Algonquin June 26

Time to pack up, it's the last day! Kinda dreary looking weather, but it is relatively dry while we pack up.

We tried repack the bags so that we wouldn't have to double back for another bag. Can you carry that Daniel? He said "I think so" but really, he dragged/hauled it with much drama later and said he couldn't after all. It WAS pretty heavy for his size.

Out on the lake, heading to the "highway portage".

All right, time to go down Potter Creek. We looked at our map. Which was quite old. There was a choice of several longer portages, or to go down the creek and have two portages less than 100 meters each. It seemed the obvious choice to take the creek!

We thought the creek was really shallow though...I guess it will get wider and deeper further on? We lined the canoes down the first part, hoping for a better wider deeper around the next bend or two.

Well, we found a beaver dam. And hunted around for the portage sign and trail. It might be here, right? Or maybe it's just a new beaver dam here and the portage is later? We waited by the dam while Philip checked out further down stream...will it get deeper? Maybe we can just line the canoes through this spot, and then climb back in, since we can't find the portage? The kids had to bushwhack as they were too heavy to sit in the canoes.

Okay, so this is the creek, not widening up yet. Yikes, it still looks small. But it's on the map, so we should just keep going. It's bound to get bigger later.

Well, we found more beaver dams later. Did I mention that our map is really really old?

Oh look, another beaver dam! We got really efficient at climbing out, taking the bags out, dragging the canoe over, filling it up again and paddling on.

The creek did get wider, but the number of beaver dams was pretty high! And there was a section where the brush was really heavy overhead so you couldn't paddle for all the branches in the way!

Finally out in the open and close to civilization! We did find the last portage too, thankfully. A proper trail is much easier than bushwhacking!

We were pretty tired and hungry by this time. We always though, just one more bend, we are almost there! But it was usually just another beaver dam or another bend. We stopped by the remnants of an old bridge for lunch. It was started to drizzle by the time we were done.

We paddled across Canoe Lake all the way back to the access point. It is a big lake. And the drizzle turned to rain. And the rain got heavier and heavier. We even bailed the canoes out at some point as they were getting really wet in the bottom.

Pouring buckets, we are all sopping wet!!

Ugh, someone has to finish emptying the canoes and stack them up and yuck whatever else is soggy clingy clothes.

But we had washrooms to change in (flush toilets!!) and dry clothes and towels. So soon we were warm and on the road to home. Looking forward to seeing how Nathan survived.