Chris Johnston has submitted a trip-log of a memorable trip he took with friends back in 2009 .. Algonquin 2009 – Access Point 22 – Grand Lake (Achray) .. through Carcajou Bay, Lower Spectacle Lake, Upper Spectacle Lake, Little Carcajou Lake, Wenda Lake and portaging back to Grand Lake.

"At Little Carcajou Lake, we took our time paddling, spent a little over an hour filling up our water bottles, ate the remainder of our lunch and even had time to try our luck at fishing. But again, we caught nothing. After the final relatively short but very rough portage, we finally made it to Wenda Lake and the cabin around 5:00pm. When we opened the cabin door, we quickly realized that the cabin was insulated from the hot summer air and it felt as though the cabin had air conditioning, which was a welcome treat on a hot summer day."

Notification was officially received from Brian Crane (Ontario Negotiator for the Algonquins of Ontario Lands Claim Process) that a Proposed Agreement-in-Principle has just been initialled by the negotiators and is now publically available. This document is based on extensive consultation and feedback on the Preliminary Draft Agreement-in-Principle December 2012. Documentation can be downloaded as follows ...
Ontario Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs website Notification
Executive Summary of the Algonquins of Ontario Proposed Agreement-in-Principle
Algonquins of Ontario Proposed Agreement-in-Principle
Algonquin Land Claim Harvesting Maps
Additional Information

Cathy Quigg has posted on her blog, an account of her trip out of the Achray access point .. across Grand Lake to Upper Spectacle Lake and into Little Carcajou Lake and back .. Grand Lake to Upper Spectacle Lake; in to Little Carcajou Lake and Return (Victoria Day Weekend 2015), with some great photo illustrations.

"We paddled a narrow channel through a marshy area for a good 15 minutes before LT decided to check the map. We were going the wrong way, but it didn’t take long to get back to the portage and head towards Lower Spectacle Lake. As we turned in that direction we were directly above the roaring waterfalls. They look very innocuous from above – just a line on the horizon, nothing at all really. The roar reminds you that all is not what it appears to be. It also makes me instantly scared to death."

Andrew Lavigne has posted online, his account of his recent May 8th to 10th canoe trip with his friends, out of the Shall Lake access point. They travelled through Farm, Kitty and Booth Lakes .. and then looped through Ryegrass, Rumley, Godda and Mole Lakes .. and returned down McCarthy Creek to Booth Lake again, and back .. Godda Lake Loop From Shall Lake. It's a very well written trip-log, with great photos and an interactive "trackmap".

"We surveyed the damage. Dave's tarp had several corners shredded; In the nearby tent, Nel had had her thumb twisted and pulled by the force of the flying canoe against the tent she was in. Our campfire, roaring strong before the storm, was now only smoking and steaming (although there still seemed to be a core of hot coals). We were all partially soaked in some manner or other, and a few items of food near the campfire had been waterlogged. Overall, though, we'd come through it all fairly cleanly."

"Derek" has posted the account of his recent day-hike to Western Uplands Trail High Point Height on the OntarioHighpoints.com website

"Peak 564 is a high hill in Algonquin Park and the 2nd highest point in Southern Ontario. The hill is adjacent to the midpoint along the 2nd Loop of the Western Uplands Trail, near Tern Lake. With it’s close proximity to a well established backpacking trail, it is a possible multi-day hike destination. Alternatively, one can reach the peak in a long day hike from Arowhon Road. There are no views from the broad treed summit, but hikers can enjoy the vistas along many of the lakes and ponds on the approach."

Announcing the Algonquin Adventures 2015 Paddling Trip-log Contest.. a contest for Algonquin Park trip-logs .. for conventional "text-and-photos-compositions" in word-processor format. All contest submissions will be subject to inclusion in the website's Trip-log Inventory. Limited to logs of trips actually done in 2015 and with a submission cut-off of December 1st, the contest results will be announced by March 1st of 2016.

Judging will focus on the trip-logs' literary quality, photographic illustrations, as well as backcountry skills and ethics content. Algonquin Outfitters is providing five 1st prizes of a $100 AO gift card each, while Algonquin Adventures is providing five 2nd prizes of a $50 AO gift card each!     Full details here.

The Algonquin Forestry Authority usually releases its initial annual Schedule of Operations Map about this time of year. However, this time around, they prepared a tentative 2015-2016 Schedule of Operations Map back in December of 2014, illustrating the opportunity for inspection of their Approved 2015–2016 Annual Work Schedule.

While the timeframe for release of the AFA Operations Map was moved forward this year, the map states, "Subject to Revision - Scheduling of operations may vary". Accordingly, it might be prudent to periodically revist the AFA website's "Annual Work Schedule" to verify details of the 2015-2016 Schedule of Operations Map when planning 2015 Algonquin Park trips, so as to minimize exposure to noises associated with logging.

Ian Tendy's 'Wordpress' account of his 2014 Civic Holiday weekend trip out of Rain Lake to Casey and Islet Lakes is illustrated with some 'clickable' photos that take one to some really enjoyable crystal-sharp large-version images .. Triplog – Civic Holiday 2014..

"The portaging had taken it out of all of us, and we needed a bit of rest before heading out fishing again. It was that dangerous “rubbery-legged” type of tired which signaled overheating and dehydration, so we were taking it easy. A quick trip out beach combing for lumber loaded us up for the night and beyond, then we set out fishing in earnest. Being much shallower and warmer Islet is a haven for bass, and we caught our fair share."

So far this year, four additions have been made to the website's Portage Campsite Inventory.

They are .. Ragged Lake's Campsite # 9 .. Bonnechere Lake's Campsite # 1 .. Bonnechere Lake's Campsite # 5 , plus a second submission for Big Porcupine Lake's Campsite #13 .

Submissions to the Portage Campsite Inventory needn't conform to a strict format. PCI Worksheets are provided simply as "aids" in the gathering of information or as convenient "checklists".

Recently interest developed on the website's forum in the proper identification of fish species, the protection of their native populations and the 'best-practices' for catching fish. This recent upsurge in interest has led to the addition of this Fishing Sub-section to the website's Backcountry Section.

Algonquin Adventures promotes the conservation of, and appreciation for Algonquin Provincial Park's two native salmonids, the brook trout and lake trout. Toward this end, Greg Betteridge (retired fisheries specialist with the Ontario MNR) is serving in the important role of an authority on the park's trout fisheries.