"At 11:00 AM we were on a grown-over logging road / trail that made for very hard walking, so we decided we had best take a compass reading and head directly toward Robitaille Creek. This meant bushwhacking for about 700 meters. It was slow going, and we flagged our route just in case we did not find a trail to the lake, and in coming out would have follow the same route we had come in on. The trek toward the creek involved a steep decline. About half way down we could hear the welcome sound of rapids, so we knew we were getting close to the creek. It was a relief to find signs of a trail running along a ridge above the creek. It was located where the old maps indicated it would be. Though narrow and washed out in places there were indications that it has been used in recent years."

"Our planned route would take us from a starting point 1 km in from the Basin Lake access point, close to Argue Lake. From there we would head north to Pogonia Lake, and then travel the portage trail to Clover Lake. We planned to then bushwhack to find an old logging road that would bring us down to Basin Lake and Basin Depot."

"The first hours of the trip involved a steady climb following a logging road that gradually narrowed to an overgrown trail. The trail skirted the edge of McKenzie Pond. Above the pond there were fresh signs of a large number of deer gathering in one area. Deer in this corner of the park tend to gather as the snow deepens. They then migrate to winter yarding areas around Round Lake and Lake Dore. It was a cold start to the day with a temperature of -18 C. at 8:30 AM."

"There had been flurries throughout the day and now with the darkness the flurries intensified to a snowfall and I grew concerned - The light from my headlamp was fading, the trail was becoming covered again by the snowfall. Sure, I was still able to follow the trail and the reflective trail markers helped, but with the failing light I was worried that the headlamp would die completely."

"We felt joy and relief that we had made it! Of course we made it? I don’t think we’ll ever do that trail again in the winter though. It is quite the humdinger! If we do, I want to be on the trail before 8am. 10:30am is too late a start. It takes approx. 6hrs to do the trail during the summer months. In the winter (With a lunch break and breaking trail partway) it took us nearly 8 hrs."

"The day we skied was very blustery, with strong gusts of wind making the trees sway and creak, snap and pop. Bob and I were looking for a woodpecker around every corner because the sounds emanating from the movement of the trees mimicked the pecking of woodpeckers. What a surprise it was, then, to see a young deer peeking out at us from behind a screen of small saplings. Perhaps the clatter of thrashing branches masked the swishing sounds of our skis as well as our own murmurs, but whatever the reason, this white-tailed deer calmly observed Bob and I even as we peered through the trees and snapped a few photos."

Mark's website www.MarkInThePark.com is reknowned for great Algonquin Park photos and trip-logs. This day-hike trip-log is another great addition to it.

"I stopped by Sunday creek, for a drink of water (from my water bottle) and a rest. No life, no noise, except for the gurgling of the creek .. a therapeutic sound to my soul. What a wonderful change from the daily drumbeat of the working world. Leaving the creek behind, I started back, already 3/4's of the way thru the loop. Just past the creek, in a north westerly direction, is a vast field...a bog in the spring/summer, now frozen, waiting."