Algonquin Park Fall Trip – 2014

So, it’s been quite a while since I last posted here. Over two years to be exact. And while I really don’t have a good excuse for my absence, I do, however, have a good excuse for my return. I just returned from my latest trip to my favorite place on this tiny little pale blue dot we live on: Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. This trip represents my 7th time camping and canoeing in the back-country. I simply cannot get enough of this place. So, without further ado, let’s get into the trip.

We found out earlier in the week that for the first few days of the trip, we were going to have some just spectacular weather! And that’s exactly what we got. September 27th, in northern Ontario Canada and it felt like summer. Not only that, we were arriving at the peak time for the fall colors! And they were awesome!

Here are a few shots from our access point on Rock Lake:

As we paddled down Rock Lake we passed some ruins that we came to find out were left from an old range cabin…

Right around the corner from the ruins on Rock Lake is an impressive rock face. At the base are some pictographs remaining from the Alqonquin Indians rituals…

You can see three lines near the center and a turtle shape near the bottom left of the frame. Close up of the turtle shape in the 2nd image:

The cliffs weren’t finished with their surprises yet, though. Just around another corner and we came across a cool cave. Apparently it was overflowing with mosquitoes, so we didn’t venture in too far…

Here is a sample of the amazing colors on Rock Lake near the portages to Pen Lake and Lake Lousia:

I was so happy to see clear skies on the first day. I knew I would be able to get some photos of my favorite subject that night. Our Milky Way:

The next morning was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I woke up, as usual, with the sun. Upon stepping out of the tent and looking out onto the lake I said out-loud “Oh wow!”. There was the most amazing fog over the lake. So I took quite a few shots…

At the end of the short portage from Pen Lake over to Welcome Lake, we got another beautiful dose of the fall colors…

This stream, another portage, Welcome Lake, and another stream later, we arrive at our home for the night on Harry Lake:

The sunset over Harry Lake:

And another beautiful night for shooting the stars!

The next day, after a good bit of travel, we arrived at our home on Lake Louisa. Here are a few of the snapshots from our campsite:

The last two days were very cloudy and gray. I didn’t get the camera out much at all. However, I was able to catch a quick shot of our biggest nemesis from the trip! These little suckers robbed us of our trailmix and some other food a few times during the trip. But like our beagle at home, they are lucky they are cute!

This trip definitely ranks high on my favorites list. We covered some serious distance (for a couple of old men): 35 miles of paddling and portaging. The weather was fantastic overall. And I got to enjoy the peacefulness and solitude that is Algonquin park.