In May I ordered a new Swift Prospector 16 in Carbon Innegra in Textreme online to be picked up at Algonquin Outfitters @ Oxtongue Lake. I almost wrecked in a down pour on the 401 in Kingston, but after that it was an easy drive up Rt 62. I picked up the canoe and drove back to Rock Lake Campground for the evening.
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I got an early start at the put in and paddle down to the bottom of Pen Lake.
This is the route I had planned. The only difference in the paddling of it, I stayed two night at 3 instead 4 and only one night @6
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The put in on the Glaipo River a short paddle from here over to the 2000 meter carry to Welcome Lake
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I was greeted on Welcome with a broadside wind, but I liked the way the Prospector handled the waves. Head winds on Harry and broadside again on Rence. This pic is on Rence Lake paddling up to the Carry to Frank Lake
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Next day was the toughest, a 1725m carry into Louisa and then a 1460 into North Grace Lake. The reward was great, one of the nicest campsite I've stayed at. A lagoon trim with Cedar trees, a great stone patio to the south another to the NW, with a very clean well structured fireplace.
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I spent day 4 there also with a nap in the morning and another in the afternoon and a little Spam on the Kelly Kettle.
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The next day I paddled up to Bonnechere, another great site at the north end of the lake with Cradle Lake on the other side.
I finally found a working canoe rest on the way to Bonnechere.
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On the 715m Carry from Kirkwood to Pardee, I ran into a bear in the trail. Fortunately he knew what to do even before I got the 'Oh Shit' out. I watched him, (ok it) run up the hill realizing the bear spray was in the other bag at the take out.
Made it to Head Lake and gave up the 'Falls' site to a group of girls who I beat to the campsite on Bonnechere. They wanted to swim in the clear waters of Cradle Lake and wanted no part of swimming with a creepy old man around.
My site on Head was as bad as the one on Grace was good. A 30-40˚ pitch up to the fire 'pit' that sat 20' above the lake. The half rotten Thunderbox was another 180 feet beyond (all uphill) that and you had to use it with care or you and the box might end up in the lake. This contributed to all the toilet paper around the site, far more then any other site and that's why I only stayed just the one night.
Things were going well on Head Creek thorough the first 3 carries and then there was a broken beaver dam leaving a minefield of rocks just after that carry. The banks were over grown and I couldn't get out. I had to drag my new canoe and bags over and around the rocks. That carry needs to be extended about 200m.
A bit of a head wind on Lake Of Two Rivers and I couldn't pass up the beach below the bike path on the west side of the lake.
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Pulled into Rock Lake SP just after 1PM to an absolute zoo of people. In seven days I had only had about a half conversation with all the paddlers I met. These people had no clue what they were doing. Stuffing huge rented Frost River packs unsure all of them would fix in the canoes they had. I had reservations back up a Pog Lake but stopped first for a meal that someone else cooked
Had to tie the hammock off to the car for the lack of a second tree.
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I had a very mellow ride home, something about that much time in the woods by yourself. I stopped in Herkimer NY and bought SWMBO some diamond ear rings and a necklace.
The 16' Prospector really worked well as a solo canoe. It's systematical and I like to sit a bit farther back in the bow seat with the canoe spun around. It is a very stable canoe and held up to those board side waves paddling up the east end of Welcome Lake.
The route I took is not for the faint of heart. That 3rd day from Frank to No. Grace was about as far as I could go. With an average of 2kms of carries per day you need to do some conditioning before you get there. I'd skip staying on Frank. There was a fire there that got into the roots of 2 large White Pines. They had to do a lot of digging and cutting to put it out. Now it's a huge scare.
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