Day Three:  There was no confusion as to where I was when I awoke around five a.m on day three. The sound of the Nipissing rushing past my bivy , over rocks and under logs and spilling into a dark inky pool just feet from where I lay, was unmistakable. I had mixed emotions as I packed up camp and started to boil water for breakfast. I was leaving the river and would spend the next few days portaging through a series of lakes. On one hand I was happy that I… Read More

Day Two It was dark when I awoke. Dark and hot, where was I? Slowly the smell of decaying aquatic vegetation made its way to my nose, I was still on the river. It was just after five a.m, the temperature must of dropped in the night as I’d closed the clam shell to my bivy and pulled my sleeping bag on. It was so quiet. I made a bowl of instant porridge and went to sit by the river side. A bull moose was sprinting along the banks , I’m amazed… Read More

I felt like a traitor as we rolled into the Kearney permit office. Which was made even worse as I walked in and the girl at the desk exclaimed ” oh wow haven’t seen you in a while”. We used to spend a lot of time on Algonquin’s west side but the last few years we’ve been paddling further and further north. Her next statement made me smirk she said “I hope you have reservations cause everything is booked” . It was the beginning of the long weekend, what was I doing… Read More

Let’s talk a little safety since we’re sitting here at the start of a long weekend. More importantly let’s talk specifically about the importance of leaving a trip itinerary with friends/family when you leave. I have a decorative chalk board which hangs in the living room (yes it has a canoe on it) before I leave I write down when and where I’m headed, for how long , and where I’m supposed to be for each day of the trip. I then jot down the park number, or location of my parked… Read More

Everyone seems to be posting pictures of their adventure dogs this week, so we figured we’d throw some photos of our guy up. Whisky is an extremely important member of our team. What does he bring to the table you might ask. Well for starters he keeps all camp sites squirrel free, he has the ability to bring as much sand,dirt and water into the tent each night, he’s a big help in our “leave no trace” camping style as any snacks dropped by the kids are quickly devoured. But all joking… Read More

Okay a few people asked about Gargantua Bay so here it goes.   Located along Superior’s coast Gargantua Bay is an area that has paddle/hike to back country sites. You can acquire your permits from the Agawa Bay campground gate. The a short drive down the main highway and you’ll reach Gargantua road. The access road is typical, not very wide, muddy and full of car breaking potholes it’ll take you a half hour or so to traverse down to the parking lots.   From the parking lot you have three choices…. Read More

Quick post today as I’m headed out the door. Our first stop was Gargantua Bay on Superior. We used the area,which was fairly empty,as a jump off point to visit areas north and south of us. We had the kids with us so we limited the distance traveled to make sure we didn’t get caught up in anything. My wife and I have plans to return and paddle a much larger portion of the coast. It was amazing! The lake itself is awe inspiring. The ragged shorelines and crystal clear waters left… Read More

Okay so where did we start our Lake Superior trip? On the interior lakes. The weather was windy and rainy when we arrived so we decided to head interior for a few days to see if the weather would calm down for our paddle on Superior itself. Permits were acquired and a short drive later we arrived at Gamitagama Road. Following that for a few Km’s we arrived at out first portage. That’s right before we even hit the lake we’d be portaging. Gear , kids and the dog were wrangled and… Read More