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With a slightly diminished crew (Lars, Simon, Thomas G. and I) and to other exchange students (Julien from France and Joris from the Netherlands) we start in Waterloo on Friday evening. We arrive at the park entrance at 11 pm and have to accept that the camp site we planned to stay at is closed. The next three campground are closed, too, or don't have any more space for us. Only the Two River campground which is located almost at the other end of the park accepts us for one night. In the light of our beams we set up the tents and fall asleep right away. The next day shall begin very early.
At 8 am we get out of our sleeping bags and after a warm shower we have muesli with fresh fruits for breakfast. Afterwards we put down the tents and drive back on the road to Canoe Lake where we rent three canoes from the portage store. Additionally we get equipped with a garbage bag and we have to make a reservation for one of those several hundred designated camp areas. These areas consist of one or two more or less even surfaces on which one can put up the tents, a fire pit and - a bit apart - a compost toilet. In most parks a place like that is not to be occupied with more than six or seven people.
After we have finished off all the formalities like reservation and registration, parked the car and fit out with the registration form we load boats with baggage and food.
The sun is shining and we head north. The lake isn't that big an so we have to decide which way to go on.
We take the Joe Lake and after a short portage we can put our canoes back into the water. We go on paddling and the further we come the fewer the cottages get. Most of the shoreline is just green woods only sometime interrupted by camp areas. We have lots of time and our campground isn't that far anymore. So we just drift in the soft wind hang around lazy in the canoe.
The lake narrows at some points so that one could belief to be on a slowly flowing river. Here one can get an impression of untouched nature which is only interrupted by some visitors this early week in September.
In the afternoon we reach our campsite, lovely situated on a headland with view over the lake.
After we put up the tents again and stored the food bear proof on the next tree, we get back in the canoes and paddle on - this time without baggage. The water isn't that warm but nobody cares. We all go for a swim an lie in the sun afterwards. Hungry from swimming we make a race back to the campsite and prepare pasta with tomato sauce.
As we eat, another group approaches audible. As they come closer we can see they are exchange students from the Baden-Würtemberg program. We already encountered Sabine from Waterloo at a reception barbecue for the engineering exchange students, the others come from Sudbury (Veronika) and London (Ontario). We agree on sharing a camp fire this evening.
It's said easily, but not all (but some) parks offer fire wood, even on those lonely located campgrounds, but not Algonquin Park. So we have to collect wood ourselves, what turns out to be not that easy. Off the campground there are no trails an the shoreline is made of steep rocks or swampy land. Nonetheless Julien and me, we find a good spot and even a dead tree providing outstanding fire wood. The mosquitoes are awaiting us and after only a few minutes we are covered with bites.
In general from end of August there are only few mosquitoes or black flies left, but on a so sunny occasion like this (and when the food is walking by) some are still alive. These are not the only insects crossing our way...
After lunch we get into the canoes again, but just loafing around. We discover a beaver dam, but even after we remained silent for 15 minutes no beaver shows up. As we come back to the campground a breath-taking coloured sky awaits us. Still hungry we have a second serving of pasta...
As it dawns we lit the fire and shortly after our guest arrive. We talk about the usual stuff, who is from where, who studies what, as suddenly a loud crack cuts off all the talk. One canoe on which we sat collapsed under our weight and although it flips back two bad cracks remain. However, we can't do anything about it, but to hope the holes lay above the waterline. Our fire keeps on burning for hours this night, an exciting days ends.
The next morning begins with a breakfast feast in the morning sun. On their way back Veronika, Sabine and the other two stop at our place to take some of our baggage from the damaged canoe (Thanks again!). Not much later we test the canoe and we are lucky again, no water is coming in. So we start on our way back to the portage store.
In the afternoon we arrive there, neither the headwind nor the waves it produced stopped us. After we returned the rented canoes (the cracks cost us $60) we head back to Waterloo.
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