Fall 2010 – Trip Log (9 days – 8 nights) (August 30th – September 2nd, 2010)    Above you will find an extrapolated section of Jeff McMurtries's Digital Algonquin Map that has been expanded to show the route I took.   The Proposed Route  Access 3 (Magnetawan):  Magnetawan- Hambone – Daisy– Petawawa River – Little Misty – Misty (3 days) – Muslim – Wenona – Bandit – Moccasin (1 day) – Cranebill – Jubilee – Sawyer’s (1 day) – Rain – Casey’s (2 days) – Daisy (1 day) – Hambone – Magnetawan (OUT)  The Actual Route  Access 3 (Magnetawan):  Magnetawan- Hambone – Daisy– Petawawa River – Little Misty – Misty (3 days) – Little Misty – Petawawa River – Daisy (1 day) – Hambone – Magnetawan (OUT)      This fall trip was a strange one.....by strange I mean that things didn’t quite go the way I wanted them to.  First of all I wasn’t sure I would be going until only two weeks before the proposed departure date.  When I finally decided that I was going, it was much too late to make reservations. So, I headed out to the park with no confirmation of campsites.  When I arrived at the permit office the fun began.  As you can notice above there are two route itineraries.  The first is the proposed route I wanted to take.  Nine day solo loop.  But when I ran through the route with the park official I found that most of my proposed campsites where already reserved.  So we went about the process of rearranging the route.  The first campsite I could get in the direction I wanted to go was Misty Lake. This was almost double the distance I planned to cover on my first day, but it was the only way to salvage the proposed route.  So I took it and headed down the access road towards Magnetawan Lake.  The parking lot was full when I arrived at the put in, but free of people. I unloaded the car and then sat on the dock for a couple of minutes smoking a cigarette.  When I pushed away from the dock in my 16’ Wapizagonk, the water was like glass. I had done this section of the route earlier in the year (see Spring 2010 Trip Log), so I knew what to expect until I hit Daisy Lake.  After that I was on somewhat new ground.  The trip to and through Daisy was quiet although I passed numerous occupied campsites along the way. Wildlife was scarce except for the odd merganser and occasional loon.          Looking back up Daisy Lake      The Daisy Lake side of the portage to the Petawawa was muddy, just as I remembered it from spring.  But this particular portage is short and easy to traverse.  I took a 5 minute break next to the falls before putting the boat back in the water and heading downstream.                  The falls feeding the Petawawa The river is narrow and slow in some places in this part of the park, with lots of winding and turning involved.  Paddling a 16 foot boat alone is sometimes a pain when navigating areas like I encountered along this stretch of the Petawawa, but the wind was almost non-existent and the water was calm, so it made it a nice trip.  Along the way I came across numerous ducks and geese, but most of the songbirds had already started heading south, so besides the occasional blue jay, the air was quiet.                The narrow Petawawa (as seen from the falls)                                                          Marsh-like conditions on the Petawawa In several places the river widened into a small marsh area.  It was late August, so the river grasses and lily pads were thick, keeping the boat from gliding effortlessly across the water.  Even though I was heading downstream I still had to work to propel the boat along.  I casually and slowly paddled my way to the next portage and carried my gear along the trail.  With only a short portage to traverse, it didn’t take long to carry all my stuff to the other end.  When I arrived, there was another couple making their way upstream and docked their boat at the portage.  I said a quick greeting and then packed up my boat to continue on my way.       Looking back up the portage on the Petawawa The end of the portage has a small little waterfall.  It would probably be a great spot to fish, if the water wasn’t only two feet deep!           Continuing down the Petawawa Once I had paddled my way down the winding and narrow Petawawa, the river widened considerably until it emerged into Little Misty Lake.   Little Misty isn’t much more than a wide section of the Petawawa.  To consider it a lake is a stretch, but that’s what the map says, so.......       Little Misty (nothing more than a wide section of the Petawawa) The last portage (after Little Misty) was an easy walk with the gear and I managed to traverse it quickly.  Once I was at the other end I could see Misty Lake in all its splendour.  The portage comes out in a small, weedy bay at the end of this large lake and a channel was easily visible through the lily pads towards the lake.  As I looked out across the lake I could see a pair of river otters playing amongst the weed patches in the bay.  I tried to get a shot of them, but they were too quick and unwilling to pose for pictures.       Emerging onto Misty Lake I paddled along the channel and into the lake, where I began to search for a campsite to call home for the next few days.  The first place I checked out was the island at the head of the bay I had just left.  It was empty of campers, so I beached the boat to take a look around.  The site was roomy and clean, so I decided to make camp here.  After setting up the tent and kitchen area, I decided to explore the island a bit.  Pathways laced the island, giving me access to most of it easily.  The privy was located about 75 feet from the tent area and looked like it was constructed recently.   I took some time to set up my rods for fishing and then made myself something to eat (as it was already close to 5PM).  I fried up some of my Mom’s excellent lasagne in the frying pan and sat on the shoreline to enjoy my meal.  Later on I headed out in the boat to try my hand at a little fishing until the sun was close to setting.       Fall 2010 – Trip Log - Part Two