Algonquin Park: Camping Trip Logs: 015 - Potter Lake Easter Weekend - Access Point #5

Map

Map - Canoe Lake, Potter Lake, Brule Lake.

Day 1

April 6, 2012 - Canoe Lake to Potter Lake

I don’t know why he does it, but Markus insists on always being at the permit office when they open. Makes for more canoe time and further travels on the first day, but I am not a morning person! I managed to stick to my timetable and was on the road just past 5 AM so I could meet Markus at the Algonquin Park West Gate when it opened at 9 AM. The day looked like it would be a nice sunny early spring day.

On the road with the sun coming up.

I made it to the West Gate without trouble and only had a few minutes to wait before Markus pulled in. A few more minutes waiting and we were inside getting our permits before we could continue on to Canoe Lake to put in. It wasn’t our usual friend Kevin on duty and it seemed excruciatingly slow on this occasion. There were quite a few people in the line that seemed to be heading to Mew Lake, luckily they were told they could go straight to the campground to check in.

When we arrived at Canoe Lake the day was still sunny with a moderate breeze coming down the length of the lake. We would be paddling into a headwind on our way up to Potter Creek. There was one other solo paddler preparing to head off, other than that the place was deserted.

Markus wonders if the PFD will still fit?

Ready to launch into the breeze on Canoe Lake.

About 45 minutes later we were at the top end of Canoe Lake and turning up the west channel to get to Potter Creek. Along this stretch we noticed some birds in the water, they didn’t look like Loons. Eventually we got close enough to a pair to identify them as Mergansers. As Markus explained, we were likely out so early in the season that the males were still around. In a normal year we’d be paddling in late April and the males would have performed their services and moved on north. It was a pleasant surprise to see the male Mergansers, we saw several different ones along the mouth of the creek. Other than the birds the lake was quiet and still with only one or two cottages showing any sign of activity.

Canoe Lake direction signage.

What's left of a bridge from the logging days.

Modern day bridge.

The day was still pleasant and sunny with a light breeze, if you were in a sheltered spot you sure felt the warmth of the early spring sun. Our first portage was a 390m to get around a small set of rapids. The take out was a little cramped and had a rocky hill to climb up at the start before settling down to a nice trail. The path was dry and/or frozen with piles of snow still lingering in the shady areas. The end of the portage crosses a logging road before putting in at a muddy bank on the alder lined Potter Creek. We double carried since it was the very first portage after a long winter, we were maybe out of shape.

Small set of rapids that had to be portaged around.

Potter Creek portage, first of four.

There was still some snow on the portages.

There were two more short portages (a 105m and a 95m) and some great river/creek paddling. There was a bit of current to fight against but it was the low water level that was really the challenge. We did have to get out every now and then to work past some especially shallow spots. In talking with JeffreyM later I was told that the creek was at a July water level, which does not bode well for water levels in Algonquin Park this season.

Markus coming back for the second load.

A stretch of Potter Creek.

As we passed the portage that goes to Tepee Lake we saw a canoe and gear on the shore. There was also a young boy sitting there and we said our hellos as we paddled on. There was a bend here and the flow of the river required some paddling to get through. We wondered who was on the portage, it seemed a little odd. We were joining up with a couple guys we hadn’t met yet. Was it them?

About 1 PM we reached the only longish portage of the trip, 725m broken into a 60m to the road and a 665m along the road to Potter Lake. We took a few minutes here to eat some lunch and rest. There were a couple of spots along the 60m with big piles of snow still left. As we walked along the soft road with our first load we saw someone walking towards us, we thought it would be Glenn or Paul, the two guys we were to meet on Potter Lake. Turns out it was just Glenn, he had arrived the day before but had seen no one else yet. Paul was missing, but he was coming in with his sons which made us wonder if it was him at the Tepee Lake portage?

Glenn walked with us to the Potter Lake put in but continued on to the camp site using the road. Markus and I carried our gear down the steep embankment and paddled to the first camp site on the west shore where Glenn was. The wind was howling in our faces pretty good and it was a workout to reach this site. Glenn said he could barely make it paddling solo the day before.

At the 60m portage start.

Dual purpose portage sign - Rainbow Lake or Potter Creek.

Easy going portaging along the road.

Good directions, unless you have a canoe on your shoulders.

Still places with leftover snow on the ground.

We made proper introductions, got tents and gear squared away before speculating on what had happened to Paul and his sons. The general theory seemed to be that maybe it was them at the portage and maybe they would be along soon.

But camp chores needed to get done. A tarp was strung to try and block some of the wind from blowing through the site. It wasn’t the most ideal site for early spring camping but the danger of paddling a windy and wavy lake when the water temperatures are just above freezing wasn’t worth trying for a better spot. A hunt for a bit of firewood also was done.

Tent setup on Potter Lake.

Stringing the tarp to stop the wind blowing through camp.

It was around 4 PM when the red canoe of Stainless could be seen coming up the lake. Him and JeffreyM were soon ashore and putting up their tent, we were now a group of five. At least they were able to confirm that it was Paul and his sons back at the portage, they were loaded so much that they were having trouble getting past the fast flowing bend of the creek. Mystery half solved, we still didn’t know why he was on the Tepee Lake portage, and did they go that way instead of the creek?

Stainless and JeffreyM arrive on Potter Lake.

Tent sites were filling up fast!

Now maybe around 5:30 PM, we saw the last canoe coming in. Bonnie, a last minute addition to the trip had been delayed with some trouble with her rental solo canoe. Instead of holding up Stainless and JeffreyM she had paddled in on her own. She was soon ashore and setup. She also had more news of Paul and sons. They had broken a paddle and were giving up for the night, deciding to camp at the portage.

Well, now we could settle down to supper and drinks around the fire. Markus cooked up a couple of Licks burgers for each of us. Bizarrely we had a group of about 7 or 8 people come hiking down the road which was right behind our site, late teens I would guess. We didn’t see them again and have no idea where they were heading or what they were doing.

A very unusual spot to be seeing hikers, luckily there was a full outhouse and not just a thunderbox. You never know who’s going to go walking by, even when you are in the interior of Algonquin Park it seems. It quieted down, both traffic and wind wise, and we sat around the fire a bit before calling it a night.

Outhouse at site, due to closeness of road.

A clear sky at sunset.

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