June 19 - Day 2
A windy day on Rosebary Lake
It was overcast and somewhat cool. There was also a damp feeling to the air when I got out of my tent. It wasn't raining though and I was thankful. It was around 8am when I finally got my stove going and prepared coffee and oatmeal for my morning breakfast. The wind started to pick-up and I thought it was going to rain for sure, yet while I drank my coffee and ate my oatmeal the rain continued to hold off.
Just after 9am I set off in my canoe, my destination unknown. I looked down the narrows but saw no moose, the waterway was like a wind tunnel and so turned around and headed past my campsite up the East shore of Rosebary Lake.
The wind and waves were at my back and slightly off to the side. This made paddling up the lake along the shoreline literally a breeze (pun intended!). After nearly fifteen minutes I made landfall at a small sandy beach (No, not the big one on the North shore you might be thinking of). This beach was next to a shallow marshy bay and it looked like there might be a trail that led up from the shoreline. Maybe there was a trail over to the narrows? Examining the terrain closer, it certainly appeared to be an overgrown trail of some sorts, using a map (Jeffrey's Algonquin Map), seemed to confirm the existence of an old trail.
I resumed inspecting the beach and noticed lots of driftwood and many cedar logs and branches behind the beach. I began foraging for wood there, when at one point I heard some slithering very near my ear and looked up - straight into the face of a garter snake. The snake was on a cedar tree trunk that was partially buried in the surrounding soil. The snake had obviously been trying to sun it itself under the overcast sky, by stretching out along the cedar trunk. The snake moved back a bit (As did I) and began to smell me, by flicking its forked tongue in my direction. I backed up some more and dug out my camera and took a few pictures of this fine creature. Once I was done with the camera I headed back to my canoe and left the snake in peace.
I got back in my canoe and it started to rain. I paddled up the shoreline, rounding a point where I came upon a merganser and several ducklings, they immediately moved off as I went around the shallow grassy point and into the deep waters of the bay. I followed the bay into a beaver marsh until I could go no further and turned around. The rain began to subside as I made my way back out of the bay, now with the wind in my face. I was really taking my time and just after 11am I passed by a small island, guarded by a seagull and landed at a small beach campsite nearby. I had camped at the very same campsite five years earlier and wondered what kind of changes I would observe there.
The campsite seemed larger then I remembered it and there was a makeshift couch too, along with a modest supply of logs and stumps to cut up for firewood. There was also a makeshift table with a tabletop made out of old rusty sheet metal. I didn't hang around long and as I paddled away, I realized there was even less beach then when I had camped there previously, water levels were higher.The rear of the site was populated with Maple trees as well as poplar and birch. There was very little in the way of pine. It was a nice site, just not fantastic.
The short journey to my next stop was the very long beach on Rosebary Lake's north shore. As I approached the beach I noticed some blue sky as the cloud cover began to break-up, my hopes rose. I must've spent about half an hour on the beach; walking around, examining remains of turtle hatches, snake and moose tracks, etc. I eventually made my way to the neighbouring campsite on foot. There is a trail there and it is a bit rough but in a few minutes I found myself in a much larger clearing then the one at the last campsite.
The campsite had the look of being over-used though, many tree stumps populated the campsite where people had chopped trees down. I've also read that native artifacts have been found in the vicinity of the campsite and beach; Long ago the area attracted attention. Despite the used look to the campsite it isn't too bad; There is a small table for a kitchen and the site is sheltered somewhat from the lake as the shoreline is treed and then of course there's always the beach a short walk away. There seemed to be several areas to pitch a tent as the area was fairly flat and level.
Next, I paddled my way to the portage to Floating Heart Lake. There's not much to say; The approach is soft muck with a short boardwalk leading to firmer ground. The trail then heads into a typical buggy looking dense forest canopy. The portage signage itself did not report the length of the trail but looking at a map, I found out it was 365m. The clouds had moved off and I was bathed in glorious sunshine and June heat; no need to go for a walk on that portage!
I spent the next forty-five minutes paddling the West shore of the lake visiting the three camp sites located there. The second campsite down seemed to be the best out of the three sites. By 12:55pm I arrived at the 3,375m portage to David Creek. I had been here before as well as being at the other end of David Lake, looking for the portage across a large marsh(Many years earlier), but never did find it. I decided I was going to walk the trail and see where the portage came out in relation to David Lake.
There is a long shallow beach at the portage landing, barely enough to stretch your legs out, It was quite pleasant though, to be out of the blazing June sunshine and as I walked down the beach I noticed fresh moose tracks. Very fresh and as I began to follow them I looked further down the beach and just past the end of the beach in the bush of the shoreline was a cow moose with a calf alongside her. I fired off a shaky zoomed shot with my camera before the duo disappeared into the bush.
Looking out over the water I noticed a canoe coming onto the lake from the direction of Longbow Lake. The fellas were out fishing. I headed back to the portage and as I did so, started to notice the leeches in the sandy shallows. One, two, three, and two more made five. The more I looked the more I saw. There was a loon floating nearby too, perhaps 20 meters offshore. "You're my pal," I thought. "Come over here, lots of food for you, get those pesky leeches". The loon dove and I laughed resuming my trek to the trailhead.
The trail starts off in typical Algonquin Park style, plunging into the thick foliage of undergrowth and overhead forest canopy. About 100 meters in though the trail opened up and emerged onto an old road. There was a noticeable gap in the overhead canopy following the road and after perhaps three hundred meters, I was sweating like crazy. It was very hot and stuffy on the trail, the sun relentless. A horsefly landed on me and I quickly slapped it away, then a deerfly showed up and then another. Hey! I was on a weekend trip of relaxation not torture. I headed back to my canoe and eventually the 'safety' of the open waters. I'll leave that trail to another day when it is more appropriate; perhaps when it is raining or when I'm tripping, but not today!
I paddled the South shoreline, completely protected from the wind and enjoyed the views. The great thing about paddling the shoreline of Rosebary Lake is that it is canoe friendly; Very little in the way of angular rock exists to damage your canoe. The shoreline is mostly sand with mucky areas. What rock there is, is mostly flat and with the lake's clarity makes the rock easily avoided. I headed back to camp and had two more sausages for lunch and two semi-cold beers to wash them down, then snoozed for about an hour. At 2:55pm I took a temperature reading of 25.6°C. It was nice out and the winds were picking up some more, making for my stay around camp very pleasant. What bugs there were flying around, were keep at bay and the sound of the trees and bush moving about in the wind added to my pleasure of the surroundings.
From my campsite I spied the two men (From Longbow Lake) fishing, catching a trout. While down by the David Creek portage they had caught another fish earlier as well. I fished from shore as the wind was really kicking up and would've made my solo venture to fish a real pain in the back. I had no luck after 45 minutes of casting.
By 7pm a moose was back out in the narrows feeding, the winds having died down just a tad, but still gusty. I ventured out with my camera once again. I stopped to perhaps within 3 or 4 canoe lengths of the moose and began taking pictures when all of a sudden a strong gusty breeze blew-up. I was alarmed and put down may camera as fast as I could and picked up my paddle as the wind drove me straight at the moose! I corrected my course and as I drifted by the moose at barely 10 feet away, I picked up my camera again (I couldn't resist) and snapped a few quick photos as I passed by, the moose pausing in its feeding to give me a look. I resumed paddling putting distance between myself and the moose and let the breeze carry me towards longbow Lake. The return paddle promised to be a workout.
There were no other moose in the area so I turned around and began the long slow paddle back to camp. The shallows aided me as a few times I was blown around and the thick aquatic plant vegetation slowed me down, allowing me to correct my course, not a boring paddle at all.
I arrived back at camp around 8:30pm and had dinner. Just a simple meal; Chick pea curry over a bed of rice. I had a nice tall cool nalgene bottle of water and watched the moon play over the waters that night amid the shifting breezes of a dying wind. It was one of those nights when I was truly happy to be at the lake side; there was so much to see and hear, just another magical day and night in Algonquin Park and as before, no bugs!
A windy day on Rosebary Lake
It was overcast and somewhat cool. There was also a damp feeling to the air when I got out of my tent. It wasn't raining though and I was thankful. It was around 8am when I finally got my stove going and prepared coffee and oatmeal for my morning breakfast. The wind started to pick-up and I thought it was going to rain for sure, yet while I drank my coffee and ate my oatmeal the rain continued to hold off.
Just after 9am I set off in my canoe, my destination unknown. I looked down the narrows but saw no moose, the waterway was like a wind tunnel and so turned around and headed past my campsite up the East shore of Rosebary Lake.
The wind and waves were at my back and slightly off to the side. This made paddling up the lake along the shoreline literally a breeze (pun intended!). After nearly fifteen minutes I made landfall at a small sandy beach (No, not the big one on the North shore you might be thinking of). This beach was next to a shallow marshy bay and it looked like there might be a trail that led up from the shoreline. Maybe there was a trail over to the narrows? Examining the terrain closer, it certainly appeared to be an overgrown trail of some sorts, using a map (Jeffrey's Algonquin Map), seemed to confirm the existence of an old trail.
I resumed inspecting the beach and noticed lots of driftwood and many cedar logs and branches behind the beach. I began foraging for wood there, when at one point I heard some slithering very near my ear and looked up - straight into the face of a garter snake. The snake was on a cedar tree trunk that was partially buried in the surrounding soil. The snake had obviously been trying to sun it itself under the overcast sky, by stretching out along the cedar trunk. The snake moved back a bit (As did I) and began to smell me, by flicking its forked tongue in my direction. I backed up some more and dug out my camera and took a few pictures of this fine creature. Once I was done with the camera I headed back to my canoe and left the snake in peace.
I got back in my canoe and it started to rain. I paddled up the shoreline, rounding a point where I came upon a merganser and several ducklings, they immediately moved off as I went around the shallow grassy point and into the deep waters of the bay. I followed the bay into a beaver marsh until I could go no further and turned around. The rain began to subside as I made my way back out of the bay, now with the wind in my face. I was really taking my time and just after 11am I passed by a small island, guarded by a seagull and landed at a small beach campsite nearby. I had camped at the very same campsite five years earlier and wondered what kind of changes I would observe there.
A common garter snake sunning itself upon a dead cedar tree trunk
An adult merganser with many ducklings
The campsite seemed larger then I remembered it and there was a makeshift couch too, along with a modest supply of logs and stumps to cut up for firewood. There was also a makeshift table with a tabletop made out of old rusty sheet metal. I didn't hang around long and as I paddled away, I realized there was even less beach then when I had camped there previously, water levels were higher.The rear of the site was populated with Maple trees as well as poplar and birch. There was very little in the way of pine. It was a nice site, just not fantastic.
The short journey to my next stop was the very long beach on Rosebary Lake's north shore. As I approached the beach I noticed some blue sky as the cloud cover began to break-up, my hopes rose. I must've spent about half an hour on the beach; walking around, examining remains of turtle hatches, snake and moose tracks, etc. I eventually made my way to the neighbouring campsite on foot. There is a trail there and it is a bit rough but in a few minutes I found myself in a much larger clearing then the one at the last campsite.
Paddling through some shallow grasses on Rosebary Lake
Arrival at a campsite on Rosebary Lake's North shore
The campsite had the look of being over-used though, many tree stumps populated the campsite where people had chopped trees down. I've also read that native artifacts have been found in the vicinity of the campsite and beach; Long ago the area attracted attention. Despite the used look to the campsite it isn't too bad; There is a small table for a kitchen and the site is sheltered somewhat from the lake as the shoreline is treed and then of course there's always the beach a short walk away. There seemed to be several areas to pitch a tent as the area was fairly flat and level.
The beautiful beach on Rosebary Lake's north shore
The campsite immediately west of the north shore beach
Next, I paddled my way to the portage to Floating Heart Lake. There's not much to say; The approach is soft muck with a short boardwalk leading to firmer ground. The trail then heads into a typical buggy looking dense forest canopy. The portage signage itself did not report the length of the trail but looking at a map, I found out it was 365m. The clouds had moved off and I was bathed in glorious sunshine and June heat; no need to go for a walk on that portage!
Another image of the campsite immediately west of the north shore beach
Looking at the north shore beach from the campsite west of the beach
I spent the next forty-five minutes paddling the West shore of the lake visiting the three camp sites located there. The second campsite down seemed to be the best out of the three sites. By 12:55pm I arrived at the 3,375m portage to David Creek. I had been here before as well as being at the other end of David Lake, looking for the portage across a large marsh(Many years earlier), but never did find it. I decided I was going to walk the trail and see where the portage came out in relation to David Lake.
There is a long shallow beach at the portage landing, barely enough to stretch your legs out, It was quite pleasant though, to be out of the blazing June sunshine and as I walked down the beach I noticed fresh moose tracks. Very fresh and as I began to follow them I looked further down the beach and just past the end of the beach in the bush of the shoreline was a cow moose with a calf alongside her. I fired off a shaky zoomed shot with my camera before the duo disappeared into the bush.
One of the campsites on Rosebary Lake's west shoreline
Another campsite on the west shore of the lake, nearby is the portage to David Creek
Looking out over the water I noticed a canoe coming onto the lake from the direction of Longbow Lake. The fellas were out fishing. I headed back to the portage and as I did so, started to notice the leeches in the sandy shallows. One, two, three, and two more made five. The more I looked the more I saw. There was a loon floating nearby too, perhaps 20 meters offshore. "You're my pal," I thought. "Come over here, lots of food for you, get those pesky leeches". The loon dove and I laughed resuming my trek to the trailhead.
The trail starts off in typical Algonquin Park style, plunging into the thick foliage of undergrowth and overhead forest canopy. About 100 meters in though the trail opened up and emerged onto an old road. There was a noticeable gap in the overhead canopy following the road and after perhaps three hundred meters, I was sweating like crazy. It was very hot and stuffy on the trail, the sun relentless. A horsefly landed on me and I quickly slapped it away, then a deerfly showed up and then another. Hey! I was on a weekend trip of relaxation not torture. I headed back to my canoe and eventually the 'safety' of the open waters. I'll leave that trail to another day when it is more appropriate; perhaps when it is raining or when I'm tripping, but not today!
The 'South' beach on Rosebary Lake, next to the portage trailhead to David Creek
I paddled the South shoreline, completely protected from the wind and enjoyed the views. The great thing about paddling the shoreline of Rosebary Lake is that it is canoe friendly; Very little in the way of angular rock exists to damage your canoe. The shoreline is mostly sand with mucky areas. What rock there is, is mostly flat and with the lake's clarity makes the rock easily avoided. I headed back to camp and had two more sausages for lunch and two semi-cold beers to wash them down, then snoozed for about an hour. At 2:55pm I took a temperature reading of 25.6°C. It was nice out and the winds were picking up some more, making for my stay around camp very pleasant. What bugs there were flying around, were keep at bay and the sound of the trees and bush moving about in the wind added to my pleasure of the surroundings.
The signage at the trailhead of the portage to David Creek: 3,375m
The portage to David Creek follows an old road for some distance
From my campsite I spied the two men (From Longbow Lake) fishing, catching a trout. While down by the David Creek portage they had caught another fish earlier as well. I fished from shore as the wind was really kicking up and would've made my solo venture to fish a real pain in the back. I had no luck after 45 minutes of casting.
A cow moose and her calf on Rosebary Lake
By 7pm a moose was back out in the narrows feeding, the winds having died down just a tad, but still gusty. I ventured out with my camera once again. I stopped to perhaps within 3 or 4 canoe lengths of the moose and began taking pictures when all of a sudden a strong gusty breeze blew-up. I was alarmed and put down may camera as fast as I could and picked up my paddle as the wind drove me straight at the moose! I corrected my course and as I drifted by the moose at barely 10 feet away, I picked up my camera again (I couldn't resist) and snapped a few quick photos as I passed by, the moose pausing in its feeding to give me a look. I resumed paddling putting distance between myself and the moose and let the breeze carry me towards longbow Lake. The return paddle promised to be a workout.
A canoe of two men trolls for trout on Rosebary Lake on a June afternoon
Next to an 58mm lens cap are many tiny bones of a small rodent, perhaps a chipmunk or a mouse, I have seen this on many occasions through-out The Park
There were no other moose in the area so I turned around and began the long slow paddle back to camp. The shallows aided me as a few times I was blown around and the thick aquatic plant vegetation slowed me down, allowing me to correct my course, not a boring paddle at all.
This bull moose was not bothered by the gusty winds nor by my quiet presence in passing
I arrived back at camp around 8:30pm and had dinner. Just a simple meal; Chick pea curry over a bed of rice. I had a nice tall cool nalgene bottle of water and watched the moon play over the waters that night amid the shifting breezes of a dying wind. It was one of those nights when I was truly happy to be at the lake side; there was so much to see and hear, just another magical day and night in Algonquin Park and as before, no bugs!
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