This trip was taken in August, 2008 with a boy's tripping camp in Algonquin Park. The group had 2 guide/counsellors' and 7 boys ranging from 12-16 years of age. I myself had just turned twelve. I took my first canoe trip with my family when I was four years old. It was to Booth Lake. We have taken 3 canoe trips every year since then, more challenging than that first one. This was my first time with the tripping camp and the trip would be my most challenging by far. We single carried our portages, covered a lot of ground and used 3 expedition weight Kevlar Nova Craft Canoes. There were no fire bans and we cooked all food over an open fire. It was an awesome trip and I will be returning in 2009.

Day 1- Learning Curve

We left camp at Cache Lake around 10:00 am and made our way towards the corner of the lake near the access where a beaver dam (must lift over) leads through to a small pond choked with weeds, that is easily passable. Once to the end of the pond, a very rough, steep take out followed by a 585m portage to Canisbay Lake greeted us. Once up the steep pitch, we took a quick 10 meter sprint across Highway 60 to a rocky trail that led up to a slim take out. Once there you will paddle through a marshy section before coming out into Canisbay.

Canisbay gave us no trouble, and we quickly got to a flat, sandy and spacious take out in for a 2600m portage that follows a well beaten path that was fairly easy. It was a slightly rocky and small put in but we got out on the water at Polly Lake. We ate a lunch of tasty sandwiches in our canoes. The next two portages were both moderate with pitches uphill and downhill on both. The first was 930m to Linda Lake and the second 875m to Iris Lake.

When we reached a muddy take out for a 2100m portage from Iris to Alder, it was a very rocky, hilly and difficult trail and near the end a serious patch of mud left me knee deep for a moment. It was hard to get out with my heavy pack. The take out was the same story. We paddled for 2 minutes across Alder Lake before doing a quick 160m portage with ease.

Once we reached Burnt Island Lake (around 4:00 pm) we selected an awesome campsite, just a quick paddle from our first portage planned for Day 2. After a quick dip and dinner we hit the hay. There were times during the day when I really thought "is this portage ever going to end?!!, but by the end I was adjusting to the pace and it was fun.

Day 2- The easy day

We got up, had a breakfast of eggs and bacon and were on the road again by 10:00 am. The put in for a 790m portage was a large sandy beach that had room for much more than our 3 canoes. The portage was flat and slightly rocky, with the take out into Little Otterslide Lake being small but smooth; you must load 1 canoe at a time. The paddle through the creek into Otterslide Lake was leisurely and simple, but it does get a bit shallow at points.

The string of portages along Otterslide Creek were mostly simple, but spaced close together, sometimes so close you could see one portage from the take out of the next. The only one I found difficult was the third portage, a 750m that was rough and skinny, and at that point I was also craving lunch.

We had our mac and cheese on the first site on Big Trout Lake, before pushing further to find a nicer site. We eventually did, from the front it looks crummy, but it has many tent sites on a few levels. Also, from one side, there is a huge rocky ledge with an awesome view. After dinner, with the sky clouding over (after a nice sunset) we hit the tents.

Day 3- Oh, Great!

After oatmeal for breakfast and taking down our tents, we left at around 9:30 am with rain clouds above us. The first portage, a 2590m to Lake LaMuir, was a thin hilly trail but by now my endurance had built up and despite a shoe poking through my pack and into my back along the way, I took it well. Unfortunately it started to rain lightly, until it quickly stopped and the sun started peeking through the clouds.

After a nice early, lazy lunch on a beautiful campsite on Lake La Muir with a huge natural beach, (no leeches in sight!) we paddled into the small pond next to Lake La Muir, and followed a relatively easy section of the Little Madawaska River. The 685m portage was also fair, and did have a small incline, but we got across with 0 issues. We arrived on Hogan Lake at 3:30 pm. We thought this would be no issue to arrive at that time of day, but with all campsites in sight occupied we decided to do the 3760m trail to Big Crow. Just what I needed with that boot sticking into my back, huh?

The portage started off with a gigantic hill that never seemed to end that we later heard someone call "Heart attack hill" followed by a rocky trail that linked onto a cart trail (that simplifies things) It goes on for a while, so after you gag and wheeze your way up that hill, and along that rocky path, you get the reward of an easy, 800m finish, but of course it rained, and poured on us (Karma for moving on to the wrong lake?) all the way up to a small but smooth take out.

After pushing away onto Big Crow Lake, at 6:00pm we found ourselves forced to take a tiny, wet campsite infested with mosquitoes. Although the highlight of the evening was when a moose showed up ON OUR SITE (and I mean ON the site) and hung around for a good 30 minutes while we cooked dinner. Eventually, we had dinner and had some work to shoo away the moose before quickly going to bed. It was a long day.

Day 4- And (possibly?) the best

Redrock Lake was quite scenic and we stopped at a beautiful site for lunch, when yet another moose swam across the lake towards our site before noticing us and sprinting away. We continued to a 1330m portage which for some reason I cannot recall. But however, I do remember the awesome Happy Isle Lake. We quickly paddled along (and stopped for a moment at the memorial plaque for 2 people that died in a hurricane on this lake) until we found a nice site that starts with a steep rise up to a nice, flat and open and breezy site with nice swimming. (Everyone jumped in for a dip) The day ended with a nice sunset and a good snooze.

Day 5- An encounter with rivals

After getting up early and having a quick breakfast, we hit the water at around 8:30am. When we arrived at the first portage into Shiner Lake, I realized how light one of my camping companion's packs was. I picked it up, and told myself I would pack lighter for the next trip.

The 930m and 1880m were both relatively flat, but muddy with long boardwalks on each, and then on to a 530m portage into the Otterslides, which also had long boardwalks over muddy sections. Here we encountered our rival camp, Pathfinder, who looked like they were moving much slower than we were. They had been camped on the Otterslides and now it was noon, which means they were probably just out of bed. Ha Ha.

While we were eating lunch, a float plane came down and landed on the lake, and proceeded to take off a few minutes later. Although it broke the peaceful silence, it was quite interesting. After the same 790m we followed earlier in the trip, we stopped on a different site on Burnt Island. About 10 minutes later it began to pour on us and we quickly broke out all our stuff and set up camp and made dinner. After clean up, we had a good sleep.

Day 6- a test of endurance

Once we'd had a quick breakfast of granola, we were paddling away from camp by 8:30 am once again. It was the same route as day 1, except we had two more portages at the end (and the 2105 portage is more uphill and tough this time around).

When we reached Cache Lake, instead of returning to Wendigo, we did a 1640m into Head Lake which has a steep beginning, but a dock helps out. After the hill, the portage is relatively flat, with a fairly steep and rocky take out. Once onto Head Lake, we paddled to a put in for a 290m portage to Kenneth Lake that goes up and over a steep hill. Both the take out and put in are rocky and rough.

There was a site directly beside the portage, where we could have walked onto the portage. But the site was small, so we went around the point to an odd, slightly bushy site with 2 tables and a tent site directly on the point. So after drying out our wet clothes which were still wet from Day 5, we had dinner and then hit the sack.

Day 7- The guide's race

Oatmeal and on the road again, then back to the put in at Cache Lake docks to watch the annual Guide's Race. It's a race in which canoeist/guides from Pathfinder, Northway (a girls camp which is the original camp which Wendigo is part of) and of course Wendigo, race across a section of Cache, portage along a trail along the lake and back in the water to the finish. It was quite exciting although we couldn't see them for the entire race.

Thank you very much for reading my log. This was one of two trips last summer with this camp. The second one was shorter but involved lots of low maintenance portaging and a long bushwhack, and a very beautiful lake called Rainbow. Maybe I'll write again about that one.