Here is some quick pics from my three night stay on Booth Lake, with my cousin Andrew.
I know some fellow AA'ers out there(Like Mike B), are dying to get to The Park, and photos that I and many others post here are greatly appreciated, so without further ado;

Andrew getting ready to climb into the canoe at Farm Lake launch


A large group of youngsters passes by our campsite


Andrew at camp


Chicken on the grill


Andrew Fishing Booth Lake


A strike!


Andrew's pride and Joy: "A fish too beautiful to eat"...released.


While visiting a closed campsite, I stumbled upon an old surveyors spike(Pictured next to a mini-Bic lighter), cool


Heading to McCarthy Creek


Andrew Fishing McCarthy Creek


Paddling McCarthy Creek


Along some steep sloped shoreline along McCarthy Creek


Sunset Sat.Nite



We heard Wolves Friday Night, our noisy drunken neighbours missed the event, this is what happens when you're busy hooting and hollering at 12:00am! heh heh
All in all, was a great trip



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

Heh,heh.......ahhhhhhhhhhhh....
thanks Markus! Thanks for spending time to post for me! (and others)

Boy, big fluffy clouds eh? Did it ever ran on ya?

I think if I was there that Bass would have been on the grill no dought. Nice catch.

Thanks again!

Mike B

Mark,

That McCarthy Creek looks quite pleasant. I know when I find bench marks (that's what we call the surveyor pins down here in Pa) it's like finding a clue to a treasure or something. Always a treat. Thanks for posting!

Thanks Markus. Those pics take me back to the 90's, camping with my son .. and to 2007 with all you guys at that very same campsite!

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

Wow ... Markus, that "spike" you found actually looks just like a Geo-Benchmark! Is it permanently affixed to a rock?

J-Wolf, I do believe you are correct.

We've stumbled across one on the side of a road, embedded in the rock. Didn't think to take a photo of it. D'oh.

And there's this one at Lock 43 that we did take a photo of:



History of the Geodetic Survey Division
http://www.geod.rncan.gc.ca/hist_e.php

Anyone into geocaching might be familiar with Waymarking.com:
http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=905a74da-86b5-430d-94fb-d8be675283f7





Barbara

Hi J-Wolf,

Yup it had marks on it, that were consistent with having been struck with great force by a blunt object, most likely a sledge-hammer.
It is embedded into the rock solidly, which is nice to see; and artifact from the past that cannot be removed easily by anyone. I tried feebily(knew it was pointless) to move it.
I had to google 'geo-benchmark'. I'm not sure what you are referring to; all i could come up with was geo-caching(Which is illegal in Algonquin btw), which only came about in 2000, with GPS becoming more open to the public. I'm not into GPS at all; I prefer the battery-less method(Compass & map).
However Barbara's link is a good one, giving the history of surveying in Canada, and the progressive methods used over the last century or so..cool.




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

Geocaching isn't "illegal" in Algonquin Park. It is very strictly managed.

If you need more information about gecocaching, I'd be glad to help out.

And we can all thank Bill Clinton for us civilians being able to use gps's today.
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/FGCS/info/sans_SA/docs/statement.html
http://www.geocaching.com/about/history.aspx

Some of those civilians use hand-helds, some use them in their cars, and some use them for wilderness tripping and mapping, which is important in the fight to save wilderness canoe routes. Some folks here on AA have bought the SPOT device, another gps application.

Those are called benchmarks...and if they weren't permanently fixed, they would be useless.




Barbara

I'm sorry, my mistake,

I think it is illegal to geocache in nature reserve zones in Algonnquin Park, no?


Some of those civilians use hand-helds, some use them in their cars, and some use them for wilderness tripping and mapping, which is important in the fight to save wilderness canoe routes. Some folks here on AA have bought the SPOT device, another gps application.

yeah, I said I'm not into GPS at all, not that I didn't know anything about it, I have no interest, that's all.
But thanks for the references




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

There are "grandfathered" caches that have been in Algonquin for years. And there have been new ones created, after much effort and negotiation.

I'll have to look at the map to see where the "nature reserves" are in the Park.




Barbara

Thanks for the photos Markus.

Stainless

yeah, how'd this get all twisted around?
You're welcome!




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

Haha wow how this turned .. and it's all my fault!

Geocaching is completely allowed in provincial parks, provided any caches adhere to the guidelines set with regards to caching in provincial parks. Most notably, the cache cannot exceed a certain size, it cannot be permanently affixed to anything in the park, it cannot be placed in such a way that it affects or alters anything, and preferably have some form of educational aspect about where and why it was placed at that location. I may not be spot on with the details, but I have been geocaching for several years now, and have been looking forward to locating some of the caches that are in APP the next time I happen to be in the area where some are placed.

Haha wow how this turned .. and it's all my fault!

Geocaching is completely allowed in provincial parks, provided any caches adhere to the guidelines set with regards to caching in provincial parks. Most notably, the cache cannot exceed a certain size, it cannot be permanently affixed to anything in the park, it cannot be placed in such a way that it affects or alters anything, and preferably have some form of educational aspect about where and why it was placed at that location. I may not be spot on with the details, but I have been geocaching for several years now, and have been looking forward to locating some of the caches that are in APP the next time I happen to be in the area where some are placed.


Oh, and "Geo-benchmark" was just a phrase I made up at the time. It's full name is Geodetic Survey Benchmark.

Sorry for the double post :\ I clicked submit, then tried to cancel it and add the bit at the end ... but looks like it posted twice.

What the heck...in for a penny.........

J-Wolf, in Ontario they are fussy about geocaches being placed in provincial parks. The other provinces, not so much apparently.

The two most recent caches placed in Algonquin, after a looooong absence of new placements, were with the permission of the Superintendant and a Chief Park Naturalist.

These are the only caches that I know of that have been allowed to be placed within an Ontario Provincial Park in a long time.



Barbara

np J-Wolf, had the same problem the other day.
I hit 'post' and it comes back with 'internal server error' msg.
I hit the 'back' button(Didn't want to lose all that typing!), then re-hit the 'post' button. It worked than I find out that it double posted.
pfft. Internet bites sometimes. I don't know where or when I read that geocaching was banned in APP. Maybe it was a wish and not a fact. I still think it is banned in certain areas of The Park. However it sounds to me(Via Barbara' post), that geocachnig in APP was/is hard to come by anyways, maybe it is frowned upon by park management, but tolerated in a limited way?

Anyhoo it was a treat to come upon the lands and surveys spike from 1931.



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

Great photos Markus... Looks like you guys had a good time despite the clouds and wind...

Has your Cuz been in the Park before or was this his first time?




Sean (of Ajax)

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

yeah, when he was a kid in scouts, So I decided not to take'em through the hwy#60 corridor, as that's where I've seen the scouts the most, wanted to give him a new area to explore.




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

Each Picture worth 1000 words for sure


I think anybody related to Markus ( e.g. you cousin Andrew )
should feel like he won the lottery..


BTW: How does one get adopted into the Rubino family
Many I am sure would likely sign up ASAP if the result was
a guided trip by Markus !! and the resulting photo spread


Raton Laveur
aka





*Rac n*

great pix Markus!

I want a shore lunch now! LOL

Mike,

I missed your question;

Rain? I was very surprised at the lack of rain. It always seemed like it was on the verge of rain most of the time.
Our first day was quite nice, pretty cloudy, with the threat of rain in the air, wind against us all the way to Booth Lake.
Once we arrived at our campsite, the day turned into summer, blue sky, lots 'o sun. It clouded over in the evening.

Friday we paddled the north part of Booth Lake, where Andrew caught his nice bass. Again looked like it was going to rain any minute, but never did. Friday night thunderstorms could be seen and barely heard, at a great distance to the SW of us.
Sometime in the middle of the night, we had some heavy rain, probably for about 20 min. or so.

Sat, around 1 pm, we had a heavy rain shower, as we emerged from McCarthy Creek(day trip), by 2pm, the winds had picked up, the occasional shower rolling by us, but not on us. Later in the evening, we had a 10 minute spitting shower, the wind had picked up that afternoon(2pm), and remained windy into the evening, making it uncomfortably fell like late September. Sometime during the night, we had heavy rain for about an hour or so.

Sunday, it was grey and cloudy on our way out, with the wind at our backs, we chopped an hour off of our travelling time, versus coming in.

As I headed into Bancroft, the sun pooped out and it being out day, was the most beautiful day of the trip.

Racoon,

Flattery will get you an invite; whatca doing the long weekend?


Thanks Tom, where are you off to this year?



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