Posted on

Killarney Blue Ridge Snowshoe Return

Every year Mike and I drive from southern Ontario to Killarney to do some backcountry snowshoeing. This is our second trip this year, and we brought Andy along for the first time. We typically choose the peak of one of the hills as our destination. Killarney has incredible scenery, and the smooth quartzite ridges make the vegetation sparse enough for easy bushwhacking. That said it’s usually a challenging day, bookended by two five hour drives.

We were starting to run out of fresh destinations. There aren’t that many off trail peaks within a half days walk of an access point. This year we were targeting one of the peaks on the northwest shore of Killarney Lake. Mike and I had snowshoed up the nearby hill that looms to the north of O.S.A. Lake a few years back, and Xander and I had climbed the ridge to the east of the portage between Killarney Lake and Threenarrows lake while on a Thanksgiving canoe trip. That left the peak in the middle, on the west side of portage. It’s a bit far for a day trip, but the area can be accessed by following “The Crack” trail, then following the portage from Kakakise Lake to Killarney Lake, and finally crossing the frozen lake to base of the hill.

It might seem like the cold would be a challenge on a trip like this, but warm weather can post even more problems at this time of the year. Not only is overheating an issue, but a lot of the terrain becomes quite difficult when the snow and ice start to melt. We had an unseasonably warm day and the temperature almost made it to nine degrees celcius. On the up side we had clear blue skies which afforded us some spectacular views.

The Trail

The first section of trail from the parking lot to the Silhouette Trail is a pretty easy walk. This area sees some visitors all year round, and the trail up to “The Crack” is a popular destination in the winter. We encountered a couple heading out from the parking lot. They were loading up their sled for an overnight camping trip, and like us they were a bit worried about the warm weather.

Our path followed The Silhouette Trail briefly before we reached Kakakise Lake. The Silhouette is a multi day hiking trail around the park, and most of it is quite rugged, so it’s surprising that it’s so easy along this little stretch. Our first challenge was the portage from Kakakise Lake to Killarney Lake. This is a pretty rough portage in the summer, but in the winter it’s a bit easier. The trail was far less travelled than the one to “The Crack” but someone had passed this way before us. Parts of the trail are a creek in the summer, and there was open water showing through the snow in places. The snow was compacting well, but it was so sloppy that we’d still slip from time to time. Even through the skies were clear we were being rained on from the snow melting off of the trees.

The Lakes

We had to cross two sections of Killarney Lake and I was starting to worry about the condition of the ice. When we finally spotted the lake below us a trick of the light made the shadows appear to be open water. There was some open water near shore, and I did go right through the soft ice in the shallows with one foot, but it felt much more solid once we got on the lake. We still took care to spread out so that all of our weight wasn’t in one area.

It was surprisingly windy out on the ice. It certainly wasn’t cold, but it was pretty loud at times. This part of Killarney Lake is one of my favourite places to paddle in the park, and it’s also a pretty spectacular view in the winter. When canoeing we have to paddle around the small peninsula that separates the southern part of the lake from the main body of water, but on snowshoes we could cut right across it before the walk to the base of the hill. The snow on top was starting to get slushy, but the ice beneath still felt solid.

We were almost on the far shore of the lake when we came across a huge trail of tracks. We hadn’t seen any signs of humans since leaving the Kakakise portage. These were wolf tracks, travelling perpendicular to our direction. They had been travelling mostly single file, but then they had spread out in one spot before regrouping. We wondered if they had been hunting something but couldn’t find any other signs, so we surmised that they were playing or challenging one another as they crossed the lake and had a bit of a tussle.

First Climb

We encountered more wolf tracks in the woods on the far side of the lake as we started to climb the hilll. We were travelling up a saddle between the two peaks. It wasn’t particularly steep at this point and the snow was nice and firm. There was a pond above us, and I was hoping we could find a creek to follow where it drained. Creeks usually carve shallower slopes into the sides of the hill and make an easier trail to the top.

The terrain started to get steeper and we were soon having to work harder and pick our path more carefully to make our way around the large rocks. But we were also getting glimpses of a view behind us as we got higher. At first we could just see Killarney Lake, but we were soon high enough to see O.S.A. Lake as well. The woods are really thin here so the views are excellent. Even though this is a relatively gentle slope up the hill, it’s relentless. Each ridge falls away to reveal another ridge behind it.

Frozen Waterfall
Frozen Waterfall

We found the creek I had been looking for, and soon an impressive frozen waterfall. The ice was dripping, and when we returned later in the day an impressive amount of it was gone. We were able to walk along the base of the pretty wall of ice and then follow a steep trail up to the top on the other side. As we climbed up a steep slope above the waterfall Andy’s snowshoes gave out and slipped on the snow. I was behind him and grabbed his shoe so that he’d have something to push against. Mike and I have MSR Ascent snowshoes which have excellent traction in these conditions, but Andy had rented a pair of Atlas shoes at the campground. They’re ok shoes, but not nearly as grippy. By pushing off of my hand Andy was able to make it to where Mike was above him.

At the top of this steep climb we were rewarded with a nice view perched high above O.S.A. Lake. We stopped to admire it before pushing on up the hill. From here up to the first peak the views just kept getting better and better. Thanks to the sparse tree cover we could enjoy the scenery as we climbed. It has to be one of the best climbs we’ve done for quantity and quality of the views all the way up.

The Pond

After enjoying the view from the lookout we turned back into the trees. It wasn’t nearly as steep here, but we were still climbing. We were now heading into the interior of the park, towards Threenarrows Lake, heading for the highest point on the hill. The portage from Killarney to Threenarrows is three kilometres long, and we were now paralleling its path.

We finally found the pond I’d been searching for, and crossed the ice to the other side. These ponds can have bad ice because of shallow water and the warmth generated by decaying vegetation. The ice of this pond was fortunately sound, but the snow on top had a powdery quality we hadn’t encountered much of that day.

Once we crossed the pond I led us up a false peak, and then we had to descend back into a valley before ascending the true peak. To climb out of the valley we had to follow a very steep gulley. The valley was littered with small boulders of snow that had formed when snowballs had rolled down the slope and gathered more snow as they rolled down. If it weren’t for where we  were I would have thought that someone had been making an army of snowmen.

First Peak

First Peak
First Peak

It was a tough climb up the gulley, and when we got to the top we got our first view in a long time. We were now far into the hills, and the lakes were off in the distance. We stopped for a break and I realized that my snowshoes were covered in water drops because of the melting snow.

The rest of the climb to the peak was mercifully gradual, and we soon found ourselves looking down in all directions. Or almost. There was another peak a little further along the ridge. It was really hard to tell which was the tallest from where we stood, and they were close enough that my topo map didn’t make it clear which was taller. The second peak was another 600m away, but after some hemming and hawing and an impromptu vote we decided to press on to the last peak ‘just in case’.

Second Peak

Second Peak
Second Peak

The trip from the first peak to the second peak was reasonably easy, even if it did mean we had to descend into another valley and then climb back up again. But it was all gradual slopes, and the final ascent was almost devoid of trees. A large erratic was perched almost at the top of the mountain and guided our way to the top. We had a 360 degree view, and could see a glimpse of O.S.A. Lake on one side and a sliver of Threenarrows Lake on the other. It looked like a sea of foothills spread out below us. It wasn’t as impressive a view as we’d had earlier, but it felt more remote.

I climbed a boulder just to say I’d reached the highest point, and we took a group photo to commemorate the occasion. We were scanning around plotting our return trip when I realized that we still hadn’t reached the point we’d been heading for. I’d been navigating to a waypoint on the map that was another 300m away! We debated going on again, but this time it really did seem like we were at the top, so we decided to turn back.

Dead End

As we’d climbed the last peak Mike and I had discussed returning via a different path. From where we were standing it looked like we could take a ‘short cut’ that would lead us down into the valley below which would mean less climbing up and down. When we got off the peak we turned to the right and abandoned the trail we’d cut on the way in. We soon found ourselves blocked by a vertical cliff, so we turned and followed the top of the ridge. At the very least we’d avoid having to climb all the way up to the top of the second peak again.

We found a promising looking ridge that dropped over the edge and descended across the face of the cliff at a gentle slope. The map even indicated that there was likely to be a more gradual slope ahead, so we decided to descend through the pass and then follow the ridge down. We made it about a third of the way down the cliff, but the ledge we were on kept getting narrower and narrower. It finally just disappeared at a drop off. Amazingly there were trees growing all over this ledge, but there was nothing that we could hold onto, and we were still very high above the valley below.

Reluctantly we turned around and climbed back up the hill. It was disheartening, but we still had plenty of energy and it was still a spectacular day. We continued along the ridge, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. We had to pick our path carefully to avoid getting caught in other dead ends like the last one. Because we were right at the edge of the cliff the views were still spectacular and there were frequent lookouts.

Climb Down

We finally found the trail that we made on the way in, and rejoined it for the descent from the first peak. We contemplated another ‘short-cut’ on the way down, but in the end we just retraced our footsteps. We were going down so it wasn’t nearly as hard as going up. It was still early enough that we had plenty of light, the sun was turning golden, and now we were facing the direction of all of the spectacular views.

It’s a good thing that we were heading down, because we were all starting to feel pretty tired by this point. We were all pretty relieved when we finally made it down to the ice of Killarney Lake. We made it to the ice twenty-five minutes before sunset.

The Return

We spread out on the lake again, and we could see that our tracks from earlier in the day were dark with melt. We could feel the slush beneath our snowshoes. I kept reminding myself that there still had to be at least nine inches of ice on the lake. But if we couldn’t cross the lake we’d have to walk around it, and that would add a lot of extra distance to an already long trip. As we crossed into the widest part of the lake I realized that we could see puddles on the snow, and this time they weren’t a trick of the light. The wolf tracks that we’d seen earlier were almost completely melted away.

We abandoned our track from earlier and turned to get to shore more quickly. We climbed up some rocks at a campsite. The ground was more solid, but the going was pretty rough in here. We still had to cross the peninsula to the southern bay. We decided to chance it on the ice again, staying away from shore as we headed back to the narrow part of the peninsula.

We made it to the southern bay as the glow of the sunset was fading from yellow to dark blue. We really started to slow down on this last stretch. Mike and I have done this a few times, and while we were by no means immune to the agony we weren’t feeling it as badly as Andy. He’d fall behind us, and we’d wait for him to catch up. As soon as he did we’d start up again, leaving him no time to catch his breath.

We finally got off the ice at 6:12. The sun had set a long time ago, but there was a still a bit of light in the sky. After the easy travel on the ice the portage was pretty brutal, and it was completely dark by the time we made it back to the easier trail. By then we were all pretty beat, and we had to pace ourselves. It took us another hour to finish the ‘easy’ trail and make it back to the car.

Tips

  • If you do this as a day trip you’ll have to purchase a day pass from the park office for parking your vehicle. In the winter you can park at the trailhead for access to ‘The Crack’. In the summer you’ll have to put in at George Lake and cross Freeland Lake to get to Killarney Lake.
  • If you make the trip part of a backcountry camping excursion to Killarney Lake you’ll have to book far in advance unless you go in the shoulder seasons. Killarney is one of the busiest lakes in the park.
  • If you do the trip in the winter you can rent snowshoes from The Friends Of Killarney Park at the camp office where you pick up your permit.
  • This trip is an excellent (and challenging) snowshoe trip, but it would also make a great day excursion while camped on Killarney Lake.
Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Conclusion
This is part 13 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

So is the boundary loop the “essence” of Killarney as promised by Kevin Callan? When we finished the trip it felt like we’d achieved something. It was a personal achievement however, not something you talk about to the uninitiated. Most people don’t even know what backcountry camping is, which makes it hard to appreciate the challenges of a trip such as this one. And there are much harder trips right here in Ontario. But other than adding a few detours it’s almost the longest trip that can be done in Killarney.

Killarney isn’t the biggest park in Ontario, but it is arguable one of the most spectacular. This trip visits almost every one of the most scenic lakes in the park. So in that way the Boundary Loop is the “essence” of the park. On the other hand, an essential part of Killarney for me is the wilderness. And while I’m tempted to point out that most of the route hugs the border of the park where encounters with cottagers, day trippers, and fishermen in motorboats are more likely, the point is a bit disingenuous, since even the lakes right in the heart of the park have the odd cottage. It’s difficult to find true unspoiled wilderness anywhere in Killarney. I would have liked to see fewer people, but I’m also glad that those we met all had the chance to explore and enjoy this spectacular place.

The boundary loop touches on many of the facets of this complicated park. It is a spectacular trip, and it definitely leaves one with a sense of achievement. But it isn’t the ultimate Killarney trip for me, because I know that I’ll be back for more.

Tips

  • There are multiple challenges on this trip including long portages and some areas that are difficult to navigate. It isn’t a trip for novice canoeists.
  • Some of the portages are long and quite steep. Distribute your gear wisely keeping the portages in mind. The perfect combination for us was two packs for gear (25lb each) and a third pack for food (almost 50lb, but we split out 15lb of this pack for portages early on in the trip to make it lighter). To finish off our load we had one ultralight canoe for two people.
  • This trip passes through some very popular areas, so make sure that you book early to get the sites that you want.
  • Consider your fitness level when planning the trip. If you aren’t fit at the beginning you will be by the end, but consider booking a break day early in the trip to give your muscles time to recover.
  • Leave time in the schedule to account for fluctuating water levels, but if possible avoid booking the less scenic northern lakes.
  • There will be some motorboat traffic on the northern border lakes, and many of the interior lakes will have cottages and some traffic as well. Even if Killarney truly becomes a wilderness park, the western portion of this route outside of the park through McGregor bay does pass by quite a few cottages.
Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 11
This is part 12 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

Our last day was grey and cloudy but the sun peeked out occasionally from between the clouds. I was reluctant to leave, and we had more than enough food to stay another few days, but our booking was done, and the responsibilities of the world beckoned. We were still pretty slow in packing up our site and it was one o’clock before got out on the water.

The paddle across O.S.A. Lake was easy. It can get a bit tough when the wind is up, but it was nice and calm today. The portage to Killarney Lake is nice and flat, and the food bag was now pretty light, so we decided to do a single carry. I took the canoe and the food bag while Xander took both of the other packs. This was our only single carry of the trip, and it was more just to say that we did one than to save any time or effort. That said, It was nice to be able to just drop the canoe in the lake and keep going at the other end.

Killarney Lake is very scenic, but it can also be a bit tricky to navigate. I had the map folded the wrong way so that I couldn’t see the relevant area and I was determined to find the portage without looking at the GPSr. The last time we were here I steered us into a dead end, but this time I managed it without mishap.

We saw one couple camped on Killarney Lake and there were several groups of people on the portage to Freeland. We’d been encountering more and more people as we got closer to George Lake, and we even encountered some day trippers when we reached the last portage from Freeland to George. Once we arrived at Freeland Lake we’d officially completed our loop, and we just had an easy paddle across George to return to my car.

I’d left a fresh change of clothes in my car for the trip home, but I’d neglected to bring a towel, and it never even occurred to me to pack some soap or shampoo in the car. I still availed myself of the showers at the George Lake campground. While the shower was refreshing and made the drive back to Sudbury more comfortable, it came with a pretty heavy price. I’m pretty sure that the infestation of athlete’s foot I came down with was thanks to this shower, and not something I contracted in the backcountry.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 9
This is part 10 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

As much as the scenery in McGregor Bay and Baie Fine is spectacular I was looking forward to returning to the interior of the park where we wouldn’t see any motor boats and there would be far fewer people. The return to the park was to be our last hard day of the trip, but with only two moderate portages and a nearly empty food pack it wasn’t very daunting.

We had another beautiful sunny day to enjoy the scenery as we paddled down to our first portage. We passed a couple of sailboats that had been anchored for the night, and as we passed one of the cottages in “The Pool” we were offered a cup of coffee.

The portage to Artist Lake is relatively flat, but it can get a bit tricky since four different trails intersect in the middle. The Silhouette trail crosses the portage, and continues over the ridge as the infamous “Pig” portage. Making a wrong turn here in either direction will set you up for an unnecessary world of pain. We actually did go the wrong way, but we did so on purpose. Between our two trips across the portage we stopped at the halfway point and climbed part way up the hill to Topaz Lake.

Topaz Lake is a crater lake nestled high up the ridge. Sporting rich azure water ringed by white quartzite cliffs it’s another classic example of Killarney’s scenery. The last time we visited Topaz we were so exhausted that we only paused for a few minutes at the top of the cliff to look down on the water below. We had more time and energy this time so we descended right to the water and spent some time enjoying the spot. We didn’t have it to ourselves however. A group of cottagers had boated over to the end of the portage and then made the short hike up to the lake. We chatted with them briefly, before heading back down to get the rest of our gear.

As we returned down “The Pig” I was surprised that it was much nicer looking than I’d remembered. Perhaps my past perception was coloured by the pain of having to carry a heavy load over this brutal trail, but I remember thinking that it wasn’t a very nice spot at the time. Pretty or not, it is a brutal trail. Not only is it the tallest portage in the park, the path is littered with huge boulders that make finding good footing a challenge.

Ironically, I twisted my ankle on this trip on the relatively easy terrain on the way to Artist Lake. I rolled to prevent an injury, but I almost dropped the canoe. I don’t know how I managed to catch it, and while I didn’t hurt myself seriously I was limping for a while and was worried that I might not be able to finish the trip. Fortunately, I recovered quickly after favouring the leg for half an hour.

Artist Lake is more of a marsh than a lake, choked with lily pads and dead trees. It’s also quite scenic, particularly to the west. I kept turning around to take in the white hills that frame the end of the lake. There are two small ponds that separate Artist and Muriel Lakes, and in the past both of them were navigable, but we had to carry around the length of both of them.

Muriel is another pretty lake, but it pales a bit in comparison to its neighbours. We met a large group of people sorting through their gear at the end of the portage to O.S.A. Lake. We were pretty organized by this point and cleared out of there pretty quickly while they dealt with all of their packs and bags. Other than having a slight climb the portage to O.S.A. Lake isn’t particularly difficult.

O.S.A. Lake was the first lake in the park, and is arguably one of the most scenic, and hence, popular. I had lost track of which day it was and for some reason I thought that the long weekend was over and we’d have an easy time finding a site, but it turns out that it was Labour Day. We did a small tour of the lake checking out various sites, but they were all occupied except for one that I’d used previously. It’s a nice site, but not as nice as some of the island sites in the middle of the lake. Since my last visit a large tree had been cut down and someone had built a full counter and kitchen area with the cuttings.

We managed to reach our site fairly early in the day, and it was a beautiful day so I took the opportunity for another cleansing swim. The swimming at our site wasn’t the best, but it served to wash the grime and sweat of the last few days off. I swam out to a nearby island and then dried out in the sun on the rocks.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 8
This is part 9 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

After a cold night we had a cool morning, but it was bright and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky. It made for an excellent backdrop to paddle through the scenic rocks of the bay. We were lucky again and there were relatively few power boats out and about that morning. Rather than heading directly for the portage we stopped to find a geocache on the south LaCloche ridge. I’ve been wanting to find this cache for years, but never had the opportunity while in the area. The cache is at the peak of the ridge between McGregor Bay and Baie Fine, but there’s a well marked trail that leads to the top.

Since we’d be away from our canoe for a while we hung our food at the base of the trail before heading up. We’d been doing some long portages, and by now they were starting to feel easier. When we started the trip each trail left our muscles burning, and while it wasn’t easy yet, we felt a lot more confident. Perhaps that’s why we were a bit cocky about climbing the hill. After all, we weren’t going to be carrying our packs or the canoe, so it seemed easy. We started moving up the trail pretty quickly, but we were soon heating up and running out of breath. By the time we stopped to catch our breath I was feeling the burn in the large muscles of my legs.

The pain is definitely worth it though. At each turn of the trail we were rewarded with a better view of McGregor Bay far below us. Hundreds of islands forged by glaciers from pink granite dot the sparkling water far below. Even the trail itself is spectacular. It winds back and forth up the mountain across exposed rock faces and through tiny chasms and between huge quartzite boulders. It’s relatively well marked, but at times it can be moderately challenging to follow. Once you get to the top not only can you see McGregor Bay, you can look across the other side of the hill and look down on Baie Fine. Even if you aren’t a geocacher this excursion is definitely recommended.

After returning to our canoe we headed west down the bay rather than turning east back into the park. Returning to the park immediately involves a very scenic paddle down Kirk Creek, followed by a brutal portage from Three Narrows Lake to Artist Lake. Affectionately known as “The Pig” this is one of the toughest portages in the park. We’d already done three of the worst portages on this trip so we opted to cross the ridge to the west instead. At almost one kilometre this isn’t a trivial portage, but it is almost completely flat which is much easier.

The portage leads to Baie Fine, one of the largest freshwater fjords in the world. We’d seen Baie Fine earlier in the day when we hiked to the top of the ridge. We’ve visited most of the ridges in Killarney, and while I was expecting great scenery I wasn’t really thinking it would seem different than other places we’ve visited. Killarney’s ability to surprise is seemingly endless, and I was blown away yet again by the unique geography in this area. I kept turning around to see the sun sinking low over the tall hills flanking either side of the long wide channel behind us.

Baie Fine was the largest water that we paddled on the trip, and was considerably rougher. It was still relatively easy because there wasn’t much of a wind. And while we occasionally passed motor boats and large sailboats there was enough room that they didn’t disturb us.

After the fjord we ducked back into the park and into a narrow channel that leads towards “The Pool” which is a popular anchorage amongst the boating crew. We took the first campsite in the small channel to avoid the crowding further upstream. There’s another campsite directly across the channel, and it was occupied, so these were our closest neighbours of the trip. The site isn’t spectacular, but it has a great view of the sunset and the sunrise up and down the channel, and was amply provided with firewood.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 7
This is part 8 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

The portage in to Nellie may have been the hardest of the trip, but the portage out was a contender for second. The saving grace of the trail to Helen Lake is that at least it’s downhill. Almost two and half kilometres of downhill, but it does go down. We took our time and had a good breakfast before heading out.

We started out the day with a mistake – I mistook a boat stashed near the end of the portage for the start of the trail. We’d unloaded our gear and I had the canoe on my shoulders before I realized that the trail I thought I was following was just random gaps through the trees. I turned around a few times before putting the canoe down so I could search properly. I finally found the trail, and it was a bit embarrassing to have missed it since it was so obvious. Then it was back for the canoe and the long walk had begun.

This is a pretty trail, but nothing like The Notch. There’s a small lake half way along the portage that can usually be paddled to shave a few hundred meters off. The last time we were here we did exactly that. It’s simply labelled Unnamed Lake, or Faux Lake on some maps. But it requires a short detour, and if water levels are low it’s not passable. I didn’t want to risk going down to the lake and then coming back if it wasn’t passable so I decided to do it all in one go. I was starting to regret this decision as the trail climbed over some rocks after passing the take out for the short cut, but when the lake became visible below I was shocked to see that the water was gone! The trail crosses a beaver dam that used to hold the lake in place, but there’s a gaping hole in the dam now, and what used to be a marshy pond is now a grassy field.

My shoulders were screaming by the time I got to Helen Lake, and I took a break while I waited for Xander. The return trip was longer than I remembered, and I kept thinking that we were almost there. The food pack was now significantly lighter than the canoe, which was a relief after such a long walk.

Helen is a pretty lake, and if you look back you can see the North LaCloche hills poking above the trees. It was a bit surreal to realize that we’d been camped on a lake perched high up in those hills just a few hours before. The portage from Helen to Low is a shelf of white quartz that doubles as a campsite. It’s not particularly long, but it’s pretty steep. Both Low Lake and the portage are quite pretty.

Rocky Channel

There are a lot of submerged logs at the far end of Low Lake, and I was worried that these might damage our canoe further. Last time we managed to get through this section by doing a few quick lift-overs, but this time I didn’t want to risk it. Fortunately there was an extra portage around this section and we were able to avoid any mishaps.

After Low Lake there’s a marshy pond that’s so covered in lily pads and bullrushes that navigation is a challenge. We wound our way through this confusing but pretty place and then we just had a short portage down to McGregor Bay.

At this point we were technically on Lake Huron, so there were no more portages for a while. McGregor Bay is very scenic, and has a unique feel of its own. Nestled between the north and south forks of the white quartzite LaCloche Hills, McGregor Bay is dotted with small islands of pink granite. Unfortunately with the open water comes boats and cottages. The last time we were here it felt like a traffic jam – there were boats everywhere. We were luckier this trip, and didn’t see any boats at all on our first day.

The cottages are always there however. We were paddling past a large cottage under construction and I was thinking to myself how it broke the spell of being in the wilderness when all of a sudden a powerful stereo was cranked up and the previously quiet air was filled with the sounds of classic rock. My annoyance increased with this new intrusion, but then the owner of the monstrosity ran down his expansive dock and literally greeted us with open arms. He invited us in for a beer if we wanted, or to spend the night. We declined politely, but it was hard to stay annoyed with the guy when he was so friendly. And while his cottage didn’t fit with the experience we were trying to have, it was a nice cottage and seemed to suit him fine. At least it’s outside of the park in a mixed use area.

After passing the cottages we paddled through the Russian Pass. The pass is a small channel blasted between the mainland and McGregor Island. It was allegedly constructed by a logging company in the early 1900s. When water levels are low the pass can require a short portage, but there was plenty of wet today and we paddled through without problem.

We could have camped for free on the abundant crown land in the bay, but just to be safe I’d booked one of the sites in the park. The last time we were here the site on the nearby point was the nicest looking one, so we stayed there. It’s a very scenic site with great sunset views, but if there’s a lot of boat traffic it’s not very private. Jeff’s map warns that the sites in the East Channel are messy and infested with cockroaches. It was a bit messy, but not nearly as bad as our site on Murray had been, and we didn’t find the cockroaches until the morning when some of them scurried away after I lifted the lid of the thunder box. Finding the thunder box was a bit of a chore, because the site’s so open and public the facilities are located quite a ways back in the woods. It’s also a challenging site to set up a hammock. There aren’t many suitable trees, and I had to pitch my hang way up the hill. Not only was it a bit of a climb to get to, the terrain underneath was pretty treacherous.

It was a really hot sunny day when we got to our site, and we had an ample supply of firewood so we made a nice fire almost as soon as the sun set. I was quite surprised when I stepped away from the fire after dark because it had become really cold. Our packs were covered in dew because of the sudden temperature change and I scurried back to the sanctuary of the fire. The cold was a bit of a relief because it chased off the mosquitoes. Until that night we’d seen about one or two of the flying parasites per day, but that evening there was a small swarm of them. Not what you’d experience in the spring, but enough to be annoying while we ate dinner. There were also a few mosquitoes the next night in Baie Fine, but once we returned to the interior of the park the bugs were gone.

I was a bit worried that I’d be cold sleeping in the hammock, but my gear kept me warm. What I hadn’t anticipated was another night creature that woke me while sniffing around underneath me in the middle of the night. I’d left my sandals on the ground, and I had visions of them being chewed up by some misguided animal, so I finally got out and hung them over my ridgeline.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 6
This is part 7 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

I’d only planned one portage for the sixth day of our trip. The portage from Murray to Nellie Lake is known as “The Notch” and it’s one of the prettiest little slices of hell in the park. Starting from the crystal clear azure waters of Nellie Lake It winds down between two massive mounds of white quartzite to Murray Lake. There are several picture perfect meadows with spectacular views of the white hills. There’s a pristine stony creek that meanders back and forth across a gravel bed, joining several ponds that each display a unique landscape, and even two waterfalls.

It’s also the steepest portage in the park. The last time I was here I marvelled at the scenery as I descended down the steep trail. I also questioned the sanity of anyone portaging in the opposite direction, going uphill. Today Xander and I were going to be those people of questionable sanity. I must admit, I was a bit scared of this hike, which is one of the reasons that it was the only thing we had scheduled for the day. A short day would also give us a half day to enjoy Nellie Lake and recover from the ordeal. And once we’d made it to the top we’d have completed the hardest part of the trip. Sure there would be some long and difficult portages ahead of us, but It was literally all downhill from here.

There are two sections of the trail that are incredibly steep, separated by a relatively flat section. The steepest isn’t far from Murray, and the other is closer to Nellie. Even though it’s only 1420m long I decided to break the portage into three sections. For the first my goal was just to get to the top of the first steep section, and then take a ‘break’ by going back and getting the pack. When I got to the worst of the hill I paced myself, but the trail is like a ladder, and no matter how slow I went I had to lift myself quite high with each step. I was soon breathing hard and I could feel the burn in my muscles.

The mercy of this tough section is that it’s short. It didn’t seem short, but it was a relief when I was able to put the canoe down and head back for the second load. We met a father and his young son coming the other way, and it was fun to see them react to the nastiest portion at the end that we’d just climbed.

The second leg is almost completely flat, but there are a few streams to cross. There is a section where the trail forks and one branch climbs some rocks while the other meanders across a grassy meadow next to the creek. Naturally I missed the easy trail on the way in with the pack, but it’s easy to spot in the other direction so I took advantage of it for the return trip. The food bag was mercifully lighter by this point, which helped a lot.

I’d dumped the canoe at the base of the larger of the two waterfalls. It’s a very pretty spot if you step off the trail to the creek to take in the view. Which is a great thing to do instead of shouldering your pack or canoe and continuing on up the trail, but eventually there’s nothing for it but to push on. This section didn’t feel as steep as the initial hill to me, but Xander felt it was worse. It is rougher ground and requires a lot of attention to where you place your feet.

When I finally caught up to Xander at the far end I was elated. We’d finished our toughest portage, it was still relatively early in the day, and we weren’t completely exhausted. To celebrate we left our gear and headed back down the portage a bit to where a side trail climbs the mountain on the west side of the trail. We climbed up to get a better view of this spectacular spot. I was reluctant to go very far because I was aware of our unattended food bag tempting critters at the shore of the lake, so we didn’t go all the way to the top, but it’s a very rewarding scramble with some great views. We took a different path back down and made a very unexpected discovery – someone had left two swimming flippers on the ground halfway up the mountain. We weren’t really equipped to take them out, but we did carry them down to the end of the portage in the hopes that someone on a shorter trip could get rid of them.

We chose the first campsite on Nellie Lake. Being between the three portages it gets more traffic, but it’s a very pretty spot. In order to get an early start we’d had lunch for breakfast, so after setting up camp I made some chocolate bannock for the breakfast we skipped. There was a very bold chipmunk at this campsite, and when we refused to give him a treat or let him try the bannock batter he perched nearby and chirped incessantly at us. He got his revenge a bit later; when the frying pan cooled off enough he managed to grab a piece of bannock and drag it onto the ground.

It was so hot that I went for another swim. Not only was this a good excuse to wash the sweat off of my body, it was fun to play in the oddly clear waters of Nellie Lake. I tried some underwater photography and explored the water near our campsite. The last time I tried to swim in Nellie Lake it was cold and windy, which made it uncomfortable to get all the way in the water, so this was a real treat.

We took it easy for the rest of the day. We were sitting around the fire and I was trying to take some time lapse photos of the stars when we started to comment on the bright lights on the horizon. We’d been seeing bright lights on all of the clear nights and were debating on whether they originated from Sudbury or Espanola. We had been slightly disappointed that the sky wasn’t darker this far into the park. But these lights couldn’t be the glow from a city because they stretched from the horizon and went straight up.

Northern Lights

We were trying to figure out if they were indeed the aurora borealis or not when they obliged us by moving. At first the movement was slow, but it was evident that there was no point source over the horizon. Just when we’d decided that the lights were going to give us a nice, but quiet show they started to move more quickly. The thin beams spread out into great sheets, and then the whole sky started to flash. Eventually we could see large beams directly above us shining down. To my eye the lights were always white, but in my pictures they turned out green.

We crawled into our sleeping bags after a great show in the sky, and for some reason I got phobic hanging there next to the lake. I kept hearing small animals running around and my imagination kept running away with me. I knew it couldn’t be a bear, but I couldn’t figure out what would be running around so much in our campsite at that time of night. I read my book for a while and eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 5
This is part 6 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

Leaving Gail was a long day, but not particularly hard. None of the portages were difficult, and we were in better shape and recharged after a day of rest. The day started out with a perfect blue sky and as we paddled across Gail we could see the shadow of our canoe gliding across the bottom of the lake.

Gail Lake

I was remembering getting my feet muddy when we arrived, but apparently I didn’t remember very well because we didn’t find the portage put in. I was standing in the trees with the canoe on my shoulders and I realized that I wasn’t on the trail. I had to bushwhack for a while before I finally found it and we could descend down to Great Mountain.

Muddy Sandals

The far end of Great Mountain is a flooded forest, full of dead trees and remnants of the logging camp that was once here. The water level was low so we had to pick our way carefully around half submerged logs, but we were finally in sight of the take out for the next portage with what looked like a clear path. But when we tried to move forward we bottomed out in the mud and couldn’t cajole the canoe into sliding any further forward. We were separated from shore by a 20 – 30m stretch of black ooze. I was contemplating getting out and walking through the muck to pull the canoe over when I glanced to my left and saw that another take out had been made in the tall grass. I still got my feet covered in muck, but after a couple of hops we found solid ground.

Trappers Cabin

The portage to Fish Lake isn’t particularly steep or long, and the slope it does have is downhill, but half way there I encountered a large tree blocking the path. I had to put the canoe down on top of one side, duck under the trunk, and then slide it over. It’s a pretty enough portage, and there’s an old trappers cabin at the far end on Fish Lake.

Fish Lake isn’t the prettiest lake in the park, particularly at the east end. We were most of the way across Fish when we spotted a canoe pulled up near a tent. It was the first signs of other people that we’d seen in two days. We didn’t actually see any people until that evening when we arrived at our campsite on Murray Lake.

The west end of Fish is a bit more interesting and you can catch glimpses of the north LaCloche hills through openings in the shore line. There’s a short portage, and then a very convoluted stretch of Howry Creek snakes down a pretty valley. There’s a large puddingstone outcrop on the north side of the valley, and I took a few pictures of it to document its location. Last time we were here the creek was so dry that we had to get out and walk the canoe, but this time it was clear and an easy paddle to Gem Lake. Unfortunately by now the blue sky had turned grey so we couldn’t enjoy this pretty lake in all of its glory. Gem is ringed by tall rounded hills and feels like a tiny oasis. After Gem the portage to Howry is easy, and the east end of Howry is another very scenic spot.

Stone Chimney

We paddled to the end of Howry and got out of the canoe at the mouth of the next stretch of Howry Creek to explore where the map said the puddingstone should be. As I suspected there was no outcrop there, but we did find an old stone chimney, the only remnants of a long abandoned cabin.

This particular stretch of Howry Creek can cause problems in low water. It’s not so much the creek as Murray Lake itself, but by the time you get to the lake and discover that it’s not passable you’ve travelled a long way and have to backtrack back to Howry. There are several ways to detour through the low hills to the north, but they all involve multiple portages. I’d checked with park staff at the office before we headed out, but the breezy way that I was informed that it was passable hadn’t inspired confidence. After all, the staff at George Lake probably hadn’t been out here in quite a while! Fortunately the advice was good and the lake was navigable.

There’s a modest portage mid way down the creek and it was here that I realized that there may have been a problem with the canoe. I bought my canoe used from one of the Killarney outfitters. It was cheap, but it had a hard life before I acquired it, and it came complete with some extra wrinkles and dents in the kevlar skin. It’s still always proved sound, but when I picked it up for the portage it crackled suspiciously, and I could feel it flexing more than usual in my hands.

There’s a lift-over not far after the portage, and as we slid the canoe over the beaver dam I could hear more crunching and creaking as it cantilevered. I made a mental catalog of all the lift-overs that we still had to do in the trip, hoping that the canoe would hold together. It made it through the trip, and never even leaked, but I’m pretty sure it’s shot.

I’ve never been to this end of Murray Lake, and it’s much bigger than I thought. I kept thinking that we were just around the corner from where the campsites are located, but there was always another bay to cross. Occasionally the lake would open up, but for the most part it was choked with lily pads and we had to pick our way through a narrow channel of deeper water.

When we finally got to our campsite we spotted the first people that we’d seen in days. They paddled past our site to go fishing in the weeds we’d just paddled through. The campsite on Murray wasn’t particularly nice. One of the problems with lakes that are easy to access is that some of the visitors aren’t as respectful of their surroundings as those who’ve had to make a signifiant effort to get there. While Murray isn’t exactly easy to get to, it is possible to visit it without any portages, and there was an objectionable amount of trash in the fire pit. On the other hand there was also some firewood and it was nice to be able to dry my feet out in front of the fire as we ate dinner.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 4
This is part 5 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016

We had a day off on Gail Lake. Originally I’d intended to do some ridge running and climb one of the nearby peaks, but we were both pretty exhausted after the last three days so we just lazed about at the campsite and other than a short walk and some camp chores we took it easy.

I’d had a hard time sleeping that night before. Initially I’d attributed my sore shoulders to a poor hammock hang, but a few days later I realized it was just the wear and tear of the portages. Once they toughened up I didn’t have any more discomfort at night. While I tossed and turned I could see lightning flashes illuminating the horizon in all directions, but there was no thunder. When I crawled out of my hammock in the morning the sky was an ominous grey and I could hear distant rumbling.

I retrieved the food bag and started some morning chores, but something told me that it might be a good idea to set up the tarp. I was just tightening some of the guy lines when I felt the first few spits of rain. The thunder got really loud and woke Xander. He joined me under the tarp as a huge storm drifted across the tiny lake and swept overhead. We could see the wall of rain slamming into the water before it reached us and then there was a roar as the tarp took the force of the water. We stayed dry under the tarp as we watched the storm roll past. Soon the rain stopped, and the thunder was no longer overhead, but we could hear it in the distance. Within an hour the sky was blue and it was another beautiful Killarney day.

Because it had been an easy day it was tough to eat our food ration, but the bag was getting noticeably lighter, which was a relief since we were nearing the toughest portages of the trip.

Posted on

Killarney Boundary Loop, Day 3
This is part 4 of 13 in the series Killarney Boundary Loop, 2016
Early Morning Sun

The next morning was the start of a beautiful, sunny, hot day. I retrieved our shoddily hung bear bag (unmolested thankfully) and made pancakes for breakfast. There was a particularly bold chipmunk at this campsite. Not only did he try to steal a pancake out of the frying pan he even jumped right onto my foot to eat some spilled batter off of my sandal.

Bold Thief

It was Alex’s birthday, and to celebrate we were going to tackle a brutal portage. The 2775m carry from David to Great Mountain Lake isn’t particularly steep, but it winds up and down repeatedly. There is a portion of the portage that’s navigable in good water, but I didn’t want to spend a bunch of time loading and unloading the canoe, so I decided to just carry from one end to the other. I was beginning to question my choice as I felt the burn of the yoke on my shoulders and I could see open water just a few meters away to my left. There were obvious put-in and take-out points every few hundred meters, but I hadn’t checked the status at the park office and didn’t want to paddle halfway only to get stuck and have to turn around.

The portage finally turned away from the water and removed the temptation, but that’s when it started to go uphill more seriously. After climbing a particularly steep hill the forest opened up and the trail turns and heads across a bare rock face. There’s a blaze to indicate the turn and then a series of rock cairns to guide you over the white quartz. Xander was behind me by this time, and he stopped to take a break when he got to the rock. When he got up he forgot about the blaze and headed straight into the woods. I was taking a break at the far end of the portage before heading back for my pack, and was wondering what was taking so long while he was lost in the woods. Fortunately he kept his head and when he realized his error he was able to retrace his steps and find the trail again.

My original plan was to take several breaks with the canoe, but I kept pushing on and finally decided to do it in one go. I was almost there when the canoe yanked back and stopped moving. I tugged again and it was stuck. I turned around and saw that the painter had come untied and had fouled on a few planks that bridged a muddy bit of trail. I backed up, rolled the canoe off of my aching shoulders and dropped to the ground exhausted. I drank half of my bottle of water and caught my breath before picking the canoe up and continuing on to the end.

We passed a couple going the other way on the trail. There’s not much time for conversation when you both have canoes on your shoulders so we just exchanged pleasant greetings and moved on. These were the last people that we saw for the next two days.

As tough as the canoe had been to carry I actually found the second trip with the food bag harder. It was hotter by then, and the food was still heavier than the canoe, even if it was less awkward. Xander was getting way ahead of me on this trip, and when we got to the rock face I collapsed again to take a break. The rock was in the shade and surprisingly cool. I could feel the heat being drawn out of my body and into the rock.

We got out on the water quickly to enjoy a cool breeze on Great Mountain, and then started the leisurely paddle to Gail Lake. Gail is a close neighbour to Great Mountain, and only has a single campsite,, so by booking a site there we were guaranteeing ourselves the best site on the lake and also complete solitude. Finding the portage to Gail was a bit tricky because it’s on a featureless stretch of shoreline. After the long portage I was so hot that I broke down and checked the GPSr to make sure that we hadn’t passed it.

The portage to Gail is short, but steep. My feet sank deep into the mud at both ends. It’s a good thing that it was short, because I was overheating and out of energy by the time we got to our destination. The campsite on Gail features a huge expanse of white quartzite that stretches up the hill. Once the canoe was unloaded I stripped down and waded into the water for a swim to cool off and wash the sweat from my body. Even though I was boiling, the water was so cold that I didn’t go all the way in. Laying on the rocks and drying off in the hot sun was a relief after a short but exhausting day.

The campsite is very pretty, and features a suite of ‘Flintstone furniture’. Massive boulders with flat faces have been propped into position to form tables and chairs. I’m not a big fan of overdeveloped campsites where overzealous campers have built tables and benches, but I always use the facilities when they’re available. It does make for a nice break from squatting on the ground or a log while trying to do chores. The stone furniture fits in a little better than some of the clumsier wood constructions, and it’s kind of cute so I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Double Line Hang

We had some Ritter Sport bars for desert after dinner to celebrate Alex’s birthday and then I went to hang the bear bag. I’d strung a pulley between two trees again. It was a good hang, high off the ground and far from the neighbouring trees. The branches were both strong, so naturally this time the rope broke. I was so frustrated I didn’t even bother trying to ‘fix’ it, I just left the bag at the base of the tree. The next night I split the food into two bags and hung them both over the same rope. This worked much better, and after that I didn’t have any more problems with the weight of the bag.