JOURNEYS #38 - #41: August 24 - 27, 2003

Baptiste Lake Water System

PICTURES

Moving Out Of West Bay
Sunset Over Baptiste Lake
Night Paddle
The Loon Gang
High Falls Dam
Amazing Boathouse
View From Blueberry Island
Blueberry Cliffs
End Of The Line

MAP

Detailed Map Including Routes Taken

TRIP REPORT

We get a week off at the end of August each year. Last year we had a blast in PEI, and for 2003 we definitely wanted to be on the water again, but we decided we could do without a long drive. But we did want to be able to enjoy a full week of paddling without having to leave our "base of operations." And thus, we ended up on the Baptiste Lake system near Bancroft, Ontario.

Where is Bancroft? Well, roughly speaking, it is right in between Ottawa and Toronto, on the edge of the southern tip of Algonquin Park. It is about a 240km drive from either city. Julie found out about Baptiste Lake by looking on the web at cottages for rent, and just looking at the map of the area we both got excited, because we could see almost limitless opportunities for paddling. When we learned more about the area, including the wildlife and scenery we could expect to see, it was a done deal.

The fastest possible route (theoretically) to Bancroft from Ottawa is by way of the 7 and then you head north on the 62. We decided against this, and instead drove on the 17 to Renfrew and then weaved our way southwest from there on the 132, 41, and 28. It was a nice drive with light traffic.

Sunday morning we were up at a reasonable hour and getting ready for a long trip to the northeast corner of the system. The goal was to reach McGarry Creek, with the granite cliffs of Blueberry Island as one of the planned highlights along the way.

It was a bit breezy but only a bit cloudy as we set out from west bay and headed east. The water was calm, but that changed as we moved out into the wider section of the lake. There were large waves coming out of the bay from the southwest.

As we moved into the narrow section before turning north into Lavallee Bay, we got a break from the wind. Soon enough we could see what we correctly assumed to be Blueberry Island. There was a decent wind in the bay, but nothing like we would encounter on a future trip through the area.

As we continued north, Keenan confused a peninsula with an island and we went on a slightly different course than we had planned, but it was a minor difference and we were soon heading towards the creek. It was bit hard to find the channel in places, but it was an interesting area and we were a bit disappointed when a beaver dam under the culvert brought the journey to an end. Then again, we had travelled some 16 km and it was certainly time to be turning back.

We decided to find a spot on Blueberry Island for lunch. As we headed south into the bay, the weather was changing. The wind was picking up and the skies were turning gray. But we had a great lunch packed and there was no way we were not going to stop and eat it.

There weren't many great places to land, but we found a tiny natural beach, and sat down among the blueberry bushes and chowed down on tuna sandwiches, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and almonds. The skies continued to look threatening, and there was a bit of a drizzle by the time we entered the main lake.

We were in for a real treat as we reached the opening of west bay. A huge group of loons were swimming together close to shore. We coasted alongside to watch their antics, and try to figure out just what they were doing. We counted 13 loons in the area in all, and about 9 of them were in close proximity.

A very light rain was falling, but fortunately Keenan had purchased a special waterproof case for his digital camera. He put the camera in movie mode and started to film them, and the timing was amazing. Just then a powerboat started coming towards us along the same shore. Julie went to get in front of it to direct the boat out into the lake, and in the meantime the loons all started making a racket! They can make four basic vocalizations: the yodel, hoot, wail, and tremelo, and we are guessing it was mostly wails and tremelos. The audio from the digital film is not too good because the camera was inside a case, but you can certainly hear it well enough to appreciate the scene. We might post the video one day if we have the server space to spare.

We really don't know if they were upset or just partying, but we decided to leave them alone and moved on down the lake. After 30 km we found the climb back up to the cottage a bit of a test, but we felt great.

For Monday we were planning a most ambitious excursion all the way to the edge of Algonquin Park. Had we made it all the way (and back) it would have been upwards of 40 km. And we could have done it, but the headwinds in Hay Bay and Grassy Bay were unbelievable. Just getting to Trappers Island was a bit of an ordeal. We managed to escape the wind for a break behind the shelter of the island before continuing on.

Although it was challenging, it was fun to be on a larger body of water and experiencing those types of conditions.

The really nice thing about this trip is that there is very little land access to these areas of the lake, so there are very few cottages (and in many places none at all) and it is a very wild area. As you paddle north the lake narrows and turns behind a little peninsula in such a way that it looks like the lake has simply come to an end and you can go no further. This is actually the tip of the "trunk" of Elephant Lake.

As we paddled up the narrow southern section of Benoir Lake, it was quite overgrown with vegetation and we lost the channel on a couple of occasions. However, this gave us a chance to talk things over, and after the huge workout from the headwinds on the way north, we were thinking better of continuing any further. The clouds had all disappeared and the sun was now beating down, which meant it would be a lot hotter, and probably a lot weaker of a tailwind than we had been expecting on the return trip. So, we found a nice shady spot to eat, and then headed south.

The return trip was a hot one, without too much excitement until we got close to Trappers Island, where the wind was once again blasting. The waves were big enough to experience the sensation of surfing as they pushed us south from behind. This makes it hard to steer, so you still have to work hard even though it was mainly a tailwind. By the time we reached the dock we were pretty well exhausted, but it had been a great paddle to be sure.

Over a dinner of barbecued hamburgers and various "fixins" we talked about tomorrow's trip. After more than 60 km in two days, something slightly less challenging was in order, and we came up with the idea of exploring Dog Bay and the piece of West Bay that lies beyond the cottage.

Tuesday morning it was off to Dog Bay. Another lovely day, and another interesting trip. There are two creeks in each end of the northern ends of the bay. Although there were pretty much dried up this time of year, the little bays that receive them were isolated and beautiful, with birds of prey soaring overhead, and the little more than the sound of silence in our ears.

After leaving Dog Bay (which, suitably, is fed mainly by Hound Creek) it was fun to head west past the cottage to see what was there. The creek at the end was still flowing, trickling over the remains of what appeared to be an old stone masonry dam. Keenan got out to take a closer look, and also got a nice photo of Julie drifting back out into the lake.

It was "only" a 15km trip so we got back in mid-afternoon, leaving plenty of time to go into town for some groceries, our first visit to the dairy, and some fudge. The dairy is about 3km west of town, and it is a very popular spot indeed. You can buy takeout at the window, or pick up cartons from the small store inside. It is high quality stuff with great prices.

Wednesday it was time for one last big excursion. The plan was to head east and then south down the York River until we reached the dam. Although we had learned to expect wind and waves, we knew we might really be in for it today because even the waters right in front of the cottage had small waves, thanks to a wind blowing almost directly out of the west.

This made for a fast trip down to Lavallee Bay, but once we turned north, we were slapped by a vicious side wind that made us work very hard until we reached the east side of Blueberry Island. From there, the wind just blew us down the York River until we found ourselves close the dam. We had hoped to land and take a look at the falls on the other side, but we couldn't figure out if there was a place to get out, and with the wind blowing so hard and having no idea what sort of current was around the dam, we didn't risk getting too close.

Trying to head back west against the wind was very difficult. There was nothing to do but try to slink down in the cockpit, lean forward, and paddle quickly in a compact fashion. Wisely, we ducked through a shallow channel behind Milne Island. Not only was it a place to get out of the wind and rest, but it was a lovely uninhabited area with nice scenery. We stayed out of the wind as long as possible, and then decided to fight our way across to the tip of Blueberry Island and stop on the southwest point for lunch. Keenan took a little video there that shows just how windy it really was. Even the small plants near the ground can be seen bending.

While eating lunch, Keenan threw a plum pit in the water and thought that it had somehow disappeared, and then reappeared again. It turned out that there was a small school of bass in the area, and they were willing to try and eat just about anything.

After getting back underway we stopped to admire a rather spectacular boathose on the point across from the island. It was built as a pirate ship, complete with cannons and the whole deal. Just amazing!

Back in Lavallee Bay, the wind and waves were still there waiting for us. The waves were so high that staying on course was actually made easier, because you could use them to turn. When a big wave comes under your boat, it is easier to turn because less of the boat is sitting under the water. Of course, winds and waves can also cause you to make a mistake and tip over, so that's what makes it interesting.

As we started west again, that meant another headwind to deal with. Needless to say, by the time we reached the dock, it felt like more than 25 km, but it had been a great workout, and made it easy to decide not to do anything too strenuous on Thursday.

After dinner we went for the usual routine down on the dock, but we were in for quite a surprise. It was getting quite dark and we were just preparing to leave, when out of the darkness and silence came a WHUMP...WHUMP...WHUMP and the silhouette of some sort of massive creature coming right at us! Just as it seemd it was about to crash right into us, out came a set of scrawny legs and it grabbed onto a small trunk of birch tree extending out over the water right in front of us.

It was a great blue heron. Apparently, he could not see us. We froze when he came toward us, so we just stayed frozen and watched. With his long stick legs and big webbed feet he took a few steps in each direction, and settled about two feet from the end of the barren tree. Then he sharpened his beak for a minute in the crook of a dead branch, and then much to our amusement, was beset by a series of what seemed to us to be rather human-like sneezes!

The show went on for a while, and we were able to whisper between us and he still seemed unaware of our presence. Eventually he stopped moving, put one leg up, and we presume started to go to sleep, right there on that piece of tree sticking out over the lake. Well, we couldn't stay down there forever, so we tried to sneak away, but we disturbed the heron who pushed off in a great huff yelling "WHONK WHONK WHONK" as he flew across the lake in search of more suitable lodgings. It was an experience we won't soon forget...particularly the noise of the huge beating wings in the darkness.

For Thursday we decided on a hike in Algonquin Park. It was about a half hour's drive up to the Kingscote Lake gate, where we boat a day pass from the dingy general store at the campground off Elephant Lake Road. Most of the trail is an old dirt road of some kind, so it is pretty comfortable. When you get closer to the river it is a bit rougher, but there is not far to go. This time of year the water is low enough that you don't need the trail at all, you can just walk along the rocks and sheets of rock right next to the rushing water, which is a lot of fun. There are lots of places where you can cross right over to the other side.

The falls are really a series of drops over something like half a kilometre, and if you follow them all the way to the top, you arrive at a very active marsh where you can see lots of wildlife, including red-shouldered hawks, of which we saw one flying nearby.

It wasn't a very long hike, so we decided to finish what we started the day before, and check out the falls (strangely enough, also called the "High Falls") on the other side of the York River dam. It was a short drive on a road suitably known as "High Falls Trail Road" and we found ourselves just a couple of hundred feet from where we had kayaked the day before. The falls here are pretty impressive, and the area below is particularly beautiful, with rocks, logs, and moving water mixed with pools of calm.

After a good look around, we headed back through town and ended up at the dairy with another tub of ice cream (yup, two litres gone already!). We had a final night down on the dock. There were no surprise visitors, but the fish were just jumping out of the lake. It was such a calm night we decided to go for a sunset paddle, just up to the main lake and back. It was a gorgeous sunset, which we enjoyed with a small group of loons who were out on the bay as well.

We put headlamps on and stayed out on the water for a few minutes past dark. We sat about ten feet out from shore, and the bats were whizzing by in all direction, and sometimes right across our laps! We had grown to appreciate their precision and thus were not worried that they would crash into us or mistake us for a juicy moth. It was hard to leave the water on our last night at Baptiste Lake.