8-day Algonquin Park Canoe Trip Work UP
This whole trip started as a high school graduation gift for my son. For years he had wanted to go out either on a long hiking or canoe trip. We joined a high adventure boyscout troop but all their events landed on weeks that where no good for our schedule. So this being the year he graduates I started planning a canoe trip. I was initially planning a trip to the Boundary waters. A Friend mention why not look at Algonquin Provincial Park. Well why not, it's 500 miles closer and looked as though it might have less traffic than the boundary waters just by the shear numbers of outfitters in the boundary waters. We have never done a long canoe trip like this. So my planning started before the 1st of the year. I jumped on a lot of forums and searched the net for as much info as I could find. I initially was planning on using a full service outfitter. But decided to do all that on my own. I like to cook so the food menu was a big thing for me. For months I slowly picked up camping items that I didn't have or items more suited for a canoe trip than car style camping. I decided to pick up 2-30L barrels for food and dry storage. Which faced me the next challenge of how to carry them on portages. My goal was to do single portages. As the months flew by I slowly gathered the gear needed and worked out what I thought would be the best method to carry everything. My son would carry the 2-barrels and 1-drybag I would carry the tent, sleeping pads, tarp and other misc items along with the canoe. My sons pack weighed in at 70lbs and my pack weighed in at around 27lbs plus the canoe and the items still in the canoe. The only thing lacking was the true test.