I had to scrap my original August route from Rain Lake to Kiosk, because our chauffeur (cousin's wife) won't be able to drop us off and pick us up. So it's back to a loop. It's been a while since I've been to the northwest corner, so I'm looking at entering at access #1. I'm mostly going to re-visit lakes for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time. For the rest of my group, it will all be new territory. But I want to add something new to the route, just for me. I'm thinking about attempting to go from Erables to Biggar via N Raven L and Birchcliffe Cr. Honest opinions on how tough this might be in mid-August? We would probably camp on Birchcliffe L and tackle the creek the next morning. Thanks everyone,

Rory


Can anybody do 100 pushups in a row yet? Not me!

I wouldn't try that route again if my life depended on it.. West of the portage to Skuce that is. That's just my opinion though. We tried two years ago and it went something like 'beaver dam, beaver dam, beaver dam, sand bank, beaver dam, beaver dam, beaver dam, downed log, beaver dam, downed log, beaver dam, etc'. And we never even made it to the 290m portage.


Jeff

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

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free - Version 2.0!

Mid-August??
Rory, your fellow canoe-mates will sac you fer sure!





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, guys. That's what I was afraid of. Jeffrey M, my group actually attempted to reach N Raven years ago on my first ever AP trip. We, too, never found the 290m portage. But I thought that was because we had no clue and underestimated the winding of the creek. Hmmm...How tough is it to get to Osler or Nadine?

I've always liked that area of the Park, north of the Nip, south of Bigger and Erable,from Gibson on the west to Nadine. It has a feeling of remote wilderness and challenge that I really enjoyed when I was younger, especially on solo trips when the only grinching I had to listen to was my own. Nadine is a beautiful lake, but you will earn it on the portage from Osler, which is all up and down, over a 70m hill that peaks roughly 2/3 of the way from Osler. After going through that area on a solo trip I ran across a fellow on the Nip, also travelling alone, who claimed he had lost a buddy to a heart attack on that hill some years before (not that someone due for a heart attack couldn't have had one anywhere on a gazillion portages in the Park). If you are looking for a quintessential Algonquin experience, you couldn't pick a better area to travel.

Mark S.

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

Osler and Nadine aren't hard to find... there is that one portage with that crazy hill, but other than that..


Jeff

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

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free - Version 2.0!

Bo Knows has told me in the past, that from the top of that hill, you can see the south island(The one with two campsites on it), on Erables Lake. The hill is that big!

Hmmm...thanks again, guys. Makes me want to plan from #29 instead, and beeline to Nadine, perhaps loop back to Kiosk once I get back to Erables. I haven't been through Waterclear in a long, long time.

Esteemed explorers of our beloved Algonquin,
Consider a triangular route beginning at Kiosk, with far points at Cedar and Osler Lakes.

Q: Would you rather paddle from Cedar towards Kiosk, or from Cedar to Osler. In other words, which route, clockwise or counter-clockwise, is less likely to destroy three or four guys in their mid-30s with paddling/tripping experience (intermediate)? Reasons?

Barbara would be proud, I did some trip-log research. Found Lloyd Bowles's log from '98. He and his sons went from Kiosk to Cedar, then up the Nip to Nadine, then north back to Kiosk. That's the route I'll propose to my comrades, unless I hear some good reasons to go the other way from anyone.

Go that way - Heart Attack hill is easier that way


Jeff

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

My Algonquin Park Map - Accurate, Detailed, Free - Version 2.0!

Thanks, Jeff. I really like this route. It has everything I'm looking for. A little bit of re-visiting some favorite lakes, and exploring a lot of new ground and water. And I hope you've found someone to join your June tour of the Park.