Discovering Algonquin´s Western Uplands Trail

Versión en castellano

First attempt: Rain Lake Access - Brown Lake

Let's face it: over the years we become more risk-averse and got seduced easily by comfort. I am saying this because before starting this excursion, we saw the weather forecast and decided to change the large backpacks with the tent and the overnight equipment, for a light day hike backpack and a reservation in a nearby hotel. The plan to sleep on Brown Lake´s campsite vanished with the threat of storms and the special weather report we received in the morning.

The change of plans meant that instead of walking the almost 15 km from the entry point on Rain Lake access to the campsite on Brown Lake, we walked 7.42 km one way (and the same distance back), from the access point to a point in the middle of the forest, without reaching our initial destination. I see now on the map that we were very close to reaching Islet Lake. The trip without backpacks took us almost two hours forth and two hours back, from 11:40 am to 4:55 pm, so the calculation of 6 hours to reach Brown Lake, which we had made when planning the excursion, seemed adequate once we added the weight of the backpacks on our shoulders.

One observation that surprised us, was the exhaustion of Malaika, who made her way back at a snail's pace and was completely exhausted in the car until the next day. It was a strange behavior for her training level. It could be that this dog goes out in the rain, we will have to continue observing her in action before reaching conclusions.





Second expedition: West Gate - Lupus Lake

On Saturday, August 31, we engaged this trail again. We didn't start at Rain Lake like the previous time, but on Highway 60 (Hwy 60) for a good reason: the Monday before, when I logged in to reserve the campsite, the only one available for Saturday 31 was Lupus 1, which is far from everything, but closer to the entrance on Highway 60 (the West Gate) than to Rain Lake. Since that weekend was long in Ontario, I also looked for available campsites the next night (Sunday). In addition to Lupus 1, there was a second free campsite at Susan Lake, which is around 5 kilometers deeper in the forest. All other campsites were booked for the weekend.

The weather forecast remained stable all week, and we did not find a reason to change our plans this time. We only got rain on Sunday morning, as it was forecasted. I was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the weather forecast, which allowed us to plan the excursion perfectly and anticipate the downpour on Friday, which led us to start the excursion on Saturday. It also predicted with great precision the low temperatures on Sunday night and Monday morning, which led us to pack winter jackets.

In total we covered about 15 kilometers of the trail from the parking lot to almost reaching Susan Lake on Sunday, and we took the same route on the way back. From the parking lot to the campsite at Lupus Lake, we spent 6 hours (from 10 am to 4 pm, including breaks for lunch and resting). The Western Uplands Trail allows hikers to choose between several different options, some circular loops, others transversal crossing from one point to another, and to play with the distance and the days the hikers want to spend in the park.



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