Algonquin, Aug 29, Saturday

Aug 29
So I got the rain I wished for. We woke up to what seemed like a drizzle, but that's because the tent was mostly sheltered by a tree. It was raining. Not pouring or drizzling, but raining. We opted out on cooking a warm breakfast, but broke out the snacks early instead. And in the tent. :o Since it was the last day I permitted food in the tent...since I figured it was dry stuff which we could sweep out when we got home, without leaving an odor.
After a light snack we had to efficiently pack up (while keeping dry as much stuff as possible). The kids stood and watched, trying not to be too miserable and wet.

I had to quickly snap a few shots since my husband didn't think that photography was included in the "efficient packing up" scheme.

Once everything was bundled up, the wind started to gust a bit, and the rain came down heavier. Should we wait it out? Should we get it done and over with? The tree we were huddling under provided a little shelter...but I was impatient...so off we went.

The kids were soggy and cold by the time we got to the first portage. They were all pretty miserable there. Thankfully, once they were bundled back in the canoe they stopped crying (Matthew even fell asleep) until we saw the van (probably an hour of paddling later). We were all shivering at that point (new rain gear would be good to have next time) but I had a dry towel, and we all had a set of dry clothes to wiggle into, and the heat turned up in the van. By the time the van was loaded and the canoe tied on properly, the kids had stopped shivering, and were asking for food instead.

What a dry warm shelter the van was!

What amazing features we had once we got home:
shelter from the rain
heat
running water (no filtering or boiling required before drinking)
washing machine
dishwasher
vaccuum
etc.
(the list seems endless!!!)

Algonquin, Aug 28, Friday

Aug 28
Last night! This day, and the day before, were very leisurely. We were going back through where we'd been before, and only short portages. No getting lost, no weather adventures. Very relaxing. Philip was kind of hoping for a fishing rod or a nature book, or something of that sort, I think...but I just loved how relaxed things were. Nothing left to hope for but rain to send us home with. (Why did I want rain for Saturday?? Even I still don't know!)


We love lunch time! By the time we got to the campsite we were all very tired...even though we hadn't done much...so we all crashed on the grass for a bit once we were done munching our lunch.





Sigh. Last night. Sigh. Time for sitting down and rehashing the whole trip and dragging it out in your mind while you can! It was kinda chilly so we just huddled around and chilled while we could.
Relaxing!!


An important thing to do at every campsite before it gets too dark is to find a "food pack tree". After a few times the kids got right into it...
Here are some food pack hanging instructions:
(because EVERYONE needs and wants to know this) :p

The first step finding a tree that has a sturdy branch up high enough, but not TOO high, with very little or no growth under/around it, but a strong tree near enough to tie the other end to later. Once the ideal tree is found--improvising or settling with less does happen on occasion on "less than ideal" campsites. (The sturdiness of the branch is less important as the food pack gets lighter.) The next step is throwing the rock over the branch--with the rope attached still, of course.

By the end of the trip we could easily judge which branch we'd be able to reach with the stone and rope, and which branches were just a bit beyond. Tying the rock tightly to the rope is very important too, since it needs to stay on until you can reach it again.

Once the rope is over the tree, it must be carefully worked down to be within arms reach--only rarely does it come down clear right away. This is done by carefully sending a wave up the rope, and if it is done gently enough and no other complications occur the rock will stay on.

After that you're home free--tie the non rock end to the pack, have a loop after that, put the rock end(with rock removed) through the loop, and pull it up! (Full packs need two people to get it going!)

We don't pull it up all the way, but leave it down a bit, then find another tree a ways away and tie it there. We were mostly worried about racoons, mice and chipmunks...so we didn't always get it up 10 feet high and 5 feet from the trunk, but we always made sure there weren't any little branches nearby for them to leap off of.

Philip had a made a fancy rope basket to put the food pack in, that way the strain was evenly spread through the pack, and when it was full it didn't get the straps ripped off when we heaved it up. Worked like a charm!

Algonquin, Aug 27, Thursday

Aug 27

If we were early risers, we probably would have seen a moose or two.

Instead we saw the remains of mist swirling on the lake...which is also impressive, and very calming.

Waiting for breakfast and sunning at the same time.

We had our shortest portage this day. Nathan did NOT enjoy carrying two paddles for the whole thing, and Matthew did NOT enjoy walking it instead of getting a ride, and Melanie did NOT enjoy having to wait to get to the other side for lunch and a drink. But we all made it, none-the-less.

Paddling across Big Porcupine Lake was uneventful, and almost boring this time, since there was no wind, and no huge scary waves to keep my heart thumping. There were a lot of people to pass through in the narrowest part of the lake though--so that was entertaining for the kids at least.

When we got to the furthest campsite, it was full (two seconds too slow!), so we turned back to get one of the empty ones we'd passed. Some canoeists warned us that 8 out of 8 were full for the night on Big Porcupine...so we quickly took the next vacant site which was just around the corner. After looking at the map, I noticed that there are 16 sites on the lake...so those people were a little misinformed.







I guess I should wash their teddies this week. Melanie's, especially, becomes rather obviously dirty quite quickly.

There was a gorgeous red in the sky when the sun was setting...but unfortunately by the time I got the camera out and myself perched in what I thought would be a good spot...it wasn't nearly as colorful. But this picture still makes me want to go back out there!

So tranquil and beautiful!!

Algonquin, Aug 26, Wednesday

Aug 26
Another rest day.

Check out the luxurious accommodations! A picnic table!! "That's not roughing it," says my husband! (Yes, he's very hard to please.)


It's been a while since my beautiful self has been displayed...so I used the self timer to get this fabulous shot. If you look real close you can see that laundry was not a top priority this week. In fact, I refused to wash anything but dishes all trip long, with the exception of the face cloth that was used very frequently for very grubby faces.

The only big wildlife we saw was a bear cub. It was just across the water from our site. Over there somewhere. Can you see it?

It's LONG gone.
We were eating lunch when Phil heard it splashing in the water. Melanie squawked about something or other. It turned and fled. We all turned around to have a look, and the quick ones of us got a glimpse of it. I made sure the food pack was hanging up high enough that night--some nights were a bit sloppy, but not this night!


Waking up from nap time is always easier when a snack is involved!


Watching the "roasting marshmellows". We started the campfire a bit early...like 3-ish...so it was a bit more work getting wood enough to last until 9 (the earliest adults can consider going to bed when camping).

Algonquin, Aug 25, Tuesday

Aug 25
Another "harsh day". Both times, the paddling in between portages was really minimal--we could have done them in under five minutes...but you should enjoy being on the water for at least as long as it takes to load up the canoe, right?

This was the longest portage...and the most tiring. It was kinda hot, but we were in the shade the whole way, so it was still very tolerable. We tried to get Nathan to carry two paddles instead of just the obligatory 1--that only lasted for about 100 meters. I didn't even try get Melanie to carry one--she's lethal with something that big and long!!


We picked up the first campsite we came across this time...but mostly because it was guaranteed to be the sunniest! After setting up the tent in one spot, I decided it was too rocky, and moved it farther away. I don't like it being too far--need to be able to hear the kids if they're in there on their own! But I could still see a small corner of it where we ended up nestling it in a soft bed of pine needles. Ahh....almost made me not notice my hips burning from pain during the middle of the night. ;)


Another of Phil's gross bugs. This one had huge antenna, and also had the disgusting habit of landing on me--which it did three times! I did the mature thing and swiped it away calmly--wouldn't want the kids panicking just like Mommy did when the bug landed on her!

Algonquin, Aug 24, Monday

Aug 24
This was labelled and planned to be our "harsh day". Meaning two portages, not just one, one of which is about a kilometer long.

We had an early start, and made it plenty on time to even scout out the other two campsites on the lake and come back to the choicest one--that being the one with the best "beach".


Phil harassed me a little about our "harsh day" since we arrived easily before two. Truth be told, I think he enjoyed resting in the sun, giving his aching shoulder muscles a break...then jumping in the lake once he was hot enough to wash off all the grime.


Since Nathan didn't nap all trip, he had the most time to swim--since naptime is during the hottest part of the day. The other two joined him later. So did the bloodsuckers...but they were smallish...and I managed to rip them off the kids' legs before they knew what happened to them. Some of them weren't really attached yet though, it seemed.


They had fun playing in sand too. Matthew especially liked to knock down whatever they were building to make them scream...and Melanie and Nathan enjoyed fighting eachother for specific clumps of sand.

Sigh.
Kids will be kids.

Algonquin, Aug 23, Sunday

Aug 23
Another rest day. Cloudy and cool-ish, it was very pleasant.

The kids got nap time in, which was definitely needed for the youngest two, and helpful for the oldest.


The hatchet was sharpened before the trip. It's amazing what a little maintenance and upkeep will do! Chopping is always fun...but it's even funner when it works like a charm!


"That's the tree where I got my scratch!" says Nathan (peering over my shoulder). It was a pretty deep scratch--for him. He's usually very careful and avoids most common injuries. After the scratch, and before telling me about it, he came up to say he wanted to go home...and after a bit of discussion we discovered that he wanted to go home because he never gets scratched at home.


Since we weren't doing anything all day except reading sermons (us adults only), I let the kids play with cooking stuff...since, after all, it wasn't their fault that we didn't bring along any toys!



It took Melanie quite a while to figure out how to use the pan handle...but after a lesson and a lot of concentration, she mastered it!

Algonquin, Aug 22, Saturday

Aug 22

Packing up camp does take a fair bit of time. By Saturday, we had a routine going, and Nathan was included in it. Which he enjoyed. The earliest we "hit the road" was 9:30, but often it was closer to 10:30. We slept in 'til after 7 each morning too though...after all, it's a holiday!


Melanie and Matthew, however, didn't do much for help, other than a bit of fetching and carrying occasionally.

Matthew kept finding his soother in it's various "hiding places". Melanie loved the whistle that was permanently attached to his lifejacket. (Fortunately neither of them could blow it very well!) They had a very cute game of tug-of-war, which, naturally, ended in screams and parental intervention.


Nathan says, "That's the mucky portage!" See the yellow portage sign? That's all you have to locate the portage, but often it's enough to see from quite a distance. The approach to this portage was through very shallow water in a creek delta. I stepped out to pull us to the end since we had run aground, and I sunk in the muck. It was silty, full of sticks and air bubbles--the water was only a few inches deep, but when I stepped in the murky spots I went in over my knees--and then some!


While waiting for Philip to do his multiple trips, the kids got to entertain themselves.

At Little Coon Lake there was a curious and very brave loon who came to greet us.

He/she even stayed to watch the kids attempt to throw rocks at him. Actually, I think they were just splashing the rocks in the water--as my husband does not approve of intentionally disturbing wildlife. We think the loon, and later, it's friend, and later yet, it's two friends, must have been used to being fed by fishermen. They followed us around at first, then only showed up remarkably close to mealtimes. We, being ever so sensitive to the natural balance in the environment (and not having much food to spare, and no fish parts to give) did not give free food to the loons, but let them fend for themselves.


The best beaches were almost always at one or other end of a portage, and much more rarely at a site.

Algonquin, Aug 21, Friday

Aug 21

A cloudy breezy day.
Breakfast on a log. Maybe I could squeeze on the end?

Everyone got to munch dried fruit while the hot cereal part of the breakfast meal was being cooked--this was the case for at least half of the breakfasts--which is very good because I'm FAMISHED when I wake up, and I don't deal with whiny hungry kids very well then.


The obligatory full canoe picture. That's everything except me in the canoe...minus one day's worth of food. It's much more compact than last year--maybe because Phil didn't pack any extra clothes. We reserved an even larger canoe, but they didn't even have it when we showed up...we didn't need it after all, but kind of defeated the purpose of reserving!


We took a long "detour" on ragged lake before we found the portage. After that I gave the map and compass to the man. That was the first and last "detour" of the trip. To be fair (I mean, to try make me look a little better,) I didn't guide us in the wrong direction, but had assumed we were camped on the east coast of ragged lake, when indeed, we were camped on the island. Oops. As for the logging and damming, you can see the dead stumps and such in the water, which, we assume, is because of the increase in lake size once they made the dam. Gives it a forlorn melancholy sort of look. :)


We made it to the portage after all, thanks to the correction of my error in navigation. This was an easy portage, since when we came through, it was very busy. Everyone looks at us, our luggage, and our kids--then they ask if they can carry anything across for us! Bonus for Philip--since he did all the lugging (I'm off duty this year :) ). The one helper (a chatterbox who had a kid Melanie's age and missed him) carried the canoe for part of the way, and when he got to the end it was windy, so he had trouble controlling it, and put it down with a rather loud crash. So he dashed to his buddies who were ready in their boat and said "Oops! I cracked it! Quick, let's get out of here!"


Matthew was pretty ready for his nap at the end of this portage--not that he walked it! Compared to the trip we went on earlier this year, he was a piece of cake!! Walking was much easier for him, but also, he knew what to expect. Melanie was a lot more independent too. Such a treat for me!

Paddling across the biggest most open part of Big Porcupine Lake was a big harry. It was quite windy, so the waves were pretty high. Some of them splashed in, but not enough to make us wait for the wind to stop. I insisted we stay close to shore, instead of going as the canoe flies, just in case. As soon as we got around past that one spot (blue and orange lines between 21 and 27) the water was completely calm again.

Once at the campsite, we found a complete roll of toilet paper waiting for us at the thunder box. What excellent timing! I had just warned everyone when we left the last campsite that I had taken an overly conservative supply of TP along, and was rationing it. And lo and behold, a whole extra roll! That made me feel watched over and protected! Such a "small detail" and God had it taken care of!


We packed zero toys and zero books, but the kids found entertainment galore.