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Algonquin Park
Wilderness Canoe Trip
Cedar Lake
to Mink Lake Region
September 10-16, 2000
by Norm
Hooper
Part
1
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Immediately after the successful canoe trip to
the northern region of Algonquin Park last year (An Algonquin Park Canoe
and Camping Trip), Wayne
Morrison, Norm Rail, John Nikita and Norm Hooper began to
plan another trip in the year of the millennium. This
past spring, however, it became evident that John would
be going to Kosovo on peacekeeping duties with the RCMP
contingent for nine months, and failing to find a
replacement, we organized our trip with Norm H. canoeing
solo and Wayne and Norm R. sharing the second canoe.
During our first meeting in July, it
was decided that we would commence at the Brent wharf and
head westward on Cedar Lake and finally to Mink Lake,
using base camps at two specific sites and doing daily
excursions. This would allow us to carry less equipment
and food through our portages and, at the same time,
paddle more lakes and see additional territory. Our menu
for the week was finalized - we would acquire our food
supply from three sources, namely, our personal supplies,
the grocery store and a specialty store. Finally, the
designation of equipment was assigned among the three of
us.
At the end of August and early
September, all the food items were purchased and placed
in marked bags, as per our menu, for easy access. On Sep.
9th, the canoes were secured onto the trailer
and stored along with the rest of the equipment in Norm
H’s garage overnight.
Sept 10th
– We met at 6:30 am under warm, sunny skies.
Everyone was eager to get packed and under way; however,
our "testing" began when we encountered a
slight delay because the ball on the hitch of Norm
R’s van required changing and the wiring redone to
accommodate the trailer. Not to be so easily deterred, we
quickly "bent to the task" and were soon on our
way.
On route, we stopped at the Irving
Restaurant in Pembroke for our traditional breakfast and
then in Deep River to purchase some Tim Horton muffins
for our afternoon snack. Turning off Route 17 towards the
Brent Ranger Station, we soon came to realize that the
next 41 km (25 miles) would involve a dirt road,
"wash boarded" by logging trucks, bringing the
speed limit almost to a crawl. After registering, we
still had another half hour "jittery" ride to
the wharf. We did take the opportunity to climb a tower
to observe the Brent Crater that was created by a
meteorite millions of years ago. We decided to canoe this
area on Monday as part of a side trip.
dirt road leading to Cedar Lake |
dirt road leading to Cedar Lake |
By 1:30 pm, our
equipment was secured in our canoes. Before leaving, some
medical attention had to be directed towards Wayne, who
sustained a deep cut on his hand from the gunwale of his
canoe. The injury was serious enough to warrant concern
at that moment and over the next week; however, this
mishap did give us material for some "fish
filleting" jokes at Wayne’s expense!
For the first twenty minutes of our
trip, we met a southerly wind and waves large enough to
make handling the canoes a challenge. Once we rounded the
two land points and headed westward, the winds came at us
from a 7 o’clock direction and demanded our full
concentration. Occasionally, however, our eyes would be
drawn toward the spectacle of the white-capped waves
stretching into the horizon before us. The force of the
wind from this direction resulted in a "riding the
crest of the waves" sensation – profoundly felt
by Norm H. during most of the trip to our campsite.
Fall foliage sprinkled the countryside
and seemed earlier than normal for this time of the year.
A 3-foot water snake approached along side of Norm
H’s canoe and appeared to be searching for a resting
place - a paddle was gently used to re-direct the snake
towards the shoreline. While searching for our campsite,
we passed Gilmour Island on the north side and noticed
the portage sign to Gilmour Lake. Passing between a group
of rocks and the mainland, we entered an inlet and
located our campsite.
Norm H. went for an invigorating and
well-deserved swim - in the buff – not waiting to
dig out those swim trunks! While setting up our tents and
arranging our equipment, we noticed that the mosquitoes
were vicious and out in force - quite a surprise! Our
decision was to sleep in one tent and place the equipment
in the second one. Thunder could be heard in the distance
while we gathered firewood along the shoreline. We
decided to install tarps between the trees over our
campfire and make shift kitchen as a precaution. By 5 pm,
it began to rain heavily and these shelters proved
successful in keeping us dry, especially during the meal
preparation. The "feast" consisted of baked
potatoes with sour cream, baby carrots and steaks cooked
over charcoals. Except for the occasional medicinal sip
of 12 year old, single malt Scotch during the evenings
around the campfire, this was to be our only luxury
during the trip! That evening, with the landscape clearly
silhouetted in the background, we stood along the shore
watching the scattered clouds drift past the moon shining
on the tranquil lake - picturesque to say the least. By
11:30 pm, we were ready to turn in for the night.
Cedar Lake |
from our campsite |
During the evening, Norm
R. remarked that we were presently in the heart of the
country of our ancestral voyageurs who paddled in their
24 foot birch bark canoes loaded with 1000 pounds or more
of supplies and living a life full of adventure and
pitfalls. One only had to recall the stories read and
told to us as youngsters of the voyageurs, such as
Pierre-Esprit Radisson, Medard Chouart des Groseilliers,
Sir George Simpson and others, to realize the truth in
his statement. The canoe journey into the wilderness has
always been a consistent theme of our Canadian history
and culture and has emerged as the image of our national
dream life, the symbol of our oneness with a rugged
landscape. As much as the Beaver or the Canada goose or
the maple leaf, the canoe is presented as our link to the
land, to the past, to our forebears, and to our spiritual
roots.
morning mist - Cedar Lake |
afternoon reflection |
copyright
2001 by Norm Hooper
http://www.canoestories.com/brent1.htm
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