TRIP PLANNING FOR THE BARRON CANYON, THE CASCADES, HIGH FALLS

BARRON CANYON DAY TRIP:

A fairly easy and spectacular day trip into the Barron Canyon can be done by driving to the small Brigham Lake parking lot, putting in, and following the Barron River downstream into the Barron Canyon.  If you paddle just the length of the canyon and then return, it is about four hours. If you make it to Cache Rapids (worth seeing) the round trip can be six or seven hours. Add in a hike of the Barron Canyon trail, and you have a solid day.

THE CASCADES / HIGH FALLS DAY TRIP:
A nice one day up the cascades to high falls starts by parking at the Brigham Lake lot, and putting in but going upstream along 'The Cascades'. Four portages will get you to High Falls lake, which is beautiful, and after paddling the length of the lake, you can explore the main portage along the river to St. Andrews Lake, or the side trail to check out High Falls.  If you hit the water by nine in the morning, you can lunch at the take out at High Falls, and get back to your car by three or four in the afternoon.

SINGLE NIGHT TRIP:

Book a campsite on Opalescent Lake, put in at Brigham Lake, paddling to your campsite and setting up camp,  return to the Barron River light, and spend the rest of the day exploring the canyon, at least to Cache Rapids, then return to Opalescent for the night.

The next morning, leave opalescent lake light, and head for High Falls via Ooze Lake and High Falls Lake. once you have checked out the falls, return to Opalescent via the cascades and Brigham lake, break your camp, and then head back to your car at the Brigham Lake lot

MARIE LAKE OVERNIGHT TRIP - AUTUMN 2019, PART 3 OF 3

After a very nice night in total darkness, with the wind picking up and keening through the treetops off and on, and a little light rain or drizzle, we woke just before 8 AM, made a quick breakfast, cleaned up and broke camp, and headed for the canoe.

As we paddled out, we saw another canoeist loading his canoe at the far portage, which was a long loop that relatively few travelled, due to the two kilometer length of one of the portages on it, we paddled out and joined him as we all headed to the portage to St. Andrews Lake.

Shawn (or Sean) had been fishing on the next lake over for the last few days, and had just also broken camp and was on his way out of the park. Alex and I started the portage first, and did two trips, Shawn being much younger hoisted two packs and a canoe, and did it in a trip and a half, and overtook us.  Approaching the put in, negotiating the very steep slope, I managed to slip, and have the canoe come crashing down, crushing my pinky finger against a rock. Inspecting the damage was a bit hard due to the blood all over the place, but it looked like pinky was intact, but suffering a rather nasty gash exposing the muscle and tendons below.

Alexander immediately came to my assistance, and was able to get a roll of toilet paper out, which immediately saturated with blood, I asked him to look for a sock or shirt, as I had no first aid kit, and then asked him if Shawn was still at the put in, or had he left.  Thankfully, Shawn was not quite loaded, and quickly emptied his pack and found his small first aid kit... A brief period of panic,  two dense gauzes, a foot of medical tape, and ten minutes later we were both off in our canoes on St. Andrews Lake.

Looking south onto Marie Lake from our campsite. The morning was very mild, with a fine drizzle.

Alexander posing with Chippie the Chipmunk, any stuffy allowed into the park has to do double duty as a pillow.

Getting things organized and breaking camp. The tent was a Woods Backpacker three person tent.

After visiting Barry's bay hospital, my pinky finger in a bandage the next morning. I must have lost about a pint of blood in total.

A very happy young Alexander, proud of his achievement.  I was certainly proud of him.

MARIE LAKE OVERNIGHT TRIP - AUTUMN 2019, PART 2 OF 3

We reached the south end of High Falls Lake shortly before two in the afternoon, and made the half kilometer portage to St. Andrews Lake in one trip. The portage follows the Barron River as it drains St. Andrews Lake to High Falls Lake, but High Falls themselves are not on this course of the river, but on the course that drains Stratton Lake to High Falls Lake.

  

Nevertheless, this course of the river has a spectacular lower fall, numerous rapids, and a large bouldery fall near the top.  The portage rises about twenty meters, but is a nice easy walk.  We took a second break at the put in at St. Andrews Lake, then made our way down a short way to the portage to Marie Lake.

The Portage from St. Andrews Lake to Marie Lake was particularly brutal, as it was the longest at about 750 meters, and had a roughly eighty meter rise followed by a forty meter drop.  The first fifty meters was a very steep slope.  We did this in two trips, one with packs, and second with the canoe.

Marie Lake was small, and just a hundred yards or so from the put-in was one of only two campsites on the lake.  It looked good from a distance, and better from up close, so we started a fire, set up the tent, and relaxed before dinner.

Looking north over High Falls Lake, the Bob Special 15 is at the take out for the portage to St. Andrews Lake, directly behind me.

The put in at St. Andrews Lake, looking south.

Alexander showing off his scout knife, purchased in San Diego, at two points on the portage.

Alexander recharging himself before we set off for the Marie Lake portage.

The only seemingly flat section of the portage to Marie Lake, Alexander with his pack and the paddles.

Approaching the camp site we chose at Marie Lake. Tall white pines, a carpet of pine needles, and quite level - perfect.

The tent that got us into this adventure... it was simple to set up, roomy, light, and kept us dry.

We found enough dried or rotted dead wood for a fire for a few hours, and cooked dinner on an MSR whisperlite stove, in front of Alexander.

MARIE LAKE OVERNIGHT TRIP - AUTUMN 2019, PART 1 OF 3

Late summer I was itching to get into the park for at least a day trip, and possibly even an overnighter. A trip to Canadian Tire clinched the deal, as I noticed a decent looking three person tent on sale half price, weighing in at about eight pounds. Three weeks away Alexander had a PD day on a Friday, and a week later the two week forecast appeared to promise at least a good bit of decent weather for the weekend.

The forecast held, and we had everything packed and ready to go for leaving Tavistock and heading for the cottage on Thursday Afternoon. The plan was to drive to Barrie via Arther, pick up the last couple of supplies at MEC in Barrie, then drive to the cottage to spend the night. Friday we would leave for the park and make it in to our booked campsite on Marie Lake, and then Saturday head back out for a night at the cottage, driving back to Tavistock Sunday.

Leaving Tavistock at 4:30, we pulled into the MEC in Barrie exactly two hours later, and began looking for a few items... bear spray, a pot, a small dry bag, and an Led tent light Alexander wanted.  Assistance was provided by a gregarious and passionate young man named Brenan, who helped us choose the dry sac for sealing up and hanging the small quantity of food we were taking in, and selecting a nice pot. 

We got back on the road, and had a trouble free drive up highway 11 to Huntsville, and then across highway 60 to the cottage.

The next morning I attached the crossbars to the Honda roof rack, Alexander and I loaded up the canoe and our gear, and we headed off to the Sand Lake access, from Barry's Bay to Round Lake, across the Bonnechere on the one lane bridge and up Red Rock Road, then the Pembroke road to Alice, and across country via Station Hill Road and then Barron Canyon Road to the gate. We checked in, got our tickets, and then headed to the Brigham Lake parking lot and our put in.

Parked at the small lot at the Brigham Lake put in, the canoe is an unmarked H20 Composites 'Bob Special 15'.

About 200 yards from the parking lot is the upstream put in, for our trip up 'The Cascades', a series of small lakes and sections of river, peppered with a half dozen portages to get up to St. Andrews Lake.

A small lake on the first section of water, heading for the first portage. My bowman Alex impressed me greatly, this is one of very few shots of him with his paddle out of the water!

Setting out on our first portage, Alexander took  his pack and the paddles, and I took my pack and the canoe.

The take out for the second portage, approximately 245 meters, long, after a half kilometer of paddling on the Barron River.

Just between the portage trail and the river was an ancient timber shed probably used in the days they ran logs down the Barron River.

A view inside the timber shed, it looks like it only had three sides, so may have been a place for storing equipment, as the open side was to the east, away from the weather.

Approaching the take out for the third portage, which is very short, about 45 meters, after not even 150 meters or so of paddling.

Alexander coined this the valet parking at the third take out, two logs you can paddle your canoe between, the much can be deep, so step on logs and rocks.

Setting out on High Falls lake after portage number four, a mostly level but very bouldery 450 meter portage. High Falls lake is approximately a mile (1.5 kilometers) long, so a nice paddle but watch for submerged rocks at the north part of the lake.

Halfway up High Falls Lake the lake narrows considerably, with lots of rocks and small islets to negotiate, many rocks we passed had paint marks up to a foot above water from canoes passing when the water is higher.

Reaching the south end of High Falls Lake, the outlet of one arm of the Barron River is reduced to a trickle over the boulder pile, the take out for the portage to St. Andrew's Lake is just to the right.