2007 Birchbark Expedition

We took a side trip on the way along with the other crews visiting Ste. Marie among the Hurons and the Wye March Nature Preserve.

We took a 10-man canoe ride from the Wye Marsh to Ste. Marie among the Hurons. Our Wye Marsh guide was VERY impressed with our ability, as she quipped "that's the fastest and most efficient trip I've ever taken on the marsh with any group!"

We got to see a real Birchbark Canoe (built a few years ago in the traditional method) when we toured Ste. Marie among the Hurons. These canoes carried people, gear, and livestock!

We visited a longhouse built in the complex. We walked away from Ste. Marie among the Hurons having a real appreciation for what it was like to live in the area back then. We were all shocked to learn that to get here required a very long canoe trip with 30 km portages. Each man that was on the voyage had to carry his own weight in Iron!

Our guide told us that there were many fires going constantly in the longhouse and that visibility was very poor as most times you would not be able to see 10 feet in front of you. Our boys practiced starting fires with flint and steel, and some even tried the string method.

Our last real beds before going into the backcountry!

Many of us purchased paddles and other items at Algonquin Outfitters!

After a nice sit-down lunch at Canoe Lake, we set-up camp at Whitefilsh lake for some last minute canoe practice before embarking the next day.

Our practice included swamping our canoes and trying to get them upright and/or ashore.

Mr. Yencer and Mr. Stevens found out that moving a swamped canoe was not as easy as it seemed

Stowing the gear and removing unnecessary items before embarking the next day.

Our trip started at Canoe Lake. Notice the yellow sign indicating a portage. We had to constantly look for these signs and the orange campsite signs so we would not miss our portage or campsite.

Our biggest portage was over a mile, finishing at a bank that was so steep they had to build steps. We performed all our portages in a single trip. One person would carry the canoe while the other two had packs. There was one pack in each canoe with gear for three. the other pack was either a kitchen pack (we had one) or a food pack (we had two).

Over the course of our adventure we encountered numerous Beaver Dams that we could paddle over or many that required us to get out, lift our canoe over the dam, and get back in.

Our first campsite was fantastic, a great setting on a small peninsula that was relatively flat. We performed a small service project at this camp by picking up the trash left by the previous group.

Our first of many spectacular views and sunsets.

Back on the Open Water

Getting over more obstructions and paddling through the lily pads after getting back in our canoes from a portage.

We had to put on our rain gear quite a few times throughout the week. Our guide, Mr. Feller, remarked that the weather was colder and wetter than he had ever experienced at Algonquin this time of year.

We set-up camp near the portage we had to take the following day to begin our Trip along the Tim River.

A few of us portaged the canoes late in day 2 to the Tim river so that we would not have to portage them to begin the next day. While there we took a small side-trip up the river (it was very slow moving).

Although some of the food we prepared was not very desirable, the food we had at this campsite was great. We were short a meal, so we went out and purchased our own. the raspberry crumble was awesome!

Yes, this is Mr. feller wearing a blue raincoat and a net over his face (the bugs were particularly bad on this portage) and carrying a volleyball. we nicknamed the ball Wilson and it was our mascot for the remainder of our voyage.

Departing on the Tim River

Notice the low shaft angle and where his paddle is in the water. Looks like a stern sweep to me!

The Tim River was way outside the area most visitors travel in Algonquin. Therefore some of the trails were overgrown and difficult to recognize.

Mr. Bailey once showed us that you could sail in your canoe using your coat if the wind was strong enough. In this section of the Tim River it was!

Since we were so far away from the main areas at Algonquin, this was the one and only campsite on Blue Lake. It was a beautiful setting! Notice the Orange sign indicating a campsite.

We could really spread out at this campsite. We had to be careful not to put our 3 canoes together or 3 tents in a row. If the search plane spots 3 items together they will assume it is a distress sign and land to investigate.

Another spectacular view!

And yet another spectacular sight!

We started paddling this day in the mist, what a great feeling!

At various times we would encounter obstructions in the trail that we had to go over or around. Sometimes we would have time to stop and perform a service project to clear the trail.

To portage a canoe we used rubber straps to secure the paddles to the thwarts, and we would roll up our kneeling pads and put them on the paddles for shoulder padding.

Every day we would select a Scout to Naviguess (Navigate-guessing combination), but the adults would double-check as the locations could be quite confusing. This day we were on a very very large lake and had to determine how to proceed.

Still trying to determine how to proceed and in which direction.

Our guide Mr. Feller was always backing us up, telling us all where to go, in case we didn't already know!

We obviously had to portage around these falls.

We encountered many dams and obstructions in the Otterslides. This time we had to hoist our canoes up over another Beaver Dam.

We had to navigate our canoes around the bendy-twisty-narrow Otterslides. Another very enjoyable paddling experience!

When we arrived at Burnt Island lake after a moderate portage we found whitecaps awaiting us. We paddled directly into the waves to avoid capsizing, then tacked to the nearest campsite.

We set-up our tarp to shield the stoves from the wind so we could make dinner. you can see how strong the wind was as it is pushing on the tarp quite severely. We were very happy that we were able to light our stove and keep it lit for dinner.

Lucky for us our guide brought along a Sawyer filter that worked on gravity rather than pumping. We would fill the 5 gallon bag, hand it from a tree, and fill our water jugs. We still had to purify the water with Iodine, but at least we did not have to pump it through filters!

A time for contemplation before heading home the next day. What a great world we live in!

Embarking on Burnt Island Lake in the early morning!

The stream was too shallow for us to paddle, but we could get out and lead our canoes down the stream holding onto the line while wading next to it.

When we reached Canoe Lake we hoisted our tarp and sailed into shore. It took us a long time, and we were on the receiving end of some very unusual stares, but the boys were quite proud of our sail (they were also tired of paddling, after over 50 miles in 5 days)!

Do not try this at home, it is never safe to stand in a canoe, unless you are rafted with two other canoes, carrying 300 pounds of gear, 9 canoeists, and are sailing home.

After arriving at Canoe Lake, packing up all our gear, and taking a refreshing and all-important shower, we were back at Whitefish Lake where we could relax and enjoy the rest of the trip.

A nice departure gift from Algonquin! We thank Greater Niagara Frontier Council for giving us this awesome opportunity, we can't wait to come back!

The zip-off pants are nice. however we all participated in picking up and returning to their owner these zip-off pant legs all week long. Not surprisingly this is the last item of our gear that touched Algonquin before we left for home!

You wouldn't know by this picture that half of these boys were asleep before we even passed Algonquin Outfitters! Of course we did stop at the Algonquin Visitors Center on the way out, just to make sure they were sufficiently sleepy.

The beginning of our trip

We took a side trip on the way along with the other crews visiting Ste. Marie among the Hurons and the Wye March Nature Preserve.