LA CLOCHE SILHOUETTE BACKPACKING WEEK 2017

What a great adventure five of us had backpacking the La Cloche Silhouette trail in Killarney Provincial Park this  past summer.  I heard about this trek and how beautiful yet challenging it was.  It was on the top list of hikes to do in Canada.  Summer was the best time to try it so I was able to plot out a route, booking the campsites I wanted to allow us about 10 km a day and still have enough time to enjoy the evening.  The recommendation was seven to nine days to complete this circuit.  The trail would take us from George Lake Campground around the La Cloche mountains to the Killarney Ridge, through the famous "Crack" back around to George Lake.  We were all eager to go and each of us prepared independently for the journey, deciding on clothing, gear, how big a backpack, food and water, cooking stove and fuel, sleeping bag, mat, and then trying to keep the weight down.  We would camp for eight nights and hike for nine days.  In order to keep the weight down, we would wear the same clothing everyday.  We would keep the rain gear handy and have at least one change of clothing, and when permitted with weather swim in our underwear or carry a swimsuit; this way, we kept ourselves clean and refreshed.  We only shared our tents as the park restricted us to three tents per site.  On Friday, July 29, 2017, we started our early morning drive for seven hours to reach our destination at the Interpretive Centre in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario.  We arrived early afternoon with plenty enough time to have an early supper at the Herbert's Fisheries, famous for its fish and chips, in Killarney village itself.  After a good meal, we walked along the waterfront and enjoyed watching the boaters come and go, from big fancy yachts, seadoos, fishing boats, to kayakers.

It was time now to head back to the park to start our hike in to our first campsite at Lumsden Lake.  We had already signed in, so it was just a matter of shuttling the cars, one at the start and one at the finish within George Lake campground itself, take some photos, don our packs and head across the bridge that placed us on the trail.  The weather did call for chance of rain mid-way through our trek but that did not dampen our spirits.  The sky was bright blue and the heat of the sun made us appreciate the shade of the forest.  It was about 6pm when we arrived at our first campsite.

Being summer, the days were long providing us with enough time to set up camp and enjoy the evening before heading to bed.  Each day we hiked about 7 to 13 kilometres depending on how far our next camp was.  The trail itself ondulated with some steep ups and downs, gradually ascending as we made our way around the mountain range.  The views were stunning and the days were hot which made swimming everyday at lunchtime or at camp a joy.

Each campsite had its own charm, stunning views with a beautiful lake deep enough to dive into.  It made keeping clean so much easier and enjoyable.  We were able to  wash out some clothes, hang them to dry, and ready to wear them again the next day.  Lake Topaz was the setting of our second campsite.  The trail ascended steeply as we made our way to the campsite which was on the slope of the mountain overlooking the lake.  Any flat area was limited so our tents were tightly arranged side by side so that our feet were aimed downward.

The next day, the trail brought us to a bridge crossing at Kirk Creek, over fast moving rapids within walls of rock on either side.  We saw some canoers approaching the take out point and could not stop due to the strong current.  We helplessly watched the one canoe ram against the rock wall, turning the canoe backwards as it jostled down the rapids, then the next canoe followed crashing into the first canoe.  Both canoes managed to stay upright and ended in a pond of calm water.  All were relieved that nobody was hurt or fell out.  See the little video here of this event.  This stretch was mainly flat through the Moose Pass alongside Three Narrows Lake to our next campsite.  Our longest day was Tuesday.  It was my biggest worry as we were covering 13 kms of up and downs, the most taxing stretch of the trail and the rain had been holding off and only expected for Wednesday.  The day stayed true to its forecast of beautiful weather.  Most days the heat was so intense without wind at times that it felt like we were in an oven.  On the final crest, we could see Boundary Lake below where we would camp for the night.  I was so relieved at how well we did that day and our campsite was the icing on the cake.  The lake was calm; we played in the water, we heard and saw a float plane fly over, and we could see Silver Peak in front of us, tomorrow's destination.  We had a great fire going, as we were able to do every evening.  Arriving at this site was critical so that the following day would allow us to hike up Silver Peak, a side trail to the highest point in the park, and have enough time to make it to our next camp. 

It was now Wednesday, rain in the forecast, hoping it would be minimal.  The day started out dry but when we made it to the junction where we would climb Silver Peak, it started to rain.  We decided to climb anyway so we left our packs under a fallen tree and covered our packs with our rain covers.  As we climbed, the rain came down heavier and so we stopped and took shelter.  It was quite the rain that came through for a while and just as we thought of turning around, the rain stopped and the sky opened up letting the sun beam down and so we continued up to the top.  We were able to enjoy the view, have our lunch, rest a while and once again the rain started, this time it didn't let up, coming down heavier, drenching us and continuing as we arrived into camp.  We dropped our packs and pulled our our tarps to take shelter.   The rain slowed down and finally stopped, allowing us to change and set up our tents.  The sun came back out and once again some of us jumped into the water for a swim mainly to clean up.  We were able to dry out our clothes and enjoy supper while looking out over the lake as the fog from the rain lifted.  That night I really enjoyed slipping into my cozy sleeping bag for a well-earned sleep.  The next morning the sun was out and we continued to our next campsite to Heaven Lake.  The name was timely, however, that night a thunder storm went through our campsite, sending one friend into our tent for shelter as her tent was set up high on a rock with few trees and the worry of being struck by lightning made it too dangerous to stay there.  It was quite funny how three of us squashed our mats into a two-man tent.  The next morning the weather from then on remained sunny.  We had rationed our food for each day and so we had enough food to the end.  Some of us the exact amount and no more.  When we arrived full circle back at the car, we were all elated to have accomplished this trek.  We washed up, set up our tents for the last night and went back to Killlarney village to celebrate.  It was a great week, the weather made it, the swimming, the sun, we could not have asked for better.