Overnight in Puzzle Lake P.P./ Canoe Camping a Non-Operational Park

Puzzle Lake

To start off, Puzzle Lake Provincial Park is a non-operational park that allows recreational activities that include canoeing, camping, hiking, hunting, and others I may have missed. It is roughly located North of Napanee, Ontario between highway 401 and highway #7. There are two main access points, one being Norway Lake Rd. that basically takes you to the center of the park where you can access Noraway Lake via ATV trails. The second access point is the one we used at Gull Creek at the side of highway 15 about 15 minutes from the town of Tamworth. There was lots of parking although the lot was pretty full when we arrived which had me a bit nervous.

We left our place in Cavan Ontario a little late in the morning. We were approximately just over two hours away from the park however took the 401 route instead of Highway #7, due to the Havelock Jamboree and the traffic we may hit in that area on the way. We made a pit stop in Napanee and had an early lunch before arriving at the park around noon. This is when we noticed that the risk of driving all this way may not pay off. Like I stated earlier, the parking area was full. This being said, in a non-operational park that camping is permitted, sites are on a first come basis so if you cant get one, well.... be prepared to call it a day trip if nothing comes up. We spotted one other person getting ready to head out just ahead of us and I chatted with him for a few minutes and wished him a safe solo trip, but not before I admired his red canvas cedar strip canoe and two Duluth packs he had loaded up and ready to go. It was easy to see he was a seasoned paddler and before we were loaded and ready to go he had covered the length of the Gull creek, Gull lake and was out of sight. We hopped in our canoe, once again with my Wife, son Hiker and our ACD Blue Heeler "Chaya" accompanying me.

We started out slow taking in the scenery and worked our way around the point to the right of Gull Lake heading to where I had envisioned the first portage. Not the case. We had missed the portage completely. I did not bring a map of the park, I took a picture of one on my phone to reference but I felt I had researched the park enough to navigate without to much assistance. So after I realized we were at a dead end in Little Gull lake we noticed two campsites on the small lake, with one being occupied. This however was not our destination, we were looking to camp on Loyst lake which I came to find is a very popular location and you will soon find out why.

After taking a quick survey of Little Gull we made our way back to Gull lake and our intended portage, a short but rugged one that lead us past a tiny waterfall and into Puzzle Lake. Once gear was taken to the put -in I retraced my steps to get the canoe, it was then that a sense of urgency came over me. When I arrived at the canoe I noticed about halfway across Gull Lake, two canoes heading straight for the portage trail that we were occupying. Normally I would stick around and chat, swapping stories etc. but this was different. It was almost like a race to secure a campsite, so I hoisted the canoe and pretty much ran to the other side of the portage trying to yell while out of breathe "load the canoe lets jump in, they are coming" My wife frantically loading the canoe as she asks "Who". I began to let her in on our situation and the need to paddle quickly and efficiently, which she has no problem doing. We make a beeline across a section of Puzzle Lake to where the next portage is located, continuously looking behind our backs for the two canoeists. It seemed though that they were not as rushed as we were or new something we did not. At one point I was thinking that for sure,  they knew a shortcut and would pop out in front of us. Silly me!. As we approached the portage from Puzzle to Loyst we noticed the man with the cedar strip canoe. We thought maybe we had been so fast with our paddling that we caught up to him. Turns out he was coming back out of Loyst Lake so our heads deflated a bit when we found that out :) We chatted once again with him, to find out that he was heading to Norway lake but said that Mud Lake (which is on the other side of Loyst) was pretty dried up and was not really passable. We asked about Loyst and whether there were campers, he sadly notified us that the prime campsite on Loyst was taken, We asked about the second known site. He said there was no one there, however it was not a great site. We thanked him and made our way into Loyst Lake and what a lake it is. Crystal clear bluish green waters, a jumping cliff to the left side of the lake and a small rock island located further down the lake.



Loyst Lake coming from Puzzle Lake

 We spoke with some people at the put-in who happened to be camping on the popular Loyst Lake site, who mentioned they are not leaving for a few days. That only left us with one option, check out the other campsite. Here is a quick description of the "other" site, if you could call it that. It did have a fire pit made out of rocks but that was it. Located very high up on rock cliff with no level ground for a tent it was not ideal for what we needed as a family of three. Had I have arrived on my own, I could have made due. Needless to say, we had to backtrack to find a site. Part of me enjoyed the chase and adventure of trying to locate a site within this beautiful park. On our way out of Loyst we were met by the same campers coming back in who said that there is a site out on the point that could be seen from the Loyst to Puzzle portage. We loaded our canoe once again and headed towards the point. As we got closer we could see a red shape at the point, yep, you guessed it, it was the man with the red cedar strip. As we floated by he asked us how we were making out and pointed to a possible campsite on the opposite shore of Puzzle lake. Desperately wanting a place to call home for the night we made our way to the said site. When we arrived we noticed two wooden tables, a plastic chair, some garbage and camp cups. Knowing this lake can be accessed by motor boat and was home to a couple of cottages we thought it was just a littered site. My Wife Kelly began to set up camp while I took Hiker out to do some fishing. We relaxed in the canoe floating down the narrows of Puzzle lake where we watched a Loon swim under the boat and heard its yodel from 20 ft away. On the way back we noticed two guys fishing out of a boat in the area of our site. I paddled wide, out and around them not to disturb their fishing. When we got back to the site my Wife was reading a book in the plastic chair, having already erected the tent. She began to tell me that she overheard the fisherman saying how we must be tourists and  said "who would camp at a fish cleaning station". Instantly I thought of the movie "Deliverance", lets not upset the locals. It was all clear to me know, the tables, chair, garbage and cups. This is where they come to clean fish, cook fish and drink beer. I explained to my wife that we don't want to stay here if we are going to be in everyone's way and besides, a fish cleaning station may very well attract any bears in the area. After a short debate with my stubborn wife ;) We broke camp and made our way towards the last known, unoccupied site on Little Gull that we first discovered. We were hoping at this point that it was not taken between the time we first had noticed it and now. If it was taken that would have been our last option and from there it would mean a swim and then the two hour drive back home but... we were in luck. The site was still vacant. Not the greatest site but much better than then our option on Loyst and way better than tussling with the locals or getting mauled by a bear looking for fish, lol.

We were quick to unload and set up camp. After camping we had a much needed swim to wash of all the stank we acquired during our adventure race throughout the park. After swimming came a campfire, fishing and dinner, followed by a wonderful sunset. We retired to our tents early, around 9:30pm after an exhausting but great day. In the morning I woke at 6am and fished the shore with Hiker catching a couple small mouth and one bucket mouth making our total for the trip five smallies and one large, all catch and release. Hiker even reeled in his first fish, a small mouth bass putting on an acrobat show for him. It was wonderful to see the excitement in his eyes and reminded me of why I put forth all the effort to bring the family into the backcountry. Sometimes the preparations are tough as well as parts of the adventure but the moments where you get to take it all in are what it is all about. These family adventures are what I will be able to look back upon in my later years and be proud of. Bonding with my family in the great outdoors.

What did I take away from this trip? Arrive at Puzzle lake on a weekday early in the morning to give you a better chance of securing your site. If not you may find yourself being confronted by a couple local fisherman in an area you are not wanted (cue the banjo) ;)

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Johnny- Two4adventure

                                     

                                                             Photos to follow, scroll down

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Early morning catch

Canoe Camping, Car Camping and Everything in Between

Inhale........exhale........shall we get started??? Finally after a recent whirlwind of outdoor activities I get a chance to sit still, breathe and collect my thoughts. Some down time to go over our recent trips and highlight some of our great moments and not so great moments. Since the return from our Kawartha Highland canoe trip it has been chaotic to put it lightly. The drying of gear, purchasing new gear, throwing out damaged gear, gear, gear, GEAR! Not to mention the number of times I have vacuumed and cleaned out the van that had collected pine needles, sand, mud, ice cream stains, coffee cups and all other remnants of a well used vehicle. I don't know who is more tired out, me, or my shop vac. Throw a few days of work in here and there plus setting up the Wife and boy for there own adventures before I head off to the 9-5 and you could say my hands were full, and it isn't over yet. Inhale...........exhale.............and it is all worth it. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy every step of the way. So moving forward.

Our Kawartha Highlands canoe trip was a success followed by a couple beach days at Sandy Beach, Buckhorn where on our second visit we showed Hiker some canoe safety. The following week I was able to pin down my to oldest children for a couple beach days at Lakefield Beach and Sandbanks P.P. for a day trip. Two days later we lose our two oldest to their social lives and work schedules and find ourselves heading to Bon Echo P.P. for some car camping with our boy Hiker and good friends Ivan, Shannon and their boy Noah.

This was no ordinary car camping trip. I was about to go camping with a childhood friend that I have known for 32 years, his Wife and four year old boy. My friend Ivan and I have been close over these years however there never seems to be time for us to camp together. That being said he is not much of a camper (it`s true Ivan) but we were about to change that. It would be a game changing event as it would be the first time Ivan would be camping with his wife and his boy. He was excited, I was excited, our boys were excited, the wives were excited, everyone was buzzing with excitement. We arrived at the park on Saturday at Noon on the August long weekend. Our site was shared as we hosted most of the gear to make their experience more enjoyable in the Hardwood Hills section of the park. Over the weekend we spent time at the beach, small trail hikes, canoeing and visiting different parts of the park. As much as we could cram in over the weekend. The biggest joys came in watching our boys who reminded us exactly of us at that age, their wonder, curiosity, enjoyment, laughs, cries, arguments, makeups all brought us back to our days of youth. I had opportunities to pass on some camping tips and tricks to one of my best buds that I have gained during my experiences outdoors and hopefully passed on a bit of my passion for the outdoors onto him inspiring Ivan to setup that tent a few more times in the year. It was a great weekend with great food and friends and everyone was safe and happy at the end. Success in my books!

The Four Horsemen :)

The Drive to Bon Echo

Our great site in Hardwood Hills

Ivan`s charcoal grill cooking up some steaks

The Mazinaw Rock

Hiker refilling his water gun for another attack

Cloudy beach day

Happy Campers



So now I get a bit of down time to plan some Autumn trips and spend some time around the house ticking off a couple lines of that "Honey Do" list. My Wife and Hiker head up to the Haliburton Scout Reserve for some camping on Lake Kennabi while I work this weekend. I think Hiker has spent more time in a tent this Summer than his own bed. I will highlight his Summer in its entirety in a future blog post. Until then I will continue with the juggling act that keeps me motivated, invigorated and healthy and wait for our next trip. Another car camping trip with another family of friends for five days in Awenda P.P.

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Johnny- Two4adventure

Better Safe than Sorry

With a break in my work schedule and a looming 26hr work weekend, I needed a break and that meant going outdoors with my family. My wife and I decided that because our 4yr old has been spending a lot of time in our canoe since we purchased it June 1st, we needed to really get him comfortable around the canoe and look more at the safety aspect of things. We picked a destination that we thought best fitting for our little endeavor. Since we would be flipping the canoe and showing different techniques we wanted Hiker to be comfortable, so we selected the shallow, sandy bottom waters of Sandy Lake between Ennismore and Buckhorn. I have fond memories of swimming in this lake as a kid, into my teenage years and adult life. The beach is small with a beautiful view and just an all round great environment. Because the water is shallow it is warm. This translates well as all Hiker swimming lessons are in a warm pool at the YMCA and he is not quite acclimatized to the cooler lakes in the Kawartha's for long periods of time. He did however complete his first jump out of a canoe a week ago on Copper Lake in the Kawartha Highlands P.P. with a bit of bribing from his Mother and I. So we are taking the "baby steps" approach not to overwhelm him at this point. Once he can make his way around the canoe with confidence, we will take his new found skills to the colder lakes.



So anyway, back to our warm little paradise at Sandy Beach. On our way we stopped at the Bakery in Buckhorn for homemade butter tarts and chocolate éclairs, yummy! When we arrived there were few people at the beach and in the water which was perfect as there were the makings of a beautiful sunset. We played around on Hikers boogey boards to begin with and then the three of us set out in the canoe to a part of the water that was approximately shoulder deep on us and over Hikers head. We gave him a quick warning that we were going to overturn the canoe and seconds later, over we went. When Hiker surfaced we instructed him to go to the capsized canoe and hold on. If we were nowhere to be found, we instructed him that he would blow his whistle 3 times (international distress signal). We then showed him how the canoe air locks with a chamber of air inside it and proceeded to show him how to get the canoe right side up and get back in from swimming in the water. We are hoping that he becomes comfortable and not panic in these situations. Exposing him to what could potentially happen when paddling in a controlled environment will hopefully give him the advantage if something ever did happen. The evening brought yummy treats, some canoe safety and fun in the water, great way to cap off a Friday evening with my two favorite people :)

Until next time, adventure awaits!

Johnny- Two4adventure

Four Days in the Kawartha Highlands

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

Paddling Eels Creek- Two and a 1/2 for Adventure

Lets jump right into it shall we? Still running off a high from last weekends canoe trip on Long Lake in Kawartha Highlands P.P. and Wednesday being my first day off since that weekend, I had a paddling itch that needed to be scratched. With my sights set on Eels Creek for a day trip, I contacted Wayne to see if he wanted to tag along. It didn't take much persuading for the other half of Two4adventure to catch a bus to Peterborough and meet up for the trip. Of course what would an adventure be without my 3yr old Son Hiker in the mix as well (soon to be 4yrs old on June 18, yay!). Come to think of it we almost need to rename our duo to Two and a 1/2 for Adventure to accommodate the likes of Hiker. Not as catchy but I almost feel obligated as he is starting to attract a fan base ;)





Now normally the section of Eels Creek that we were canoeing on would be done from Haultain at highway #28 down to Stoney Lake at Northey`s Bay Rd. This would be a linear route that would require a shuttle to return us back to the van when finished. We only had access to one vehicle so this was not an option. Knowing that it is quite common to paddle up to High Falls from Northey`s Bay road that is what we opted for. Our intentions were to go up the creek beyond the falls into territory we have not explored before.



We rigged the canoe with one Go Pro Hero 2 and one Hero 3, and at times Wayne pulled out his hand held camcorder to document the trip. This is the first time Two4adventure has been out as a team since documenting last Falls hike into the same area. Winter had us doing other things and our commitment to our Two4adventure project fell short. Driven with a new found energy we set our sights back on to big and better things for our future and paddled on up stream to continue where we left off. Creativity with the cameras was at an all time high and we hope it shows in our upcoming video of the trip.

This year Hiker had shown more of an interest in fishing so this was a must while we were on the water. Armed with his new fishing pole, a bobber and wacky worm I cast it out for him and got to fishing myself. While focusing on my own little fishing moment I failed to realize that Hiker had reeled in and casted back out. Well in his mind it was suppose to be a cast. In reality what it turned out to be when I turned to look, was what seemed to be a birds nest with a shiny egg in it. The birds nest being the line and the shiny metallic egg being his reel inside. Needless to say the rods were set back down for a bit to be sorted out at a later time.

We continued our way up the creek taking in the sights and keeping our eyes peeled for wildlife. The bullfrogs sang us a tune as we made our way through the beautiful scenery. We continued with different camera angles as we made our way to the first portage and the first signs of complete disregard for nature.

After completing our first portage around some rapids we found a fire pit at the put in. There was garbage littering the bank of the creek. Knowing this is a regular occurrence in this area I had packed a couple garbage bags for these exact moments. Hiker and I took to picking up the garbage in the surrounding area. This would not be the last time we would see this on our trip.

Once the boat was back in the water it was a quick paddle over to our next portage which would be around High Falls. During our paddle across the body of water that is seen in the picture above we began to hear faint rumbling in the distance. This rumbling sounded like thunder and much more it turns out.

We make it to High Falls with the intentions of going beyond but Mother Nature had different plans. As well pull the canoe out of the water the distant thunder became not so distant. Looking into the sky it seemed as though the storm that was soon to be, was going to pass. Not the case. As we put our gear down above the Falls this was the sight over the tree line.

A cloud formation that Wayne nor myself had ever seen before.The storm blew in just before noon and the song "Should I stay or should I go" popped into my head. The choice was obvious to hunker down and ride it out.Paddling back to the vehicle was not a wise decision and besides, this is what makes the adventure. I scurried back to get the canoe from the beginning of the portage as it was our only option at this time for shelter. Just as I returned to Wayne and Hiker the rain began. We quickly propped up the canoe against a tree, bungee corded the paddles to the seats and tied it off to the tree. 

Once everything was established we decided it would be a good time to have lunch. The storm pounded us for about an hour, giving us enough time to have lunch and then very nicely moved on allowing us to continue our trip. Before hitting the water again we explored the surrounding area and came across this cuddly creature.

We took the opportunity to capture some photos and videos of the little guy and carried on exploring other parts of the Falls. Not wanting to chance anymore increment weather we got our butts in gear and pushed on up the creek to areas we have not seen. At times we paddled in the rain but it was surprisingly very nice. We came to the next portage and decided this was the halfway point of our trip. We would now turn around and begin to make our way back to the vehicle. On our way back we encountered a couple paddling to the Falls, a gentleman solo canoeing and his partner in a kayak. We had a quick chat (more Hiker talking about his experience than anything) and we kept moving down stream. By this time another storm was on the horizon but it wouldn't be long until we were back to the vehicle and loading up safe from another onslaught.

......and that concluded another great adventure from the team :)


Until next time, adventure awaits!!!

Johnny- Two4adventure