AUGUST 2004
CANOE TRIP TO KILLARNEY PARK

Participants:
Jim Bailey  
Mike Reilly  
Bill Yacovissi
Bob Alspaugh
Hans Krohn
Terry Bryant
The Route:
Traversed the park starting at Bell Lake and exiting at Charlton Lake

Distance:  
38 miles of paddling and 6.38 miles of portaging
 
Started the trip at the Bell Lake access.  The Widgawa Lodge people met us with canoes and took our cars to the other side of the park.  Just paddled a short distance from the access that afternoon.  This is our first night's camp on Bell Lake.
There is a short carry over between Bell and Balsam Lakes.  I wasn't prepared for the strange track and cart contraption to lift canoes over the portage.  It reminded me of something out of MYST.  Anyway the cart goes in the water and the canoe sits on the cart and you pull the whole deal up the track.
We probably should have given Bob the opportunity to get out of the canoe before we reached to apex of the track.  After that it just like the Red Green Show.  I just remember the look of surprise on Bob's face as he went by, canoe and all.  Somehow he managed to avoid swamping the canoe as it plunged into the lake. 
Balsam lake was a beautiful lake to paddle.
The camp on Balsam lake had good waterfront and it was a sunny day.  
The next day we crossed David lake and made camp at the base of the ridgeline in the background.

Our camp on David Lake

Watched a seaplane come and go bringing a group to a cabin on the lake.  At first it was neat but after a few flights it got to be annoying. 

Spent the afternoon hiking to Silver Peak.  It was a great hike and worth the effort which was considerable.  Hiking in from David Lake involves going over one ridge, then down across a valley and up a second ridge.  This is a picture from the first ridge.

Jim, Terry, Mike, and Hans on top of Silver Peak
Next morning we did the 1.8 mile portage to Great Mountain Lake.  Here is Jim portaging pack and canoe up a rock face.
Here's me with pack and kitchen bag on the same portage.
After Great Mountain we did the portage to Fish Lake and made camp.  Sister Augustus always told Mike and I not to stand with our hands in our pockets. I guess we didn't learn that lesson.  Neither did Terry and Jim. 
I believe this is sunrise on Fish Lake.
Next morning headed down the swampy channel between Fish and Howry Lakes.  Jim and Hans are heading down the channel.
Had to crawl over a number of beaver dams to get down the channel.  Mike is on the dam.  I'm in the canoe on the other side of the dam.
After Howry Lake came Van Winkle Lake where we camped.  Bob and Terry starting out on Van Winkle.
Hans and Jim on the lake

Mike and Bill on the lake

Our camp on Van Winkle Lake
A nice shot across the lake from our camp on Van Winkle
Sunset over Van Winkle Lake I think.
We decided in March that a trip to Nellie Lake would be worth the effort.  It was, but the mile portage in was a real bear. The fact that it's preceded by a 3/4 mile portage with a short paddle between didn't help.  The portage starts with the steepest and longest uphill we've ever encountered on a portage.  Here's Bob slogging up the hill. 
Nellie Lake is beautiful and was worth the effort to get there.

Our camp on Nellie Lake  

We exited the park via Charlton lake.  The upper reaches of the lake is a series of beaver dams.  The last one was a few feet higher than the others but apparently broke leaving strange looking hoodoos of grass in the swamp.
Ended the trip with an overnight stay at the Widgawa Lodge
Took the ferry across Georgian Bay to Tobermory to begin the trip home.