Finally did a solo trip; it only took 44 years.

Just recently did a week traversing the Cedar, Catfish, Hogan, Philip Radiant, and back to Cedar tour this week. But when I arrived home I wanted to get back, so I chose Craig Lake. Its not too far of a drive and I feel familiar with it after reading Markuss trip log.

I originally wanted to stay two nights but this morning the weather was extremely windy (I could hear trees toppling not far in the distance from where I was camped) So I decided to head out not wanting to become a APP statistic.

The morning (Fri) was beautiful. Sun was bearing down and it felt great. I arrived at the put in atI forgot my watch! My fist blunder. Oh yeah, theres more. So I headed down stream towards the first portage.

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Its a short 200m to get to the pond. Very easy landing.

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Along the way I spotted a Trillium so I snapped a shotfor mom.

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Traversed the next 345m to Nahma Lake. Now this is a lake. Very beautiful aqua color. I wanted to bust out the fishing pole but decide this is what I wanted to do the next day.

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Nahma Lake on a gorgeous day

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Paddled on to the very brief 90m portage. You have the option of taking one of two portages. The first one is in case of low water. But look to your left and just beyond the driftwood there is another one that is the 90m one.

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Once I arrived at Craig Lake I paddled north to the point on the east shore and chose that campsite. I didnt realize there was a campsite on the island adjacent to me or I would have scooped that one. No biggy. I think I was excited to get setup and out fishing.

I unpack get my gear laid out. Then I unpack my tent (MEC Tarn 2) Can you guess whats missing?

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Thats right, no poles!! I cant believe I did that. But I just laughed. Ive been in worse situations. Good thing I packed my trusty Etowah tarp and MEC scout tarp. Anyway, I get my tarps out and my tent laid out and head into the bush to find a couple of saplings and a ridge pole.

First, up goes the diamond

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Then I attached the flexible saplings t the ridge pole

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Then attached the tent to the ridge pole and voila

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Put in my sleeping bag and Thermarest and Im off to the races

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But Im used to having a vestibule for some of my gear so I used the rain fly and created a vestibule but I ran out of pegs! The rest of them are with the tent poles. So I whittled a fewwith my new Frost Mora. Inexpensive knife but has that good ol' Swedish steel that keeps an edge so sharp that you can dam near shave with it.

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And then setup a vestibule

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I then setup my Etowah tarp because I knew rain was in the forecast and wanted a place to chill out when it got nasty. And this is what my site looked like

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Facing the lake from campsite

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All that messing around gave me an appetite so I dug out a couple of sandwich wraps a made before leaving and scarfed them back. (no photos of sandwich wraps)

The I decide to check out the hood. I first wanted to see the campsite on the adjacent island. I grabbed my fishing pole and headed over. I trolled an EGB over and no bites.

Wow, nice site for sure
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And a very nice view. I was jealous(oops I'm sorry, did my beautiful Argosy get in the way of that shot? Have I said how much I love this boat yet?)

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And it even comes equipped with an outhouse! (no photo) Throw that little tidbit on your next map Jeffery. J

I then headed up the lake towards the dam. Trolled the EGB, no bites. I wanted to check out the island where the AA gathering was held the weekend before. I noticed quite a bit of driftwood on this lake. Driftwood makes great firewood by the way. Just don't go sawing it off the cedars that stick out from the shoreline that create such great features.

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While approaching the dam I could hear the unmistakable squawk of a seagull. And as I approached closer I could see it flying over head but paid no attention to it. I continued to paddle past the dam and towards the island when out of nowhere this seagull dive bombs me! I almost flipped over! A quick low brace saves the day, and without warning she does it again! This time coming within three feet of me! This was quickly becoming a scene from Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds. I quickly raise my paddle and give it a couple of quick flicks and off she went. Time to hit the high road. I dug in and sprinted back towards the dam to put some distance between us.

After I gained a couple of hundred meters, she calmed down enough for me to get this shot of heron her nest! I had no idea she had a nest on one of the large rocks sticking out of the water near the island just past the dam. (Markus, did you guys experience any of this when you were there?)

This is the best shot I could get with my lumpy digital. You can see her keeping six with her head just above the nest.

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With all that excitement I was jonesing for some dehydrated spaghetti and meat sauce. I made a fire and boiled up some water to re hydrate meat and sauce.

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It turned out pretty good. Topped it off with fresh Romano and were good to go.

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After diner I wanted to get some more paddling in and do some more fishing. It really was peaceful. I forgot to mention that I put my food barrel in the front and this made a world difference for proper trim and control

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Flat calm all evening

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Apparently these guys were doing far better fishing than I

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I arrived back at campsite and enjoyed a fire while the sun set

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I totally slept in. Yeah I heard the birds and saw the light shinning through my tent, but I just laid there chilling out and in no rush. Plus, I could hear the wind and rain. Yup that was it.

Good morning everyone. Mother Nature is in da house, and she's very very angry

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Mother handed me lemons so I made lemonadefor the time being, anyway. I made some java and settled in under my tarp and to wait out the rain storm and wind.

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It settled for a bit, enough to whip up some breakfast. Hot cereal with dehydrated apples and toasted, 'everything with garlic', bagels with pj

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Well after several hours of this crazy weather and listening to tress falling, I decided to get out of Dodge. I was having visions of being skewered by one of the many large dying spruce tress surrounding my campsite. I think I made the right decision.

So I packed up and slowly made my way out. I fished every bay and trolled along the shore line when possible. The wind was so strong at times I tried to deke out but was "turned around." Most times I would paddle hard to hopscotch from one point, or bay, to another to stay out of the wind. It was really blowing hard.

I placed my heavy pack in the bow to keep the stern light as I was paddling into the wind

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Here I am tucked in waiting to make a break for it. It may not look like much, but check out the trees in the background and how theyre bending to the right of the photo

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On the way out at the take out at Nahma Lake. Theres a campsite here that is actually very nice, for a take out campsite. I wouldnt hesitate to camp here if necessary. ..

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I reached the take out where my truck was at 3:45 (clock in truck) On the way out there were signs of trees that had fallen across the road everywhere.

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That was just one that I photographed but there were many others that had already been cut and removed. I guess that day and probably through the night the winds picked up. I could hear trees toppling over and limbs snapping while at my campsite too.

But even with the less than desirable weather, I had a great experience and I am looking forward to doing it again very soon, but a longer stay of course.

As far as the fishing went, I didnt get a bite, not a nibble. And that surprised me the most. I used EGBs and bobber fished with salted minnows, but came up short. I thought for sure I would hook into something on Nahma as I fished the sheltered bays, but again, nothing. Go figure. Markus, I think you hooked bottom and are telling tales my friend. Heh heh

Quick notes:

* Bugs came out in the evening and I dug out the bug shirt. Use a couple of spritz of muskol too, on occasion.

That GSI mug you see in the photos is new for me. I really like it. It holds 32oz, measuring increments, has a screw on lid, and is BPA free. It's perfect for re hydrating as sometimes you need to shake things up a bit. Two thumbs up.

*** No sure what happened on the fishing scene. I'll definitely go back there again. It's the perfect weekender for me when I can only get away for a quick trip. I will camp at Nahma Lake next time.

Till the next time, tight lines and keep those gunwales on top!

Cheers
Shawn

Hey Pathfinder. That's a nice little trip summary of your first solo. Thanks. The Argosy is a 14.5 footer, right? Ultralight or regular Kevlar? I don't know how big you are, but I was wondering how you find being in a boat that small on your own. Is it hard to trim and balance your gear every time you get in?

Cheers,
TT.

Looks like you had a great time on your first solo trip even though the weather wasn't the best, but that is the beauty of algonquin! I'm happy that you forgot your tent poles over your camera because those are some great pictures

Great report Pathfinder, that Argosy looks sweet in the water, bet it handles great.

And I'm digging the inventiveness with the tent poles, that looked like a pretty sweet set-up all things considered.

Looks like you had a blast.

Thanks for the trip log.. you did well keeping it under control despite forgetting a critical part of your kit. This time next Sunday I'll be heading out on my own first solo, also after 44 years!!

Hey Pathfinder,

Great trip log... Nice improvising in the tent pole department. I am sure it won't be the last time ya forget too pack something. We all do it at one time or another.

Lightning hit my site and I had a tree top come down through my tent last year on Cedar. Glad I was not in it at the time. When you are going solo, if you don't feel safe, then getting out is the best option.

My Swift Osprey will be getting it's maiden voyage this coming Thursday. Can't wait. Will have to hook up some time and paddle next to you and your Argosy...


Sean (of Ajax)

Cool beans

thanks for sharring

TT,

It's the UL Kev version. I'm 170lbs soaking wet; built like a greyhound. The boat is easy to trim once you get the hang of it. It only took me two attempts with two different weight packs. Trick is to keep the bow heavy when paddling into the wind. Also if you're quartering into the wind while bow heavy, paddle on the WINDWARD side. Easy as pie, brother.

Mike,

Thanks man.

Tenzing,

Thanks. I've always said my wilderness skills far exceed that of my paddling skills. I'm a strong paddler, but I just need to practice all those fancy strokes.

Fred,

Right on! And don't forget to keep a detailed log, especially on your first solo!

Sean,

Yikes, on the lightening strike! Yeah no shyte, good thing you were out fishin or exploring. Funny you know, I was just thinking about you and your Osprey the other day. Where you off to Thurs?

Cheers
Shawn

Hey thanks Ron.

I just realized I double posted a photo. When I was chillin' and staying out of the wind and rain. I also had my dry wood and fire tinder under their to keep it dry too. I meant to post this one up...

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I spend some time under that tarp peeling off the packing tape that was applied to the stern to hold the red flag on for transport, when I first purchased it. Kept me busy for awhile.

Cheers
Shawn

Congrats on your first solo trip! Thanks for sharing.

Gordie

http://www.solotripping.com/

http://www.abrweb.ca/

Hey Pathfinder,

Heading up to Shirley Lake for 4 days.

Yeah, there were a a few storm cells all converging on Cedar Lake. Ended up being one heck of a lightning show. We had just gotten back to our campsite when there was a huge crack of lightning and the tree top came down. Scared the crud out of us. This is the third time I have almost been hit. I think Mother Nature is messing with me. Maybe just keeping me on my toes. hahahaha...


Sean (of Ajax)

Ditto on Gordie's post Shawn, Congrats on your first solo doood!

yeah, none of us got a nibble either, strange. I think you meant to say you camped on the West shore, not the east shore as you wrote.
Yup, we all experienced that seagull, saw the nest right off the bat, stayed well away from it after the first dive-bombing. LOL!
Too bad you didn't get to our island campsites or the rest of the lake beyond, lots of nice paddling back there.
great pics again doood, thanks!






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

Pathfinder-

After the wonderful fishing you had the week before, it is reassuring that you, too, were skunked on Craig Lake. We can't claim any special talent when it comes to trout fishing, but no one in the AA gathering either had any success on the lake after several hours of trying, nor did John and I in the two sunny days we had. A little chub that John caught near the mouth of Craig Creek was the only sign of fish anywhere. We tried Pish-Neck-A and Nah-ma without luck as well. One of the staff at AO who we talked with on the way up had not tried Craig but also had no luck fishing in Nah-ma. There were plenty of loons around, so they have to be eating something. Very Strange. Anyone have any suggestions?

BTW, John and I paddled by another seagull nest just east of the big island on Craig, but she didn't get anywhere nearly as excited about us being nearby. I suspect her eggs may not have hatched when we were there and she got a bit more ornery when she had chicks to guard.



Mark S.

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

Right on Gordie.

Sean,

Three times!? Well, here's hoping that you don't have to experience a 4th!

Hope you're having a blast at Shirley Lake Sean! And yeah, I can't wait to catch you in the park so we can swap boats for a try.

Markus,

Oh yeah, now you tell me! Haha. Man, she was vicious wasn't she? Oh well, it's all good. But I very happy that I didn't tip over.

And I don't have any idea on why the fishing is non existent on either of those lakes (Craig, Nahma) It's like there was a chemical spill or sumthin' (i'm sure there wasn't, but I need an excuse...haha)

Mark Scarlett,

Again on the fishing scene. I'm as baffled as you Mark. But I will go back this year, at some point, and camp on Nahma as I already stated. But I'll give it real going over and report back; hopefully with good news!

Hey Pathfinder,,,,,

Congratuilations on your first solo. Last your I went on my first solo for a single night on Raven Lake. http://algonquincanoeing.blogspot.com/search/label/My%201st%20Solo%3A%20%20Algonguin%20Park%20Access%20Point%207%20Source%20Lake-Bruce%20Lake-Raven%20Lake%20and%20back While soloing can be a bit spooky at first, it offers lots of rewards as well.

I too plan on solo on Nahma Lake this summer, as I thought it was a really nice location as well.

Thanks for sharing!

Hey Jeff, thanks bro.

I'll have to dive into your solo trip after diner. Hey when are you headed into Nahma?

Thanks again.

Cheers
Shawn

Well Done!!!!

Great trip report, great pics, great everything! I've been doing this for a long time and have yet to to a solo trip. My hat is off to you!

Michael

Hey Pathfinder ....

I'm not sure of the date yet, perhaps in early July. I am flexable though, as I have all of July and August off. If you are interested, perhaps we could meet up there.

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

Hi Pathfinder,

I just got back from my first solo trip as well - although I didn't try travelling in those winds. I was lucky my two travel days (in and out) were the two nicest days of the weekend, with light winds.

Sorry to say, but I laughed my ass off at you forgetting the tent poles. Nice job on improvising though. I had the exact opposite problem, I forgot nothing - which means I brough everything. So it's now your turn to laugh at me, for having to do 3 trips across the portage.

All in fun and nothing but good times.

Take care,
Aaron

Thanks Micheal.

JeffP,

Yeah doood, keep me posted. I'm always up for a solo get together. And I'm really anxious to give Nahma a run for it's money on the fishing scene!

Aaron,

Everything including the kitchen sink, huh? haha That is what I tried not to do most. I wanted to pack as light as possible. I packed and re packed my rucksack three times; and I still brought too much!

Glad to hear your experience was positive, despite the windy weather. Hey, btw, wheres your trip log?? Don't be cheap.

Cheers
Shawn

Great report and beautiful Argosy! Thanks again for sharing? How did the Argosy paddle?

SBA