The Lake Superior Coastal Trail extends on 65km of coastline on the eastern edge of Lake Superior inside Ontario's Lake Superior Provincial Park north of Sault Ste Marie. Campsites along the coast are used by kayakers, long distance backpackers, and some short distance backpackers that hike in from the many access points for one night. Due to the high demand by different user groups, it is recommended you book early. We booked our trip exactly 5 months out and still had issues with getting our campsites spaced the way we wanted.

The Coastal Trail is characterized by being rugged and I would agree with this description. From my vast backpacking experience (including the Pukaskwa National Park Coastal Trail just north of this one),  this trail is indeed challenging and I would NOT recommend it for beginners. The trail requires good tread on boots, scrambling skills involving hand and feet maneuvers, and confidence with some exposure while on coastal rock drop offs and hopping over rock gaps. I was fortunate to have dry conditions hiking the trail and our entire group agreed that we would not want to be on the trail in wet conditions as it would be very dangerous.

Here is my trip report that took place on Sunday August 15th to Thursday August 19th, 2021.

Day 1: Gargantua to Rhyolite Cove (6km, 900ft ascent, 3hrs, 15 mins)

We woke up at a motel in Sault Ste Marie and travelled the 1.5 hour drive to the Agawa Visitor Centre for when it opened at 9AM. After a quick orientation we got our car permits and found out our originally planned exit was not open and so we had to shorten our trip by a few kilometers. This ended up working to our advantage as we had a long drive back home the final day and we felt we didn't miss out on much.

It takes about 1hour to drive from our exit point at Sinclair Cove Boat Launch to the Gargantua road trailhead. The posted 40km/hr speed limit on the 14km stretch of gravel on Gargantua road is somewhat of a joke, as most of the time you can only drive half that speed while dodging potholes and washouts. It is also a one lane road, so be attentive for drivers coming in the opposite direction to you.

We started the day at 11AM at the trailhead and headed out to Gargantua beach. The coastal trail actually heads north 10km on a easy cart trail but then ends and you have to turn around and re-trace your steps. Most groups skip this out-and-back part of the trail and our group elected to omit it. We headed south and needed to cover 6km to Rhyolite Cove. It didn't take long before the trail turned into what we had read about in other trip reports: steep up and downs, technical terrain requiring exact foot placements and varied mediums such as rooty dirt paths to coastal rock to boulder hopping. There was 1 kilometer that took us one hour to complete! For reference, our group of 6 are all highly experienced backpackers and mountaineers, and have extensive hiking experience in the Adirondacks (most of us are ADK 46ers). 

We arrived at Rhyolite Cove in the hot afternoon sun and set up camp on the red shores. We took a welcome dip in the lake and settled in to the rhythms of backcountry camping. In 2021, the park has added bear boxes at some of the campsites along the coastal trail. Rhyolite Cove did have one and despite seeing several more along the way, this was the only site in 4 nights that had one. The rest of the time we hung our food.

Day 2: Rhyolite Cove to Baldhead River (13.5km, 1700ft ascent, 8 hours)

The task for the day was to cover 13.5km of terrain. Reading other backpacker's trip reports, we knew this northern section of the trail was the toughest so we headed out on the trail at 8AM. We met a couple of groups still packing to head out in the first hour or so of the day. Terrain today including numerous coves with large boulders, small pebbles and rounded rocks that looked like dinosaur eggs mixed with some forested trail and rugged coastal rock.

The forecast for our trip was daily highs in the mid-20's (celcius) with a humidex factor around 30C in the afternoon. It became apparent each day that forested areas were shaded and cool but offered no air movement so the sweating was profuse. Out on the coast in the direct sunlight, the coastal environment offered a breeze. What we didn't anticipate before starting was how hot the rocks would get baking in the sun and would radiate heat back on to you like an oven leaving you literally dripping in sweat. Swimming in the lake at the end of each day was one of our top priorities.

​The Coastal trail is a marked path. It has two ways of marking: Rock cairns that show the way on the rocky coastline and blue plastic backpacker trail markers on trees where permissable. Given that active hiking requires intensive concentration on foot placements on this trail, were were glad we had 6 pairs of eyes on the lookout for the next cairn or marker. The trail is very well marked if you are attentive - we only made one mistake the entire trip.

The Baldhead River campspot was great - the area is busy with traffic from the Orphan Lake day hiking trail area. I did have cell service both here, Rhyolite and Coldwater but not in the southern sections that were ironically closer to the highway. 

Today's stats show how gruelling this section of trail was averaging less than 2km/hr.

dDay 3: Baldhead River to Coldwater River South (7.5km, 800 ft ascent, 3 hours)

Today was an usually short backpacking day (thank you competitive booking) so we decided to take a leisurely pace to start of the day. Two of our group members decided to go fishing up the Baldhead River for an hour and we didn't get on the trail until after 9AM. 

The terrain of the trail relaxes south of here but don't let your guard down as the trail won't let you be inattentive for long. Things still stay interesting and require you to earn your mileage. Today's hike started by walking up to a double bridge crossing of the Baldhead River and then back down to the coast. At the end of the bridge there is a sign indicating a trail left leading to the Orphan Lake loop and then another to the right to send you back on the Coastal trail. Back on the gravel beach we continued along until we saw an obvious trail opening and blue marker. Don't be fooled here...this is part of the Orphan Lake Loop and NOT the Coastal trail. Two of our group members made a mistake here as they had left early due to issue with blisters from the day before. When the rest of the group arrived we made the right navigational decision as we noticed a few things: there is a large trail sign that has it's back to you indicating the Coastal trail stays along the coast as well as a blue hiking sign with a hiker on it without a backpack (indicating a day hiking trail not a backpacking trail) and on the map which we pulled out the trail obviously was not the one we wanted. Don't be duped here!

The Coastal trail continues to the end of the gravel beach (as the trail normally does) and heads up a steep incline over a bump to what I am guessing is the highest point of the trail. As we had extra time, we took some leisurely breaks and were treated to a visit from a Bald Eagle. Descending down off the bump we passed the Coldwater North campsite and scampered off some boulders to a beautiful sandy beach which we assumed was the Coldwater campsites as the river was flowing through the middle of it. This area was busy with day users and we figured out quickly that the campsites on this beach (not marked on the map) were for short overnight trips only steps away from your parked car.

Up over another rocky point we found the Coldwater South sites on a tropical looking sandy beach. We arrived early and took advantage of the sandy cove bottom and lake water to cool off in. Our group that had gotten off track met up with us here.

Day 4: Coldwater South to Barrett Island (15.2km, 1700 ft ascent, 7.5 hours)

Knowing Day 4 would be the longest on the trip, we left our favourite campspot just before 8AM. We started off the day tackling some coastal boulders and rocky coastline that occupied us for the first hour or so. Passing by a family camping at the picturesque Robertson Cove we found ourselves soon entering the easiest section of the trail at Katherine Cove. Here the trail is again beside the highway and has day use parking areas for it's sandy beaches. We found a young family already swimming in the mid-morning. The forested trail here is fairly easy going and soon after we were in another section of sandy beach and we could see the popular bathtub island. We made some good time through this section of sandy beaches and dunes. We took the path up to the highway to cross the bridge at the Sand River which was under construction and down to one lane which provided some sketchy running over the bridge to beat traffic. 

Down to the shoreline again, we entered some coastline and flat forested trail before popping out onto the Barrett North campspots. By now it was early afternoon, around 1PM when the heat started to get oppressive. We met a couple here new to backpacking who wanted lightweight backpacking tips as we passed by. The Baldhead beach was beautiful but the heat intensity was strong and we were dying to get out of the direct sun and back in the forest. Looking at the map and knowing were past Barrett South, the map shows a maximum of 500m to Barrett Island campsites, our destination. This is where things get tricky - the trail undulates in and off the coast and up and down so many times that it was a few kilometers in distance travelled. We walked on the hot coastal rock and finally found our home for the night on a rocky beach. The Barrett Island campsites were not big enough for our group's two 2P and 2 1P tents and one of our group members had to pitch a tent on the rocky shore. We generally weren't impressed with the camping in this section. 

Day 5: Barrett Island to Sinclair Cove Boat Launch (3km, 300 ft ascent, 1 hour)

Today's hike started at 8AM again not knowing if the distance travelled would be 1km or more. It was more but only took an hour. Today was the only day the air was still and there was no wave action on the lake. The haze in the sky seemed to be caused by nearby forest fires but the turquoise clear lake water was stunning. We enjoyed our final hour of hiking through mossy outcroppings and a final group celebration at Sinclair Cove. 

Back at the car, the shuttle took 2 hours to complete. In the meantime, the two of us left at the cove checked out the pictographs and chatted with visitors.

The Coastal trail will be remembered as Ontario's hardest backpacking route but also the most scenic. I was happy to report my fitness met the challenge and my gravitation to lightweight backpacking gear paid off. My pack weight at the beginning was 26lbs!

Trail stats:
Gargantua to Sinclair Cove: 44 km
Ascent: 5474 ft ascent
Hiking time: 24.5 hours
Moving average 2.9km/hr
Overall average including lunch and breaks: 1.8 km/hr
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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in Spring 2020, it drastically changed my summer travel plans so several Plan B’s started to develop. After travelling all across Canada in recent years to backpack some classic and off-the-beaten track trails, I decided I should check out the backpacking trail closest to where I live in my own province: The Western Uplands Backpacking Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. 

The Western Uplands trail consists of 3 loops that correspond to a short (~32km), medium (~54km) and long distances (~80km). The longest route (or 3rd loop) is over 80km long and is the one we chose to do this trip. When booking the campsites online, the system will only allow to book campsites within a certain distance away. If you are an experienced backpacker like myself, you may opt to call the park reservation agent and have them book campsites even further apart. We chose to do the loop in a clockwise rotation but you can choose to do it in either direction. From my experience it doesn’t matter which direction you travel. When we called to book many of the sites were taken so our choices were slim. If you must book Maggie Lake West like we did, it added an extra 4km to our total distance, which was 85km total!

Day 1 Wed August 12th : Trailhead to Maggie Lake West (14km, 1800ft ascent, 5 hours)

After a 3 hour drive to the Western Uplands trailhead, we were itching to get moving. We darted out of the car and across the bridge at 11AM, and chose the left trail at the first junction, sending us in a clockwise direction around the loop. The trail between the trailhead and Maggie is generally wide, well-travelled, and has some nice rolling hills. We found this part of the trail was the busiest that we encountered the entire trip and we started the trip on a Wednesday! One of the most surprising things was the disproportionately high number of all-female backpacking duos and groups.  I was so amazed, and also insanely happy to see this number of women out in the backcountry. Awesome!

We arrive at Maggie Lake and began our lengthy 2km detour to the west side of the lake to find our first campsite. The 2km (+2km back) detour may have been worth it as the campsite was awesome and the water was this awesome green colour that didn't come across well in any of the photos. The consistent breeze made the 31 degree humidex weather feel more tolerable and a dip in the lake felt amazing. We were able to dry out all our damp gear, eat a hearty meal and head to the tent at sunset.

Day 2 Thursday August 13th: Maggie Lake West to Islet Lake (30km, 3000ft ascent, 9 hrs)

Wake up time was 6AM as we knew this would be a long day distance-wise. Adding up the kilometres on the backpacking routes map we figured it would be a monster 27km day. I had only done a maximum of 23 km backpacking in the past so I was nervous and wanted to leave enough time to get to Islet Lake. Our average moving time including breaks the day before was 3.2km/hr so we figured it would take 9 hours to get there. 10 years ago I was backpacking with a 90L pack that weighed over 40lbs. In 2015 and 2017 I did backpacking trips with a 75L pack with pack weights in the 30lb range. On this trip (albeit shorter) I did this trip with a 55L pack with 27lbs. Lighter packs enable you to go further and get less tired in a day...well at least that was the theory that I was going to test out!

We were on the trail at 7:20AM and had to re-trace our steps back to the 2km to the main trail. We passed by many campsites with hikers still nestled in their tents. We handrailed Maggie Lake for some time before breaking away and heading north. This section of trail is fairly easy and before you know it you're at the turnoff to the first loop. We continued passed this turn off and for the next 7.6km or so the trail moves up and down over some hills (some are steep) and down through soupy mud puddles. Although our trip had 4 days straight of sun, it was apparent that the trail had recently been exposed to rain as the mud puddles were quite saturated meaning one misstep and you could end up with a soaker! The most prominent feature in this section is 'Bean's Boulder', a massive erratic that is parked right beside the trail that we conveniently used as an excuse for a rest stop. Soon after we came across two women about to pass us who had just gotten lost near Clara Lake by taking the portage trail instead of the hiking trail and wound up bushwhacking there way back to the trail. They had a long day ahead of them and had just added 3km to to their day. Yikes!

We arrived at Clara Lake in time for lunch and ate at the campsite right on the trail. This site is convenient with benches and easy access to water in case you need to filter some more water for your bottles. We noticed that on this site was also somewhat of a garbage dump laid with a heavy propane gas cylinder and random wrappers. I don't mind packing out garbage like wrappers but I draw the line at heavy objects. I wish people would just abide by the leave no trace principles and pack out what they packed in.

Leaving Clara Lake we passed over a beautiful ridge before descending down to the junction with the third loop. At the 17km mark for the day, Pincher Lake would have been a great place to set up camp and call it a day. It looks like a nice lake! We continued on and passed two male hikers who gave us a heads up of a tough climb ahead of us. This climb was to the lookout beside Stammer Lake. The climb was probably the longest and steepest climb of the trip, but wasn't anywhere as near as a steep and long as a Adirondack Peak. At the top of the ridge, you reach what feels like the height of land and can see into the distance initially and then it slowy drops down as you move through it. What we welcomed at this 'summit' was a breeze that had been absent all day in the sweltering heat. Once the descent was complete the march along Weed Lake and into Islet eases off and becomes fairly flat - something we were grateful for at the end of the 30km day.  Yes the GPS indicated we had done 30km, not 27km as per the map. We stayed on the southern most campsite on Islet which was good except for some slightly angled tent platforms. It was around that time when I notice that the bottom tip of my hiking pole was missing and the carbon shaft had cracked. I must have got it stuck in some mud puddle somewhere. My Black Diamond Carbon Cork Poles owe me nothing - they are over 10 years old and have been with me through thousands of miles on all my day hikes and backpacking trips. I was able to finish this hike and order a new lower shaft from Black Diamond for $9.95 USD. A 9 hour effort today was deserving of a cold drink, but one that would have to wait for another day. Instead we hydrated with Nuun tablets in our water bottles. Swimming was great on this lake and the loons put on a show!

Day 4 Saturday August 15th: Redwing Lake to Trailhead (14km, 1200 ft ascent, 3.5 hours)

Another early rising day we woke up to a chilly morning. Deb was already out of her tent and lowering the food hang. I hollered out "Is there snow out there?" and we all chuckled and wore a an extra layer getting out of the tent. The cool air was something we wanted to take advantage of so we were on the trail by 7:45AM.

Glenn's blisters had really grown in yesterday's heat and the blister bandages we brought did not stick to his feet.  Today I pulled out the roll of athletic tape and re-visited my taping skills from my athletic therapy days and taped up his heels. He was able to hike out the rest of the trip no problem which I was grateful for as he was contemplating wearing his crocs out! 

The section from Redwing Lake to the junction of the first loop seemed to go by quickly. Campsites were all full passing Lupus Lake, Thunder lake and Romona Lake. The difference in the trail in the first loop junction was incredible. The trail widened significantly and the rest of the way out was an easy march. We even saw a trail runner who was running the first loop! We were out just after 11AM, a fast and easy end to the trip. We high-fived each other, took a quick selfie and headed to the Mad Musher restaurant in Whitney.  Check out my video of the trip below!

Recommendations/Notes:
- Call to reserve sites with larger distance gaps as online booking limits distances
- If experienced and deciding to do the 3rd loop, booking 4 nights would be best
- Do not leave garbage behind on the sites, in firepits, or on the trail. Pack out everything you packing in.
- Booking in August or September would be better for avoiding bugs
- The trail is mainly in the woods, not many views
- Moose sign becomes more and more apparent in the 2nd and 3rd loops
- Trail is more overgrown in 3rd loop but still easy to follow
- Campsites can accommodate 1 tent for sure, some 2, and rarely 3.
- Larger lakes are more 'swimmable' as some smaller lakes are weedy and shallow
- If there has been recent rains, the muddy spots on the trail will be more soupy so gaitors would be recommended. 
-Even if all campsites are full the trail does not feel crowded and lakes don't seem busy
-Trail markers are Blue on the 1st loop, Yellow on the 2nd, and Red on the 3rd
-There is cell service at Maggie Lake (I use Bell Mobility)
-Buy your Backpacking Trail Map from Friends of Algonquin Park 
-Gear List for the Western Uplands
-Blog for food and recipes - coming soon!

Totals:
Distance: 85km
Ascent: 8855 ft
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After at least a mile of gentle slope, the grade starts to steepen slightly (heel lifters up!) and climbs up over a ridge. On the far side of this ridge you get to see distant peaks like Sawteeth, Colvin, Nippletop and Dix. The trail here contained much more powder and I had a few tricky steps traversing a steep slope. Up here, there were many more open areas where the trail was difficult to follow as wind had filled in the path with snow. That said, there was an abundance of noticeable activity in all directions from snowshoe hares. At one point I found this extremely large boulder, which seemed to be the community centre of sorts for bunny activity with tracks galore.

I have a love/hate relationship with getting out of bed. I am not an early riser, and loathe the sound of alarm clocks waking me up every morning. Alpine starts are a bit different however, as the reason you are getting up is motivated by an activity you want to do, and hiking mountains will always justify an early start and spring me into action willingly and eagerly. Our objective for the day, the Seward Range in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks, almost always requires an early start. The range includes 4 High Peaks but on this day we were shooting for 3 that are along the same ridge: Mt Donaldson (4140ft), Mt Emmons (4040 ft) and Seward Mountain (4361ft). In term of Adirondack Peaks, the Seward Range is not home to the highest of the high peaks but always present a challenge due to the distance you have to travel, the ascent gained and the unmarked herd paths that connect the peaks. I have done this range twice before but never in the winter and was eager to see it in a new season. We stayed at Shaheen's motel in Tupper Lake the night before the hike and set the alarm for 5:30AM.

We were lucky to be able to drive into the summer trailhead parking lot on this day and the Subaru was able to drive through the snow on Corey's Road no problem. Parking at the winter lot adds an extra 10km to your hike day, one that we wanted to avoid. We arrived at the trailhead parking lot at and signed in at the register before dawn at 6:45AM. With the recent snowfall we were hoping to xc ski into the Caulkins Brook turn off but there still was too many open drainages and downed tree fall. A friend of mine had been in to do this range 2 days prior but there was little to no snow in the range. How conditions can change in a day! We left the trailhead with microspikes on our feet and snowshoes on our back and hammered down the trail. We noticed a plethora of deer tracks and scrapes in the snow and then out of the blue two deer ran by us. We got to the junction just as light started to peak over the ridge and we took a quick break to turn off our headlamps and take a sip of water. The next leg of the journey is hammering down the wider double track horsetrail to the Caulkins Brook cairn and turnoff. About a minute before the turn, another solo hiker caught up to us and mentioned that he had found one of Glenn's 'past-it's-prime' microspikes. Glenn looked down at his feet and realized he had lost one some time ago! The hiker had hung it up on a tree over a 10 minute walk back and we decided to leave it there and continue on. The solo hiker whizzed by us and headed up the herd path on his snowshoes. As the ascent begun, we switched to snowshoes for more traction. It was a good call, because the snow depths increased quickly as we ascended. From my memory, I knew that the Caulkins ascent was gradual but steady and was around 2000 feet gain. For the past couple years I had been using a Garmin Fenix 5S for gauging progress on ascents with it's altimeter but as soon as I started my ascent the altimeter stopped working. I later fixed this with a software update but at the time I somewhat enjoyed not knowing how much further I had to go. It was great to follow a broken path up Caulkins - there was no trace of my friend's group's tracks from 2 days ago. Only one quick snack and drink break on the way up and were were starting to see the views.   

​After our break, we headed back up to Mt Donaldson and then followed Joe's track over to Seward, including some steeper areas in which the snow depth increased dramatically feeling like every snowshoe step sunk further backwards instead of moving upwards. It didn't help that under most of this deep snow was a thick coating of ice, so several steps sunk backwards and then slid backwards even more. Seward is a few hundred feet higher than Donaldson and Emmons, and the snow depths were that much deeper making forward progress more energy intensive. We weren't expecting to see Joe again as he would descend off the far side of Seward to continue on to his fourth peak of the day Mt Seymour. About 5 minutes from the Seward summit, Joe popped out from the trees to say he had changed his mind and conditions were too slow today for him to try to hit all 4 peaks. He was backtracking on the ridge - something we were going to do too. We hit the Seward summit at 1:20PM and then turned around and followed our broken trail back to the junction at Donaldson at 2PM.

Here we walked down the Caulkins Brook trail crawling over and under several obstacles including down trees, open streams, and re-routes around some blowdown. The trail looked definitely better packed down than when we ascended and later we would find out a third group that had a late start was up on the ridge. When we finally reached the cairn, we took our snowshoes off and I returned to my microspikes to walk in the snow on the way out. Glenn was re-united with his missing microspike which was hanging on a tree and as we marched along to the junction daylight was fading. At the junction we donned our headlamps (at the same place we had taken them off earlier in the day) and walked out to the parking lot with one thought in mind: food and drink. We arrived at the parking lot at 5:15PM and signed out at the register, noticing that the there was a third group on the ridge. We then walked over to our car, noticing that the parking lot had been plowed!! Elated we knew the drive out in the dark wouldn't be hairy and we would be back at the hotel in no time. Then we saw it....the Thule ski box on on the top of my car was open with my keys in it! I guess in the darkness in the morning I had taken out our hiking poles and forgotten to close it and didn't notice at all that I hadn't locked it up!! The hiking community is such a trustworthy bunch and nothing was stolen or taken. What a mistake! And that wasn't the last one....Glenn had unknowingly left his red gloves on the roof of the car in the dark on the way out and on the way out we sped out of the parking lot and left them lying on the road! After returning from our trip, I posted a few photos on the Adirondack 4000 footers Facebook page about the trail conditions where a member of the third party had found the gloves and are mailing them to us! The hiking community is so amazing!

Another amazing hike in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. Up to 22/46 peaks for my Winter ADK 46er round!

Stats:
Date: January 2, 2020
Hike Distance: 24.96km
Time: 10. 5 hours
Ascent: 5500ft
Moving average: 3.2km/hr
Overall average: 2.3kmr/hr
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The forecast for August 8th, 2019 wasn't optimal. After a full night of hard rain and thundershowers we opted against the possible ridge walks and slide hikes on our list. With rain in the forecast for the day, we chose a short hike up Cannon Mountain in the Franconia area of the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Cannon Mountain stands at 4080' and is  known for it's ski hill and tramway. The summit has a viewing tower that I wasn't aware of when I started this hike and apparently has awesome views of the Franoconia area on a clear day.

We started late at 10:15 AM after changing our plan and attempting to wait out rain storms. We parked at the Lafayette Campground hiker parking (1900') and walked up through the campground following the signs to the Lonesome Lake Trailhead. Quickly after the hiking trail begins, it splits and we took the right hand option: Hi Cannon Trail. The 2.8 mile trail up begins with a severely eroded section that is covered in a small granules akin to kitty litter. The trail takes no time to become steep and remind you that if you wore too many layers you will want to take them off ASAP. 

The middle third of the trail is the most challenging. Boulders become larger and larger and require more hand and foot actions. The skies opened up on us here and before we knew it every foot hole became a deep puddle and water streamed down the steep slope. The final third of the trail opens up to more slab friction hiking which I will note is tricky when a river of water is flowing on top of them. At about 3500' the slabs apparently offer views of the Franconia ridge that we unfortunately weren't able to see on this day.  A mixture of sweat and rain entered my mouth and soon every square inch of my body was soaking wet.

By the time we reached the ridge, every flat spot had become enormous puddle and water started to squish out of my boots as it had flowed hard down my legs soaking my socks for the past hour. We dodged puddles despite having soaking wet feet and found two more junctions to head up to the tower at the summit. 

Upon arrival the summit tower is completely enormous and impossible to miss. We hadn't taken a single photo of the hike before this point because of the rain so we raced under the roof after the first set of stairs and pulled out the camera for some summit shots. There was no point going up to the top with this weather so we packed up and ran down the trail. Our bodies were chilled from being wet and not moving for a few minutes at the summit. About 20 minutes into our descent the rain slackened and the sun started to break through. 

The return trip down the Hi Cannon trail is nothing to shake a stick at. It's steep, slippery when wet, and requires focus and attention. We barely spoke and concentrated on our footing. I was hoping we would have some views on the way down but we didn't. A old well-used ladder takes you up and down a steep section and there was one slab section that could be consequential if you lost your footing as it seems like you might just go off the edge!

We finished the hike at 1:45 PM and definitely thought that even though it was the shortest hike we had done this trip, it was the toughest in terms of trail conditions. It reminded us of a 'normal' Adirondack hike. I may have to do this hike again in nicer weather...I am sure the views are worth it! 

Stats:
Elevation gain: 2309 feet
Distance: 8.5km
Time: 3 hours, 30 mins

Up to 67/115!

Mount Tecumseh is a ski hill peak in the Sandwich Range in the southern White Mountains. The formerly 4003' peak has been re-measured in 2019 to read 3997'. As a peakbagger looking at completing the NE 111 (115er) list, I bagged this peak on August 7th, 2019. There are rumours that this peak might be taken off the NH 48 list but I hope it stays on the NE 111 (115) list. Fingers crossed my hiking efforts count!

Today's plan was altered due to a strong forecast that was to include rain and severe thunderstorms.  We decided instead to head up Mount Tecumseh from the longer Mount Tecumseh trail from Tripoli Road. Today we started at 9:30 AM, expecting a shorter hike than yesterday. The 6.2 mile round trip hike would be a perfect day out.

The trail from the parking lots jumps over two small brooks and then heads straight up. The grade is consistent and unrelenting. As it was hours before thunderstorms, the humidity levels were peaking and then wind was non-existent. Sweat dripped off our chins and flowed out of all our pours and we put one step in front of the other on this trail. That combined with numerous cobwebs made for a sticky mess on my skin. The trail was a soft soil slope with rocky boulders throughout. The trail is dense with forest cover and offers little to no views to gauge your progress.

After a 1700' slog up we were at 3700' an hit our first peak. The trail then drops into a col and hits a final ascent to the summit proper. We hit the summit 1 hour and 45 minutes after leaving the parking lot and were very grateful to feel the breeze at the summit ledge. A family of 5 were also at the summit (had come up from the ski hill side) that were lovely to talk to. We were surprised that the daughter had forgotten her shoes and had hiked up barefoot! 

The summit has a brand new summit marker and some beautiful views of the Tripyramids and Osceolas. Some longer distance views were obscured by clouds on this day as the storm clouds were building in the sky. After a drink, snack and obligatory summit photo shoot, we turned around and made our way back to the car.

Stats:
Distance: 9.5km/6 miles
Elevation: 2592 feet
Time: 3.5 hours

Mount Osceola (4320') and East Osceola (4156') are two peaks that lie in the southern part of the White Mountains near the Sandwich Range.  These two peaks are on the NE 111 (115er) list  which I am working on and so we planned to hike these two peaks in one day on August 6th, 2019.

Our group decided to stay at Russell Pond Campground located on Tripoli Road just off the I93. This campground offers flush toilets, showers, waterfront and quiet private camping. The short commute to many hikes from this campground is also an attractive reason to stay at this campground. Tripoli road also offers road side camping for cheaper but with limited facilities. 

Four months prior to this hike I had knee surgery and was eager to test out my new and improved knee. That said, being uncertain of how the knee would react (especially on the descents) made me a bit nervous on this hike.

Starting at 8:15 AM from the parking lot on Tripoli Road, ($5 day parking fee), at a elevation of around 2200' . We set off up the gradual but rocky ascent up to Mount Osceola. The trail is well shaded and has a manageable grade the entire distance. My husband Glenn was part of our group and begun the hike at a slow pace due to an ankle injury. After 1600' of climbing and dodging rock boulders, he threw in the towel and turned around. That left two of us to head the rest of the way to the summit which we reached at 10:15 AM. The summit ledge from this peak is outstanding with beautiful views on sunny days like we had. We quickly identified our next objective from this summit and went on our way. 

The trail over to East Osceola is fairly straight forward except for one section called the Chimney. I hadn't read any trip reports or trail descriptions for this hike so I was surprised to hear the nervousness in many hiker's voices as they approached this section and asked us about how treacherous it was. The section is steep rocky section that can be up or downclimbed in about 4 moves.  Being a climber this section wasn't even an issue for me but for others I can see it might be scary. We chose the left route when coming from Mount Osceola.

The summit of East Osceola is treed and there is a rock cairn to indicate the summit. A trail coming from Greely ponds comes up from North side. We took a snack break here with a mother and daughter group before our 40 minute return trip back to Mount Osceola. On the return trip we chatted with a young woman who is a nurse from Long Lake area in the Adirondacks and we had a good chat about Adirondack hiking.

Crowds were starting to build on the summit of Mount Osceola upon our return with many people enjoying the views in various states of dress. Many were fully clothed but some were airing out their footwear and one had even taken off her pants! We took a quick drink break and headed down the trail to meet up with Glenn who was waiting in the car. My knee had no problem with this descent and I was pleased that I could be fully confident hiking mountains once again. We met a few more characters on the way down an saw some unprepared groups hiking with little to no gear or water on a hot summer's day. We returned to parking lot at 1:15 PM making it a 5 hour day.

Stats:
Distance: 12.93km/8.0 miles
Elevation gain: 2862 ft
Time: 5 hours

The Spanish River is a south flowing river that lies north west of Sudbury, Ontario. The river has a rich history that includes being a travel corridor for Ojibwe natives, fur traders and in the last century for logging. The river is protected in Spanish River Waterway park and is home to two channels (east and west) that converge into one about half way down the river at a junction called 'The Forks'. 

The West Branch is known as the more difficult one beginning at Biscotasi Lake. It can be accessed by VIA passenger train which you can hop on in Sudbury or Cartier, Ontario. To avoid a full day of flatwater paddling, we chose to start our trip at Sinker Creek and paddle through to Agnew Lake. You can also choose to take out at the the Elbow but I would recommend continuing down past as you would miss a great section of river. Train tickets can be purchased online through the VIA rail website.

Maps: Please purchase a Spanish River map before planning your trip through Chrismar Mapping.

Day 0: Home to Agnew Lake Lodge
After a 6 hour drive to Agnew Lake Lodge, we set up a camp at a campsite along the lake. Note that the lodge offers a grassy spot with picnic table for camping or small cabins for paddlers. For camping, amenities like tap water, garbage, a firepit and outhouses are the facilities.

The Agnew Lake Lodge offers shuttles for paddlers. Rates can be found here. We drove to the train station in Sudbury and the drivers drove our vehicles back to the Lodge for us. The Lodge also arranges camping permits for the river (~$10/night/adult). Fee information can be found here.

Day 1:Saturday July 13th, 2019 Agnew Lake Lodge to LeBell Rapids

Our group left the Agnew Lake Lodge at 6:50AM and drove about an hour to arrive at the Sudbury train station at 8:00AM. We unloaded our gear and boats and handed the keys to the drivers. One of our cars stayed at the train station  (make sure to pay for a parking pass). 
We had to pay $50 + tax cash for each canoe that got on the train. At 8:25 the train arrived and the loading began. There were 14 canoes being loaded on the day we left so you can imagine it takes some time. The train did leave exactly at 9:00AM, enjoying the air conditioned seats. 

The train passes through several small communities before the first views of the river. It's apparent that the train track follows the river for several kilometres passing through old logging communities that have now been converted to fishing cabins and hunt camps. We got off at our destination Sinker Creek at 11:20 which was about 20 minutes late after having to wait for a freight train to pass us on the tracks. Our group of 11 and 7 boats were unloaded, and we quickly ate lunch and started our paddle. 

Sinker creek meanders for about 1.5km. We had been told the river was running at a medium-high level and the members of our group who had paddled this river before agreed that it was higher than normal. The first rapid we came too had to be portaged. We hoped that this wasn't going to be the case for the entire river. The next two rapids (Hook and Tourville) were lovely class 2 rapids that empties into Lebell Lake. The Lebell rapid was runnable by the solo canoes in our group but not by the tandems. When scouting this rapid look closely at the very bottom as 3 of our light boats got temporarily stalled on rocks here.

We found our first campsite between the Lebell and Breadner rapids. This campsite is too small for a larger group but we made it work. The late spring and floodwaters of 2019 imposed a harsh July bug season full of vicious black flies, mosquitos, deerflies and horseflies. Good fishing (mainly bass) was found at the bottom of the LeBell rapids.

Day 2: Sunday July 14th, 2019 Lebell Rapids to  Pogomasing

Temperatures dropped into the single digits overnight and the morning hours were chilly. Not wanting to get out of our sleeping bags we lingered inside until 7AM despite some group members being up for an hour by that point. After a quick breakfast we were on the water at 9AM headed to the Breakner Rapids. We paddled the top half and then portaged around the mandatory falls section of this rapid. Below the Breakner falls is long scoutable rapid that our group chose to run with empty boats after portaging gear through.

After the rapids, the river eases off as it enters the Inch Worm section with it's windy twisting flows and high sand riverbanks. This is a great section to observe wildlife be it  beavers, otters, kingfishers, various ducks, and sandpipers. This slow moving section took us 1.5 hours to complete. We stopped at an island campsite at the Forks where the two river channels converge.

The river changes it's character at the Forks with many swifts and easy rapids. The train follows the river here and it is fun to paddle alongside a whistling freight train. The sun on this day was intense and the river offered little to no shade for any relief. Make sure to pack sun hats and sunscreen - many  of our group got sunburned. A  total of 27km for the day.

We made it just past the Pogomasing train drop off and camped at a large site on river left. This site had a brand new privy in July 2019. Only 150m from the train tracks, we were awokened a couple times to hear the trains roar through feeling more like we were in a city than on the side of a remote river. We were in the tent at 8:40 seeking refuge from the hoards of biting insects.

​Day 3: Monday July 15th Pogomasing to Zig Zag Rapids

The 4km section of river just below our campsite was super enjoyable with several swifts and and stellar scenery. The river was alive with singing birds and wildlife and if the river continued like this everyone would have had a smile on their face a mile wide. That said, the river mellowed temporarily through a flatwater section until it hit the very beautiful Cliff Rapids. Here a tall cliff on river left which towers over a few good-looking campsites below. We stopped here for a quick break before the real work began. We headed into a 8km flatwater section that unfortunately for us had a difficult headwind that lasted all day. This section was a slog and we got through it. The only highlight was the large Osprey that flew overhead of us. Just before Spanish lake and after we had paddled 22km, we stopped at a sandbar for lunch with the group. We had split into two pods at this point - the faster tandem boats and the slower solo boats. 

Crossing the Spanish Lake took some time despite hugging the shoreline. We were relieved finally when gravity took over again and we hit some current. We ran Zig Zag Rapids and found a home at the campsite along the portage there. For some reason (maybe the warm wind) the bugs weren't as bad here which made this site enjoyable. We had stopped after 26.5km day at 2PM. Our group split up onto two sites as tentspots were sparse on these sites.

Day 4: Tuesday July 16th Zig Zag to Graveyard Rapids

This short 11km half day of paddling started out with some fun small rapids and swifts. The river makes three sharp 90 degree bends nicknames the Knuckle, the Wrist and the Elbow. The Elbow is a popular take out for many who want to do a shortened version of the river. 

We continued down to the section known as the Graveyard Rapids. We paddled to top of the Little Graveyard rapid and took out just before the falls at the bottom. The portage was shortened to about 80m but was tricky as the rocky nature of this portage became slippery with some light rain.

We ran the next short rapid and then hit the Big Graveyard Rapid which we portaged on river left. A kayaker in our group ran it an swam, another solo canoer ran it and barely made it down at this water level.

The final rapid in this series is the Cascades which you can lift over on the rocks on river right. We chose this as our campspot for the night. This site is nice and open and has many rocky outcroppings with small pools good for swimming and fishing. The relaxing afternoon here was spent fishing, swimming and hiding in the shade. The heat of the day was absorbed into the rocks making them feel like an oven at some points forcing us to take multiple swims.

We found some unripe blueberries at this site and deeply hidden in one patch was a small ground nest from an unknown with 5 blue eggs in it. The anglers of the group caught pike and walleye at this site which made for good eating.

​Day 5: Wednesday July 17th Graveyard to Reynold's Creek Campsite

We headed off at 9AM with a Bald Eagle family (mother, father and young) riding the thermals overhead. Just downstream from the Graveyard rapids was Agnes rapid which is a technical rocky rapid that I would classify a 3-.  We successfully ran this one without scouting and might have been my favourite of the trip. Just downstream is a long class 2 rapid called the Cedar Rapids which was also very enjoyable.

Our plan for the day was to paddle out to Agnew Lake, following the 'conveyor belt' of current from Cedar Rapids out. Unfortunately my husband and canoeing partner came down with a bout of heat exhaustion when the sun started to heat up at 10:30AM (most likely dehydrated from the oven day the day before) that included vomiting and nausea making canoeing impossible. After a two hour stop in the shade of a riverbank we were able to move him 6km downriver (unable to paddle and motion sick). A group effort included wet towels and cloths, filtering fluids, first aid meds, gathering salty foods, and planning our evacuation strategy. We had to stop at the Reynold's creek campsite (sidenote: this is a beautiful spot) so that he could spend the afternoon recovering in the shade, drink, and eat salty foods.  He did feel much better around dinnertime and the group didn't mind staying at this beautiful site with Old Growth trees, a creek and virtually no bugs! This put us about 20km behind schedule for the day but we made up the time by getting on the water early the next day. As we were paddling in the middle of the 7 boats, the first 3 boats went on without knowing what was going on. The stopped for lunch and waited for us but in hindsight we figured out that with 3 InReach satellite communication devices on the trip we could have communicated between devices in this emergency. We set that up that evening in case that was to ever happen again. 

Day 6 Thursday July 18th Reynold's to Agnew Lake Lodge

Up at 6AM and on the water by 7:20AM we whipped through the conveyor belt for the first 10km. At around the 12km to go mark on the map the river breathes a sigh of relief an relaxes into a delta of islands and flatwater. Here we saw our first sign of civilization: a motorboat! Just at the end of the river a tall cliff is noticeable on river left. Here we saw a family of red tailed hawks on a ledge with young flapping and squawking loudly. The two campsites nearest the lake look good. The wind gods were on our side from this point onward and we crossed Agnew Lake quickly. Our 4 hour paddle covered 26km from the Reynold's campsite, landing us at the lodge at 11:30AM. 

We settled up with the lodge for all of our campsite, shuttle and permit fees and headed home. 

Post trip: The Spanish is an excellent canoe tripping river for the intermediate canoeist. It's easy accessibility, scenery, and manageable whitewater make this river an instant classic.

The easiest way to get to the trailhead for Mt Carrigan is to drive on Sawyer River Road. This road is not open in the winter so it's best to check here to confirm it's still open. The 3.5km/2.2mile drive in on this gravel road was very easy in the fall of 2018. The road is narrow but smooth and good for any type of vehicle. The parking lot can hold about 20 cars and can get busy as it was on the day we chose to hike it: October 20th, 2018.

We arrived at the parking lot and as we were collecting our gear for the day I realized I couldn't find my hiking poles. After tearing the car apart, I used some creative visualization and realized I hadn't seen the poles since the end of our hike the day before. Hopping back in the car we drove 20 minutes back to Crawford Notch, expecting to find nothing in the parking lot from the day before. When we pulled in we found that some wonderful soul had stuck my poles in the grass beside the parking lot! We found them! I almost cried - these poles have been with me for thousands of miles on them. It's amazing how attached you can get to your gear! We quickly drove back to the Carrigan trailhead and begun our hike at 8:45AM.

Leaving the parking lot and for the next 4km (2.5miles), the trail ascends only 700ft. This fairly flat trail follows and crosses the Whiteface brook. During the fall season, the trail winds through deciduous forest which is a delight to walk through. On our hike day the wind was up and the skies opened up with a mixture of snow and rain. Our quick pace moved us around a few groups (one group had 16 people in it!) and found us spending most of the hike with no one around!

At the 2100ft mark, the slope angle begins to change and ascends at a steeper incline. For the next 2650ft the slope angle stays relatively the same and the trail makes a few switchbacks climbing gradually up the mountain. The skies dried up but the winds sounded fierce and we knew that the summit would require us to add a few layers to the one baselayer we were currently wearing. At 4400ft you arrive at the Signal Ridge - a flat exposed ridge with alpine scrub bordering each side of the trail. We layered up just before entering here and moved quickly through the wind and cloudy weather we found ourselves in. 

We scampered up the last few hundred feet to the summit and found it at 4757ft (I think the official height is 4700, but the firetower brings you to 4757!). We climbed the fire tower and took our summit photo with some fellow hikers celebrating a second NH round. Just below the fire tower we found a sheltered flat area that we used to fuel up and socialize. 

As we descended back to the ridge, the clouds broke apart and the sun came out. We got some views! Out came the camera and we snapped a few photos before descended down the trail again. Peeling off one layer at a time, we started with 5 layers at the summit and finished with one baselayer at the bottom. Taking one more lunch break at the brook crossing, we took in the fall colours and warm temps and enjoyed the natural surroundings. A short time later we were back at the parking lot - temperature in the parking lot was +14C as opposed to near freezing at the top with the windchill! Another great hike in the Whites! 

Hike Totals:
Distance: 10 miles or 16km
Time: 6 hours
Total Ascent: 4144ft
​.gpx track
Accommodations: Dry River Campground