Algonquin Park: Camping Trip Logs: 005 - Cedar Lake Long Weekend - Access Point #27

Map

Map - Cedar Lake.

Day 1

Getting there

It’s a six hour drive to Brent and we couldn’t leave until the kid was on the school bus, so that meant a late afternoon arrival. We rented a cheap aluminum canoe from Jake at Algonquin Outfitters Brent and were under way in short order. It was overcast but not rainy with a decent temperature and a tailwind.

We didn’t know what campsite Markus was on, but we knew which one he was hoping to get and a couple backup ones. As it turned out he was on the prime beach site and easy to find.

The right campsite.

The tent was soon setup and we were able to relax, make our dinner and then catch up with Mark and Joan around a roaring fire.

Cedar Lake campfire.

Smoky campfire made us giddy.

Day 2

Happy Canada Day!

Day two, Canada Day, was another overcast and windy day. After a leisurely breakfast Mark and Joan went for a paddle, but it looked like I was on my own in the rental.

Beachfront campsite.

Grey water, grey sky.

Even the seagulls weren’t doing much of anything.

Seagull.

It was a bit choppy solo paddling, so I started wandering around the island we were on. Just tromping through the rocks and trees to see what could be seen. Algonquin always amazes me. While walking around this small island I came across several old tree stumps, remnants of the massive trees that once populated the park.

Stumps and rocks around the island.

Old stump.

This was probably a really nice cedar.

We’d seen an osprey a couple of times and I made an attempt at getting a good photo.

Osprey seen flying overhead.

Finally the sun started beating the clouds away and the day warmed up even if the wind was still a bit brisk. With the weather improving we were able to enjoy our cocktails hanging out on the beach. Mark and I gave fishing a shot as well but did not have any luck.

While out doing a bit of fishing we also thought we’d collect some driftwood for the camp fire. We were at the shore in about 8 inches of water when I stepped out. Apparently that was all it took for Mark to end up on his ass in the lake. Watch out for those empty canoes, they’re tippy!

Mark and I.

I managed to get in the lake for a short swim, but even with the sun it was a chilly day. Dinner and relaxing some more around the fire ended the day, along with a nice sunset.

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