Triplogs / Triplog#20 / Day 2 / Day 3
Lake Opeongo(IN) - Dickson Lake - White Partridge Lake - Dickson Lake - Lake Opeongo(East Arm)(OUT)
Day 3 - Dickson Lake(Cisco Bay) To White Partridge Lake
I don't know what time I woke up, but nature called and then I crawled back into my sleeping bag. Within an hour Racoon was up, and there was a greeting at my tent.
I unzipped, and Racoon produced a coffee and placed it beside my head. What an awesome fellow! Great tasting it was too! It chased away the cobwebs from the night before. I got up and went outside. Rob and Racoon were standing there, enjoying the morning view, sipping their coffees. After breakfast, we broke camp and headed to the portage to little dickson Lake. I in my canoe and Racoon and rob in theirs. We arrived at the portage shortly before 11am. About an hour later I launched onto Little Dickson Lake. I was double carrying, Rob and Racoon, were doing single carry. The guys were already more than halfway across the lake by the time I launched. I landed at the portage to Sundassa lake at 12:30pm, the guys were making lunch and Racoon produced another coffee for me. The continued hospitality was unexpected and awesome. I hoped one day to return the favour, maybe with a big fat Trout!
Racoon with his 10lbs 'Brown Trout' - Driftwood never looked so tasty!
Racoon & Rob on Dickson Lake(Cisco Bay)
I had quite a ways to go yet, to reach White Partridge Lake, and I decided to push on. Racoon and Rob, decided to hang back and fish Little Dickson Lake that afternoon.
The portage to Sundassa was a nightmare for me. Although it is only 2685m in length, in some ways it was more painful than the Dickson-Bonfield portage. It might have been the drinking of the night before that had sapped my strength or all the excessive portaging of the last week. I think it was a little of both. Every step seemed an ankle breaker. The trail was just littered with rocks and roots, jutting out to test my footing. There was also a beaver dam, about halfway thru, that the guys warned me about. It certainly was tricky. The footing across the dam was questionable, and on my first pass, I almost lost my balance. The tough decision of the day was, which way do I fall? To my left was a timber and rock riddled embankment to roll down. To my right a shallow pool of beaver poop. I made it across, one of the logs beginning to roll under my weight, but I quickly hopped to the next one.
The Arrival: The 890m Portage to Little Dickson Lake
Yours Truly on Cisco Bay
Arriving back at Little Dickson Lake, for the canoe, I found another coffee left behind for me from Racoon! I had nothing to give in return, except a cigarette. Although this is a habit that Racoon was trying to give up, I learned it was gratefully excepted. The subsequent trip across with the canoe was uneventful and I continued on to Sundassa Lake. I think it was close to 5pm, when I had the portage to White Partridge lake in sight. There were 2 people there hanging around. Racoon told me that Bo knows would be waiting on them to take them back to their site on White Partridge Lake. As I came closer, I called out 'Bo!, Bo knows!'. 'Nope. Mike Smith', came the response. Hmmmm...Sounded like a hockey player. 'Oh..your not the people I'm looking for'. Then...'Markus!'
A rocky section of the 890m portage to Little Dickson
Tricky corner: The tree in the lower left corner of this image, pictured
behind the stump and just left a little bit, was a life saver. You had to
grab ahold of it and swing yourself around to avoid falling into the creek
Heh Heh. It was Bo, and his wife Sheila too! They were hanging around fishing while waiting for Rob and Racoon. We exchanged greetings, and Bo asked me where the other guys were. I told them that they decided to stay on Little Dickson and fish for the afternoon. Then the unbelievable happened. Bo offered to carry my canoe, and Shiela my pack! Holy Smokes! This was so unexpected and a relief too, I was just wiped.
I gladly carried their fishing rod, and jackets and my paddle and pfd. We talked along the way to the lake, Bo commenting on how the 915m portage felt like a 1200m one. It certainly was hilly here, but the hills had a downward trend towards the lake. It looked like I had quite a hike coming back.
This snake was very small, and froze everytime I approached it
Seagull on White Partridge Lake at sunset
We arrived on White Partridge Lake, Shiela commmenting how lite my pack felt.
Saying it weighed something like 40 lbs. I was taken aback. It felt like 65lbs too me.
I had never ever packed a backpack so light as 40 lbs. I wish! I guess I was just really tired or Shiela was just filled with energy. Who Knows? Bo Knows! He put my canoe in the water and let it drift away, as we piled into his small motorboat. It was a tricky landing to maneuver around, peppered with boulders and a steep sandy slope. We managed to get ourselves loaded into the motorboat and Bo Steered his craft over to my canoe. Shelia grabbed ahold of it and we were off.
Sunset on White Partridge Lake
After less than 15 min. We arrived at the 'meadow'. It certainly was a meadow, I had never seen such a site in Algonquin. The quiet east side of the park, certainly had some treasures. Bo and Shiela explained that in the old days, there used to be a lumbering camp there, as well as a farm. The meadow, was a piece of land that had been cleared, mostly flat, and covered with grass, with a sandy landing and in summer a great place to just wander into the sandy shallows. There was also a few 'stables' if you will, to tether horses. Also height adjustable grilles over the firepit, and even a couple of camp chairs that had been left behind from previous campers. The folks here had a great setup.
Large stakes of wood were used, to construct a makeshift kitchen, in which, tarps where placed over, to make an area protected from the elements.
Dusk approaches on White Partridge Lake
Shiela beckeoned me over to the kitchen and treated me to food!
Bagels, meats,cheeses,beer...In no time at all, I had my hands and mouth full of everything consumable. I hadn't realized how much I needed food and drink till it was given to me. I set up my tent and was introduced to Bo's son and his friend who were hanging 'bout enjoying the Algonquin life. Shortly before 8pm, Racoon and Rob arrived. They had paddled across the lake straight to the site. Pretty soon, Shiela had served spaghetti complete with sauce and meat for everyone.
Sheila waits to hear Rob & Racoon's fish tales
By the book: A complete kitchen without glass or tin cans - all plastic
Once dinner was finished, the seven of us gathered around the fire. It was a beautiful clear night. The moon shone brightly, as Bo started off singing some songs around the fire. Racoon and others joined in. I didn't know any and simply enjoyed the moment.
Soon some songs with easy to follow chorus lines were sung in which everyone was able to sing. Many beers and caesars later, the storytelling and jokes began.
It was a night filled with laughter and good spirits. I had many questions for Bo, which he had no trouble recalling answers to, yet I don't remember much of them myself, thanks to the caesars.
Can't have one without the other:
The passions of 'Bo Knows' - Algonquin Park & Nunavat
The kitchen and firepit area
Bo Knows & Rob strolling thru the 'Meadow' on White Partridge Lake
Late into the night, it became the accepted role to speak only when 'The Stick' was passed to an individual. Many speeches were made in turn, with 'The Stick' in hand. Bo at one point spoke out of turn, as he and I had a side conversation going.
Then Racoon and Bo got into an argument, about who's turn it was to have 'The Stick', then Rob and Racoon got into it. Racoon was very insistent about who was to have the stick next and that we should honour, 'The Stick'. It was all in good natured drunken fun, and Racoon was apologizing profusely to Rob the next day. Rob was a cool cat, who took everything in stride, and didn't seem bothered by the carrying on of anyone the night before. It was all fun. It was another late night, as 2am approached, we all went to bed. Some sneaking off to bed eariler than others.