Fall is really here, now that the beautiful fall foliage is starting to appear. As of today, there are a few trees that have completely turned but the majority are just beginning to "blush." This suggests that the colours will be at their peak in Algonquin Park some time during the last week of September.
Personally, I like the early phase of the fall colour change, with the contrast between greens, reds and yellows. The drive to work this morning was fanstastic: the early morning light, back lit mist and dewy spider webs, occasional bursts of colour in the maples was a visual feast
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Monday, September 12, 2005
Annual Fall Canoe & Kayak Sale, Sept. 17 -18, at Oxtongue Lake
This weekend, Sept. 17 and 18, is the annual Fall Canoe sale and Assembly at Algonquin Outfitter's Oxtongue Lake store. This event is a season-end clearance sale of rentals, demos, trade-ins, used and new canoes and kayaks. There will be incredible variety at unbeatable prices. You'll find canoes and kayaks from Swift, Bell, Chestnut, Scott, Wilderness Systems, Dagger, Perception, Bic and more! The canoe & kayak sale starts at 10 am on Saturday. Test paddling and previewing are available on Friday.
There will also be a storewide sale all weekend at Algonquin Outfitters, in Oxtongue Lake only: outdoor clothing & footwear, paddles, sprayskirts, kayak accessories, canoe packs, tents, sleeping bags, camping gear, life jackets and more!
Bob Henderson, author of "Every Trail Has A Story" will be the special guest speaker on Sept. 17. Bob is a fascinating story teller, seasoned canoe tripper, outdoor educator and canoe trip history buff. His latest book, Every Trail Has a Story, “captures our living history in its relationship to the land and invites us to imagine and participate.” Spend an afternoon with one of Canada’s most gifted story tellers, and learn more about the living history of Algonquin Park and canoe travel in Canada. On Saturday only, from 2-4 pm, Bob will offer a storytelling session, featuring tales about Canadian landscape and heritage from "then and now." At 4:30, he will present a slide show highlighting stories in his new book. To learn more about Every Trail Has a Story, visit Natural Heritage books .
• For information on canoe & kayak sales, call 1-800-661-1429 or visit www.swiftcanoe.com
• For information on outdoor clothing & gear sales, call Algonquin Outfitters at 1-800-469-4948
• Oxtongue Lake is located 30 km east of Huntsville on Hwy 60, just before the West Gate of Algonquin Park.
There will also be a storewide sale all weekend at Algonquin Outfitters, in Oxtongue Lake only: outdoor clothing & footwear, paddles, sprayskirts, kayak accessories, canoe packs, tents, sleeping bags, camping gear, life jackets and more!
Bob Henderson, author of "Every Trail Has A Story" will be the special guest speaker on Sept. 17. Bob is a fascinating story teller, seasoned canoe tripper, outdoor educator and canoe trip history buff. His latest book, Every Trail Has a Story, “captures our living history in its relationship to the land and invites us to imagine and participate.” Spend an afternoon with one of Canada’s most gifted story tellers, and learn more about the living history of Algonquin Park and canoe travel in Canada. On Saturday only, from 2-4 pm, Bob will offer a storytelling session, featuring tales about Canadian landscape and heritage from "then and now." At 4:30, he will present a slide show highlighting stories in his new book. To learn more about Every Trail Has a Story, visit Natural Heritage books .
• For information on canoe & kayak sales, call 1-800-661-1429 or visit www.swiftcanoe.com
• For information on outdoor clothing & gear sales, call Algonquin Outfitters at 1-800-469-4948
• Oxtongue Lake is located 30 km east of Huntsville on Hwy 60, just before the West Gate of Algonquin Park.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Fall is here!
Well, it is Labour Day Monday, the unofficial last day of summer. Signs of fall are popping up everywhere: tinges of red and yellow in the maples, cooler nights and some nice displays of Northern Lights. There are lots of canoes out in Algonquin Park somewhere, carrying people back from what might be their last trip of the season. It doesn't have to be that way, though. Anyone with time off in September should be planning an Algonquin Park canoe trip.
In my mind, fall is the best time to go on canoe trip in Algonquin Park. After the Labor Day weekend the number of park visitors drops dramatically. You'll find spectacular fall colors (usually peaking around the third week), no bugs, higher water levels and, if you're lucky, glorious weather. Early October can still offer nice canoeing weather, then again, it could snow. Die-hard canoe trippers will go on trips right up until the lakes freeze in November. Remember that as fall progresses, the days get shorter and you have to put a considerable amount of effort into simply staying warm.
Fall is probably the best time to enjoy Algonquin Park's day hiking and backpacking trails. The cooler weather is ideal for hiking and the fall colors make every step a scenic view. I'm looking forward to our annual fall hike on the Centennial Ridges trail. It is my personal favourite day hike in the park, with outstanding views, a variety of forest environments and is just a really great walk.
In my mind, fall is the best time to go on canoe trip in Algonquin Park. After the Labor Day weekend the number of park visitors drops dramatically. You'll find spectacular fall colors (usually peaking around the third week), no bugs, higher water levels and, if you're lucky, glorious weather. Early October can still offer nice canoeing weather, then again, it could snow. Die-hard canoe trippers will go on trips right up until the lakes freeze in November. Remember that as fall progresses, the days get shorter and you have to put a considerable amount of effort into simply staying warm.
Fall is probably the best time to enjoy Algonquin Park's day hiking and backpacking trails. The cooler weather is ideal for hiking and the fall colors make every step a scenic view. I'm looking forward to our annual fall hike on the Centennial Ridges trail. It is my personal favourite day hike in the park, with outstanding views, a variety of forest environments and is just a really great walk.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Experiencing nature at work
If a survey was done regarding the top 10 reasons why people go on canoe trips, I would predict that seeing wildlife would rank in the top three. In Algonquin Park, most visitors really want to see moose and are often rewarded with a sight of these large, odd-looking animals going about their daily business. Smaller animals like squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, ravens, jays, otters and mink are often seen as well. Despite the relatively large number of them in the park, bear sightings are not that common. Sightings of the park's top predator and possibly most charismatic creature, the wolf, are very rare.
The canoeist or hiker is generally rewarded with a view of an animal feeding or moving from place to place. Rarely does the casual observer see animals engaged in what are the really important parts of their life: hunting, being hunted, birth and death. These wildlife sightings fall into the "once in a lifetime" category, and the story below is about one them. This account is written by Dan Strickland, one of our neighbours in Oxtongue Lake, and someone who has spent a lifetime observing wildlife in their natural habitat. Now retired, Dan was the Chief Park Naturalist of Algonquin Park for many years. I can't imagine more credible witnesses to the incident described than Dan and his daughter Sarah, one of our long-time summer employees and an excellent canoe trip guide.
You will find the following event of interest. It occurred at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10 on the Rock to Louisa portage in Algonquin Park as my daughter Sarah and I were going in on an overnight fishing trip to Lake Louisa.
Sarah, who was about 5 minutes ahead of me at this point (22 year olds are faster than 63 year olds) first heard two loud vocalizations that sounded like those of a child yelling "WAY" (although Sarah was perplexed that a child could be on the portage that late in the day). She was shortly confronted by a fawn who ran noisily up to her, its sides heaving, and stood just a few feet from her right on the portage. When she moved, it two or three times ran noisily away but circled back again stopping just feet away from her. Sarah saw blood on the fawn's head and, of the two possible predators, she was imagining bear. She also saw something else moving in the woods but not well enough to see what it was before it passed out of view. When I arrived, the fawn was in the bush about 6 feet from Sarah who was on the portage. When she saw me, Sarah yelled "Hey dad, this fawn is acting like it's on drugs" (referring to its noisy and clumsy forays into the bush and somewhat alarming rapid returns so close to a human). We then had several more demonstrations of this behaviour during which the fawn several times got hung up on logs, saplings, and the boardwalk, before breaking free and continuing to tear through the bush while making a tremendous amount of noise (but no further vocalizations after the two Sarah heard). We noticed a conspicuous bloody spot on the portage which Sarah later told me was a place the fawn had stood right in front of her for a particularly long time (more than a minute) bleeding.
I finally had the presence of mind to get out my camera and take a few shots but the low light levels compromised their quality. Only two nearly identical flash shots were reasonably good. Shortly after I took them the fawn bounded up the trail on its last movement away from us. It had its "flag" up and seemed to be jumping conspicuously high in the air. It stopped about 30 feet up the trail from us and Sarah simultaneously spotted the wolf (which she was then sure was the animal she had seen earlier). The fawn took off at high speed south of the portage at about a 45 degree angle in front of us and seconds later the wolf followed, also at high speed. As it crossed the portage, we both saw that it was collared (i.e. it had a dark discontinuity or disturbance in the pelage around the neck). We heard more crashing-through-the-vegetation noises, briefly terminated by a fairly loud but non-vocal exhalation. There were then more noises of something moving through the vegetation but going directly away from us. A minute after the cessation of these noises we walked into the woods to see what we might see or learn but found no clues or signs in the rather thick brush. We left, concluding that we had heard the wolf finish off the fawn and then move away from us, holding its prey in its jaws. On the way out the next day, at 4:45 p.m. we howled in the same area but got no answer.
This is as close as I have ever come to actually witnessing wolf predation, although I have twice seen adult deer pause close to me with their tongues hanging out and in one of these cases a wolf appeared a minute or so (?) later following the same trail as the deer. What was remarkable about the present observation was the fawn's persistent returns to stand close to us after its frantic, seemingly panic-stricken forays into the bush. Could deer have been programmed to seek refuge from predators by fleeing into the presence of bigger animals (their mothers in the case of fawns but perhaps also other big animals (e.g. humans, mastodons, ground sloths??). Such behaviour might possibly have deterred further attack, at least some of the time with some predators, and could therefore have been evolutionarily rewarded (?).
Dan Strickland
Oxtongue Lake
The canoeist or hiker is generally rewarded with a view of an animal feeding or moving from place to place. Rarely does the casual observer see animals engaged in what are the really important parts of their life: hunting, being hunted, birth and death. These wildlife sightings fall into the "once in a lifetime" category, and the story below is about one them. This account is written by Dan Strickland, one of our neighbours in Oxtongue Lake, and someone who has spent a lifetime observing wildlife in their natural habitat. Now retired, Dan was the Chief Park Naturalist of Algonquin Park for many years. I can't imagine more credible witnesses to the incident described than Dan and his daughter Sarah, one of our long-time summer employees and an excellent canoe trip guide.
You will find the following event of interest. It occurred at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10 on the Rock to Louisa portage in Algonquin Park as my daughter Sarah and I were going in on an overnight fishing trip to Lake Louisa.
Sarah, who was about 5 minutes ahead of me at this point (22 year olds are faster than 63 year olds) first heard two loud vocalizations that sounded like those of a child yelling "WAY" (although Sarah was perplexed that a child could be on the portage that late in the day). She was shortly confronted by a fawn who ran noisily up to her, its sides heaving, and stood just a few feet from her right on the portage. When she moved, it two or three times ran noisily away but circled back again stopping just feet away from her. Sarah saw blood on the fawn's head and, of the two possible predators, she was imagining bear. She also saw something else moving in the woods but not well enough to see what it was before it passed out of view. When I arrived, the fawn was in the bush about 6 feet from Sarah who was on the portage. When she saw me, Sarah yelled "Hey dad, this fawn is acting like it's on drugs" (referring to its noisy and clumsy forays into the bush and somewhat alarming rapid returns so close to a human). We then had several more demonstrations of this behaviour during which the fawn several times got hung up on logs, saplings, and the boardwalk, before breaking free and continuing to tear through the bush while making a tremendous amount of noise (but no further vocalizations after the two Sarah heard). We noticed a conspicuous bloody spot on the portage which Sarah later told me was a place the fawn had stood right in front of her for a particularly long time (more than a minute) bleeding.
I finally had the presence of mind to get out my camera and take a few shots but the low light levels compromised their quality. Only two nearly identical flash shots were reasonably good. Shortly after I took them the fawn bounded up the trail on its last movement away from us. It had its "flag" up and seemed to be jumping conspicuously high in the air. It stopped about 30 feet up the trail from us and Sarah simultaneously spotted the wolf (which she was then sure was the animal she had seen earlier). The fawn took off at high speed south of the portage at about a 45 degree angle in front of us and seconds later the wolf followed, also at high speed. As it crossed the portage, we both saw that it was collared (i.e. it had a dark discontinuity or disturbance in the pelage around the neck). We heard more crashing-through-the-vegetation noises, briefly terminated by a fairly loud but non-vocal exhalation. There were then more noises of something moving through the vegetation but going directly away from us. A minute after the cessation of these noises we walked into the woods to see what we might see or learn but found no clues or signs in the rather thick brush. We left, concluding that we had heard the wolf finish off the fawn and then move away from us, holding its prey in its jaws. On the way out the next day, at 4:45 p.m. we howled in the same area but got no answer.
This is as close as I have ever come to actually witnessing wolf predation, although I have twice seen adult deer pause close to me with their tongues hanging out and in one of these cases a wolf appeared a minute or so (?) later following the same trail as the deer. What was remarkable about the present observation was the fawn's persistent returns to stand close to us after its frantic, seemingly panic-stricken forays into the bush. Could deer have been programmed to seek refuge from predators by fleeing into the presence of bigger animals (their mothers in the case of fawns but perhaps also other big animals (e.g. humans, mastodons, ground sloths??). Such behaviour might possibly have deterred further attack, at least some of the time with some predators, and could therefore have been evolutionarily rewarded (?).
Dan Strickland
Oxtongue Lake
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Unsolicited praise for AO
Every now and then, we get a nice letter from a customer, telling us how much they like us. We are always happy to get tehse and now we have a forum to share!
Here's one from a longtime, loyal customer, reprinted with permission:
Some thoughts about what Algonquin Outfitters has meant to me and my family
I have always experienced great excitement every time I see the two A/O billboards telling me my favourite Wilderness Outfitter is just a few miles away. For the last 10 or more years, A/O has been my outfitter of choice for both my family canoe trips and also for my 'marathon' canoe trips with my cousin.
A/O delivers great 'Service': knowledge, patience and attention to detail. They CARE about their customers and it shows. Where else do you find a sales person that spends whatever amount of time it takes for a customer to be comfortable with his or her ultimate choice in paddles, gear, etc.? That advice has extended to canoe route planning and canoe rental recommendations.
When winter comes, we are lured back to experience the Annual A/O Winter Assembly. First my wife and I, and then we returned with our children and their family. There is always good fun, a warm bonfire, snow shoeing, dog sledding, and just good winter enjoyment.
My family and I have had nothing but wonderful experiences at A/O. I look forward to my next return to my favourite Wilderness Outfitter.
Jay N. R.
A Grateful Customer
Here's one from a longtime, loyal customer, reprinted with permission:
Some thoughts about what Algonquin Outfitters has meant to me and my family
I have always experienced great excitement every time I see the two A/O billboards telling me my favourite Wilderness Outfitter is just a few miles away. For the last 10 or more years, A/O has been my outfitter of choice for both my family canoe trips and also for my 'marathon' canoe trips with my cousin.
A/O delivers great 'Service': knowledge, patience and attention to detail. They CARE about their customers and it shows. Where else do you find a sales person that spends whatever amount of time it takes for a customer to be comfortable with his or her ultimate choice in paddles, gear, etc.? That advice has extended to canoe route planning and canoe rental recommendations.
When winter comes, we are lured back to experience the Annual A/O Winter Assembly. First my wife and I, and then we returned with our children and their family. There is always good fun, a warm bonfire, snow shoeing, dog sledding, and just good winter enjoyment.
My family and I have had nothing but wonderful experiences at A/O. I look forward to my next return to my favourite Wilderness Outfitter.
Jay N. R.
A Grateful Customer
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