drink - pretty much all I did for the rest of the night
Looking downstream on the Petewawa River from the cabin's beach
I wanted to stay up by the fire tonight because I felt a bit cheated having to go to bed so early last night. I mixed up a few drinks and threw on a couple tunes from my phone in my pocket. I kept it just barely audible but enough to give that great cottage campfire vibe. I stayed out here for a few hours and many more logs before deciding to call it a night. It was around 10:30pm when I retreated to the cabin and once again clambered into bed.
The second big 'drop'
The first big 'drop'
After the drops, the fun just keeps going!
Maybe this will give you a better idea - Crooked Chute Rapids on the Petewawa RIver
As if this first portion wasn't insane enough
I walked down this trail for about 30 minutes before I decided to turn back. There was so much firewood available here I started wishing I had an ATV with a trailer as I could have a month’s supply in about a day’s worth of work. Ah the things we think about out here eh? Roughly a half hour later I was back at the cabin and spied a group of canoeists playing around in the rapids just up the bank. I could hear laughing and yelling – they sounded like they were having a blast! I wonder if any of them ran the whole chute? They didn’t hang around long and made their way out of the pool along the opposite shore, waving as they passed. It was kind of fun, I felt like a warden from back in the day – just keeping a mindful watch on my section, waving to groups of people as they pass.