JOURNEY #22 - October 12, 2002

Lake Of Two Rivers: Deers In The Dark

This was not primarily a kayaking trip, but we did manage to get out on the water at Lake of Two Rivers and its tributary, the Madawaska. What also made it interesting was that we made most of this short journey in the dark. Equipped with small lights fastened to our foreheads (you can buy these at Trailhead and elsewhere) we set off about 6:00 am. It was completely black and foggy to boot. We headed out from the base of our lovely cabin at Killarney Lodge towards the west end of the lake. On the way we passed the set of large rocks that extend from the east point of the island near Highway 60. They look just like a family of whales. With our small flashlights we had to be careful not to bang into them or the island.

We were not sure if it was our presence or simply the normal ritual, but the ducks and loons on the lake were making quite a ruckus as we paddled along. The ducks in particular were very vocal. We couldn't see them, but they sure sounded close by at times.

As we neared the end of the lake and searched out the small entrance to the river, we came upon a blue heron out hunting for an early breakfast. The beams of our lights scared him off, and he let out a series of grunts as he flew off into the mist.

As we entered the river, which had no discernible current, we escaped the early morning winds, but entered into a bit of a rainy drizzle. We were reasonably well equipped with jackets, so this only added to the fun of paddling before sun-up. As we poked our way along the twisting Madawaska, which is scarcely a creek at this point in its long journey, we came upon a pair of white-tailed dear enjoying a drink. They scrambled off in great haste as we rounded a nearby bend. We caught the flash of their white tails in our flashlight beams.

The river appeared to branch but the left turn option appeared more significant, so we took the south fork. In short order the river got shallow and widened, which meant we had reached the Eagle Bridge, part of a hiking path that crosses a huge beaver dam. We beached on small section of sand and weeds and checked out the dam. It is quite remarkable, and appears to raise the water level almost two feet. We had plans for breakfast so skipped the opportunity for the easy portage, and headed back. The river continues south and east from the bridge until it reaches Cache Lake.

On the way back we checked out the other fork, which led to a small pond inhabited by a number of ducks that were completely unimpressed with out visit. We observed them for a few minutes, as the sun began to make a bit of an impact on the dark skies.

While staying at Killarney we also had a close encounter with moose and her yearling along the 60. It was quite a spectacle, as motorists kept stopping and piling out of their cars to observe them. Initially they were just behind the first layer of brush, but after a few minutes, mom came right out and stood in the muck not more than 10 feet off. Soon the youngster followed. I don't know what they were thinking, but surely it was "Don't you idiots have anything better to do?"

We also enjoyed a nice short hike on the Lake of Two Rivers trail. It's barely more than 2km, but it offers a gorgeous view of a small river valley, and of course beautiful trees and other interesting vegetation. If you are driving through on the 60, this is an hour or so well spent. We didn't hit this one until about 6:00 pm, so there was nobody else there. That's a pretty rare experience along the corridor these days, as we observed that all the lots were packed with cars during the drive in and the drive out.

The Algonquin visitor centre was an absolute zoo, and frankly, not worth the stop. The 12 minute video presentation was terrible. The video was not particularly well shot, and the narration was syrupy and condescending. The displays were very ordinary, and with huge crowds of people travelling in all directions, it was impossible to enjoy them anyway. The store had a good selection of books, but it was so small and packed with people that navigation was almost impossible. Nevertheless, we stopped to check out most of the paddling books, and picked up a copy of "Further Up The Creek" by Kevin Callan. It's a sequel to the popular "Up The Creek". Both feature trips in Ontario and Quebec.

As we are still mostly interested in day trips, the one journey that appealed most from a quick reading was the section of the Bonnechere (known as the Little Bonnechere) between Basin Lake in Algonquin Park and Round Lake, just outside of the park. On the way home we decided to take a detour and see if we could find the put-ins and take-outs that Kevin described in the book.

It was a bit tricky to find the Basin Lake area put-in, as Kevin refers only to following a "rough road leading to a clearing" in order to locate it. All the roads looked pretty rough, and the correct one turned out to be not very rough at all. Kevin does mention a "slab of concrete" from an old foundation, which is what helped us figure out we were in the right place. And sure enough, as promised, there was a thin path through the brush that leads to the banks of the river. It was very small and shallow, but definitely looks interesting, and we are hoping to give it a try in the spring when the water is high. There are apparently only two sets of rapids that require a portage, and supposedly only if the water is too shallow to run them.

There are a whole bunch of takeout options, the main one is from Couchain Lake, which is really nothing more than a bit of a widening of the river. There were at least two take-outs that were visible from the road. Another option, which we did not check out, is Turner's Camp which is based just outside the start of the park, and which is also where permits for entering the park can be purchased. Yet another option is to paddle all the way into Round Lake, but the stretch between the camp and the lake is apparently an aggravating series of twists and turns through uninspiring terrain, although we heard from another paddler that it was quite interesting.

Callan says that the short stretch from Basin Lake to the park boundary is incredibly scenic, and the highight of the entire trip. As such, we are considering launching from Turner's or Couchain, and seeing if we can paddle upstream to the Basin Lake area and then back. If there is anyone out there who knows whether or not this is possible, please let us know!

This might be our last paddle for the season, unless there are a few nice weekends left. Next year will be our first chance to hit the waters in the spring as kayak owners, and we are really looking forward to it.