Now that the dust has settled from unpacking, drying out and cleaning gear I have time to reflect and document the days of our recent trip to the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. For this trip I would be accompanied by my Wife Kelly, Son Hiker and canine companion "Chaya". If you haven't read our blog post "Kawartha Highlands- Long Lake Overnight" that was leading up to this trip, it can be found at this link:
http://two4adventure.blogspot.ca/2015/06/kawartha-highlands-long-lake-overnight.html
Now for the meat and potatoes.
Day#1: We hit the road on our way to the Anstruther Lake access point of the park, later than anticipated but all smiles none the less. With a quick stop in the nearby town of Apsley to purchase some last minute fruit, we back tracked 10 minutes to our put in. Once the canoe was loaded, we took a quick look at our map and took our first paddle stroke towards our escape from the mundane. Anstruther lake is a rather big lake with a large amount of motor boat traffic. As we crept along we skirted areas of the lake that presented some reprieve from what we had come to get away from. We arrived at our first portage a short 167m walk around a waterfall. This is where we learned that in our rush we did not take the time to organize our gear and pack it efficiently. Excitement trumped good judgment. At this point we must have looked like National Lampoon's Canoe Vacation as we scrambled to carry all our loose articles in two carries, that ended up being three. A little embarrassed by my lack of preparation we made it to the put-in where Hiker met a little friend who he joined for some swimming. Once the canoe was loaded we set out across Lake Rathbun to our first campsite of the trip, site #200. It was a beautiful sunny day and a great start to our trip. I was a little disappointed at the amount of cottages on this lake but new the further our trip took us into the backcountry, the less of this we would see. As we settled into our camp I noticed that having the cottages in close proximity didn't make a difference in the serenity of the lake and my disappointment dissolved. We went swimming, fishing and had a great Scout meal cooked in tinfoil over the fire for dinner. These great outdoor experiences are what we come to love and share together. That night we slept with the fly off the tent, gazing at stars and telling stories until we could no longer stay awake. The last sound I heard was the groan of our dog Chaya as she relaxed her head on her paws, expelling the last bit of tension from a long day over land and water.
Day #2: Eyes opened early and it wasn't long before we were up and having oatmeal with garden fresh berries for breakfast. This time when breaking camp a bit more thought was put into organizing the gear to make the portages go smoother. We hit the water with a quick paddle over to our first portage of the day. This was a portage around another waterfall with a put-in on what is still considered Rathbun Lake. It was however a winding canoe path through a serene wetland that was exactly what we were looking for during this trip. Here we saw a Heron, Beaver hut and not a cottage in site. No sounds of boat motors, just the chirping of birds, the drone of frogs and the wind through the trees. We snakes our way through what Hiker called a "maze" and made it to our next portage and a very muddy take-out. This was our second and final portage of the day, 370m of rocky uphill that was a potential ankle breaker. We all made it through the rock gauntlet unscathed and were met by rain on the other side. We took a break and ate some Gorp while waiting for a break in the weather. We waited........and waited.........and waited, with no break in site. It was a constant rain, light at times with intermittent down pours. As a family we have prided ourselves on not shying away from bad weather and embracing it for what it is, part of the experience. There is never bad weather, just being ill prepared. We paddled our way through the rain to our site on Copper Lake, site #236, a beautiful spot overlooking a section of the lake. Our tent pad was under a canopy of trees which was nice, so we quickly set up our tent keeping as much rain as possible out. Once our shelter was in place I took to making a fire to warm us from the cool rain and wind, and cook our dinner.
Once the fire was well established and dinner was ate, I hit the shore for some fishing. First cast on a Black Meps #3 I caught a small bucket mouth, took a quick selfie with the fish and released him. He must have swam to his friends and warned them of me because he was the first and last fish I caught during the trip.
We sat by the fire and watched other paddlers cross the lake in the driving rain towards their destination, a sit just down the lake from us on the opposite side. We retired to our tent early that evening and played some card games and yahtzee If not for the rain pelting off the tent, our fun could have been heard across the lake. Another wonderful day in the backcountry.
Day#3: On this day our intentions were to relax at the campsite for the day and take in the scenery however our sense of adventure said otherwise. We decided to check out Serpentine Lake, the next lake on the loop. It was a great day of emersion into nature and wildlife for Hiker. As I was flipping the canoe to put in the water I noticed a snake in the boat. It was a tiny Northern Redbelly (Not known at the time but later friends helped me in identification). My intentions were to lean the canoe back over and allow the snake to slither out but Hiker very eagerly said I can get him and grabbed the snake and walked him over to the long grass and placed him there out of the way. This was a very proud moment as parents to see our son take initiative, respect wildlife and not fear it. He displayed more instances of being connected to nature as our trip moved forward.
At our portage Hiker explored the surrounding area and came upon a decaying snapping turtle. We asked Hiker of what he thought happened and explained to him what our thoughts were. It is not something we are looking to shelter him from. Death is a part of life and without it we do not cherish life as we should. A lot for a small boy to grasp at this stage of his life, but in our minds, educating him in the circle of life holds more value then to falsify the situation. After saying goodbye to the turtle Hiker was able to experience a living turtle on a log bathing in the sun. A site that brought a smile to his face. We portaged our way into Serpentine Lake that hosted an unexpected volume of campers, but seeing as it is the halfway point of the Northern loop it is expected.
It was great hearing the laughter of camp kids in their canoes, jumping off rocks into the water and waving from there campsites. We stopped at a spot along the shore and had lunch and cooled of in the water before making our way back to our site. Another fire lite when we returned and more talks of the day. Hiker stumbled upon two Skinks that were sunbathing on the rocks near our campfire that he was memorized by until they realized that a curious 4 year old boy is too much to handle and scurried off. More delicious camp food followed and the day we always push to the back of our minds is vastly approaching. Tomorrow we would be heading home, not our real home but our physical one. With this now in our minds we soak up what is left of our evening before the long day that will ensue upon waking. Hiker and I go for an evening fish, and he and Kelly, an evening swim. Another day in the books. Night 3 has arrived.
Day#4: The same route but in reverse. This time our longest portage being the first and shortest being the last. We now as a family have sorted this whole portage ting out and have become pretty efficient on our way back to the van. No sore muscles, all the joints well used and clear skies to see us home. This trip has been a learning curve for us all like every trip is. We learn from each time out as we share the memories together in anticipation of the next time out. These are our "Inspired Thoughts". More pictures to follow below.
Until next time, adventure awaits!
Johnny- Two4adventure
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