Triplogs / Triplog#57 / Day 2 / Day 3
May 10 - Day 3 - Waking up on Birchcliffe Lake
Outside the cabin: Beautiful spring weather
It was a beautiful warm sunny May morning when I finally got up and stepped outside the cabin, it was 7:00 am. After breakfast we decided we were going check out the 1010m portage to Calm Lake, and then do some fishing on Birchcliffe Lake when we returned. It was around 8:30am when we were just about to head out, that we heard something sloshing through the lake. A quick scan showed a bull moose walking along the lake's south east shoreline, towards the North end of the lake. We decided to follow the the moose in our canoe. We launched and paddled around to the East side of the cabin, heading towards the moose. The moose became aware of our presence but seemed unconcerned by it, as he only gave us the odd look now and then. We closed into perhaps 25m..about 5 or 6 canoe lengths beside and slightly behind the moose. After a few photos, we dropped behind and paused waiting to see where the moose was going. The moose had some fur loss on it's hide, along the spine and shoulders, but not much, and also had a pretty good start on the season's antler growth. This moose seemed to have faired quite well during the winter. After a few minutes, he reached an open bay where there were many lily pads and other aquatic plants growing in abundance. We watched for a few minutes as the moose began to feed, then we decided to turn around and leave the moose in peace. We headed for the 1010m portage. We noticed as we paddled back to the cabin and beyond to the portage, that the lake appeared to be shallow, quite shallow in some spots. I was beginning to wonder if there were any deep spots in the lake.
Bull Moose on Birchcliffe Lake
Red Trillium
Shortly after 10:00 am we arrived at the grassy/weedy and muddy take-out to the 1010m portage to Calm Lake. We left the canoe behind as this was to be a quick jaunt on foot to the lake and back. The portage climbs a little at the beginning but then quickly sinks back down into the surrounding swamp. There are many boardwalks as the trail goes through the heart of the swamp. Indeed, many of the boardwalks were flooded, and with the few fallen trees across the boardwalk section of the trail, it was a little haphazard to navigate through. About one third of the trail goes through the swamp, with the rest ascending through much elevation change and drier land. Without a doubt the climb to Calm Lake is a long one and steep. On the West side of the climb, the land drops off into deep recesses, through which a creek from Calm Lake drains into Birchcliffe Lake, each side of the trail drops off, as the trails straddles an Esker pretty much the whole length up to Calm Lake. If you are carrying a canoe or fully loaded pack, you have a long hike upwards ahead of you. The portage itself was in excellent condition despite the problems of the boardwalk mentioned earlier, it was early in the season, and we suspected the rangers hadn't been through the area yet. This area had come out of winter in fairly good shape.
Along the portage to Calm Lake
Just before 11:00am we reached a logging road that intersects the portage and the creek (Bridge removed) from Calm Lake. It is only a matter of a few more minutes of ascent after we crossed the logging road that we finally came upon Calm Lake. We examined both campsites on Calm Lake. Both are small, with small fire-pits and benches that at the time were in excellent condition. We had to bushwhack a little ways and cross the creek to get to the Westernmost campsite on the lake. It is surrounded by many dead trees, but is otherwise a small campsite. We both preferred the East campsite. Calm Lake is a small lake, and can easily be crossed in a matter of a few minutes. We headed back down the portage to Birchcliffe Lake, taking in the sights around us. With the early spring, much of the forest was still bare and we could see a long ways off into the forest. The view coming back down was much better than coming up, and less arduous too!
The view from a ridge looking back to Birchcliffe Lake
Expect the unexpected:
Crossing portages early in the season can be cumbersome
By noon we were back at our canoe and paddled back through the small marsh back to Birchcliffe Lake proper. It was very warm out and the day was getting better by the moment, much of the partial overcast was gone now replaced by scattered clouds.
After we emerged onto the lake, we tried our hand at fishing. The bay from where the creek emptied into Birchcliffe Lake seemed a good as spot as any to try our luck. Almost immediately both Mike & I got a strike. My fish was right next to the canoe, and I looked down to see a small brook trout, just as it leaped off my barbless hook. Mike reeled his in, it was a small brook trout as well, but he was able to land it. Our lines in again, and each of us another hit. This time it was a bigger fish by the feel of it, and as before as it got close to the canoe my fish got off the hook. Mike brought his fish in, another brook trout, this one slightly larger. Mike 2, Markus 0. But that was it. We fished for another hour and nothing, not even any more hits. It was weird, and we decided to head back to the cabin for a small fish fry.
Arrival back on Birchcliffe Lake: Let's fish!
After our small lunch of small trout which was very good, we decided to paddle around the lake for a bit. We visited the only two campsites on the lake. The first along the south shore of the lake is accessible by foot from the cabin, as long as you wear boots as it is muddy along the trail. We paddled to the campsite and landed upon a smooth rock shore. The campsite has a great sunning rock at the shore. The campsite itself was in poor shape. A large pine had fallen, effectively halving the campsite in two. The fire-pit was on the other side of the fallen tree, and the trail to the thunderbox was overgrown, but useable. There was very little in the way of tenting areas, and there looked like another pine might come crashing down the next time a strong windstorm might come along. Also the campsite signage was posted on a dead tree at the head of the campsite. Obviously the campsite was seldom used or attended to. Nevertheless it would make a great summer campsite, as it is exposed to the elements.
The second campsite located along the west shore(across the bay from the first campsite), was more attractive in that it was East facing and had some protection from Northwest winds. The landing was terrible though, having to scamper up rock to the rock outcropping that marked a major feature of the campsite. I was dismayed to find a gas canister in the thunderbox. It seems that even here deep into the interior of Algonquin Park, there is still irresponsible campers afoot. I don't think anyone expects campers to be perfect, but to be wilful in leaving behind trash or willfully damaging Park facilities is just plain wrong. I had hoped to see none of this behaviour this far in.
Near the portage to Calm Lake
Mike grabbed a rock before we departed, and when we were in the canoe, Mike tied it to the end of our emergency rope. As we paddled across the lake and threw out our fishing lines, Mike put his make-shift anchor into the water. For the next few hours we lazily paddled around the shoreline and out towards the middle of the lake, fishing, marking depths with the anchor, and came up with nothing in the way of fish, not even any bites, but then we found out why. The deepest spot that we could find on the lake was around 14 feet, near the centre of the lake, more West of centre. With all the readings we took, we averaged the depth to be merely 8 feet! Pretty darn shallow. On the east end of the lake it was even worse…it seemed everywhere we paddled it was only about 4 or 5 feet deep. Birchcliffe wasn't a lake, it was just a big pond! It was spring flood and there wasn't much water, no telling what summer would bring, especially a dry one. Much too shallow to have any prized brook trout in it.
We were a little disappointed, but not that surprised, as we noticed inside the cabin various photos and paintings of the cabin. A few photos showed people out in ankle deep water offshore from the cabin in weedy waters, obviously in summer. Another photo of a heavily sweating man cooking inside the cabin. I don't know why he was cooking inside, or even renting a cabin in the heat of the summer. It must've been hot in there! There was a lovely painting of the cabin surrounded by tall pines, and it must've been lovely to be there with all those tall trees, but now most of them were gone and I suspect they fell in the storms of 2006 for the fallen trees around the cabin hadn't even begun to suffer from rot yet, that and the painting was dated only a year or two before 2006.
First Catch: Mike's brook trout,
fresh from Birchcliffe Lake
A young bull moose that looked like it had barely survived the winter
We paddled over to the East shoreline to see if our moose from earlier in the day was around. Our bull moose wasn't there, but another male was. He had to be the scruffiest looking moose I had ever seen. I figured he was probably only 3 or 4 years old, not yet in his prime. There was a fair amount of fur loss along the moose's shoulders and spine, it looked terribly emaciated. I speculated that it had just barely survived the winter, and was now doing it's best to recoup what it had lost during the hard months. It also had a small set of antlers that were starting to grow. It was nearly 7:00 pm, after watching the moose for about 15 minutes we decided to head back to the cabin for dinner. We were about to turn around when we noticed another moose emerging from the forest onto the shoreline. It looked to be the same moose we had seen earlier in the morning. We stopped and observed the older moose approach the feeding area in which the younger sick looking moose was feeding.
The young moose began to move north as it fed, and pretty soon the older bull moose caught up to it. In the next 78 seconds we got to see some moose activity that neither Mike or I had ever seen before.
A bull moose bluffs a charge at a younger bull moose
Mike enjoying another fine evening at Birchcliffe Lake
The young moose was feeding faced towards the older moose, and as the older moose passed the young one by, The ears of the young moose became droopy, and stood still. Almost as if it were being submissive. Then the bull moose turned around to face the younger moose. The young moose turned as well, now facing the older bull. As it did so, the ears on the older moose drooped as well. Then the older bull moose made a bluff charge at the younger one, whose ears now perked up. The younger moose backed off, seemingly to have lost it's privileges to feeding in the area. The older moose began to feed as the younger one moved off. This kind off behaviour seemed out of season to me, seems I have much to learn about moose.
It is scenes like this that I dream about when I'm far away from Algonquin Park. I've always loved observing nature and the wildlife that dwells within it, but to witness the interaction among species such as moose was a real treat. Mike was thrilled as well. The fishing might be terrible on Birchcliffe Lake, but the wildlife viewing certainly wasn't!
2nd evening on Birchcliffe Lake, the solitude factor was fantastic!
We left almost immediately after the confrontation, and headed back to the cabin. We then had dinner, of what it was I cannot remember. But I do remember that it was a fine evening of bright sunshine and a fabulous sunset and no wind. As we sat there outside, we could hear the moose travelling along the shoreline, tracking west towards the sunset where we lost him in the shadows. It was another peaceful sunset on Birchcliffe Lake. Later that night at around 10:00 pm we had a toast to another friend of ours, "Stainless" who was also in The Park, much farther to the south. It was another great night around the fire; solitude, friendship, and the sound of loons in the distance.
