Copyright 1995-1999 Bill Cunningham

                               (The Preparation) A trip to the Outfitters!
 If  you enjoy rustic canoe camping as much as I do,  a visit to the  local  outfitters can leave you wandering around  with your tongue  hanging out.  I'm 6 foot 2,  about 230 pounds, and  have learned  the hard way that folding over like a clam and  waddling into a 3 man dome tent for 4 glorious days of thunderstorms is no longer at the top of my 'fun' list. Now, every year I pack enough stuff to live and eat like a sunburned king for eight or ten days, and am continuously on the prowl for more.

 My  eyes  glaze  over while rummaging through row after  row of absolutely  can't-do-without  neet  &  nifty  stuff. 

 A  book  on  how  to  bear  proof  your  campsite! This looks interesting, Says  here  if you sprinkle moth balls around  the perimeter  of your camp,  the bears will stay clear! 
I  have visions  of a normally docile bear rampaging through my campsite with a stinging mothball wedged in its nose. Or, simply being kept awake all  night  by  dozens of racoons gagging and wheezing in the wilderness.

 Hey....Freeze  dried  food!  Says on the package  that  this envelope will feed Six,  "Just add water". Tried this stuff on my last canoe trip. I had no water and I was hungry, so just ate the contents and washed it down with a big plastic bottle of coke.  A little dry, but a pretty good instant meal. On reflection, perhaps the freeze dried beans were not the wisest choice! 
The following morning I was greeted by a young couple that had paddled over  to my  island  campsite with hopes of catching a glimpse of the moose that had kept them awake all night.

I grabbed four packages, and made a mental note to avoid this stuff during hunting season. 

 Well,   what  have  I  got  here, Matches, rope, candles, mothballs,  coke, and four packages of freeze dried moose calls. All set... 

 The day arrives, everything packed in the car, large backpack, canoe  pack,  two  small  packs,  canoe on the roof and  all  the paraphernalia  shoved in the trunk.  With rain pouring  down  and lightning flashing in the distance I bid farewell to the wife and kids, shoved the car into gear and motor off into the unknown.

 The  logging  road that leads to the interior access  point is strewn with stones the size of five pin bowling balls. For the entire three miles,  wet rocks squeezed out from under my tires like  cherry  pits, and whistled off into the woods from both sides of my car. I checked my camera gear, if Bambi and Bullwinkle were going to get beaned, I wanted it on film....

This is how most of my camping trips start,  But, once the rain clears, and the lightning subsides, Algonquin is the most serene place in Central Ontario. Enjoy the Pictures Below,  4 From the Hwy. 60 Corridor, and 6 from the Tim Lake/Tim River area (Only accessible by canoe) on the west side of the park. Some of the views are spectacular.