| Author |
Message |
heed
Member
Post Number: 2
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 10:50 am: | 
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Thanks for all the great feedback on the Isphatina trip I was planning. The general advice from all you seems to be that Maple Mountain is the much better choice.
My problem now is that we only have 4 nights for the trip. From your experience will that be enough time to complete a Maple Mountain loop, including a climb to the top?
Leaving from Mowat Landing I am now considering the following as daily campsites:
Day 1 - Lady Evelyn Lake
Day 2 - Tupper Lake
Day 3 - Climb Maple, then on to Anvil Lake
Day 4 - Mendelsohn Lake
Day 5 - Back to Mowat Landing
I know that a canoe trip can never be planned perfectly (weather will often make choices for you), but under normal condidtions is the above route reasonable? We are good paddlers, but don't want to be doing 12 hour days or anything like that.
I was allowing one extra night (a 5th night) as a spare along the way. Should we run into bad weather. However, according to the route on the back of my Temagami map, this is a 6-7 day trip and we'll be doing it in 5-6. |
tripper_dave
Member
Post Number: 17
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 7:26 pm: |
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I did the Maple Mountain loop you're considering last year with three others. If you push hard it's a 5 to 6 day trip with no layovers without the Maple Mountain hike.
The portage into Mendelsohn is a long and muddy one and the trip out of Mendelsohn to the Montreal River on Spray Creek is peppered with beaver dams.
It took us seven days with one layover to do the loop without the trip up the mountain.
Unless you're willing to put in some hard paddling days, I'd not expect to see you do the trip with the mountain run in less than seven days.
However, you could just paddle in from Mowat Landing to Maple Mountain and back in about 5 to 6 days with good weather.
Just my 2 cents worth. The actual value may vary depending on the exchange rate.
Dave
(Message edited by tripper_dave on June 14, 2004) |
tsm
Member
Post Number: 22
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 14, 2004 - 9:07 pm: |
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Wanna knock a few days off your trip? Fly in! |
daveb
Member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 6:35 am: |
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Anvil to Mendelsohn is two hard days. |
ed
Moderator
Post Number: 80
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 8:31 am: |
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Heed:
You could select a different trip to do within your time frame of 4 nights for your first visit to Temagami.
You could do the Temagami, Diamond, Wakimika, Obabika route in 4 days, while visiting the old growth areas in the North end of Obabika. This is a popular route and will be busy like Algonquin but it is relatively easy to do and covers a lot of territory.
You could start from the central Access Road or drive further up #11 and use the Red Squirrel Road to gain access to Ferguson Bay in the North end of Lake Temagami.Then either go South to Devil Bay and into Obabika Inlet and do the circle or go West to Whitefish Bay and Sharp Rock Inlet and do the loop. That might be better as the summer winds are usually from the SW.
Or: Do the Maple Mountain Trip but change it as follows:
Leave from Mowat Landing and paddle to the North end of the West branch of LE, then to Hobart, then Maple Mountain, leaving in the afternoon and going South on Willow Island portaging into the South end of LE (a long day). Stay on LE and then go to the East side portaging into Sugar Lake.Then back to Mowats Landing.
I would consult Hap's new book on the Sugar Lake route or someone here who has taken it recently may have some comments.
LE is a big lake and the winds, again usually from the SW can get pretty strong. |
tess
Member
Post Number: 30
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 4:44 pm: |
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Tripper Dave,
I also did the trip last August (in reverse). All but two beaver dams were destroyed on Spray Creek. Made that part of the trip much easier.
Also, I have to pull my log out, but there was one inacessable portage north of Bergeron, between two small lakes. I found a new entrance to the middle of the portage through some bog and reeds. I am not at home so will look this up tonight and post the exact location tomorrow.
You are right though Dave, the elements and the size of some of the lakes can easily make this a seven day trip... |
tripper_dave
Member
Post Number: 18
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 8:17 pm: |
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Our canoeing group has been talking about doing the Maple Mountain loop again but allowing 14 days to trip it.
The short seven day run we did last year was OK but we missed a lot of things including the hike to the top. Fast trips always seem to end with many lost memories of where one has been. The memories of the magical areas on a creek during a rain or the once in a lifetime view of a sunset while paddling can be lost in the rush.
Canoeing is supposed to be a way to slow down from the rapid pace that we live in day after day. A way to slow the mind and the heart and reconnect to the wilderness we love.
Maybe with the extra time allowed on our next trip we can stop, explore the areas we passed through quickly, revisit the memories lost, and explore the top of Maple Mountain once again.
The stars you can see in the sky when on Maple Mountain is worth the effort to get to the top.
Dave |
heed
Member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 8:35 am: |
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Dave,
I agree with you 100%. As much as I like to cover a lot of distance early in the morning, I like to take the afternoon off, set camp early, swim, eat, relax (all that good stuff).
I wish we had more time for a Maple Mountain trip, but with only 5 nights I think we may go back to the original plan of Ishpatina.
It might not be as breathtaking a view as Maple, but the seclusion of it and the fact that it is less traveled might make it exactly what we are looking for.
Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. I guess we'll leave Maple Mountain for another time. |
c_mel
Member
Post Number: 41
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 8:47 am: |
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G'day Heed!
5 nights you say - that should be 6 days eh? That is enough time, (not the loop) if it takes you 2 days to paddle in, 1 day to hike, 2 days out and a day in reserve for wind - that should be plenty. You can paddle from Mowatt to Sucker Gut in a good day with favourable winds. The Lady Lake in interesting enough it itself. |
alscool
Member
Post Number: 39
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2004 - 9:11 am: |
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This is the dog and myself on Maple Mouintain this spring. This spectacular view, looking south east, we could see our basecamp down on SuckerGut and our approach through Hobart and Tupper Lakes.
In retrospect, we could have basecamped closer to the trail head. That way we could have spent some time looking for the lost Ojibwa canoe of lore. |
tripper_dave
Member
Post Number: 19
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 6:28 pm: |
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Excellent photo Alscool! It brought back a lot of memories. And dogscool looks happy being there.
Dave
(Message edited by tripper_dave on June 18, 2004) |
mehingan
Member
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - 1:05 pm: |
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Looking forward to my first Maple Mountain trip! sounds fun! |
Temagami canoe routes & backcountry travel