Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Nice figure 8 loop of singletrack and Grand River Trail from my place. Tiny was right - there was way more singletrack than I realized in my area!

Much shorter and easier paddle back to Smoke Lake the following morning! Would have been great to have stayed out for a few more days (although we were out of beer)!

Booked a backcountry permit for the Ragged Lake area putting in at Smoke Lake. We'd had beautiful weather so far in the trip but it was windy and raining when we set off and much harder work than I expected! We had everything in the boat well tied down which was I glad about as it was quite wavy as we crossed the first lake. One short portage between Smoke Lake and Ragged Lake and once we hit Ragged Lake we started scoping out campsites. The one we had picked out as our first choice was already taken but after a couple of drive/paddle-bys we found one we really liked the looks of and got the tent set up and had dinner during a break in the rain. Once the rain came back we spent the evening in the tent with beers and a documentary about the John Muir Trail. Great evening despite the rain and I'd never done the backcountry camping in Algonquin before!

Centennial Ridges Trail starting around lunchtime. Nice to get some climbing in and views were spectacular. Had another moose sighting towards the end of the trail!

Had a snack after hiking then drove down to pick up one end of the Old Railway Bike Trail at Rock Lake. Usually rail trails don't impress me too much but this one did - time of day and temperature were perfect. Saw a mama bear with some cubs cross the trail (fortunately from far away) and picked wild blueberries near Mew Lake. Stopped at the Lake of Two Rivers store for a drink and some fries before biking back.

Minesing mountain bike trail in Algonquin, which I'd never ridden before. Loved the trail and we never saw another soul the whole time we were out. Stopped along the way and wandered down a portage trail for a swim midway through.

After biking had lunch and then drove over to the Portage Store on Canoe Lake to get a backcountry permit for later in the week before starting out on the Mizzy Lake trail around 6:00. We had chosen this trail in the hopes of seeing some wildlife. For the first couple of hours, what we saw was all of the FDFs in Ontario swarming and buzzing around our heads! Sometime around 9:30 after we'd put our headlamps on but given up on stopping and looking for animals, we were walking across a boardwalk when Graham's headlamp caught something and expletives came out of his mouth...there was a huge moose drinking from the water a few feet beside us. The lovely fellow humoured us to no end as we took photos and videos for a few moment before he wandered off into the woods. I've seen moose before but never that close up so I was just as impressed and amazed as he was! Back to the car just before 10:00 for a late supper of burritos and beer back at the campsite.

C • Moose 2