PAD3O Algonquin Canoe Trip

With a small group of 7 we headed to Algonquin Park on May 14 for our canoe trip, which was a wonderful treat, as usually the groups are closer to 20 students. This gave us more freedom, as we only required one campsite per night. This was a good thing as the weather forecasts were all over the place, with major rain in the forecast for Ottawa and an inconsistent forecast for our part of Algonquin Park.

We started our trip on the beach at Achray as we headed on a very quiet and smooth Grand Lake. It is rare for Grand Lake to not have any winds on it and it was for this reason we decided to head in the opposite direction to check out a few campsites on the Eastern part of the lake. I guess this was the calm before the storm, because about 10 minutes into our paddle it began to rain. By the time we reached the campsites it was raining heavily, which was made worse by the fact that the campsites were not very nice and we decided to go back to the other side of the lake for a nicer spot. Although we were quite wet by the time we arrived, it was a very good choice as the campsite had a good wind block and many large trees to keep the rain to a minimum. A nice satay stir fry helped warm us up as we got ready for the night.

The next day Brenna joined us in the morning as we enjoyed a sunny breakfast. On our second day we paddled across Stratton Lake (our largest lake) to a small swift that lead us into St. Andrews Lake, the location of our next campsite. After setting up camp, getting some firewood, eating some soup and sandwiches for lunch and searched for that elusive bear that had stolen Ryan's walking stick, we headed to High Falls. The weather at this point was perfect for a chilly swim. High Falls had more water coming down it then I have ever seen before, promising for a fun and pushy Otter Slide. Only about half the group decided to brave the chilly waters and try the slide, which definitely didn't disappoint. The evening was topped off with Taco's and plenty of marshmallows.

Our third day was our first real exposure to portaging. We got going fairly early and flew through all the portages. We collected plenty of firewood on the last portage and were still at camp by 12:30 PM. This gave us plenty of time to relax and explore at our campsite on Opalescent Lake, which is arguably the most beautiful campsite on the trip. The only downfall this time around was that CFB Petawawa was busy training and it sounded like the entire world outside of Algonquin Park was getting blown up. This went on all day and seemed to be even more intense in the evening. OK, who is kidding who, they were still shooting of artillery at 1:15 AM.

This made for a bit of a groggy morning, as we had to be on the water by 7:30 AM (which we managed), so that people could be back in time for rugby games and job interviews. The last morning was also our biggest day of paddling and portaging. We knocked of the longest portage (740 m) in record time and then got rewarded as we were able to skip the next portage, as the water was high and it was just a simple swift. This also gave us a bit of extra time to really enjoy the Barron Canyon with it's 100m high cliffs.

All in all, a great trip. The students worked hard, had fun, the weather was perfect and the bugs stayed away.

Frontenac Hiking Trip #2

The 2nd trip to come to Frontenac Provincial Park came on a mission. This was the group that had signed up for the more challenging trip and although they were a bit worried when members of the 1st trip told them to turn back, they were ready and keen to go.

We started hiking and although the trails were quite wet, the group made excellent time getting to our 1st campsite on Little Clear Lake. The navigating was excellent and the group moved really well as a group. The campsite was in a gorgeous spot and everyone was excited to get set up. The tents went up quickly, as went the cooking tarps (as it rained a little) and out came the meals. Similar to the other group, some quickly learned the lesson of quality versus crappy firewood, but that didn't stop some excellent meals from being delivered. There was marinated steaks, brown rice with an amazing vegetable blend and sausage pizza panzerottis. This was all topped off with a beautiful red sky, which we all knew would bring good weather for the next day.

We were not disappointed, as the sky was blue in the morning and the sun quickly warmed everything up. This was good too, as some people stayed up a little late (actually very late) and it would take a lot of effort for some to make it through the hike on the 2nd day. Before we actually headed on the trail to go to our next campsite, we backtracked a little to check out one of the old mica mines hidden in the bush. Here we saw a few more deer, which put the count for the day at 6 and it was only 10 am. Once we returned and put our packs on to head to campsite #4, it was obvious some of the students would have a tough day as the energy levels were not very high. This is why we decided that after hiking for about an hour, that we would have an extended lunch and allow some of the students to take a quick nap to regain their energy for the more difficult part of the hike.

This seemed to help, as the afternoon was much better and students seemed to enjoy the twisty narrow trail and the amazing lookout overlooking Big Salmon Lake. We even found a big bird's nest right under the ledge of the cliff. As we got to camp and fires were going with dinners cooking, you could see that the energy had returned to the group and everyone was ready for a beautiful evening as the sun went down right on the opposite side of the lake from us. The evening was just as good, as the stars were just amazing.

Having been quite lucky with the weather, the bugs had made quite the appearance, although they were not mature enough to really start biting. Which was a good thing. Never the less, we got a good early start to avoid the bugs and to get back to the trail head. The last part of the trail, the group went back to business and covered in just over an hour. This also meant that we beat the bus to the parking lot and we decided to head up the road to meet it instead of sitting amongst the bugs. All in all, good trip with great weather and an enthusiastic group.

PAD2O Frontenac Hiking Trip #1

From May 2 to May 4, the 1st of our Grade 10 groups headed out on the trails in Frontenac Provincial Park. The weather has not really been kind to us in the last few weeks and it was very obvious as we hit the trails. There were some very muddy sections and some parts were completely flooded out. This may have been a sign of things to come and we maybe should have seen it as a warning.

The weather on the first day was fine. We had a few drizzles, but the sun also made an attempt to come out. Enough at least to have the bugs pay a visit, especially when we got attacked by hundreds as we crossed one of the running streams. All in all, it took us about 2 hours to make it to our 1st campsite on Little Salmon Lake. Quite a beautiful little spot, with just enough wind to keep the bugs to a minimum. The group was excited to set camp, find firewood and start making their meals. The challenge was finding good quality firewood, as it was all quite wet. This was obvious as many tried to get their fires going with lots of birch bark and poor firewood, which resulted in a quick big fire that died out just as rapidly. The students quickly learned that it is all about the quality of your firewood.

Once the fires were going the meals started to come out, as well as, the marshmallows. We had a nice evening, as the rains held off and we could sit around the campfire enjoying the songs of the loons and the hoots of the owls. Later the packs with food were hung in the trees and everyone settled in for the night. The next morning showed a lot of promise, as the sun came out and it was cool enough to keep the bugs hidden. Truth is that we didn't really see anymore bugs for the rest of the trip, as the temperatures got quite cool, but then we also didn't see the sun anymore either. As we finished breakfast and were packing up, it began to rain. This is how it stayed as we started the longest hike of the trip.

The hike from campsite #6 to campsite #4 is quite beautiful, with narrow trails that wind through the forest and spectacular lookouts. Even though it did rain for the entire day, the group did take time to enjoy these sights. We also through up a tarp at lunch and made hot soups, heated pita and nutella wraps to stay warm. There were also many versions of jumping jacks and a few hills that were ran to keep warm. When we got to the campsite, the wind was coming from the North and hitting the campsite dead on, there really was nowhere to hide and with everyone being quite wet, it was really cold. All the layers came out and we made a hard push to get some real good firewood. With the tarps set up to block the wind and protect against the rain, everyone quickly prepared their hot meals to get warmed up and comfortable. Needless to say, most groups headed to their warm sleeping bags quite early.

The last day was a hour and half hike to the parking lot. The group covered this quite well. It must have been the motivation of getting on a warm bus that would be followed by a warm shower. This not before we saw a fairly fresh wolf kill of a beaver. Some people did say that they heard wolves howl during the night, which is not surprising as we saw a lot of signs of wolves throughout the trails. The hike took us around Big Salmon Lake. At the parking lot we welcomed the next CW group that was coming in and some of the students even tried to convince the next group that maybe they should get back on the bus. Luckily they didn't.