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.