There's been plenty of discussion about poor conditions of campsites with garbage, cans, etc. left behind and also discussions regarding some of the less considerate behaviors of other trippers such as congesting a portage landing and not allowing ample room for others.

On a positive note, I'd like to know what steps you take to be more considerate of others or what you've witnessed others doing that were helpful while in the interior. In other words, can you give some examples of catching yourself or other people doing the the RIGHT thing?

To start it off, here's a sample of campsite preparation we found on one site during a visit to Lavieille a couple years ago...it's a ready-to-go fire from waterproof tinder (birchbark) with kindling and then enough wood for probably a two hour burn. It made quite an impression upon us and, since seeing this setup, we made it our policy to leave all campsites we stay at (and even the ones we just visit to check out) with a similar cache of wood. A supply of wood like this would be a welcome sight to any arriving camper and, perhaps, a real lifesaver to someone who is cold and wet after a challenging journey.

Yeah....its like winning the loto!

I also grin ear to ear when i come across a campsite with such supply of wood.

i also leave wood behind...

cheers
Mike

I teach scouts and venturers outdoor skills http://miltonventurers.clubspaces.com/default_css.aspx
am a member of the ABR impact committee http://www.network54.com/Forum/612132/
and have participated in all three of Nancy's wilderness cleanups http://www.wildernesscleanup.com/.
In the little time I have left, Itry to camp and canoe year round and always pickup trash and leave one night's firewood

I left a hefty pile in the crux of this tree, there was a small table top(wood board) wedged in..I filled it with wood upto the table tope, and stuffed some birch bark paper in between the split wood, and under a rock on top of the table top. I also took time to clear the entire fire-pit ring of duff. I had accumulated three large piles of it...twigs, shavings, you name it.
It was an especially satisfying day, to have a clean fire-pit, the surrounding ring, and have a large supply for myself and for the next campsite occupants.


here you can see the cleaned area around the fire-pit and beyond the bench system, to the right of the bench, you can also see another pile of kindling I had gathering if a few logs thrown on top for good measure, and a weigh to keep it from blowing away in the wind.

Performing such duties, helps fill the gap, especially when solo, and as mentioned above, ensures that the next party to arrive at the campsite have fuel enough to cook if necessary, this is important if inclement weather is occurring when a party arrives.



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

Markus - kudos to your work efforts and philosophy, well done. I look forward to the day I come across a site recently vacated by you in AP.

Generally if I'm the beneficiary of considerate trippers who have left an assortment of wood at the campsite I'm settled on then I'll reciprocate before I vacate it as well. Otherwise the amount, or lack there-of, i leave depends on available time, site and weather conditions, amount of quality firewood on hand, energy level, etc. In other words, I don't make a point of doing that all the time. However I do always clean the site of any human garbage by either burning it (tea bags/plastic ties/candy wrappers/magazines/food/plastic/crappy rope/previously burned wood/etc) or if a metal composition such as wires (e.g. jiffy pop)/batteries/nails/cans/screw hooks/etc taking it out. I can't remember a site in AP I've visited where there hasn't been something left in terms of garbage, unfortunately.

I don't leave any extra tp at the latrine though on our last day. I've seen too many of these shredded and strewn about, even when 'protected' in ziplocks, by mice and other rodents or simply get soaked to be of any use, so it turns into garbage.

But I do enjoy cooking over a well managed, cleaned and contained firepit. So that often leads to tweaking what's there which includes stabilizing the rock wall, removing detritus and digging out the ashes or whatever else is required.

We go in the spring time for trout and we try to leave some dry newspaper and some wood covered in plastic ( we use the plastic to cover our wood ) we put rocks on top of the plastic so it won't blow away, some people migh not agree with leaving plastic behind but we are trying to help the next group coming along. We have seen groups who have been ahead of us be kind enough to leave fishing lures hanging in trees at the campsites but I am sure they have been misplaced and they forgot to pack them up.

Sm said, "Otherwise the amount, or lack there-of, i leave depends on available time, site and weather conditions, amount of quality firewood on hand, energy level, etc. In other words, I don't make a point of doing that all the time."

Same with me too SM. Not always, but often.

Hey Ken MacDonald, is it your birthday today?
Saw a fellow holding up a fish(with the same name) in the birthday list on CHCH this morning.



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 almost always leave a bit of wood over...
Paying it forward is great, and "sometimes" you get repaid.

Last year we were a little more adventurous on our spring trip then we have been in the past...
We went Non stop travel from Kitchener at 3:00am to our destination and didn't make camp until almost 7pm...it was snowing, wet and cold.
It was reeeeeeeely nice to find a small pile of wood already there for our evening fire/dinner.

Remove birch bark cover, Quick split of a few peices, some naptha and we were in business.
It was Much nicer then having to Scrounge for wood as the sun is setting, after such an epic day LOL!

Before we left we returned the Favor, and left a substancial Pile of deadfall, and kindling all covered with the same Birch bark cover.
Some good sized peices to boot... some cut and some larger pieces set to dry for future guests.

We also built a Camp table while there useing the lid of an old Thunderbox we found LOL...
(there was a new one in its place)it was clean, and pretty old so it was either burn it or use it.

It was a really nice feature to have at camp for us...especially for evening poker games!
Hopefully people keep it in good repair so I can again use it some day.

Markus, you are close, ( Dec. 30th ) a long time ago..31st year coming to the park this coming spring...

Hi Markus,

I remember that on one of your solo trips you spent the whole day chopping wood. Is it a trip log I read?
Are the photos from that same trip? And what lake is it? I love the look of the campsite and it's view of the lake!

Stainless

Hey Mark. It's been too long my friend.

That lake and site look awesome where is it again? I am sure I have read your trip log about it, as those images look so familiar, but I just can't place it.

...or maybe there are just TOO MANY of your trip logs to choose from that's the problem.

Thanks in advance for your time Mark.

Like Cookslav said:
I too, almost always leave a bit of wood ...
Paying it forward is great, and "sometimes" you get repaid.

Exception would be breaking camp early morning in the rain and
no wood from the night before ( hence no fire this morning)
Breaking camp any other time I tend to ensure there is atleast
enough dry wood and kindling to get a fire started for the next attendee

Rac n

I don't want to disturb Anonymous' thread any further, so I've bumped the thread in regards to Stainless's and Jim Cavers queries..there is also now a map now there too.
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

Over my 45 years of canoeing in the Park I have been on the receiving end of countless kindnesses, way more than I have given. Perhaps my favorite good deed that I did for someone else took place on the 2170 meter portage into Welcome coming from Pen, back when I was a robust 50 year old. My party was camped for two nights where the Galipo leaves Welcome. On the day in between I spent a glorious few hours swimming and walking down the river all the way to the lower end of the portage, where I came out of the woods just as a man in his twenties and his mother were beginning the hike to Welcome. He was struggling with the canoe. I offered to carry it and did, the whole way to Welcome. Their gratitude made my day.

Well Happy Belated Birthday Ken!
31 years, Whistles....I am envious!



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

Well Happy Belated Birthday Ken!
31 years, Whistles....I am envious!



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

Usually leave firewood for the next guy too .Couple of examples from this past season. Pics from the same lake and trust me wood is a bitch to find on it.

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Now in both cases this is better wood than I burned for myself.In the second pic I've got a couple rows of nice birch on the bottom. This was left late in the season so it will probably be around for the spring fishing crowd.By then this will be supremo firewood. Done on solo trips with a folding sierra saw.All bark stripped to speed drying. Don't want to start a contest but you'd be hard pressed to find better left behind for the next guy. This is also more wood than I burned myself on a 3 day trip. Also for the record released all specks I caught too.
This is old school Algonquin tradition.

PS tables were already built.

Impressive supply of firewood. My complements on being so kind to the next camper. One question how far were you into the park? I notice the full sized ax (laying on top of the wood) It's about the only tool that could split logs of that size except for a wedge and mall which would be eaven heavier. Glad to see that somebody is willing to properly split the logs rather than try to burn them whole and end up with a lot of half burnt logs clogging the fire pits.

Holy cow, a crib of wood!
That is/was a nice supply Anon
Folks like yourself, is what makes Algonquin so great!





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

Anonymous,

Sorry but that's not a full axe. Its a hatchet head ( from Can Tire ) mounted on an 18 inch handle ( often called a boy's axe handle). Its little heavier than a standard hatchet but allows splitting of larger pieces with 2 hands - safer to handle too .
Now you saw it here first.
Nothing in that pile was more than about 8 inches in dia. I got lucky with the birch as that's hard wood for a folding saw.Not rotted out as most might think. But in good burning condition .
Wasn't in too deep. 2 short portages and about 5 miles paddling.

Thanks Markus, this year I have my son ( and best friend ) and most of this is from our trips and great talks in the park, and his 2 cousins coming in with us, a first for one of them and only the second trip for the other, hoping they will continue on with the tradition once this body decides it does not want to do any more portaging, they are at that great age of 30, right around the age I was introduced to the park so hope they catch the fever..they are actually 30, 31 and 32 so hopefully we will all get along. Tried it with my brother and neice a few years ago but did not work out as they looked at it as work rather than a trip away. With my son and I coming in together for 17 years it is like clockwork at camp, each one knows what his job is and no bickering about who's turn it is to get anything. Also funny how are on the same page with about anything we do as well.....Originally from Kincardine and the gentlemen who introduced me to the Park ( Larry Brown aka Brownie ) has been gone for just over 10 years and we have a party every year to remember him by and it brings back great memories from our first trip to the park. And a few of the other trips we took together..

Not sure if this is politically correct anymore but my friends and I built a couch beside the fire on Wilkins L.

Like most of the people here we also try to leave a good supply of fire wood for the next group. The best thing we have ever left for a group would have been a 7' cabon fibre fishing pole which one of our group kindly left behind on biggar lake one year and the second best would have beern on the same trip the same person left a striger with 2 specs at the beginning of the portage from North Tea to Biggar. The person got a nick name from this trip

Ray 2, what was the nickname ( never invited back ) yes over the years we have found lots of stuff left behind in camp, and at a few portages. Guncho, I think as long as the logs came from dead trees nobody on here will give you the gears..