Hi All,

This has been a very long time coming,I have posted three short weekend trip-logs;
Trip-log#18 is a weekend solo trip to Tanamakoon Lake via Cache Lake access#8.
Trip-log#22, is of a weekend trip with a friend of mine to Rosebary Lake via Access#2(Tim River).
Lastly, is Trip-log#64, another weekend trip, this time meeting up with my friends from the algonquinadventures.com website.

I have also spent the holidays processing images and preparing templates for more upcoming trip-logs. I want to assure readers out there, that there is more to come, including Bryce's request for my 22 day triplog. I am hoping to have that one posted by the end of January.

Cheers



Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Thanks Markus, they make for a good read. I should probably finish procrastinating on mine... lol



Jeff

--

Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry - abrweb.ca

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free

Markus,

Thanks for the quick reads. Those moose from the Tim looked fabulous and that treat of a bear siting must have been fantastic. Keep 'em coming!

Markus, your recounting of the Little Island trip made me realize how much i missed the AA camp-camaraderie.

I was able to get to the park four times last year .. in it's self not bad. But I definitely have to make a point of getting out more with the AA gang. Our get-together back in 2007 on Booth Lake was great and I missed that camp-camaraderie last year.

The sunshine was flooding into my office as I read your latest three trip-logs. For the duration, I was free of the snow and back in Algonquin. Thanks Markus!

Barry Bridgeford
http://www.AlgonquinAdventures.com
http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Thanks Markus.
Reading your report on our Oct. trip to Little Island Lake put a smile on my face.
And I definitely want to go to Tim Lake and Rosebary some day. Maybe for an AA gathering!!

Stainless

Hey Markus....
thanks for getting some logs out there for us!

Great job as always.

Cheers
Mike

Great stuff Markus, as always.
Fantastic moose shots and the bear was a great surprise.
You take great shots dude.
Algonquin Rocks!

Canoeguy
http://www.canoeguy.ca/
http://www.canoeguy.ca/index.php?pr=Portfolio
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/wwwcanoeguyca/45072670395
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Nature-Prints-Calendars/39602765177

Markus,

Thanks for taking the time to write up these Trip logs! They are very much appreciated.

I still wish I had paddled the rest of Tanamakoon Lake to stop in at the AA get together. Oh well. Next year for sure! Unless maybe a winter AA get-together is in order!

SBA

Shorebound,

I am planning a few winter camping trips into Algonquin this winter.
End of January thru to mid-march...hopefully 3 trips...4 if I'm lucky.
I'll pen ya in for one. just 2 night shorties.

Barry said....
"But I definitely have to make a point of getting out more with the AA gang. Our get-together back in 2007 on Booth Lake was great and I missed that camp-camaraderie last year."
hmmmm, can the rest of us hold you to that thought this coming year?
I know what you mean though Barry. A solo trip is certainly an experience, or with family, close personal friends, etc. An AA camping experience is lots of fun too, and I always look forward to it. Lots of fun and friendly souls out there to chat with. So many with a passion for Algonquin Park.

Thanks for the comments everyone
I would really like to go back thru Rosebary Lake again, perhaps down longbow and beyond, taking the low-maintenance route to Shippagew.
Rosebary and vicinity is a beautiful, with the limited amount of campsites available, it makes the area a less crowded one...from what I have seen.



Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Hey Markus....
Thanks for the great reads!!!!
With the holidays over I needed the great read!!!! So thanks for sharing. I think a winter gathering is in order and will email you my thoughts directly on that ... Perhaps a base camp at my cottage, but we'll chat.

In the mean time I'm working on my account of Little Island Lake this fall (while short, another GREAT trip!)

In the mean time say hello to my Algonquan Gilfriend, Joan, for me!

One of your Algonguin buddies (I hope anyways)

Hi Jeff Happy New Year!

Only 108 until the opener woohoo!!!!

Markus,

I could be up for something like that! I don't have much winter camping gear though! Just my snowshoeing gear and warm clothing.

I think AO rents a lot of winter gear But I'm not sure about hot tents.

http://www.algonquinoutfitters.com/pdfs/WinterBrochure.pdf

SBA

I too would be interested in a short trip this winter, if you are looking for some extra company.

Jeff P
http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/

Jeff, Shorebound,

Sorry the delay in responding.
I am chronically overworked, and under-paid

The tent I have sleeps four...so that's me, and three others.
So I can't take a gang of people. I intend to do a few two nighters, and possibly a four nighter deeper into The Park.

Gear wise, yes,you need snowshoes, a warm sleeping bag would help too. and a sled to haul your stuff, ski poles for balance.
If you have a cot...this would be great..so you don't have to sleep on the cold ground. BEyond that, just a protable stove to cook on, your food, and your woolies!

In an exchange agreement with Jake(Jkr on AA), I'll have a wood burning stove, hopefully by this weekend. Hot tenting rocks!

No problem Jeff, buddy. Don't think we'll need your cottage though, not for a two-nighter. The plan would be to meet around 10am in the visitor centre parking lot, and launch from there. Then snowshoeing in perhaps an hour to 90min, to camp.

I already have others interested in winter camping;

Paddlin(Dave & Jeanine)
Jeffrey M
Joan
Sean(of Ajax)
Mike B

I think Swede and Racoon wanted to be notified as well, possibly for a day visit or longer.

If I forgot anybody, see above..."over-worked..."


Cheers




Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

When the work subsides, give me some details on your hot tent setup. I assume you have some special tent to put that stove in, not just your summer tent? A warm tent would make it much easier to convince others to be your company on winter trips!

I, too, would be very interested -- at least in being on your 'notify' list for a possible stop in to say "Hello" over the dusted season.

Thanks for the trip logs, Markus. I anticipate them with the same fevour that I greet the arrival of my copies of Explore and Kanawa magazines.
Little Island Lake was part of our first-ever trip. I can still picture our huge site at the western end of the Island.

Hey Markus ....

Thanks for the info. If there's room on any of your trips let me know, they sound like they will be fun, and it would be great to see ya again. If we had to rent/borrow/beg/... for a larger group, I would be happy to contribute to any needed gear. Algonquin Outfitters rents gear (prices found at http://www.algonquinoutfitters.com/pdfs/WinterBrochure.pdf ) and I would be more then happy to facilitate if needed.

In the mean time, I'm planning a short Mew Lake trip (mostly to test my gear in the winter, to see how warm I'll stay) Jan. 16-18.

Jeff P
http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/

Mark-

Let me add my thanks for brightening a very grey, snowy day with your trip logs. Your photos and commentary are a real treat.

I, too, enjoy getting into the Park from Access 2, having gone that way twice this past year and several times in years before. On our 2008 May trip (that was for our Loontail Lake adventure), we spent our last night on Sittingman Lake because all the other campsites closer to the takeout were already reserved. This was the second Saturday in May, a prime time for trout fishing, as you know. So the limited campsites may make the area seem "less crowded," which is nice, but it may also mean you need to settle for a less favorable campsite on dates near popular weekends.

Speaking of less favorable campsites, I wouldn't recommend the campsite on Sittingman as part of any future trip plan in the area. The one available campsite on the lake (the other was closed for camping) was a new one, hacked out of a hillside, with no level tent site or level place for a fire. Along with the cold drizzle we had at the time, it was a decidedly uncomfortable place to end our trip.

As far as the rest of the route down to Shippagew, I traveled that way on a Spring solo trip in the early 90's and actually remember enjoying the long portages between Shippagew and Devine. I was on my way back to Access 2 where I had started the week before (down the Nip to Cedar then back via the Pet). I recall nice stretches through mature hardwood forest that are especially beautiful in the spring when there is little foliage and lots of early wildflowers. Of course, as a black line route, the quality of some of the trails may have declined significantly in the years since.

I spent the last night of that trip on the island on Devine Lake and remember it fondly as an especially attractive campsite at the time. If you look closely, you will still see evidence of old roads and early logging in the area, especially from Sittingman Dam west. I remember years ago a pile of rotting logs yarded up along the north shore of Longbow. Although we could still see evidence of the old road last Spring, the log pile was long gone to duff.

I hope you give the route to Shippagew a try someday. I'd love to see your trip report, since I'm not likely to pass that way again myself. Even though I was travelling pretty lightly on solo trips in those days, I'm afraid I have put too many years of heavy hauling on my back to tackle that kind of travel any more.

Below is a photo of the Sittingman campsite last May and the approach to the Lake from the Bog Pond portage (by the way, when you take the Longbow to Bog Pond portage, stay to your right and follow the mucky shore to Bog Pond. If you take the more inviting, dry trail up onto the eskar-looking ridge you will soon find yourself facing an inpenetrable blowdown).





We also have never been disappointed with the wildlife in the area. We saw seven moose on the last two days of our Spring trip, including these guys, who were just beginning to shed their scruffy winter coats:





And, we also saw a young bear on the Tim around the same vicinity you describe. Perhaps you saw its mother.



-Mark

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Hey Markus,

Im with Jeff P on this one. If there is room let me know but I certainly do not want to intrude on one of your trips. If a larger group is going then I too would be happy to contribute to renting any needed gear. I have the AO 08/09 Winter Brochure at home with the current rates.

Or I can pop in on a day trip as I would like to meet more AAers if possible. If the rest of the crew are anything like Paddlin (Dave & Jeanine) & the Swede Im sure it will be worth the trip.

Jeff P if youre looking for someone to snowshoe with during your Jan mew lake trip drop me line. If its a family trip or a Solo trip I respect that too. Like I said I do not want to intrude.

My wife when snowshoeing in APP with a group of friends last Friday and she said that there is a ton on trees down from the wind storm on Dec 28. Just an FYI.

Mark Scarlett thanks for sharing your great pictures

SBA

I don't want to intrude on Markus's thread too much, but that's a really cool trip description Mark S! That island on Devine has a hollow somewhere where trapper used to hide from rangers near the beginning of the 20th century.


Jeff

--

Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry - abrweb.ca

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free

Hi Gang,

Shorebound, Jeff P, Bryce & J-Wolf, no probs, I am really starting to get itchy. I think I will do several trips.
2 or 3 weekends to Fork Lake area, give everyone a chance to try out hot tenting...hey you can even snowshoe back to the visitor centre during the day for pricey food, a free movie, and flush action toilets, LOL! That's what we did

Foxco,

I don't know how to say thank you, except , "Thank You!"
Yours, is the most gracious and enthusiastic compliment I have ever received.
Flattery will get you another triplog soon.

Mark Scarlett,

I enjoyed your write-up.
I am a fan of your photos and write-ups, and hope one day to read of your travels thru Kiosk and Maple Lake areas one day.
Your remarks about your wishes to see me do the route to Shippagew one day, and write about it, almost seems like a request!
I have been wanting to either go that way(longbow/devine), or the Tim( i hear it is murder after Rosebary(Switchback hell..all the way to Shipagew), or the Nip to Cedar and back, via the Pet, like you mentioned. I'll have to see how the summer progresses.

Cheers



Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Hey Markus,

We have not met however I do feel as though I know you somewhat as I have read and followed your extensive website and blog for awhile now. At risk of paraphrasing another member here, I too await your outdoor adventure installments with fervor and would be interested in joining your group outing at the end of January if there is room for one more.

I've recently submitted a thread "Long Overdue" briefly describing myself. I'll keep an eye out in there to see if perhaps you may have an opening.

Thanks and cheers!
Shawn

EDIT: I already posted this in this thread however it ended up in the middle of this thread fro some reason. So I'm re-posting it so it will end up in chronological order. Sorry for any confusion..

Hey Markus,

We have not met however I do feel as though I know you somewhat as I have read and followed your extensive website and blog for awhile now. At risk of paraphrasing another member here, I too await your outdoor adventure installments with fervor and would be interested in joining your group outing at the end of January if there is room for one more.

I've recently submitted a thread "Long Overdue" briefly describing myself. I'll keep an eye out in there to see if perhaps you may have an opening.

Thanks and cheers!
Shawn

np Shawn, looking forward to meeting you and a few other new faces as well.
I personally Like the Mattawa region, would love to settle down there, or perhaps on the Quebec side, just across the river.




Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

I've done the Tim from Rosebary to Shippagew a few times and find the section from Rosebary to the Shaw portage the worst.



Jeff

--

Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry - abrweb.ca

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free

all the more reason to go the way of the Devine
heh heh



Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

I don't think Devine's very easy either... lol. Remember, Devine is the township name, not what someone thought of the lake.



Jeff

--

Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry - abrweb.ca

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free

If it isn't easy, it should be empty of folk...I say should be. One never knows. The hope is, that at least I won't run into beer bottles, loud noise, tires, etc.






Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Surely, we can find more inspiration in Devine than just the name of a township.

With just a short voyage through cyberspace we discover that the trials of portaging in the area were well known, even in the 19th Century. Indeed, as Henry Ward Beecher said, "Suffering is part of the Divine idea."

Still, if we aspire to excellence as canoeist, we might learn from the words of Cicero, the great Roman voyager, that "No one was ever great without some portion of Divine inspiration."

Of course, those who have been to Divine Lake and sing its praises are not known for their humility. It was Walter Lippman who pointed out that, "There is no arguing with the pretenders to a Divine knowledge and to a Divine mission. They are possessed with the sin of pride, they have yielded to the perennial temptation."


For, truth be told, either route to Shippagew holds its own rewards. As no less a figure than Ramakrishna noted, "When the Divine vision is attained, all appear equal; and there remains no distinction of good and bad, or of high and low."

In the final analysis, we know that no route is perfect, but in their own way, all are good. As Mae West said, "To err is human, but it feels divine."

-Mark

Mark, I was also thru Sittingman this spring, the 1st week of may, however both campsites were open, but the rangers had not been thru yet, as the portage signs were missing. We made the mistake of follwing the nicer trail and running into said Blowdowns. Then on the other trail my 10 year old son dissappeared up to his arse in the mud. I have the exact same picture of the steep decline down the hill. I too love that area and have many fond memories of it.

Mattawa is a beautiful area. I know you're not much into fishing but that area holds some of the nicest spring fed little back lakes around this area. 3 years ago I caught a 12 pound, that's right, 12 pound splake in a lake about 3 acres in size. An absolute beautiful fish. I kept this one and it's the only one I have kept and mounted. By the way, for those of you that don't know the world record is 20 lbs and was caught in Georgian Bay!

In fact, I'll be heading out that way off hwy 533 for my first overnight winter trip next week. Anyway here's a photo for the trout fisherman and women. It's 28.5 inches long....

[IMG][/IMG]