Triplogs / Triplog#49 / Day 2 / Days 3&4 / Day 5 / Days 6&7
Booth L - Kitty L - Farm L
Day 6
repairing the tarp setup
Misty, overcast, bleh. That's what it was like Saturday morning, I thought perhaps it was going to rain. Despite the gloomy looking weather, it was quite cheerful with all the fellow AA'ers around. By 10:30 am, Swede was busy making his late breakfast. Where Master Bo is a master fisherman, Swede was a master cook. In Later years I've had the opportunity to be treated by Swede to one of the tastiest meals I've ever had in Algonquin Park, but I'll save that story for another trip-log. Suffice it to say, that morning was no exception, Swede cooked fresh bacon, sausages, and all kinds of food. I had already eaten, but watching Swede cook made others hungry, and he ended up sharing his food to the delight of other campers. I think even Kermit the frog had some, I found him sitting on a log, with a satisfied look on his face. Kermit was a mascot of Phil and his website, Kermit Adventures. By 11:00 am, Dogbyte and his girlfriend Siobhan showed up. I directed then to Mike's site, but they decided to head back and take a vacant site, on the other side of our site. Within an hour or so, they both showed up, settled in and shaking hands and exchanging greetings with everyone. We had 3 sites all next to each other, all occupied and within the mandated maximmum number of persons. Everything was going according to plan.
Jeffrey McMurtie(Algonquin Map Master)
Swede: Cook Extrordinaire
"Preacher"
Just after lunch, more AA'ers showed, Barbara and her mate Joe arrived, they had camped on one of the island campsites in the South end of the lake. Wow, this was really getting good. Barbara was a personal favourite of not only myself, but a great deal many other AA'ers. She has been on Barry's site for years, and is also a major contributor and moderator on the massive outdoor website, Canadian Canoe Routes. Her reputation was well known in the online world and appreciated by many, it was fun to finally meet her and to put a face to the name, her humorous nature was infectious in person as well, as it was felt by many around camp. Barbara had also brought along the "Paddle", that she had agreed to pick up for me, from Randy Mitson of Algonquin Outfitters. It lay on the ground nearby, wrapped in a blanket, hidden from view for the time being, more on this in a bit. Stainless and Phil returned from fishing, they had caught a several Bass over the last few days, and in fact a fish got a prize this time around as well. Phil's fishing rod, now a memory, a relic if you will on the bottom of Booth Lake. I can't remember if he mentioned it was a fish or a rock that took his rod. It had cleared up considerably, and by 2:00 pm, Barry had decided to get geared up and go for a walk in the bush, following an old road that ran west along the lake. During this time, it was decided to make our presentation to Barry upon his return. The whole purpose of the trip, was threefold; 1) Bo & I wanted a week to camp together in early September, enjoying the solitude and the fishing, 2) To at last meet Barry Bridgeford. 3) to gather as many as possible, fellow AA'ers interested in meeting Barry, and to show our appreciation for his hard work.
Kermit the frog relaxes after a big breakfast
For months in advance I had emailed almost 50 AA'ers inviting them to participate in this day. I also petitioned those I contacted to donate some funds towards the purchase of gifts for Barry. Before Barry returned, Bo handed everyone a sheet of paper, with a song that he wrote, that we were to sing in Barry's honour. By 3:00 pm, everyone was ready, and Barry returned, out of breath, and relaxed looking, the walk through the forest having refeshed his soul. We picked a spot for Barry, someone handed him a chair and told Barry to make himself comfortable. Bo brought out his guitar, and we began to sing to Barry. Our combined voices were pretty bad I think, but I give us and "AA" for effort. Despite the discordant serenade, Barry seemed pleased, if not surprised. Next came my short speech and presentation. I don't remember what I said, I was very nervous, public speaking not being my cup 'o tea really. My speech concluded I presented to Barry a certificate for four nights stay at the "Wolf Den": A hostel for visiting outdoor enthusiasts, located just a few kilometres west of The Park's west gate, just outside The Park. I have been there a few times now, and would recommend The Wolf Den to anyone, it is a very cozy and accommodating establishment, run by a very dedicated and friendly fellow by the name of "Ben". I had managed to raise $360, of which I gave to $160 to Ben(In which Ben had contributed too), to make up a certificate for me to present to Barry, with which he could use to stay for four nights at the Wolf Den. I knew Barry liked to do trails in Algonquin and thought this the perfect gift for him. Barry had stayed at the Wolf Den before and wrote a nice review about his stay there, so I knew he would like the gift. Next came the Algonquin Outfitters gift cards. I had contacted Randy Mitson of Algonquin Outfitters and asked if he could help us out, with respects to getting Barry a gift. Randy suggested a gift card, thus enabling Barry to pick out the right gear for himself. With the remaining $200 in hand, Randy chipped in an additional $100, for a total of $300 dollars in gift certificates!!
The man himself: Barry Bridgeford
Congrats Sir: Barry Bridgeford with all the goodies we presented to him
Barry was astonished when presented with this...it all seemed too much for him! There was more. I had wanted to get Barry a commemorative paddle, but had no idea who or where to get one done up. Once again I enlisted Randy Mitson's help. I gotta say Randy and the folks at Algonquin Outfitters did a wonderful job on getting the paddle ready for me. At no cost, they provided me with a beautiful walnut paddle complete with a mounted plaque with Barry's Website Logo(A big "A") engraved on to it. Below this was a short message I had been asked to include, to make the plaque complete, which reads, "In appreciation of your continued dedication to Algonquin Adventures enriching 'The Park' experience for so many." I can say without a doubt that Barry had no idea what was coming and he was very surprised, and he enjoyed every minute of it, as did everyone that was present.
Mini pow-wow: The birth of ABR
More of the gang from Algonquin Adventures discuss the concept of ABR
Afterwards, we sat around in a circle under the beautiful September afternoon sun. It was on that afternoon, that the concept of the ABR(Algonquin Back country Recereationalists) was born. An organization that would give a voice to the people who utilize Algonquin Park's back country(canoe campers and hikers). Many ideas were discussed and eventually a council selected. Today I am happy to report we have 50 registered members and growing.
The beach landing at our campsite on Booth Lake
Beautiful evening on Booth Lake
The rest of the afternoon was spent with everyone chatting and relaxing, it turned out to be the most beautiful evening. With no moon in the sky and the lake as calm as a mirror, we were treated to one of the most beautiful evenings in recent memory. I witnessed quite a few shooting stars and even saw a fireball for a short time, shoot across a portion of the sky. Near midnight it was time to retire. Barbara and Joe paddled in the dark upon Booth Lake's glass waters. Poor Jeffrey didn't have a light and I guided him back to his tent, leaving him in darkness to get settled in. How Jeffrey missed the moon that night, I'm sure!
Mergansers enjoying an evening swim
on a serene September evening in Algonquin Park
Day 7
Dave & Amy depart
Phil & Stainless departing
It was around 9:45am, when Bo & I departed the campsite. We left behind Barry, who had wanted to stay an extra night, Swede also stayed behind, keeping Barry company. Bo & I followed Mike & Laurie. Like with most trips, "out" day, was beautiful, the winds were light, and there was plenty of sunshine to go around, the temperature was a tad cool, but the sun soon took care of any goose bumps that arose. As we loaded up at the put-in to Kitty Lake, a father/daughter pair pulled up, astonished to see our overloaded canoe. We looked like a pair of rookies, but rookies we weren't for we never tipped that trip. On our last portage, the 90m into Farm Lake, I asked Bo to take a few of his precious items, like his guitar, with him. I was going to line the canoe down the rapids thus avoiding all the loading/unloading for that, the final portage of the trip. I followed along the north shore, traversing the water and rocks, at one point I was almost hip deep in water, as I lined the canoe down the rapids. The water temperature was awesome, and it felt great to be in the rushing water. Soon I was able to hop back into the canoe and paddle over to the take-out where Bo waited. We loaded up what few items that had to be returned to the canoe and paddled on, catching up to Mike & Laurie. It was at times like this that I experience one of the few regrets that I have felt in Algonquin Park, and that was having to leave such a beautiful place, along with the great friends who also make Algonquin Park special. That old saying, "all good things must come to an end", was true in this case. I had, had the chance to meet the man, who for me had re-kindled my interest in Algonquin Park almost 8 years previously. It was almost a spiritual experience for me if you will, and wished dearly that our trip could just go on forever. Master Bo was a great partner and friend, and I always enjoy his presence, and will miss him. It was great to finally meet the "Moose Lady", Barbara, you are awesome! I also met "Phlyr" for the first time too, very nice fellow from New York state. He loves Ontario. Especially the Spanish River, I must check it out sometime. It was great to renew old friendships too, with many others that showed up, Mike & Laurie, Dave & Amy, Preacher, Stainless, Jeffrey; It is all of you, together, that make Algonquin Park so special. It was a real pleasure to meet Barry Bridgeford, and I am truly thankful for not only this experience, but all of the previous trips(and future ones), that I have/will traverse(d) through-out Algonquin Park. With Barry's years of effort and passion shared; My Algonquin Park trips have become enriched experiences with warm memories, new friends, and lessons learned with the knowledge that I am prepared to enjoy every situation Algonquin Park can present to me. The influences that Barry and many others through Barry's website have had on me, have such a positive effect on not only myself, but hundreds, possibly thousands of Algonquin Park friendly souls. Keep up the great work with Algonquin Adventures and ABR Barry, and Thank You!
The commemorative paddle for Barry Bridgeford
The inscription on the plaque:
Both plaque and paddle provided by Randy Mitson of Algonquin Outfitters
It had been suggested on the AA forum after the trip, that my methods of selecting invitees was too secretive, for an 'official' gathering. I suppose I made the mistake of marking the event as 'official'. In any case many people were invited, yet some were forgotten, and I apologize to those that felt they were left out, missing an oppertunity. I had wanted this event to be somewhat public, yet I had to balance concerns of both privacy and security. I hope that this statement will clear up any misconceptions.
Left to right: Mike B, Laurie, Barry Bridgeford and Bo Knows
Laurie & Mike B departing
Mark lining a canoe: bypassing the 90m portage into Farm Lake
Below is all the people who contributed to the appreciation of Barry Bridgeford and his website.
Sadly some of those that contributed were not able to make it, but here, below, their contributions are not forgotten.
Many Thanks to:
Dave Harman
Swedish Pimple
Stainless
Bo Knows
Markus
Dogbyte
Preacher
Phlyr
Mike B
Mike
Neil Miller
Barbara
CLS
Racoon
Also a very special Thank You to:
Randy Mitson(Algonquin Outfitters)
Ben & Robin(The Wolf Den)