Day 7 - August 27, 1999

Route:  Side trip to Salvelinus L. and Rain L.
Distance:  12 miles
Portages:  1185, 1275, 1275, 1185
Travel Time:  5:00
Map

This was our second rest day of the trip. We planned a side trip to the former ranger station on Rain Lake. This was where all of our trips in high school started when we traveled with the church groups. We wanted to get an early start so we headed off right after breakfast.

The first portage from Daisy L. to Casey L. was pretty rough. It was long and had lots of rocks, a couple of bridges and quite a few hills.

Morning on Daisy Lake
Morning on Daisy Lake

When we reached Casey Lake, I pointed out to Seth that the map showed a structure on Salvelinus Lake which might be fun to check out. There was no marked trail which went to Salvelinus L. but there was a stream which we could probably follow.

We reached the point on the lake where we thought the stream was located. Seth believed that he saw a trail which headed off in the right general direction. I wanted to make sure that the stream we were looking for was actually there. We found the stream and I convinced Seth that we should follow the stream instead of the trail.

Near Casey Lake, the stream flowed through some very large rocks. We walked through the woods along the edge of the stream. After a while, the stream opened up into what looked like a dried up marsh. Since travel through the woods was slow, we decided to head across this "marsh". Soon we were walking through raspberry bushes which were up to our waist. Because we were wearing shorts, crossing through the bushes was miserable. So miserable that we decided to head back. Seth was convinced that the trail he saw would have gotten us here much more easily and wanted to look for it. If nothing else, it would be an easier walk back.

We found the trail and I quickly started following the trail toward Salvelinus Lake. Seth was heading back to the canoe but turned around once he realized that I wasn't behind him.

We had walked a few hundred feet down the heavily overgrown trail before I saw the lake. Just then, I heard a lot of splashing and some branches breaking. I looked ahead and saw a large female moose about 100 feet away - staring straight at me. There was plenty of underbrush between myself and the moose. Still, fearing a moose charge, Seth told me to "get ready to dive into the bushes." The moose wanted nothing to do with us and walked off into the woods.

After the moose left, we reached the edge of Salvelinus Lake. There were two beaver dams which held the water in the lake. We crossed one of the beaver dams to get to where the building was supposed to be. Once we were across, we found the building. Unlike the buildings we saw at the two logging depots this one was constructed with lumber rather than cut timbers. By the looks of it, this building had been abandoned long ago.

On the way back to our canoe, we came across a ruffed grouse. It stayed around long enough to allow me to take a picture. This had been a very rewarding little adventure.


Rain Lake
Rain Lake

We crossed the second portage and reached Rain Lake. It was quite a site - clear blue sky, wide open water without a canoe in site.


We paddled the length of Rain L. and reached the former ranger station. Since we had been here last (in 1981), a lot had changed. In general, the area was much more heavily used and it showed. We ate our lunch and started back to our campsite.

On our way back up Rain L., we encountered a group of people in three canoes. None of them knew what they were doing and they were zigzagging back and forth. It seemed like a video game as we tried to pass them in the narrow lake without a collision.

On the portage between Casey L. and Daisy L., we saw a large green caterpillar crossing the trail. It was about three inches long, about 1/2 inch in diameter and it was bright, bright green. Further along on this same portage, a ruffed grouse was spooked out of the underbrush. This startled me quite a bit.

After relaxing in our hammocks for a while, we decided it was time to bathe and prepare ourselves for the outside world. Unlike previous trips, the water temperature was nice and the swim was refreshing.

While cleaning up for the night, we went over to take down our hammocks. Instead of taking them down, we decided to lie in them one last time. It was a beautiful evening and we stayed in our hammocks until the sun went down. We finished cleaning up after dark.

Shoreline of Daisy Lake
Shoreline of Daisy Lake

Later, we sat on the rocks watching the moon come up. The moon was nearly full and very bright. This was our last night in Algonquin so we reluctantly went to bed well after 11:00.


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Last updated on 09/01/2003.