Tess's trip report was along time coming but worth the wait, the following images are just teasers.









Algonquin Treks & Images

[Des]

Epic story, wonderful photos, great blog. Thanks for sharing Norm and Tess.

[normhead]

Epic story, wonderful photos, great blog. Thanks for sharing Norm and Tess.

Thanks, we were actually posting trip reports like this long before we were posting on the forum. It was good to get back to it.

[dbs]

What a wonderful journey you took us on.
Tess's report was excellent. The photos from you both just awesome.
Canada has to be on my bucket list now.


Dave

[monochrome]

I just saw this because @dbs refreshed the thread. Looked at every photo and read the entire blog, including the prep appendix. I have to say Tess did a fabulous job putting this together, not the least because it feels so familiar and true to my experiences in younger days (I’ve mentioned once or twice). So much is familiar. Scenery, wildlife, solitude, camp life, the trials of portaging, the food, Heart Attack, bogs and beaver dams, low water, campsites - joy of finding a great one and the urban experience when they’re all taken, wearing a canoe for a hat. I enjoyed the memeory prompts! The photos are excellent and capture the beauty and remoteness perfectly.

We used a Kondos bag and a Granite bag plus 2 daypacks per canoe - no barrels. I think we were stripped down to raw essentials. No open fires - white gas stove and 3 nesting pots. A lot of peanut butter and dense oatmeal/honey/brown sugar bread/cake. All prepared dried food like yours. I fished a lot to supplement calories. We planned 5,000 calories / day intake and I still lost 15 lbs. My guess is I burned closer to 7,500 calories a day.

3 canoes, six teens, 2 adults and a really great college student Guide.

Loved this and thanks for posting the link.

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Last edited by monochrome; 07-25-2020 at 09:40 AM.

[luftfluss]

I, too, missed this when it was originally posted. Wonderful trip report and images - thank you for sharing them with us.

[texandrews]

Showed this to my wife. Have wanted to take her on a canoe trip for 40 years, but time or money was never right. My trips were in Boundary Waters and Quetico Superior back in the early '70's, and one miserable trip (insects) up the Allagash in Maine. Also took each daughter on mini trips when they turned 10/11---one down the upper Potomac and one down the Clarion in PA. But I have sorely missed the north country.

Wanted to go up to cabin country on the eastern side of Georgian Bay this summer for camping, but u.s. americans are now persona non grata (and sadly, we've earned it...)

But we'll be doing something a lot lighter than this when we go. With both of us in our mid '60's now and my wife never having done this or even backpacked more than an overnight we have to be realistic. I know that other places offer ways to do fewer and shorter portages, and after my trips back in the day I have nothing to prove to anyone, including myself.

[ToddK]

I missed this as well Norm. Wonderful images and an excellent blog! Thanks so much for sharing it.

[noelpolar]

Thanks for this Norm (and Tess of course!)... enjoyed very much...... so can relate to "But, I have this desire to be still, to gather a sense of place around me. I need to be present to know a place, to feel I belong. This is something that cannot be rushed."

[normhead]

What a wonderful journey you took us on.
Tess's report was excellent. The photos from you both just awesome.
Canada has to be on my bucket list now.


Dave

Thanks for commenting.

I just saw this because @dbs refreshed the thread. Looked at every photo and read the entire blog, including the prep appendix. I have to say Tess did a fabulous job putting this together, not the least because it feels so familiar and true to my experiences in younger days (I’ve mentioned once or twice). So much is familiar. Scenery, wildlife, solitude, camp life, the trials of portaging, the food, Heart Attack, bogs and beaver dams, low water, campsites - joy of finding a great one and the urban experience when they’re all taken, wearing a canoe for a hat. I enjoyed the memeory prompts! The photos are excellent and capture the beauty and remoteness perfectly.

We used a Kondos bag and a Granite bag plus 2 daypacks per canoe - no barrels. I think we were stripped down to raw essentials. No open fires - white gas stove and 3 nesting pots. A lot of peanut butter and dense oatmeal/honey/brown sugar bread/cake. All prepared dried food like yours. I fished a lot to supplement calories. We planned 5,000 calories / day intake and I still lost 15 lbs. My guess is I burned closer to 7,500 calories a day.

3 canoes, six teens, 2 adults and a really great college student Guide.

Loved this and thanks for posting the link.

We both lost 10 pounds on this trip, amazing how fast it goes back on. We saw 4 or 5 youth trips go by as we were tripping. And I've often seen the minimalist approach of the summer campers,, but no, open fires? That's just not right.

When we trip with my buddies, no one even gets up before Tess or I have made the morning fire. And we have one in the evening as well. Collecting fire wood is a big activity.

I, too, missed this when it was originally posted. Wonderful trip report and images - thank you for sharing them with us.

I think Tess wanted to have an epic trip report to highlight a terrific trip. We are so aware these days , that every trip could be our last. She really put some effort into the report.

Showed this to my wife. Have wanted to take her on a canoe trip for 40 years, but time or money was never right. My trips were in Boundary Waters and Quetico Superior back in the early '70's, and one miserable trip (insects) up the Allagash in Maine. Also took each daughter on mini trips when they turned 10/11---one down the upper Potomac and one down the Clarion in PA. But I have sorely missed the north country.

Wanted to go up to cabin country on the eastern side of Georgian Bay this summer for camping, but u.s. americans are now persona non grata (and sadly, we've earned it...)

But we'll be doing something a lot lighter than this when we go. With both of us in our mid '60's now and my wife never having done this or even backpacked more than an overnight we have to be realistic. I know that other places offer ways to do fewer and shorter portages, and after my trips back in the day I have nothing to prove to anyone, including myself.

If you want a suggestion for an Algonquin Trip feel free to ask, advice is free.

I missed this as well Norm. Wonderful images and an excellent blog! Thanks so much for sharing it.

Thanks for commenting.

Thanks for this Norm (and Tess of course!)... enjoyed very much...... so can relate to "But, I have this desire to be still, to gather a sense of place around me. I need to be present to know a place, to feel I belong. This is something that cannot be rushed."

I told Tess you quoted it, she said before me, her trip reports used to be full of quotes like that, but she wanted this one to be more technical, so this is almost part of a tribute to trips gone by as much as part of this trip. She just had to sneak one or two in.

[Larrymc]

Amazing images from you and Tess!! I have to admire both of you and I am rather jealous that you two are able to accomplish what both of you set out to do. Kudos to both of you. Miss Tess is quite the writer and reading the Blog was very interesting. I've got to hand it to you, for an "Old Fart" you still do pretty well and for Miss Tess carrying those food barrels.........WOW!!

[normhead]

Amazing images from you and Tess!! I have to admire both of you and I am rather jealous that you two are able to accomplish what both of you set out to do. Kudos to both of you. Miss Tess is quite the writer and reading the Blog was very interesting. I've got to hand it to you, for an "Old Fart" you still do pretty well and for Miss Tess carrying those food barrels.........WOW!!

Did I ever mention that in her 20s she once went to the world's as Canada's third, in body building, and was on the same plane as the New York Rangers Hockey team and ended up sitting beside Hulk Hogan on the plane?

[Larrymc]

Did I ever mention that in her 20s she once went to the world's as Canada's third, in body building, and was on the same plane as the New York Rangers Hockey team and ended up sitting beside Hulk Hogan on the plane?

Hmmmmmm.....so what you are telling me is she can kick your butt any old time she chooses

[Sailor]

Thanks, Norm, to you and Tess for taking us along on your trek. Pictures are terrific, and the narrative is terrific. I just wish I could keep up with you young folks.

Jer

[Dan Paris]

great pictures of what looks like a dream place

[normhead]

Hmmmmmm.....so what you are telling me is she can kick your butt any old time she chooses

I'm a bit more co-ordinated.

Thanks, Norm, to you and Tess for taking us along on your trek. Pictures are terrific, and the narrative is terrific. I just wish I could keep up with you young folks.

Jer

Ya, and I just wish I was "young folks".

great pictures of what looks like a dream place

The middle of the park is amazing, but it's pretty tough getting there.