Rain Lake Loop, Algonquin (2 Days / 50km)

Not rainy this time round, that's for sure.

The Cover:

My favourite shots that are 'cover-worthy' for this little story.

Rating:

It doesn't really need to be said, but we love Algonquin Provincial Park. It's one of our go-to paddling spots and for good reason! There are countless routes you can take for both the adventurous and relaxed folk at heart.

I Want to Live Here Rating: 3/5

People-Meter: 1/5

Anxiety Scale: 1/5

Pain Train: 2/5

10/10 Recommend: 5/5

The Prologue:

Algonquin Provincial Park is characterized by its forested hills, rocky ridges, and thousands of lakes, bogs, swamps, and rivers. To see its true beauty one must explore by paddle or foot. Algonquin is truly one of Ontario's crown jewels - this Province is fortunate to have access to such a wide range of hiking trails, canoe routes, wildlife and photography opportunities, and year-round activities like skiing, snowshoeing, and winter camping. I will repeat - there is truly something for everyone!

This time round, our activity of choice was to paddle our trusty canoe (i.e., the beautiful and well-loved Snot Rocket). The fall season is one of our favourite times to be on the water and Algonquin never fails to disappoint. The colours are always marvellous if you catch them at the right moment. We were a touch late, but were still very much pleased with the scenery. I mean come on - how could you not?

Here's our trip report!

The Story:

Day Zero:

Cambridge to Rain Lake

The trek from Cambridge to Rain Lake takes approximately 4 hours, depending on the traffic, of course. In our case, it wasn't bad at all. We left right after the work day was complete. The sunset chased us north, painting the sky and all of its surroundings in a soft orange and pink. The shadow of our cozy Honda Fit chased us down the Highway. Not fast enough, however - we didn't reach the put-in until the moon was high in the sky.

And what a moon it was! A giant ornament just dangling in the sky, casting a cool glow over the landscape. It followed us along Highway 11, down Highway 118 through Emsdale and Kearney, all the way to the put-in off Rain Lake Road. The extra light came in a bit handy, too - we managed to spot a bull moose and four coyotes! And by spot, I mean both creatures decided to prance in front of our car. We were glad for the extra light because man, do those guys come out of nowhere! Such a great way to start the trip, but I was a little disappointed. Our car camera has been very unreliable as of late, and when all of the animal chaos commenced, no video evidence was captured. I managed to snap a video of a coyote scrambling in front of the car using my phone, but any evidence of the moose was lost. You'll just have to take our word for it!

The put-in at Rain Lake was understandably quiet. Not many people paddle at the end of October, and it was pretty late at night - a beautiful and peaceful 10PM. Under the moonlight we made quick work unpacking our gear, setting up our canoe, and finding a nice spot to park our car. I was a touch distracted. The moonlight was just creating this awesome silhouette of Isaac and the Snot Rocket. My thirst for aesthetic photographs was too strong to ignore, so I very happily snapped a million pictures before we were finally ready to paddle away into the night.

There is something so satisfying about paddling in the dark. With moonlight illuminating the way, it just feels like you're floating in space. You navigate using light, shadow, and of course a handy dandy map. Fortunately, we're pretty practiced at this kind of thing - we often roll into camp in the cover of darkness.

It took us about 40 minutes to paddle to our lovely base for the night, campsite #5. Maybe another 20 to set up our tent, locate the thunder box, and stow away our gear safely for the night. Bedtime was awesome. It always is. There's nothing like getting all your cozy layers on and snuggling deep inside your sleeping bag. I was particularly excited - this was probably going to be the last time we used our three-seasons bags. Soon the Polar Ranger will come out to play!

Day One:

Rain Lake to Brule Lake

We woke up at 7AM and enjoyed a semi-relaxed morning cozy in our sleeping bags. Overnight the temperature dropped to -1, so we were content to remain in our heat burritos for a little bit longer. Not too long though - we had places to see, and things to do. One of those things was to actually check out the campsite. Arriving in the dark meant that we really couldn't see anything. It took me a hot second to find the thunder box initially.

Overall, campsite #5 is decent. It's not perfection by any means, but will work if you're looking for a place to crash if you're arriving late in the day or late at night. Our overall thoughts:

• The tent pads are on relatively flat terrain. You don't have to search high and low for a suitable spot to pitch your tent.
  

• In terms of the canoe landing spot, it is about the same. It isn't the worst, but it isn't the best. It's not incredibly steep, but won't house a billion canoes either. There's enough space to pull one canoe in at a time.
  

• Swimming is possible here, but there are probably better spots out there on the lake.
  

• The highlight of the site is the thunder box. It's in very good shape and isn't plopped smack dab in the middle of camp. You do have to walk a little bit, but again, the terrain is level and somewhat well-marked. I did struggle to find it when we arrived, but the well worn path gave it away.
  

• There are views on this campsite, but they are obscured by trees. Not a bad thing by any means, but if you're expecting sweeping views, don't be shocked when this isn't a reality here.
  

• If you're looking for morning sunshine, this isn't the site for you. Part of the reason why we left so early because it was pretty chilly without that sunshine!

After evaluating the campsite, we prepared a healthy breakfast of granola, tea, and most importantly, coffee. It took awhile to prepare everything given the chilly weather conditions. I was also distracted by the fog over the lake. Again, took some time taking pictures, trying to capture the water through the trees. I don't think that I was overly successful. My lens got foggy and the metal on my camera was freezing - my fingers very quickly went numb!

The solution to being cold is movement, so we didn't waste anymore time eating and packing up our gear. Time to begin a full weekend of paddling! The plan? To paddle and portage approximately 30 kilometers to Brule Lake. Wouldn't be so much of a suffer-fest if were were sticking to the water, but alas, we had 13 portages in store. Some pretty chunky ones in there too - the highlight was going to be a 1030 meter extravaganza (see my sarcasm there?).

I normally take SO many photos while paddling, but today wasn't the day for it. We were way too busy moving and grooving. There simply wasn't the time to yank out my Sony. I needed both of my hands!

As a result, all of the portages went by in a blur. One right after the other. We had a solid strategy though, and man, the efficiency was on point! Pull in the canoe, unload, pick it all up, and off we go, straight to the water waiting for us on the other side of the portage. Early in the morning we completed 8 portages in the following order:

• 310 meter portage from Rain Lake to Sawyer Lake.

• 460 meter portage from Sawyer Lake to Jubilee Lake.

• 450 meter portage from Jubilee to Juan Lake.

• 190 meter portage from Juan Lake to Moccasin Lake

• 440 meter portage from Moccasin Lake to Bandit Lake.

• 550 meter portage from Bandit Lake to Wenona Lake.

• 380 meter portage from Wenona Lake to Muslim Lake.

• 1030 meter portage from Muslim Lake to Misty Lake.

The back-country was pretty quiet. We didn't encounter any other canoes out there on the water until we hit Bandit Lake, which is apparently a very popular spot. We counted well over 6 boats here - we figure that everyone had stayed in Misty Lake the previous night. Unfortunately no one seemed particularly chatty. Just like us, folks had places to be and scenery to see.

Every portage was relatively relaxed in terms of terrain. Thinking back, I don't recall any particularly steep hills or inclines. Then again, I was thoroughly distracted by the fall colours. If you looked into the distance, really analyzed the surrounding landscape, they didn't look overly impressive. However, the colours really stood out once you stepped out of the canoe and started to portage. The reds were long gone, but the yellows? Simply glorious. It felt like walking through the pages of A Lord of the Rings novel, or breathing in sunshine. It was absolutely otherworldly. I was mesmerized. Isaac on the other hand - ah, he had a canoe over his head. He quiet literally had other things on his mind.

We stopped for a snack on Muslim Lake prior to our longest portage of the day. I nibbled on a Larabar and Isaac selected a Cliff Bar as his snack of choice. It's important to fuel up before a long one!

The 1030 meter extravaganza took approximately 30 minutes? Maybe? Ah, probably closer to 40 minutes if I'm being honest with myself. Again, nothing particularly notable in terms of the portage. The terrain was fairly standard for Algonquin. Well walked and well worn. I just wanted it to be over, especially knowing that lunch was on the horizon. The plan was to eat and take a well earned break on Misty Lake.

Our typical fare was on the menu - wraps with meat, hummus, and cheese or peanut butter and jam. We set up in the middle of the portage. Given how quiet things had been, we really weren't concerned about causing a traffic jam. I very happily plopped down in the dirt, shoved food in my face, and starred at the leaves. The starring quickly transformed into an impromptu photo session (how typical), the leaves becoming my new muse.

There is just something so beautiful, yet sad about leaves in the fall. They are at their most glorious, but will soon fade and return to the earth. They give all of themselves for the season and willingly return to the dark. It's poetic. It's tragic. They show it, too.

I could have probably taken photos of leaves for most of the afternoon, but we still had another 5 portages to complete. The final portages of the day were as follows:

• 840 meter portage from Misty Lake to Timberwolf Lake.

• 410 meter portage from Timberwold Lake to McIntosh Lake.

• 670 meter portage from McIntosh Lake to Straight Shore Lake.

• 1000 meter portage from Straight Shore Lake to Rosswood Lake.

• 170 meter portage from Rosswood Lake to Brule Lake.

Just before our first portage though, a pretty magical thing happened. We rounded the corner after packing up our lunch, camera, and remaining gear and BAM! I spotted some movement in a nearby swamp. Isaac thought that I was seeing things, but nope! I had successfully spotted a moose! A cow, in fact. She was just munching away, more or less accepting of our presence. We managed to sneak a little closer a snap a few pictures before continuing on our afternoon journey.

We were just riding on a high after that, which was awesome. Seeing two moose in the span of a couple of days? Maybe ever hours? Amazing! It gave us the energy we needed to finish our adventuring for the day. We arrived at our campsite at approximately 4:30PM. There are only a couple of sites on Brule Lake, and I think that we picked a pretty great one?

Yes, it was a bit of a steep climb up, but the put-in was solid. Definitely a bunch of flat space to store a couple of canoes. It also looked like folks had pitched a few tents in this area as well. I wouldn't do this unless you had a huge paddling party or really, really hated hills. Whatever works, though! We found our way up the hill and settled on a nice, scenic, and breezy tent pad. The site itself overlooks the water and offers sweeping views over Brule Lake. After a long day of paddling it was the perfect place to read, write, and relax. I just wish we actually had some creme brulee to eat as part of it all!

Our thoughts on the site:

• This campsite is deceptive. It might just look like a gap in the trees initially, but don't be so easily tricked. This is where you stow your canoe. The actual site is a 10 to 15 meter climb up a semi-steep hill. The views are top tier and there are plenty of tent pads depending on how far you're willing to walk.
  

• The thunder box is partially back down the hill toward the put-in. It's in relatively good condition. Nothing to sing about.
  

• Swimming is possible on this site. It's not too swampy - the water is pretty deep! You just have to be willing to start from the put-in. You could (maybe) climb down from the cliff, but I wouldn't recommend this. Safety first!
  

• Already mentioned a couple of times, but the views here are great! Being so high up, you have a great vantage point over the lake.
  

• This site has lovely afternoon and evening light. Again, not a site that boasts incredible morning sunshine, so be prepared for a cooler morning.

  
  

We had a nice pot of taco mac for dinner and spent the evening taking pictures, further exploring the campsite, and listening to podcast. We went to bed early after watching the sunset. And by early, I mean early - we retired to our tent at 7:30PM!

Day Two:

Brule Lake to Cambridge

Wowee, did we ever get some sleep! Another cool night, but that didn't hold us back. We slept for 11 hours and didn't roll out of bed until 7AM. No lounging around this time - another cold morning out there and this site did not offer much in terms of sunshine. Granola was on the menu again, but this time we added hot water instead of the typical cold. Not the norm, but I thought that we could use the extra heat!

We ended up hitting the water at approximately 9AM. The plan was to obviously head home. However, our route wasn't going to be easy. While only 5 portages remained, two of those were over the 2000 meter mark. The order of operations:

• 590 meter portage from Brule Lake to Lilypond Lake.

• 2480 meter portage from Lilypond Lake to Cranebill Lake.

• 2110 meter portage from Cranebill Lake to Islet Lake.

• 500 meter portage from Islet Lake to Hot Lake.

• 730 meter portage from Hot Lake to Rain Lake.

The portage into Lilypond Lake was a bit irritating? Not certain if that's the right word, but essentially the low water created a semi-swamp situation. We had to move logs around while navigating in our canoe. It felt like moving furniture in a living room. Rearranging the swamp to suit our needs. It sucked away some valuable time, which was a little depressing. Isaac and I also had to switch spots on the fly, which makes for an interesting experience on the water. We didn't flip the canoe, so that's a bonus.

The fun didn't end there. The portage into Cranebill was by far the worst of the trip. Not only was it incredibly long, but the beginning was just nasty. Three words - land of lies. A fun name I conjured for the beauty, joy, and chaos of peat moss. We really couldn't get out of the canoe without risking a swim, so for a little while it was just a small and tedious shuffle forward. Once past the land of lies, open water prevailed yet again. We had to utilize the canoe as a bridge. Ah, but the mud! Enter the horrid mud! Icky, sticky stuff, too. Honestly, the volume was surprising given how dry and sunny it had been. It probably took us between 20 and 30 minutes to find solid footing. Combined with the portage, probably an hour of moving time in total.

When we finally made it to Cranebill Lake (hallelujah), the joy was short-lived, especially with the second nasty portage on the horizon. We squeezed in a quick water break before tackling the next 2000 meter trek. Fortunately, it wasn't bad at all. Fairly even in terms of elevation, which meant it was much easier to get this one done in decent time. Took us 40 minutes? Maybe?

Much like the previous day, the remaining portages went by in a flash. Made for such a joyous occasion! I was getting pretty portaged out. You start to feel a little sore after 18 of these things. I'm 100 percent certain that Isaac could have done a million more, though - he's a machine!

As the morning dragged on we really didn't see any other canoes out there. It seemed as though we were the only paddlers out in Algonquin. All alone on the water! All alone in the park!

Ah, not so true though - we did some hikers on the Western Uplands Trail. It was basically a highway. One hiker right after the other, walking quite happily along the bed of the old rail trail alongside Rainy Lake. Almost made me want to go backpacking instead of canoeing!

We back it back to our car around 1:30PM and hit the road shortly afterwards. As per usual (a tradition after an outdoorsy adventure), we stopped in Huntsville to visit the local McDonald's (Isaac and I are nugget buddies). The remainder of our drive was uneventful, aside from a slow down outside of Caledon as a result of a culvert replacement. Two traffic lights were not in sync, which made for quite the delay.

The Appendix:

Unedited Bits:

From our Instagram Highlights