Killarney 10 Day loop-August 4th-13th 2017

November 4, 2018 Ash Timlin

Prior to setting out on this trip our experience in Killarney was limited to a single, three night excursion in the summer of 2016. Before we had returend from this first trip we had already begun discussions for the next visit....Andrew began drawing plans for our 10 day loop almost as soon as we arrived home.

This is a popular park with limited backcountry sites, planning in advance is a reccomended . We set reminders in our calanders and booked the entire trip as soon as the 5 month limit was lifted on the Ontario Parks website.

Our route is highlighted on orange and our campsites for each night have been circled.

Night 1&2- Kakakise, Lake #7

We set out from the George Lake launch with a VERY full canoe. Packs flled to capacity, the dog saddlebags were bursting at the seams with more food than they had ever carted before. Our canoe is a 15 foot cedar strip Prospector. She's a stable and sturdy girl, weighing in at about 70lbs and JUST the right amount of space for 2 adults with full packs and the dogs with all their camping gear. A full and heavy canoe made navigation to the portage between Freeland and Kakakise lake a little difficult. While we were struggling through lower water levels and lush aquatic vegitation we spotted an adolescent black bear on the shore abut 100 feet away from us. Our first and only bear sighting of the trip. Site #7 on Kakakise was spacious and situated on a small penisula which allowed a nice breeze to deter the mosquitos during our stay. There would be plenty of room on this site for multiple tents and it was a short paddle to "the crack" trailhead.

The view from the top of "the crack" hike. (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

Wendy standing on the iconic white quartzite along Killarney ridge. (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

A rather large and surprising friendly snapping turtle. She was keen to help us with our dishes. (iPhone)

Night 3- David Lake, Site #90

We made the paddle through Carlyle and Johnnie Lake fairly quickly after leaving our site on Kakakise. There was a small beaver damn that was a fairly easy lift over however, its always a little trickier with the dogs and a full canoe. A solid ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ command will come in handy if you’re navigating obstacles with your canine friends.

Wendy and Andrew smiling after climbing over the beaver damn in the background. (iPhone)

It was a smooth paddle across the 2 longer lakes. Despite a short burst of heavy rain we managed to keep fairly dry through the subsequent portages that led us through Clearsilver and onto David Lake. The 795m and 935m links between each body of water were well maintained and decently flat. Killarney is definitely not known for short portages, these were each fairly tame and we made good time, even with very full food containers.

David lake is one of the larger in Killarney and has about 15 sites spread into its varied dips. With the day light winding down and rain with a cooler breeze settling in ,it made the search for a campsite feel mildly urgent. We finally came across a site in the north east corner of the lake that was unoccupied and hurried to to set up our tent and tarp. It was a smaller site with nice shallow slanted rock to pull up on. There was a marshy area to the left which was home to a couple loons and several ducks. I wouldn’t put more than one or 2 small tents on this site but it was definitely fine for our quick visit. We went to bed early knowing that our next day would be slightly more challenging physically.

Night 4- Fish Lake, Site # 152

Looking at a map of this park you’ll notice that there’s quite a few portages over the 2000m mark. That, paired with the park’s unique and steep geology can make travel between many of the lakes a bit of an ordeal. The first ‘hike’ of the day was between David and Great Mountain Lake. With 271m of elevation over 2775m, this portage skirts alongside a creek for a good amount of time and pops in and out of the forest while climbing over sections of exposed quartzite. Because of our previous nights rain much of the quartzite rock was fairly slippery. We noticed blueberries growing in abundance throughout certain sections as well.

Despite being very long and reasonably technical, this portage was quite well maintained. This is taken near the end approaching Great Mountain lake.(iPhone)

We stopped to have a quick snack before heading across Great Mountain Lake. Great Mountain is a decently sized remote lake and houses 2 campsites and an impressive cottage on its own large island. We noticed the remains of a cabin as well as we approached the portage to Fish Lake.

Setting out from camp early and planning a trip with reasonable travel times awarded us with a fairly early arrival to the island campsite on the long and narrow fish lake. The site was well used but very picturesque and had fantastic swimming off the smooth, rocky water entry. There were several great tent pad options on this large campsite. We quickly set up and took advantage of the bright sun by rinsing and drying off out a few of our items wile taking a well earned swim.

Wendy and I being pleasant in the sun. (iPhone)

Wendy enjoying the last few hours of daylight. (iPhone)

Night 5- Little Bear Lake , Site #202

We set out early for a slightly longer day of paddling, reservations on Little Bear Lake meant dealing with a handful of steep portages along the way in this rugged and isolated areas of the park.

Howry has the potential to be a difficult navigation depending on water levels. We were in luck as it seemed to be quite navigable and arguably one of the highlights of the whole trip. We slowly made our way through a grassy paradise and were able to enjoy the current gently guiding us through the maze of green. The creek flows into Howry Lake and we were able to ride the steady current right over a beaver damn and into the opening of this larger body of water.

Ready to push off Fish Lake island in the AM. The dogs are always eager to jump into the canoe……sometimes a little too eager. (iPhone)

Howry creek with a healthy water level provided us with easy passage. One of the most beautiful places we’ve ever paddled. (iPhone)

We had 3 portages between Howry and Little Bear Lake to tackle this day, 2 of 3 were very muddy and lined with a very noticeable amount of poison ivy. We spent some time rinsing the dogs off in Cat lake as they were both covered in mud and potential itchy contaminants. The 240m portage between Rocky Lake and Bear Lake is on the shorter side of things but features 236m of elevation over its course, thankfully it was not as mucky as the previous two trails.

When we arrived at the Rocky Channel the wind had picked up significantly and storm clouds were becoming a noticeable presence on the horizon. We battled a headwind heading West towards our destination on Little Bear Lake. After roughly an hour of difficult paddling we arrived in the south western pocket of the lake in which there are 2 campsites, site #203 was the first one we crossed. After hopping out of the canoe to take a closer look we were disappointed to see it quite overgrown and littered with a significant amount of broken glass. We made the quick decision to head to site #202 which was only a few hundred metres west, it proved to be far more inviting despite being along a fairly busy cottager route. We were able to make small talk with a few groups of people passing by the site in motorboats.

We set up camp just in time to ride out the brief but dramatic thunderstorm we had been trying to outrun all afternoon. Poor Wendy hates thunderstorms and we lovingly referred to her as ‘Weatherdog’ during this trip, her peaked anxiety would always indicate some thunder would be gracing us in the near future. The storm cleared hours before dark and left us with a lovely sunset. We watched a muskrat swim back and forth between some tiny islands as the sun disappeared behind the trees one more time.

All set up and ready to ride out the storm. (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

Night #6- Nellie Lake ,Site #144

We set out a little earlier this day to get a decent head start and allow for a longer stay at our much anticipated destination on Nellie Lake. We began travelling through another couple rather muddy portages, a coniferous lined 365m between Plunge and Leech Lake and a long and gradually inclined 1055m between Leech and Murray Lake.

Early mornings looking towards Little Bear Lake, Site #202 (iPhone)

The short ride across Murray Lake put us at the foot of ‘The Notch” which is one of the most notorious portages in the park. It climbs (almost vertically in some sections) almost 300m over a lengthy 1420m. The toils of this route are heartily rewarded as it is flanked by several waterfalls along its course. There are several places to rest with spectacular views of water rushing over white rock in the middle of the forest.

Nellie is one of the most difficult to reserve Lakes in the park. Spanning roughly 6km end to end it has only 3 campsites which are all located on the western edge. Its crystal clear water and stunning framework of white cliffs make it one of the true jewels of the park. On a calm day you can see 28 metres down, a combination of historical acid rain and a larger than average amount of calcium carbonate in the water prevent most vegetation from growing in the lake, which give it an eerily stunning appearance.

A friend at the portage head on Leech Lake. (iPhone)

The steepest portion of ‘The Notch’ , thanks Andrew! (iPhone)

Waterfall at the base of ‘The Notch’ (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

Halfway up! Wendy takes a little breather along the creek. (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

Loaded up, no double carries!! (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

We arrived at site #144 after passing a group of ladies on our way in on site #142 and chatting about their cedar canoe that was almost an identical twin to Seadoggie! The site was stunningly beautiful with easy swimming off the shallow rocky beach (Nellie is cold!) and lots of flat ground for easy tenting. There was no shortage of firewood and the site was home to some very large/old pines. We spent the afternoon bathing in the clear water and attempting to identify some of the dozens of mushrooms that were growing in abundance. We had only been able to book one night on this lake, had we the option we 100% would have stayed for a few days to explore the remote area. I cant wait to return one day.

Nellie as seen from campsite #142. (iPhone)

An evening paddle around the Lake (iPhone)

Night 7- East Channel, Site # 135

All journeys in and out of Nellie Lake are long ones. We took the 2425m portage towards Helen Lake, it was mostly downhill which was a welcome change, but it still provided us with a few technical challenges along the way which only exasperated its length . That being said, we were still happy to be loosing elevation for once.

Helen and Low Lake are truly beautiful and would be fantastic to revisit. The 60m portage between the two was exposed and rocky, It was a pleasant change from the almost 2.5 km we had just spent spent in the muddy woods.

The beautiful portage between Helen and Low Lake. (iPhone)

Between Low Lake and the east channel our route winded through narrow, rocky waterways and sections of heavy aquatic vegetation. The constant changes in scenery and ecosystems was quite dynamic and made finding the final 55m portage slightly difficult amongst the sea of lily pads and bullrushes.

We were lucky to find a campsite on the East Channel that was a little further along our route and would make for a shorter trip to our next checkpoint in the morning. We had read that the conditions of the campsites along this stretch of the park were in poor condition so we were very happy to find that this one wasn’t bad at all. Although it was quite small and had a limited area for tent placement, it DID have a picnic table (very luxurious). What it lacked in tent space it made up for in views and easy water access.

Marshy scenery between Low Lake and The East Channel. (iPhone)

Seadoggie and our paddles ((Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

Night 8-Baie Fine Site #37

We Departed from site #135 into steady rainfall and winding channels that led us out to the great expanse of McGregor Bay. This would be our second time visiting Baie Fine but our first time approaching it from the north. We decided to take the unofficial but very well maintained 940m portage that links the two inlets. When padding with 2 dogs its sometimes a little easier to take a route with a couple extra portages so they can have a chance to stretch their legs. It also allows us to explore areas of the park we may have simply paddled through and never been able to enjoy.

The long paddle into the sheltered area of Baie Fine was windy and a lot more exposed than we had been used to for the majority of this trip. It was not without charm, being lined with the iconic white cliffs for its entirety we were happy to enjoy the landscape as we paddled hard towards our site.

The view from site #37 was just as we had remembered and it felt good to be in an area of the park we had already become familiar with. The site across from ours (#38) was unavailable due to a large tree that was dangerously close to falling over. Baie Fine is a perfect place to spend a few nights as it allows easy access to some of Killarney’s most beautiful day tripping destinations. Topaz and Artist Lake are both a short paddle and portage away and there is excellent swimming off the site.

With our trip nearing its end we were feeling elated to know our next destination (O.S.A.) would be equally as beautiful and possibly have the added bonus of additional company for the first time in over a week!

Night 9, O.S.A Lake Site#30

We made short work of the travel between Baie Fin and O.S.A. Lake. We had paddled through this entire section the previous year and its easy to see why this is such a popular section of the Park. O.S.A. is supremely clear and shallow, providing a sparkling turquoise contrast to some of the most breathtaking mountain backdrops in the park. We were lucky to find site #30 empty as it is extremely spacious, sheltered, and has a million dollar view of the mountains on the opposite side of the lake.

O.S.A. Lake (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

Beer Friends! (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

We had organized to meet a couple friends for our final evening in the park. With no cell service and over a week since the plans had been solidified it was super exciting to see James and Brendan pull up with a canoe full of beer. It was great to have some extra company and the site easily accommodated the extra tent and hammock.

O.S.A. is relatively easy to access from the George Lake launch point, that paired with its phenomenal views make it extremely difficult to book, its worth the extra effort to convince a few friends to come along and enjoy the scenery if you’re lucky enough to book a spot, especially in the summer months.

This was the ideal way to spend the last night of our trip, friends and one of Ontario’s most beautiful bodies of water. We’re beyond lucky to have seen so much of the park and couldn’t have asked for better luck with weather, and good behaviour from our dogs.

Its been over 2 years since we arrived home from this trip and I’ve since returned several times….the memories sparked from each of these photos while writing have been clear and vivid, this place is unlike anywhere else and its such a gift to be able to recount its unique splendor. It will keep me returning for years to come.

Rufio posing with Brendan’s tent. (iPhone)

Wendy and the wall (Pentax K1000-Kodak Gold 400)

LaCloche Silhouette-October 2nd-9th 2017

October 30, 2017 Ash Timlin

The more time I spent canoeing in Killarney the idea of hiking the 80km (ish) LaCloche trail seemed continuously more appealing. It is a pristine example of Ontario’s wilderness. WIth the stunning and immense Georgian Bay as a backdrop to the stark white quartzite mountains (the remains of an ancient mountain range that once stood taller than the Himalayas) and surreal aquamarine lakes dappeling the landscape, seeing this piece of land from another vantage point was a no brainer.

I booked my trip in a haste, roughly 4 months in advance of my intended start date. I had chosen campsites along the route based on distance between each one and other people’s trip reports that I had skimmed over. As with any trip to Killarney roughly 75% of all the sites I had initially chosen were already booked. Last minute changes to my plan were made on the phone while booking (you can tell where things got desperate by looking at my map!). If you want to have the best possible experience in this park and get first pick of sites BOOK FAR IN ADVANCE! My decision to hike the trail counter clockwise definitely helped in finding sites that did not affect my initial plan too drastically. I liked the idea of having a heavier pack and less tired/blistered feet for thre more technical parts of the trail as I tend to be a little wobbly on the descent (long legs and shotty knees).

My wilderness adventures always feel incomplete without my dogs alongside....so I obviously intended to bring them along for the trip. I had seen some of the more difficult sections of the trail before and both dogs had no issues with the terrain so I was confident they would be able to hack it. I will say that ONLY fit and nimble pooches should be brought along on this trip. There were several sections that required me to lift them up very steep rock ledges and required removal of their packs (which meant more baggage for me!) in order to ensure their safety. I will touch on several other doggy issues throughout the rest of this trip report...

Obligitory photo in front of the trail head....dogs didn’t feel like posing.

DAY 1- OCTOBER 2 GEORGE LAKE-PROULX LAKE

14.1km-88 Floors Climbed

The day started at site 92 at George Lake. I had initially planned to leave around 7am but didn’t end up getting on the trail until 8:30 or so. First lesson of this trip....packing up camp takes MUCH longer solo!

First leg of the trail was beautiful first thing in the morning with the fog rolling off George Lake. We winded through thick forests, over a beaver damn and over s small bridge before ascending “the Crack”.

The dogs and I had hiked this section earlier in the year. It was immensely more challenging with a full pack! The dogs did great and were very popular with the many tourists sharing the trail with us. I had to help Wendy and carry her pack up the tricker parts of the steep rocky chasm. Her bag made her too wide to safely navigate the boulders, with me carrying extra baggage it mad for a slow climb.

View from the top of the crack.

We stoped for a quick lunch break at the top and I made sure the dogs had a good drink of water. The rest of the day would wind along Killarney ridge, a greater difficulty hike than I was imagining....many steep drops which are my weakest point, I had to take my bag off a few times and lower it down ahead of me in order to keep my balance. We ran into a few groups of hikers along the way. Walking the trail counter clockwise means running into more people but never feeling like you’re stuck behind anyone. It makes for pleasant but brief interactions. The last gentleman I ran into said he had spotted a bear near David lake which increased my anxiety of hiking alone ever so slightly. My concern for bears has always been minimal. I take the obvious precautions and having two noisey dogs alongside definitely seems like a good buffer. To minimize the risk of startling the wildlife I have bells on each of their packs and I keep Rufio (who is way more likely to chase a strange animal) on leash through the heavily wooded areas where my line of sight is compromised and distractions are at their peak. I also keep them leashed while around other hikers who may be nervous around strange dogs. After nearly 9 hours of hiking we made camp at Proulx lake. It was a steep climb into the site which seemed extra strenuos after a long day but this first campsite along the trail was incredible! The lake itself was stunning and the site had a tent pad which is something I have come across very often.

Proulx Lake campsite. Tent pad is dog aprooved.

DAY 2: OCOTOBER 3, PROULX LAKE-SILVER LAKE 13.7KM 103 Floors climbed

Today we climbed....up, then down, then up then down again....all day. Heading out from Proulx lake the trail winded through the forest. I kept Rufio on a leash as the news of a bear sighting had me on high alert. He pulls a lot as his pack acts sort of like a harness (this actually helps me out a little on flat ground and mild inclines) I brought the lines we use while dog sledding in the winter. They’re lightweight, have elasticity to prevent excessive strain, and it has two clips on the end so keeping both dogs on lead is easy if need be. Works out to be about 15 feet long which is enough to not be tripping over them on the trail as well.

The views all day were stunning and well worth the effort. It was during this section of the hike where I developed terrible blisters on both my heels. I was very thankful for my last minute blister first aid treatment purchase! It’s incredible how such a small thing can have an immense effect on your overal comfort and enjoyment of the hike. BRING BLISTER CARE!

Proulx lake in the distance after our first long ascent.

Dogs are better at hiking...they’re always watching me struggle up the tough climbs.

The trail had views like this all day.....not bad.

The trail finally descended back into the forest after a long day hiking up and down the rocky ridges. Wooded areas are much easier on the feet! Silver Lake was a welcome sight to behold with several small canyons of rocks lined with ferns flanking the trail to the campsite.

Site H37 was quite picturesque but the water access was STEEP. There is a note about this on the map. It was impossible for me to retrieve non swampy water safely so I ended up walking to campsite H38 to acquire some.

Day 3: SILVER LAKE-DAVID LAKE 7.8km, 29 floors climbed

After a wet start to the hike the trail leveled out substantially from the previous 2 days. A few kilometres of soft forest ground was a welcome rest for my very blistered ankles.

The side trail to Silver peak came quickly. After a few minutes of contemplation (which seemed like en eternity) I decided that an early arrival to my next campsite and an opportunity to clean and dry out my worsening blister situation was worth more than adding the summit of Silver peak to my trip report....I’ll just have get it another time.

Moving onward feeling somewhat defeated we climbed to the top of some quartzite ridges that had a spectacular view of David Lake to the North and Silver peak to the South. Stunning! Viewing silver peak while feeling my feet protest more than they had the whole trip was enough validation for my skipping the side trail earlier in the day

While researching for this trip I kept reading about tricky creek crossings.....I had no such issues as the October water levels are quite low.

The views along the white ridges continued a few hundred more meters and I was pleased to find the marker for my next campsite faster than anticipated. The trail to site H34 on David lake was quite the challenge unto itself! A steep descent down a smooth, slippery rock face followed by a steep climb straight up an exposed rock wall then back down another steep incline to the wooded site on David Lake. The site is very sheltered and I was mildly disappointed to have no direct sun at 2:30, my wet gear dried quickly regardless on an existing clothes line and a nice breeze. It was a treat to have very easy water access and I took the extra time to clean myself up a little and finally take care of my feet. The next day would be a gruelling 21k stretch across the entire Hansen Township section of the trail. I pre packed my bag and prepped all the dog food for the am, hanging everything but my tent and sleeping bag up the food rope, to help ensure a swift departure in the AM.

DAY 4: DAVID LAKE- THREE NARROWS (H20) 21.5k-169 Floors climbed

I had been worried about this day ever since I took a real’ good look at my map and noticed all the serious climbs and descents that were along this 21k section. With my pre packed bag and already prepped breakfast (overnight coconut-chia pudding with freeze dried strawberries) and dog food. I was out of camp by 8:15 which is an hour later than I had planned....even with all my prep work tearing down camp still takes way longer when you’re alone. The initial climb up the campsite side trail was just as steep as I remembered but it meant I was starting the day on top of a ridge, a quick start to the day as I could cover ground quickly on elevated but fairly level ground. I trust the dogs more on these open areas as my line of sight is better and there are fewer squirrels to chase. This section of the trail was extroidinarly scenic. The dogs and I popped in and out of several types of forests while climbing the steepest sections of the trail I had encountered so far. Twice along the way the dogs required assistance up tricky sections. The handles on their packs made for easy lift ups!

This was the first of two tricky climbs, 250 meters of steep smooth rock with not much to grab onto. ....I couldn’t imagine doing this in the rain....

Little Mountain Lake snack and water break.

The climb out of the Little Mountain lake area was very strenuous/intimidating. Its roughly 250 meters straight up a steep exposed quartzite slope. I was once again very happy to be travelling counter clockwise as coming down this section would have been very scarey! I took a few minutes at the top to enjoy the scenery and eat a few snacks to keep my energy up. The next few hours seemed to fly by as we zipped through forests that had the largest trees of the entire trail and felt extra magical. Passing several lookouts onto three narrows lake I was enjoying the opportunity to view some of the canoe-in campsites I had previously stayed at from a new and exciting vantage point.

Threenarrows lake meant we were more than halfway to our next checkpoint! I think Wendy felt my energy shift and decided to celebrate with a good roll!

We stayed at a campsite on threenarrows last year....you can see it in the bottom left corner of the lake in this photo....very cool to see the park from so many vantage points.

The next few hours took us through moose pass, down the face of a waterfall and one more VERY tricky section straight up a rocky wall. This particular obstical was the scariest section for me. With close to 20km already hiked that day and the dogs requiring assistance on precarious ground I was extra cautious while lifting them up the rocks, making sure to keep my footing while holding onto the sturdiest roots and rocks I could find. The dogs were so good, waiting patiently while I lifted one and then the other up and over some sections that required literal climbing as opposed to hiking. The remainder of the day was extreamly easy, a slow descent off the ridge into the forest surrounding Threenarrows. We crossed a couple more creeks (again much easier than anticipated due to the low water levels). When I finally rounded the corner and saw the marker to H20 I cried just a tiny bit! I was so happy to have finished this day with no complications AND before nightfall. H20 wasn’t as beautiful as the previous 3 sites I had camped on. There were rogue tent poles, a large abandoned paperback novel and some trash around the fire pit. I did what I could to tidy up before rushing to make camp before the sunset. A quick dinner and a scramble to find a suitable place to hang the food bag and I was very happy to crawl into my tent with the dogs for the night.

DAY 5- THREENARROWS-TOPAZ LAKE 16.6k

I took my time getting going in the morning. I had a fair bit of ground to cover but the terrain was extreamly flat and all forest walking to the next campsite so it would be much easier going than the last section. I was really looking forward to making it into the site at Topaz lake. I booked an extra night’s stay at this site. I had heared it was gorgeous and would be meeting Andrew and my friend Shannon there the following day. The prospect of human company and cold beer was a huge motivator through this last solo leg of the trip.

This is where I realized I had mis-read the map and had an extra 4kms to hike!

Almost the entire day weaved through different types of wooded areas. It was really cool to see the types of trees and vegetation change from one section to the next. The final leg of the day walked down a beautiful creek with a steel bridge to cross about 2kms along the trail. I stoped for a minute to check out these waterfalls and briefly considered walking across.....the low water levels looked promising and I considered the tantalizing possibility of a shortcut. I ended up taking the long way around as I couldn’t confirm there was an actual way across beyond my line of sight by looking closely at the map. Better safe than sorry! The last time I was on “the Pig” portage was last year while on a canoe trip with Andrew and the dogs. I was happy to be on familiar ground but the steep climb along the loose boulder trail to Topaz lake seemed extra long this time! The acess to Topaz Lake was halfway down the peak of this portage. The side trail itself is no joke either....a steep climb up is quickly rewarded with the stunning view of Topaz Lake. I took my time setting up camp. The entire trip had felt so gruelling and rushed and the idea of spending 2 nights on this spectacular sight while taking in the scenery brought on an immense feeling of relief and accomplishment. That night I had time and energy to start a fire, I was lucky enough to hear wolves howl that night....it was the first time I was up late enough the whole trip!

Day 6- REST!! TOPAZ LAKE

It rained heavily overnight and the inside of my tent and sleeping mat got soaked due to a poor choice in tent location and improper footprint installation. It was daylight by the time I noticed the problem so I got up and set up a tarp so my things would have a chance at drying before bed again. I spent the morning exploring Topaz Lake. It was moody and very foggy, there are incredible views of the surrounding area on the south side of the lake which made for a dramatic view while enjoying my morning coffee.

The dogs heared company arrive way before I did....I was so happy to see Andrew and Shannon that I didn’t even think about how stinky I was! Cold beer, proper fire cooked food and extra cuddles for the mutts were the perfect reward for all the hard work we had put in over the past few days.

DAY 7-TOPAZ LAKE-LUMSDEN LAKE 7km

It was a short hike to the next and final site of the trip. Lumsden Lake (H1) is the closest site to the George Lake access point. The campsite was perfect. Plenty of room for the now two tents, spectacular scenery and plenty of super flat, sunny rocks to lounge on while the sunset. The perfect last night along the trail.

Lumsden Lake

Sunset Wendy

Rufio

Some pumpkin spice...

The following morning was a short 2k walk back to the car and into clean clothes! I couldn’t believe it had been a whole week already. There were several groups just starting their hikes in the parking lot and I was almost jealous that they were just beginning ! The challenges and difficulty of this trail are perfectly rewarded with the splendid scenery and moments of elation as you travel across the stark peaks and ridges of the La Cloche mountains. I’ve seen so much of Killarney over the past year or so and I look forward to visiting again...it is truly the jewel of Ontario’s parks.

The foggy walk out in the a.m.

Costa Rica- Arenal & Puerto Viergo, March 2017

June 20, 2017 Ash Timlin

Algonquin Park-Rock Lake to Clydegale Lake

June 18, 2017 Ash Timlin

Killarney 2016- Bai-Fin to Three Narrows

May 1, 2017 Ash Timlin

A short 3 night trip in Killarney provincial park. Launched at George Lake, first night spent on Bai fin, second 2 nights spent on Three Narrows.

OSA lake. Day one, on our way to Bai-Fin.

Taking a break before the portage to Artist Lake.

Our site right before sunrise on Bai Fin.

Good morning on Three narrows after a steep portage through "the pig".

Our home for 2 nights on Three Narrrows, we chose this site on the north east corner of the lake system.

We woke up extra early and we're rewarded with calm waters and beautiful scenery.

The 3km portage between Three narrows and Killarney lake is gorgeous and well maintained. Old growth trees and mountains made for the most beautiful scenery I have ever experienced on a portage.

Andrew and Seadoggie next to a massive beaver damn.

Newfoundland and Labrador

October 3, 2016 Ash Timlin

July 26 2016-June 27 2016

St. John's Harbour, July 1st 2016. Canada Day.  There was a road hockey tournament happening outside the shot....Rufio wanted the ball real' bad.... — St. John's Harbour, July 1st 2016. Canada Day. There was a road hockey tournament happening outside the shot....Rufio wanted the ball real' bad....

Witless bay ecological reserve (Pee Pee island in the background) containing North America's largest Atlantic puffin colony. This was the first day of our hike along the east coast trail.

Some of the best views I have ever experienced.....day one did not disappoint.

Wendy with her back pack. We bring the dogs with us on almost every trip. They carry their own food and supplies. As their packs get roomier throughout the trip we can transfer some of our items and lighten Andrew's and my pack as well.....good dogs… — Wendy with her back pack. We bring the dogs with us on almost every trip. They carry their own food and supplies. As their packs get roomier throughout the trip we can transfer some of our items and lighten Andrew's and my pack as well.....good dogs!

I had a custom pack made my Mosher Originals for Rufio for this trip. It worked perfectly. Load was kept close to his body and the weight is distributed better than his old one so he could move even more quickly throughout the trail. His old orange … — I had a custom pack made my Mosher Originals for Rufio for this trip. It worked perfectly. Load was kept close to his body and the weight is distributed better than his old one so he could move even more quickly throughout the trail. His old orange one worked perfectly fine for a less rambunctious Wendy.

Sean let us borrow his kayaks and we paddled out to see this iceberg in bay outside of Burlington.

Gros Morne National park. The tablelands are spectacular.....

Andrew and Wendy at Arches provincial park.