This weekend brought us back to Algonquin Park. We originally had a reservation at Rock Lake campground but at the last minute, we switched it to be at Pog Lake again.
There was a whole group of us that went away camping at Algonquin Park this weekend. I was with my step mom and my niece Kaidence, as well as my brothers girlfriend Anhi and my friend Kenny.
We were on a different side of Pog Lake from our last trip 2 weeks ago. This time we were on site 326. We didn’t have direct water access on this site but there was a path leading down to the lake across the road. We arrived Friday night around 8pm so it didn't give us much daylight to set up in, and setting up in the dark is always a challenge. We managed to get everything set up and still manage to have a fire Friday night. We were all tired after the drive up. Kenny and Kaidence actually fell asleep on the Kuma chair together at the fire.
Kaidence and Kenny have a very special bond. There is a love there that is hard to explain but that little girl pulls at his heart strings harder than anyone else ever could. Sitting across from them at the fire just made my heart melt to see how happy Kaidy was to see Kenny after so many months.
Saturday morning, we woke up to rain. After having a quick cup of coffee, Kenny and I quickly went around setting up tarps to give us some extra space and to try to keep things as dry as possible. Once we felt confident enough in our tarp situation, we cooked up some bacon and eggs and had a mimosa. The rain lasted a good part of the morning but did clear up enough for us to get in two hiking trails. Before we hit the trails we had some campfire nacho dip that I heated on the stove because the fire pit and wood was too wet.
We did the Lookout trail as well as Beaver Pond. Both trails are about 2 km loop trails. For this trip we decided to leave Rosie back at the campsite with my step mom. She did these trails with Kenny and I when we were here 2 weeks ago. I knew these trails were easy enough for Kaidence to complete. She may have whined a lot about going up to the lookout, but once we got there she thought it was pretty cool! Having Anhi with us on this trip was also a lot of fun. This was Anhi's first camping trip in Canada. She came here as an exchange student from Germany in 2019 and got stuck here due to Covid. Now her and my step brother are living together and building a life here. On the Beaver Pond Trail, Kaidence was able to get her and Anhi their own Water Lillies from the pond. It was tricky trying to reach them but this kid has just as much determination as I do when she wants something.
We made it back to the campsite and cooked a steak dinner and threw our wet clothes into the dryer at the campsite. After dinner it started to thunder. We decided to take a quick drive down to the beach to show Anhi and Kaidence where we could go kayaking if the rain ever stopped. On our way back from the beach we hit some wild rain and hail. We all climbed into the one big tent and sat and played charades during the storm. Kaidence is not a fan of thunder storms so trying to keep her entertained was key.
Sunday morning we woke up, had coffee and I used the left over steak and potatoes and whipped up a breakfast hash for us and then it was time to hit another hiking trail before it was time to pack up. This time we did the Booth’s Rock trail. It was a 5.1 km loop trial with beautiful lookouts. This trail is located in the Racoon Lake campground so we were able to show Anhi and Kaidy where our original site was booked. Driving down to the trail was beautiful. The view of Rock Lake beach is spectacular.
The trail was extremely muddy after the rain so it was tricky to do.
On this trail we had another visitor. Kenny’s brother Phil decided to come up for the day and hike with us. We have been asking Phil to come hiking with us for years and finally he made an appearance. It was so nice to do this adventure with more than just the dog. Having people to talk to along the way was refreshing. We stopped along the way and really took in the sites of rock lake. There were a lot of trees down on the trail from the storm the night before. There was a lot more damage done in the park that I thought. I'm glad we were in the tent on Saturday night and didn't see all the trees falling. After the hike, we headed back to the campsite to pack up.
No one ever talks about how much work goes into to the set up and the tear down of a
campsite when you are tent camping with a small car. I am an over packer for sure, and that doesn’t do well when I'm trying to pack my 2009 Toyota Corolla. I have a cargo bag for the roof that I ordered from Amazon and it works amazing! I try to keep things as organized as possible so it is easy set up for the next trip. I have 2 tote bins that I store the kitchen stuff in as well as other gear. If the bins are not packed correctly the lid won’t fit and they won’t fit into my trunk.
I am very meticulous when it comes to packing. I would rather do it myself so I know where things are for the next trip. I had Kenny pack up the Kuma chairs as well as the tent and I tackled the bedding and the cots. I like to store the bedding in vacuum seal bags that way it takes up less space in the car. Together we took down the Wood’s Screen house.
As we were trying to collapse it, we saw that one of the legs had bent and snapped during the rain storm. It was so disappointing. I have had this screen house for a few years now and it has been put through a tornado and quite a few crazy thunder storms. We took it down and took it right to the garbage. I know that these things happen and especially with the crazy storm we had on Saturday night. Having this major piece of equipment break on us really soured my mood. I was so upset that this happened but at least it happened at the end of our trip and not the beginning.
Once the car was loaded, we decided to take Phil to the Visitors Center and show him around there. In the visitors center, there is so much history. There are exhibits about logging, the different animals as well as the Indigenous people of Algonquin. After that we headed down Hwy 60 to Canoe Lake. This is an access point to backcountry camping. Here there are 2 stores, one store that has a ton of gear if you forgot anything and the other store has souvenirs. There is also a restaurant here where you can get hot food as well as ice cream.
After our trip though the store, Phil decided to hit the road and head back to the city. Kenny and I found a picnic table next to the lake and grilled up some sausages and had lunch before heading back. I’ve said this time and time again, there is something about Algonquin Park that brings me so much peace. Sitting by the lake, having lunch and a beer and just chatting with a long time friend was the perfect way to end a very wet weekend. But our weekend didn't end there. When we went to go put the grill back into the trunk of the car the floor lever wouldn't open to get into the trunk. We looked for the keys to use the trunk release on the key but we couldn't find them anywhere. Luckily the back seats were down so we had access into the trunk and some how Kenny was able to reach in and find the keys that were wedged between all of the stuff and the trunk. There really never is a dull moment when Kenny and I get together and go on an adventure.
My next trip will be in 2 weeks when I take a long drive to Fitzroy Provincial Park. Until then, don’t forget to like and comment on this post if you have been to Algonquin Park or Fitzroy and let me know if there are any must see things at that park.
Happy Camping 🏕️
Love,
Liz
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