Algonguin Trip  Day 1

On this Friday morning under a brilliant blue sky, our three cars convoy started towards Algonguin at 7:00AM for the 6 hour drive. The forecast was not too promising - rain was likely for the next several days, although there is also the necessary ingredient for sailing: 20 km wind. We stopped at Huntsville for lunch, replaced a badly damaged tire on my trailer that somehow managed to stay fully inflated, and continued on the one hour drive to Opeongo Lake.  

Getting Ready at the dock

The launching and docking facility at Opeongo Lake is excellent, but can be busy at times. There's also a well-equipped Outfitter's shop for last-minute stock-up of food and equipment. By 3:00PM we were finally ready to set sail for our camp site. We decided to stay at a site at the Northern tip of the South Arm, about 6 km from the dock. Prevailing wind around here is normally North-West, but today with the low-pressure front, wind was blowing from the South and we sailed on a comfortable run. 

Three Boats at the Beach

Being remote sites, camp site booking at this lake is not by specific sites. One simply register for a particular part of the lake (South, North or East Arm) and try to find a site within the Arm. We headed straight for the site that I stayed at two years ago (see map). It took us about 1.5 hour to get to the site, and we were glad to find that it was available. It is a very spacious site with a sandy beach perfect for beaching our boats, across from a small island that shields us from wind and waves. 

Our Camp Site

The Park does not provide picnic tables at remote sites, but over time campers have built crude (ah, rustic) tables and benches.  The site easily accommodates our three tents. Firewood is usually not easy to find at the sites, but this time someone had left a large quantity of dry firewood enough for our 4-day stay. By the time we established camp, evening was near and we settled down for a nourishing supper. John brought deserts - such luxury. There were no raccoons or bears, just friendly and hungry little mice. Entertainment of the night: Greg and Peter playing seek-and-hide with one of those little visitors found in his tent going after his Trail-Mix. 

Ben & Eliza Relaxing

http://benho.tripod.ca/algon-day2.html