Algonquin Park Wilderness Canoe Trip

Algonquin Park
Wilderness Canoe Trip
Cedar Lake to Mink Lake Region
September 10-16, 2000
by Norm Hooper
Part 6

Return to the
Canoe Stories index

Another Story
by Norm Hooper

Sept 16^th – We were "warming our tailbones" in front of a campfire by 6:45 am. We decamped without haste, but still in record time – it was not that we were eager to end our voyage and get home; it was a matter of keeping mobile and staying warm in the 11C/53F temperature. Breakfast was a simple fare of the last of the coffee and pita bread with peanut butter and jam. After packing the canoes and donning our raingear, we set out into some gusty winds and good size waves, all working to our advantage. Norm H decided to try out his neoprene gloves for the first time and they were successful in keeping his hands warm and dry. Wayne and Norm R. agreed to maintain a close distance to Norm H. in the event that anything should go wrong. Although we had less supplies, our canoes were still heavy laden. A sharp eye on the waves and the direction of the bow was a constant to avoid getting swamped – not much time for sightseeing during this passage!

Nearing our destination, we passed through a narrow opening between a small island and the Brent Beach. The waves could be seen ricocheting hard and high against the rocky shoreline. We paddled through this area on the first day of our trip and found the passage very shallow with sharp rocks clearly visible in about a foot or two of water. Our fear was that the up and down movement of the waves would cause our canoes to drastically scrap the bottom. We had no choice but to enter the passage, as it was too dangerous to change direction against the wind and waves to canoe around the island. Again, the "canoe gods" must have been in our midst as our canoes rode the high waves without incident. Rounding the point and now under the protection of the leeward side of the landscape, the waves and winds diminished and we were able to relax, paddling much slower towards the wharf. We completed the 8 km (5 mile) trip in 55 minutes rather than the one hour and 45 minutes the first day out. After securing the canoes and loading the equipment into the van, we decided that a quick swim and a change of clothes were in order before the ride home.

Our canoeing and portaging over the week were calculated as follows:

DATE/DAY	DESTINATION	CANOEING	PORTAGE	TOTAL
Sept 10, Sunday	Brent Wharf to Base 1	8		8
Sept 11, Monday	Base 1 to Gilmour Lake	5	5	10
Sept 12, Tuesday	Base 1 to Hurdman Lake	18	1	19
Sept 13, Wednesday	Base 1 to Cauchon Lake	15	.5	15.5
Sept 14, Thursday	Base 2 to Mink Lake	22	1	23
Sept 15, Friday	Base 2 to Cedar Lake	15	.5	15.5
Sept 16, Saturday	Base 1 to Brent Wharf	8		8
TOTALS		91	8	99 km

As luck would have it, leaving the park was not the end of our adventure. Not long after departing from the wharf and traveling on the "washboard" road, we heard a noise coming from beneath the van. The exhaust pipe broke between the muffler and the catalytic converter. Some innovation on our part was required and we met the challenge using two wire handles taken off the five-gallon food pails and using them to secure the pipes to the undercarriage. Since there was still a slight break between the two pipes, we had to endure a muffled noise for the remainder of the trip home; leaving a window open to ensure that no one became ill from carbon monoxide poisoning.

At the Brent Ranger Station, we registered our departure and met a middle-aged couple from Troy, New York who had tripped up the French River region of the park during the past week. As we posed for our photo in front of the Brent Ranger sign, this man jokingly asked why we needed proof of our trip. It reminded him of the story of the man who went on his annual moose-hunting trip always taking his Cadillac and his sports jacket!

Once on the highway, we made mention of the usual "15 minutes to go" to reach Tim Horton’s in Deep River for our anxious coffee fix – this was in reference to John Nikita and his misguided optimism on our return trip last year, only to arrive at Tim Horton’s two hours later. Of course, we stopped at the Irving station in Pembroke for our traditional "at-the-end-of the-trip" meal. For John’s sake, we took a photo with the Irving restaurant and the Canadian flag in the background - this should "trigger" some sentimental memories for him in Kosovo! Our next wilderness trip already beckons us and the one most eager to get "tripping" will be our absent partner, John, upon his return to Canada next spring – he was sorely missed on this trip!

- Norm Hooper

Route 17 on the way home

Norm and Norm at Irving Restaurant