Eastern Great Lakes Hang - Fall 2011 - Autumn in Algonquin

Nice work [o]TTer,

Between photoshop and maps, I can tell some of us have too much time on their hands!!!:rolleyes:

For what it's worth, the first night campsite I was originally considering, the one I mentioned with the hardwood hill behind it, was the site just beyond where your route does the dog-leg up Bonnechere (the southwestern-most of the three sites in southern Bonnechere Lat:45-27'6.32N/Long:78-35'0.83W). It's been so long, I can't remember any details about the site in the north arm, but they might be just as nice.

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Originally Posted by [o]TTeR

I Did some plotting in Google Maps, let me know if you find this useful??
EGLHA - Autumn in Algonquin 2011

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That's cool [o]TTer!

Well, I am in once again, along with my wife and son who should be rocking hammocks as well this time!

A couple of thoughts to anyone new to canoeing. First, for most people it is more comfortable on the back to kneel on your seat and have some sturdy foam on the bottom of the boat for your knees. You might need to practice this to get the flexibility in the feet. Second, don't work too hard against the water when you paddle. There's a sweet spot where you get the best return on your efforts. It's not a race so don't waste your energy.

Shawn

I'm SOOO going to try to make it! I live about 45 mins from there (Haliburton County).
I'll be talking to my hammock partner to see if he can too.

Algonquin Park is a pretty large area, where will everyone meet, what time, etc?
Please keep me posted. Thanks!

Are there fees of some sort? As I recall, Algonquin is crown land.

I do own a canoe but it needs a bit of repair (and paddles). I will be working on this (now that I have a motivation).
It is a pretty good size (I'll ask my father compacity, as he's more in tune with boats than I am) and I am willing to share.

Looking forward to this. Asked the wife permission, and she said yes, (we all know the wife is the Queen, lol).
Booking time off work should be easy, I generally get my way cause that's how my boss is (it's not always cake, I have to deal with my FULL share of BS daily, but getting time off as requested is a nice incentive to stay, lol)

So yes, please advise about permits/costs/etc if any needed. I dont have a fishing permit/license (as when I paid for one, they never did send the dang thing, so I refuse to buy another), but I can pack food instead of a rod & bait

Hi Hike2Hang,

I'm glad to see your interested in coming along.

As for the trip, we'll work out the details of meeting up in September, but Algonquin's a provincial park and the interior camping fees are about $11 per night. The route will include several hours of paddling per day and quite a few portages. Try to make sure that your canoe has some kind of yoke or padding, otherwise those portages will be no fun.

Don't worry about fishing permits. The trout season ends Sept 30, the first first day of our trip, and after that the gear will just be dead weight.

Keep checking in to see how things are progressing.

Brand new to this whole hammock camping thing and noticed there are pleanty of local Ontario Hammockiers(?). Just ordered a WBBB, no tarp, pad or quilts yet though. I havn't spent much time outdoors since moving to Ontario, so was unsure what would be appropriate precautions versus extra bulk. I figure worst case scenario I use a cheap tarp from CT and stuff my hammock with all my clothes or something.

That said, this gathering looks to be primarily a canoe/kayaking trip. As someone who own neither, are rentals cheaply available or is anyone willing to share their vessal in exchange for extra hands during portage?

I've never been to Algonquin before; are there secure parking places to leave my motorcycle unattended for those few days? Carpooling from Toronto perhaps?

Anyway, these forums are a great read! I find myself pouring over them for far too many hours when I should be sleeping. Who knew a snap decision to cut tent-poles from my motorcycle packing would turn into a whole new (and expensive!) hobby unto-itself?

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Originally Posted by Wolvaroo

Brand new to this whole hammock camping thing and noticed there are pleanty of local Ontario Hammockiers(?). Just ordered a WBBB, no tarp, pad or quilts yet though. I havn't spent much time outdoors since moving to Ontario, so was unsure what would be appropriate precautions versus extra bulk. I figure worst case scenario I use a cheap tarp from CT and stuff my hammock with all my clothes or something.

That said, this gathering looks to be primarily a canoe/kayaking trip. As someone who own neither, are rentals cheaply available or is anyone willing to share their vessal in exchange for extra hands during portage?

I've never been to Algonquin before; are there secure parking places to leave my motorcycle unattended for those few days? Carpooling from Toronto perhaps?

Anyway, these forums are a great read! I find myself pouring over them for far too many hours when I should be sleeping. Who knew a snap decision to cut tent-poles from my motorcycle packing would turn into a whole new (and expensive!) hobby unto-itself?

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Some rented canoes for this past spring's Algonquin canoe trip. The parking lots in Algonquin are not secure so carpooling may be a good idea if you do not want to ride up. Some carpooled the last time as well. Closer to the trip the details get ironed out when people's attendence become confirmed.

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Originally Posted by Wolvaroo

Brand new to this whole hammock camping thing and noticed there are pleanty of local Ontario Hammockiers(?). Just ordered a WBBB, no tarp, pad or quilts yet though. I havn't spent much time outdoors since moving to Ontario, so was unsure what would be appropriate precautions versus extra bulk. I figure worst case scenario I use a cheap tarp from CT and stuff my hammock with all my clothes or something.

That said, this gathering looks to be primarily a canoe/kayaking trip. As someone who own neither, are rentals cheaply available or is anyone willing to share their vessal in exchange for extra hands during portage?

I've never been to Algonquin before; are there secure parking places to leave my motorcycle unattended for those few days? Carpooling from Toronto perhaps?

Anyway, these forums are a great read! I find myself pouring over them for far too many hours when I should be sleeping. Who knew a snap decision to cut tent-poles from my motorcycle packing would turn into a whole new (and expensive!) hobby unto-itself?

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Hey Wolvaroo, welcome to HF!!!

Personally, I'd err on the side of precautions when it comes to insulation, you can afford to carry a little more when canoeing... Gear wise, we've got most of the bases covered. Rental canoes are definitely available in Algonquin, although I'd wait to see how the trip roster pans out. Maybe there'll be an extra seat. As far as your bike, you might try calling up to the park (Canoe lake Portage Store) and see if they'll let you put it out back of their store out of the way. As Bubba said, the parking lot's not secure so failing that you might be able to get a ride up. I'll be heading out of Toronto, but I'm not sure I'm driving yet....

Incidentially, what kind of bike do you have?

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Originally Posted by Chard

Incidentially, what kind of bike do you have?

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A street bike, 1999 SV650S. Wish I had a nice adventure tourer to handle those unpaved road better, but they rarely come around cheaply.

I'm still debating on the whole tarp thing. I think I'll likely go for the most reasonably large one so I have somewhere to park and store my riding gear under. Are those fancy $300 cat cubens worth it? I noticed it comes with door flaps already so it's not quite too much more than other large tarps I've looked at all things considered. Probably much less unyieldy as a cheap CT tarp would be.

Any advice? I would need to get those orders in soon to have time to test it all out before the hang. Keep in mind I generaly subscribe to the "less is more" school of thought. I have a nasty habbit of over-farkling everything which results in more bulk and inconvience than it's worth =)

If there's no urgency, might want to wait until the hang to see the wide variety of tarp set-ups, from the ultra-light of someone like BrianWillan to my own full coverage DIY with beaks. Then you'll have a better sense of the pro's and cons, and maybe help you strike your own balance between comfort, utility, weight and cost.

Personally, I like a large tarp and the ability to shut out the weather when I need to, and the difference in weight is not unreasonable. When I'm "battened-down", then there's little in the way of airflow and that's a good thing in colder weather. I can also open it up in "porch-mode" and actually have some living space if I need to ride out a stretch of rainy weather. Smaller tarps pretty well require that you huddle under the ridgeline or stay in your hammock. When canoeing, I even throw in my spare nylon guide tarp for the group shelter.

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery.../chardsrig.jpghttps://sites.google.com/site/bushcr...cab/Bengal.jpg