Fall in Algonuquin - Ragged Lake

We don't get to do much fall camping. Once school starts the kids get busy with their extra curricular activities, I get busy with work...excuse, excuses. We've often talked about how great it would be to get out during the week in the fall. There wouldn't be many people or bugs and there could be some really nice weather. I decided to book some time off and we booked a site on Ragged Lake in Algonquin. It was a bit of an odd trip. I had nothing to do with the planning. Sarah and the kids looked at the map, chose a section of the park, then chose a lake and booked it. It different kind of trip for us since we booked four days on a single lake. As it turns out we chose one the nicest four days of the summer. It was also the only camping we did all year where we didn't get rained on.

We arrived at Canoe Lake at noon and picked up our permit then headed across the highway to Smoke Lake. We had lunch on the dock (in the shade) on a very hot day. As we were having lunch two CC-130 Hercules flew across the lake and directly overhead. They were flying so low it looked like they were just above the trees. It was like I'd never left Trenton.

 We finished lunch, loaded up the canoes and hit the water. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining, the temperature was north of 25ºC and there wasn't much wind. Shortly after leaving dock we saw the park float plane take off right behind us. It disappeared for a while then came back, landed and docked. Next up in the Smoke Lake Air Show was helicopter dragging some long cables behind it. We had seen the same helicopter, as we drove in, hauling a very large piece of lumber.

After the Air Show we had a beautiful paddle across the lake. We saw a couple of small motor boats go by and a group of about seven canoes headed back to the access point but other than that it was very quiet.

On Our Way

We made it to the portage to Ragged a little quicker than expected. As we arrived there was a couple coming in the other direction. They had spent the night on Ragged and said the site they stayed at was very nice. They showed us where it was on the map. We easily managed the 240m portage. We got onto Ragged Lake and started negotiating which site would be our home for the next few days. I was pushing for the small island site in West Bay. One of the kids (possibly two) just wanted to grab the first site that we saw. They were hot and excited to do some swimming. Once we reached the big island in the middle of the lake they realized how quick it was to paddle across the lake so we made our way to West Bay. We didn't see anyone else on the lake. It was, after all, only Thursday. We rounded the corner so that the island was in site was in view and sure enough there was a canoe there. What were the chances that the only people on the entire lake were within a few hundred metres of each other? We opted for the site just north of the island which was fantastic. It had a great beach and was located on a point. Our middle daughter was very upset that we weren't on the island but after being there for a while she admitted that we had a great site. The kids spent most of the time that we were on the site at the sand beach or in the water.

We've Arrived

The Beach

Moose Bones on the Beach

Once we arrived at our site it was time for a swim. We were all really hot and the lake just seemed so inviting.

Time for a Swim

The kids stayed in the water while Sarah and I setup camp.

The Sun Goes Down Early This Late in the Year

Our son loves cooking dinner over the hobo stove so he got the fire going then looked after it while cooking for us. It was the last day of summer but it sure felt like it could have been the middle of summer.

It was quite late by the time we finished eating, got cleaned up and hung the food. We piled into the tent and went to sleep. I had hoped to go out and take pictures of the stars but I was tired enough that I fell asleep and didn't feel like getting up at any point in the night.

The next morning we awoke to a perfectly calm day. There was no wind and the lake was as flat as could be.

Sunrise

More Sunrise

Fall Colours

The air was so still that we could hear the faint sound of logging operations off in the distance. It wasn't until the next day that I looked at the map and noticed how close we were to the edge of the park and a logging camp to the south.

After breakfast we paddled over to Archer Bay to check out the long beach we had seen the day before. The girls swam for a bit while the rest of us explored and took pictures.

Checking Out the Geese At Archer Bay

Beach at Archer Bay

Looking Into Archer Bay

After a while we decided to head back to our site for some lunch. We had lunch then Sarah took our youngest daughter for a nap. She'd had a very restless night the night before and could use a little more sleep. The rest of us spent our time swimming and playing with rocks. The kids discovered that some rocks were harder than others and that one type of rock turned to sand easily if you rubbed it or banged against other rocks. We figured it was sandstone. They had such a blast identifying rocks and making sand. It was quite fitting given that our daughter was studying soil, erosion, etc. at school. Experiential learning at it's best!

Playing with Rocks

After hours of playing in the water we decided it was time to start thinking about cooking up some dinner. We started a fire and cooked up some delicious pizza. After dinner the girls hung out around the fire while my son and I went fishing. We both caught a fish on our third cast and had a few other bites. It was great to be on the water as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

The next morning was almost as calm as the first morning. It was a bit cool but once the sun came over the horizon things started to heat up pretty quickly. We took out some eggs and discovered we hadn't brought any fat to fry them in. The good news was that we had some Ready Crisp bacon. We fried it up which gave us enough grease to be able to fry the eggs. It was a delicious breakfast. For whatever reason this was the first time in a long time that we brought eggs with us. It certainly won't be the last.

Breakfast

After breakfast we hopped in the canoes and headed for Parkside Bay. We were just looking to explore and see what was around the corner. Our son fished while I paddled and Sarah paddled as the girls played in the front of the canoe. Somehow we'll need to get the kids to paddle more on our trips (not that it mattered for this trip). As we paddled our son caught a nice smallmouth bass. He was pretty excited. This was the first time he'd caught a fish big enough to eat.

Heading to Parkside Bay 

Beautiful Day

Mountain Behind Our Site

We paddled for a bit but it was getting hot so we headed back to our site. On our way back we could really notice Ball Mountain behind our site. I wondered if there were any lookouts on the mountain. I imagined that the views of the lake might be great.

We headed back to the site. I dropped our son off then went to clean the fish. The rest of the crew started a fire and when I came back we cooked the fish and had a delicious lunch. You could say that our son was hooked on fishing at this point. He was really excited to be able to catch our lunch.

Big Catch

In the afternoon we hung around the site and did some swimming and relaxing in the hammocks.

Hanging Around

While the kids were relaxing I decided to head up to the top of Ball Mountain to see what I could find. There were no trails beyond a certain point but I managed to meander to the top. Once I made it to the top it was pretty clear that there was no lookout but there was a gorgeous meadow of maple saplings. It wasn't at all what I expected but it was super rewarding none the less. 

Maple Saplings 

I made my way back down and we had dinner. After dinner we did some fishing but didn't catch anything. It was another beautiful night on the water.

Beautiful Night on the Lake

The next morning we woke up to a really humid morning. The forecast was for a maximum temperature around 30ºC feeling more like 40ºC. We had breakfast, packed up our stuff and headed out. It was a hot, hot day. Hard to believe that these were the first days of fall. We were hoping to stop somewhere for lunch and a swim but we were not covering ground very quickly so we ate in the canoes and pressed on. 

On the Way Back - Captured by the Four Year Old

Smoke Lake

It was very busy heading to the access point. It was amazing to see how many people must have been in the park over the weekend. We were all sweaty and smelly when we got to the access point so almost all of us opted for a swim. It was so refreshing. I couldn't believe how much cooler I felt after being in the water.

We had a great four days in Algonquin in the fall. We will certainly be back for more fall trips in the future.

Do you have a favourite fall destination?

A Short But Good Weekend At Sandbanks

At the beginning of September we decided we should head to Sandbanks for a weekend. Luckily for us the park had just opened up reservations for the Outlet B campground the day before. As a result we managed to get what might be the best site in the entire park.

Perhaps the Best Site in the Park

We arrived in time for a late dinner Friday. We dug out the food and began preparing dinner as the kids played in the sand. The view from the site was great and being outside made the busyness of the first week of school disappear. Summer holidays were back...at least for a couple of days.

We setup the tents and got ready for bed. Just before turning in we spent some time admiring the moon and the stars. One of the nice things about the sun setting earlier is that the kids get to spend a little more time observing the night sky.

This was the first time that we brought two tents. We thought that the kids might like to sleep in a tent while we slept in another tent. They decided it would be better to have a boy's tent and a girl's tent.

Site at Night

Once the kids were asleep I decided to walk to the main beach. The moon was out and was fairly bright. The walk was very pleasant. When I arrived on the beach I only saw one other person. You could hear the waves crashing but the wind had died long ago. Although the crashing waves were quite loud it somehow still seemed very peaceful.

The boys tent was the first to be vacated in the morning. We decided to go for a paddle until the girls were awake. We paddled the Outlet River until we got to Lake Ontario then turned around and made our way back to the site where the girls were playing in the sand. With everyone awake it was time to get the fire going so we could bake cinnamon buns for breakfast. We had intended to bring a cast iron frying pan to bake the buns in but we forgot it at home. Instead we just used the foil pan that the buns were placed in to rise. It worked great. The buns couldn't have turned out any better.

Cinnamon Buns

After breakfast we loaded the family and some toys into the canoe and paddled to the main beach. It was warm and a little cloudy, which made for a great morning to be at the beach. We played on the beach, swam and just enjoyed being outside.

Hard at Work

As the morning wore on, more and more clouds rolled in. We decided to pack up and head back to the site for lunch. As we got into the canoe it started raining a light rain that seemed warm. It didn't seem to matter to anyone that we were getting wet since we were all in our swimsuits. By the time we reached our site it was pouring. We sat in the screen room and watched the rain just come down. It rained on and off for a good part of the afternoon but there were lots of sunny periods mixed in with the rain. We played in the sand when it wasn't raining and played games when it was raining. Around 3:00 (I'm guessing since I don't wear a watch) the sun was back out. The kids were having a blast in the water so I decided to paddle up the Outlet River to East Lake and paddle a bit in East Lake. It was getting late so I headed back to the site. On my way back I could hear, very faintly, thunder in the distance.

Upon arriving at the site we quickly started to put dinner together. The thunder and lightning was now much closer but it looked as though the worst of it was passing to the north of us. We were just on the edge of the cloud bank. We finished cooking our dinner over the fire by which time the thunder and lightning seemed to be constant, but still north of us. It was an amazing show of light and sound. It poured for a bit then stopped. The thunder, dark clouds and rain all seemed to have moved east and it looked as though we had avoided the worst of the storm. As we finished eating the park wardens came by and informed us that there was a tornado watch and that we should seek shelter immediately. This seemed odd given that it looked like the worst had already passed, but I'm not a meteorologist. We got the kids in the van then quickly packed up (it must have been record time) our wet, sandy things and threw them into the van and headed for home.

As we drove north we passed through lots of heavy rain and noticed the signs indicating that high winds had been present. The worst of the damage was definitely in Bloomfield. There were downed trees and the emergency crews were out. We had certainly missed the worst of the storm. It was certainly our slowest drive home from Sandbanks but we were happy to be safe and dry.

First Family Trip to Killarney

After hearing about Killarney and seeing lots of photos earlier in the summer our kids were keen to pay the park a visit. We thought it might make for a good trip next year. At some point we decided that there's no time like the present. Why not go this year and next year? We didn't have a ton of time so we decided to go overnight. Our intention was to book a site at the George Lake Campground and explore George Lake. However, we discovered that the reservable sites were all booked. There were about a dozen non-reservable sites available but we weren't sure that we wanted to take our chances. Instead we booked an interior site on George Lake. Even better!

We packed up the gear and began our journey. Less than 10 minutes into our trip we spotted a fox next to the road. Less than 45 minutes later a coyote crossed the road a short distance ahead of us. If nothing else this trip was already a success for wildlife sightings.

Red Fox on the Train Tracks

The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. We continued along the highway and headed into the town of Killarney. We stopped on the wharf and had some fish and chips from Herbert's Fisheries. The sky looked quite threatening so we thought it would be best to be on our way. We arrived at the park at about 2:30. By this time the sky was beginning to clear a little. For Killarney's interior you book the lake you want to stay on and not a specific site. We had wanted to stay at site 6, which was at the opposite end of the lake from the access point, so that we could explore some of the other lakes. We headed in that direction hoping we wouldn't need to backtrack if the site were occupied. As it turns out the site was vacant. It was a great site located on a point.

Once we were setup we decided to paddle to the 80 m portage into Freeland Lake. Upon our arrival we found a large beaver dam.

Beaver Dam into Freeland Lake

Freeland Lake was a picturesque lake. It was long and narrow and was quite shallow and marshy. 

Freeland Lake from the Killarney Lake Portage

We paddled across the lake to the portage into Killarney Lake. We left our stuff at the beginning of the portage. Our purpose for this trip was to check out the waterfall located about halfway along the portage. We were not disappointed. We were rewarded with a great looking waterfall. 

Waterfall Along Freeland to Killarney Portage

Waterfall From Above

We made our way back to the start of the portage and paddled across Freeland Lake. As we neared the portage we spotted a beaver a short distance in front of us. Not long after we spotted it, it dove. We quietly paddled along hoping to catch another glimpse of it. As we paddled we figured we wouldn't see it again, then it reappeared in front of us. It swam for a bit and then realized we were there. We watched it slap its tail then dive. It was such a site to see. I'm glad we were all able to see it.

As we paddled back to our site the clouds started to build again. The sky looked very threatening so we ate and cleaned up quickly. Just as we were about to enter the tent it began to rain. The wind picked up and was howling all night. Luckily there was a rock face between the lake and our tent that acted as a windbreak. Although we could hear the wind, we didn't feel any of it.

Clouds Over Killarney Ridge

In the morning we packed up and headed out against a really strong wind. We paddled close to the south side of the lake to stay somewhat protected.

View From the Campsite

Granite on the South Side, Quartz on the North Side

 We paddled until we got to where we could see Little Sheguiandah Lake. We got out and admired the view. It would make for a neat little side trip. It wouldn't be too difficult to lift over the rock and paddle around the small lake and do some exploring of the neat looking cliffs.

Little Sheguiandah Lake

We left Little Sheguiandah Lake behind and headed into the wind. It was slow going and at one point it didn't seem like we were going anywhere. I mentioned that to everyone else and at that point the young paddlers decided they should pitch in. It made a big difference. We paddled to a cliff that was located between sites 2 and 3. We were hoping to see a volcanic intrusion and thought that we had (as it turns out it was a little further along the shore). We did however see some cool patterns in the rock.

Interesting Patterns in the Rock

On the way back to the access point we paddled past a glacial erratic, a rock deposited by a glacier. It was an interesting rock due to all of the holes and cracks in it.

Glacial Erratic

Although our stay was short it was full of adventure and we look forward to returning.

A Quick Overnight to Kawartha Highlands

We decided at the last minute we should do an overnight trip to Kawartha Highlands. We arrived at Access Point #6 (Cold Lake Access) at about 4:30. We paddled through Gold Lake which was full of nice cottages. Many of the cottagers were down on the water enjoying the afternoon. They were all really friendly. They waved and asked us where we were going and wished us well.

We were happy to cross into the park and paddle through the narrows leading into Cold Lake, our destination for the night. It's a small lake with a couple of islands and a neat sandbar. Our destination was site 511 on one of the islands. It was a great site. It had great rocks for swimming off of, lots of space, a great view of the lake and trails that led around the small island.

Looking Across Cold Lake From Site 511

Once at our site we setup camp and prepared dinner. After dinner the kids wanted to go out for a paddle so we loaded the canoe and paddled around some of the marsh behind the site. It was a perfect evening for a paddle.

Paddling at Dusk

Working Hard

The next day our two year old daughter said that she wanted to go hiking (music to our ears). Little did she know that the plan was to hike one (or possibly more) or the portages leading out of the lake in search of a Paddle In The Park Contest paddle. We loaded up the canoe and paddled to one of the portages. It was fairly rugged and difficult to follow at times. I was glad that I didn't have a canoe on my head. The kids did alright on the hike, but we certainly discovered that any portage much over a kilometre would be a challenge for them. In total we hiked close to three kilometres. Everyone was tired by the end, but generally in good spirits. The reward for hiking the portage is that we had the chance to observe two different deer on our way back.

We made our way back to our site and had a much deserved swim. The water was refreshing but not too cold. There were lots of laughs and some hooting and hollering. What a great way to enjoy the park. We had some lunch and packed up then retraced our steps from the day before. Although our outing was short it was a lot of fun.

Enjoying Lunch and the View

Family Adventure to Kawartha Highlands

Last year we visited Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. I took our two older kids (Bob & Not-Bob) for a few days and we all had a great time. The only thing missing was...the rest of the family. The kids wanted to show their younger sister (Still-Not-Bob) and mom what this great park was all about. Given that Still-Not-Bob is now two years old we figured it was time to introduce her to the backcountry.

How could we not want to go back to this?

Our visit was only three days long and as far as backcountry trips go, it was a very simple trip. We booked two nights at Bottle Lake. Aside from the 210 m portage from the parking lot to the lake there were no portages and it was a fairly easy paddle up the lake. We chose to stay on Bottle Lake because of the amazing beaches at a number of the sites. We figured that the beach would be a lot of fun for the kids. As it turns out the kids were a able to occupy themselves both on and off the beach. Next time I would be more inclined to travel further into the park.

Day 1:
We arrived at the park around noon. We unloaded and carried our belongings across the 210 m portage. Nobody had any difficulty with the portage and we all could have done at least double the length without any trouble. After lunch we put the canoe in the water and started paddling to our site (site 107). The paddle took longer than might have been expected since we were battling a very strong head wind. Regardless we were all very happy to be in the canoe. Once we arrived at our campsite we unloaded and started setting up. The kids had a great time playing as we took our time getting setup. Once the site was setup I wandered back into the woods to find a good spot to hang our food. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get something setup. It felt like a comedy of errors: broken rope, not high enough, too close to the branch at the top, etc. Perhaps I was being too picky but I felt that this was one thing to be over cautious about.

Upon my return from the food hanging adventure I discovered my wife and son testing out our new stick stove. What a great piece of gear. If you haven't tried one you really should. Bob was so excited by the stick stove that he made it his responsibility. He setup the fire and kept it well fed with sticks from around the site. We had frozen some sloppy joe mix the night before. It was now thawed and just needed to be heated. We dumped the meat in the pot, put it on the stick stove and left Bob in charge. It was fast, easy and delicious.

Taking care of dinner!

Once things were cleaned up we headed down to the beach to watch the sunset. What a beautiful spot.

Beautiful sunset

We headed into the tent to play some cards and get the kids set for bed. As they were falling asleep I heard a noise in the woods so I got up and made my way back to the food bag to find everything in tact. It was a beautiful night so I decided to take some pictures. This is when I discovered that I had forgotten the tripod. I managed to make do with the camera case.

Night Sky

Day 2:
We woke up then cooked some bannock for breakfast. We cooked it like thick pancakes. We made one per person so it was a lot faster than cooking pancakes. After breakfast we decided to paddle up Stoney Creek at the north end of the lake. While we were at home we thought this might make for a nice paddle so we checked it out on Google Earth. We saw a small beaver dam that we would have to lift over and further upstream was what looked like a waterfall. Our goal was to check out the waterfall. We made it to the beaver dam. The kids were so excited about us lifting them over as they sat in the canoe. So much so that when we were done they asked if we could do it again. We knew the waterfall wasn't too much further so we pressed on. As we rounded a corner we could see a rock strewn creek that marked the end of our trip in the canoe. We got out and made our way up the sometimes loose and sometimes solid boulders with water running between them. We covered the 40 or so metres to get to the beaver dam. Such a beautiful spot. The kids had a great time playing among the rocks, both in and out of the water. They looked to find where the water was coming from, what kind of insects were living where and noticed some of the plants that were growing along the shore. These are the rewards that we seek! Such a beautiful spot and we all had such a great time. We had lunch at the waterfall then made our way back to the campsite.

Dam at the top of the falls

Playing at the waterfall

Wheeee!

A lunch time visitor

While Still-Not-Bob was napping at the campsite, Bob and I paddled to the portage into Sucker Lake. We wanted to see if by chance there was a Paddle In The Park Contest paddle hidden there. The portage was short at only 80 m but it's does go uphill. It would be very doable for the entire family. Sucker Lake looked just beautiful. It has a number of islands and nice bays to explore. It's also a motorboat free lake. After admiring the view into Sucker Lake we made our way back to the canoe and then paddled to the portage that leads to the parking lot just to see if a paddle had been hidden there. We came up empty handed so we turned around and battled a strong headwind to the campsite.

Back at the campsite we started a fire and the stick stove. The kids manned the stick stove to hydrate some dried vegetables, Sarah made a cheese sauce (I think she called it a roux) for our mac & cheese while I cooked the sausages. Dinner was a real team effort and it was delicious. After dinner we had a swim and did a little fishing. What a great day.

Day 3:
We had some oatmeal for breakfast then began packing up. The kids helped a little and played a little. As we were about to leave the woman who had stayed on the site next to ours (108) paddled over to tell us that her food, which had been hung in a tree, was completely destroyed. The only thing untouched by the animal(s) were her dill pickles. She wanted to warn us to be careful. Somehow I felt better about spending all the time I did to get our food bag 'just right'.

Just about ready to leave

We left the site and thought we'd paddle Bottle Creek on the way out. It was nice, but not as interesting as Stoney Creek was. I think it would be a great fishing spot. We made it to the dam that leads into Catchacoma Lake, had a snack and paddled to the portage leading to our van. The portage was very busy: a clear indication that it must be Friday!

We all had a great time and on the ride home the kids began asking when we could go again. We heard "Can we go back tomorrow?".  I love it and clearly they do too. #RewardsAreOutThere