Algonquin Canoe Trip
A month ago, when racing was going badly I was thinking to myself… well at least I will be free this fall to get in a canoe trip up in Algonquin Park. It’s been 4 falls now since I was in the area and had free time in the fall. Now the trees are changing color, and the bugs have died off, it truly is one of the greatest places on the planet.
My first dilemma was finding a person with canoe experience and free time to head out with. Then I remembered that my friend SMAK (HUGE thanks for Tak) had dragon boating experience and a half cocked plan was launched.I spent the morning 
securing the canoe to the roof of the rental, and actually packing the assembled clothing into dry bags, and then my back pack. After extreme waffling on where to go, we headed to Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park bought a map and were off.
Even starting a little later in the day, we made great time. The first few portages are 
manicured, and I did my one solo portage but overall all we cranked out a good distance to Burnt Island Lake. We realized that we’d forgotten a watch but the sun peeked through the clouds that we got the hint and camped ASAP.
So that was about where I got to the day after the canoe trip. It’s a month later now, so I think I’ll proceed to say that it was a great time. It rained on and off every day, was never too warm usually getting down to around freezing at night. But that’s how the weather has been this fall.
Algonquin is great, but it’s a glaciated sheet of granite. Which means that it’s a huge mess of small ponds, swamps and rivers. 
Connecting these wet patches involves getting OUT of the boat and walking with a boat ON you.
Portaging Sucks. Carrying a canoe and all your camping gear is not a quick endeavor. Especially when your canoe is a hair under 70 lbs and not shaped in any manner to carry easy. I wussed out and only once (see pic) carried it solo. When I told Glen that SMAK had helped carry the canoe on every other time, Glen’s comment was ‘she’s tough’. SMAK you heard it here, it’s on the internet and official. Not to mention because it was raining, the lower end of the canoe was filling up with water, and I was not carrying the lower end.
We walked at LEAST 6km every day. The one day’s 23oom 
trek took 2h15. The following 14km back to the car took 1h45.
Conclusion? On canoe is better than under canoe.
Sure I’d much rather have been getting ready for Kona, but this was a great time to get away, and 
regroup.
