4 day canoe trip with wife

[milani74]

Breathtaking photos Ken. Wow.

 

[kgd]

Good to hear...I'm familiar with deer flies and their relative "horse flies" down in GA/FL can give you a heck of a bite! How long were your portages? We use to do a chain of lakes in the BC area when I was younger...some were easy, others were a good distance!

ROCK6

Rock - these were pretty easy portages and one of the reasons why I took Becky to this trip for her first canoe camp in this style. I originally was going to bring her to Lake Superior Park, but after scoping out the route with Joe a couple months back I decided it was way too demanding for her; all up hill portages full of ankle breaker stones and tripping roots. In this case, there was only the first portage which is a touch of a scramble at two spots but otherwise very easy going. In fact, the portages are so easy on this trip that it is hard to imagine why the park gets as little traffic as it does.

Next trip will be Queen Elizabeth II Provincial Park being planned for early Oct. I think this one will be a tougher go and I will be taking Joe with me. The reward is that it offers miles of winding river passage opening into several chains of lakes.

 

[OwenM]

That looks like all kinds of fun!

 

[Joezilla]

I'm envious. I won't dare show my wife how little ya'll packed on your trip. She loves bringing everything with her.

 

[scruffuk]

That one picture defines the term "glassy smooth" lake!! (pic 8)

Doesn't it just! Incredible looking snap.

That really does look a lovely spot to share some quality time with your good lady.

Glad you both enjoyed it.

 

[Shaw Blades]

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kgd]

I'm envious. I won't dare show my wife how little ya'll packed on your trip. She loves bringing everything with her.

Going with the wife, I lapsed into the usual amateurish thing of packing WAY too much food. The silly little purse thing my wife is carrying in the video at the beginning on the portage was a 'designer lunch bag/cooler bag' holding a some t-bone steaks and milk (yeah, she likes milk in her coffee) in a thermos. Steaks were great the first day but the milk turned sour by the end of day 2. She survived (just barely) the lack of milk in her coffee on day 3 and morning 4 using hot chocolate packets instead. Too many snacks, even too much dehydrated stuff. Next trip I'll be doing all dehydrated food, but I wanted to make this trip special for her with good food.

Other than that, one day I'd like to get one of those ultra-light tarp-tents to save on tent weight when I'm with her but the rest of the gear was pretty much all used and cherished. A 500 mL bottle of ethanol for the trangia along with hand pump water filter was perfect for the 4 d serving cooking and water, with a little supplemental cooking on the fire.

 

[Joezilla]

I don't think it silly in the least. Bringing lots of food on a canoe trip is a tradition for me. If there is one thing I lament on backpacking trips, it is always food. Food is powerful stuff and will keep her happy!

 

[Brian Andrews]

Hey Ken,

I don't drink milk in my coffee, but would dry milk work for her? I am not sure if would rehydrate/taste the same, but if it did, it would sure save some trouble.

Just a thought.

B

 

[ROCK6]

It's funny that a smaller section of land will keep many recreational canoe/kayak exploring beyond the first lake/waterway. I actually like that as it use to give use more freedom and fewer in the way of company.

Yeah, I don't balk at the additional weight of quality food. In fact, our first meal or two are often planned with the heavier meals (chicken and bean burritos, steaks, omelets, etc.). After that, we do the freeze-dried and instant foods.

My wife packs those shelf-stable cups of creamer. She always packs a half-dozen or so for her coffee and they're not affected by temperature (reasonably so). As Brian mentioned, powdered milk or creamer may be a better option in the future...

ROCK6

 

[kgd]

Hey Ken,

I don't drink milk in my coffee, but would dry milk work for her? I am not sure if would rehydrate/taste the same, but if it did, it would sure save some trouble.

Just a thought.

B

Yeah powdered milk would be the ticket. I have to find a bulk food source for it. Our grocery store carries it, but it only comes in 5 kg quantities and they want something like $20 for it. The cheap ass in me contrasts a lifetime supply of powdered milk for Becky's coffee with two bottles of wine for a quick drunk. Usually the latter wins

Rock - you aren't kidding how small portages and lack of direct ATV trail access cut the visitations of some sites down! That really is the great thing about camping from water craft. The one exception is Algonquin Park, the larges park in Central/Eastern Ontario which draws the hardcore types to it. For solitude, I enjoy finding those gem little parks that the hardcore folks think are too small or are overlooked. Puzzle lake definitely fits in that category. My next trip will be exploring a different backcountry park called Queen Elizabeth II Park that should also meet these standards. That won't be until early October though and I'll be taking Joe for some potentially tougher portages.

 

[upnorth]

Thanks for the lovely pictures of a nice trip. I remember as a kid bringing home a massive bull frog from Algonquin park.

 

[cut it out]

Very nice pics!! My wife doesn't like our canoe???? Me and my daughter go for day trips all the time. No overnight era yet though. Thanks for sharing!