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.

CANOE CAMPING IN KILLARNEY PROVINCIAL PARK June 2017

It was quite the adventure when six of us started our canoe camping trip in Killarney Provincial Park the last week in June 2017.  Our plan was to enjoy some paddling in the beautiful lakes within the park and camping along the way.  We would travel from George Lake to Killarney Lake to OSA Lake to Muriel Lake and back to George Lake.  We were two people in each canoe.  We each had our own method of packing the canoe which determined how easy our portaging would be.  The weather forecast for the week was a mix of rain and sun.  Our first day of travel to the park had light rain.  It continued to rain upon our arrival and throughout the remaining of the day.  It became discouraging as there was so much rain that all we could do was sit under our tarps hoping it would clear.  We had prepared for two days on Killarney Lake, two days on OSA Lake, one day on Muriel Lake, then back to George Lake.  It was a great plan and we were ready to go.

After camping our first night on George Lake campground, the sky cleared and it looked good to go although the forecast still called for some rain.  We lined up our canoes along the beach and packed our gear.  The wind was moving around sometimes behind us and sometimes circling around.  We had a nice paddle which involved two portages.  Our first portage was short and easy however, our next portage was messy from the rain, muddy and slippery.  As we went back and forth carrying our gear, our two male companions thought they could use the portable wheels to carry their canoe with everything in it.  This attempt was short lived and everything collapsed on the ground.  As they packed with many loose items, it took several pickups with everyone helping to get all the gear to the next put in.  During this time, our friend Gord slipped in  the mud and fell hard on his side.  He recovered but his side felt bruised.  He was able to continue and so we did.  We arrived at our first campsite on Killarney Lake.  It was here we would camp for two nights.  The wind was fairly constant but the sun and blue sky made up for our beginning.  Our tents were set up and some of us went out for a paddle around the lake.  Upon our return we went in for a swim and then prepared for supper. We were able to have a campfire that evening and I was glad to get into my sleeping bag.

The next morning was beautiful, today we paddled over to the trailhead to the Crack, a trail that goes up between a split in the rock wide enough to hike through to the summit overlooking Killarney Lake into OSA Lake and furter to Georgian Bay.  We enjoyed a great day of hiking and hanging out on top taking in the views.  Once again we could see rain clouds moving in with the wind and so we made our way down.  We thought at first the clouds were moving another direction but soon enough the storm clouds were over us with lightning and thunder.  We had to take cover among the trees and rocks until the system passed.  The worst was over but we still needed to get ourselves down from the slippery rocks.  The rain continued for a while and finally stopped and cleared.  We were soaked and cold and only too glad to get back on the water moving quickly towards camp before another system came through.  That evening was beautiful and clear.  Given the wood we chopped up was soaked from the rain, it was difficult to get a fire going but we managed a little one.

The following day, we were to head over to OSA Lake to our next campsite for the next two nights.  We were still in our tents when we heard Gord give a loud shout of pain.  He had gone to the bathroom and slipped and rolled down the hill hitting his side against a rock, landing in the water.  As he came back into camp, all we could hear is his grunts of pain everytime he moved. We quickly got out of our tents to assess what was going on.   Gord didn't want to believe how seriou the situation was.  He is diabetic with potentially broken ribs, having difficulty breathing not knowing if he has any internal bleeding, out in the middle of nowhere.  It was clear that we needed to use the SPOT.  I turned on the SPOT, placed it on an open rock by the water with a clear view of the sky.  Within two hours we could hear a helicopter approaching.  I ran out to the rock and saw across the lake a helicopter approaching. As it moved closer it came down almost skimming the water to see where a possible landing could be.  It circled overhead and came down closer as I kept waving to it.  The officer waved his arm out the window confirming he saw us and now it was how he would reach us.  The  helicopter moved to a shallow area where the officer could jump out.  He quickly made his way pushing through the trees and brush until  he arrived.  He introduced himself calmly, friendly and then after speaking with everyong he approached Gord who was sitting in a chair.  He knelt down in front of Gord and asked him all the necessary questions to determine how best to help him.  I suggested that we could paddle him over to the helicopter which proved to be the best choice given our location, Gord's inability to move through the trees and the waiting time for another rescue canoe to come in to get him.  We paddled Gord over to where the helicopter was sitting and after a short exchange of phone numbers and contacts, we paddled away so that the hellicopter could take off.  It would take about an hour to fly from Killarney to Sudbury where the closest hospital was where Gord could be treated.  With one man down and Gord also being one of the drivers, we had to bail from our trip and return to the cars and help Gord's paddling partner Jake pack up Gord's car and drive to the hospital to pick up Gord and take him home.  Fortunately, Gord had an apartment in Petawawa so they did not have to make the journey all the way back to Cornwall.

The challenge wasn't over  yet as Jake fell with the bear barrel when we were portaging back between lakes and his arm was sore so he sat out while the remaining of us got all the gear back in the canoe and we paddled on.  Gord left a message at 2pm that he was okay and ready to be picked up.  By the time Jake left, it was about 4:30 pm.  As it was late in the day, the remaining of us stayed another night at the public campground and the next morning we headed home.  We did enjoy a couple of good days and the other news we discovered was another system was moving through bringing rain and high winds  which would have been difficult to paddle through.  So in all everything worked out for the best.