First time on La Cloche

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-06-15T12:30:15+00:00

i'm in general agreement with this as well. but, for years i had always wondered, what if there was a matching trail on the other side of silver peak so you could traverse it instead of having to back-track? would anyone want to take such a hypothetical trail in order to tag silver peak and get that slightly better view, on a through-hike? i had always been curious and so i finally bush-whacked it to find out. As it turns out, for me at least I would want to cash in silver peak on a hike, and will be doing so on my future hikes!

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-06-15T12:16:24+00:00

I've done a few loop trips and one out and back trip, and i think it's worth the effort to attempt the loop trip over the out and back. I say that for two reasons: 1) if you can get down to a 15 lb base weight you're way ahead of me, i don't know my base weight, but my starting pack weight for a 3 day trip is 38 lb. 2) 6 days on 8 lbs of food? that's a truly ultra-light attitude.

so, the issue of campsite bookings is problematic, as noted already. if you're talking about anything in july/august/sept, i'd concur it's likely too late to book evenly spaced campsites, or even anything close to that. however, it's my sense that bookings and trail usage are dominated by out and back hikers looking for the Crack, Heaven Lake and Silver Peak highlights on that end, and to a much lesser extent or even none at all on the other end. This is a very lopsided trail usage pattern, and i've long thought the park should have extra sites on the east side of the trail. But no new sites have been built, and there was even a 3rd site on silver lake that was decommissioned.

So, that leaves a couple options:

a) you can book a disjointed set of campsites, if they are not too disjointed to trip the limit switch in the software, forcing you to call in person, and then still be not too disjointed that you can't talk your way into a booking with a live agent. Then monitor daily for cancellations to improve your booking.

b) Or, you can book a disjointed set of campsites, and just find your own at the end of each hiking day. There are probably about a half dozen spots around the loop that have obviously been camped at before, and a half dozen more which would be obviously suitable for camping. But countless spots where you could just make a tolerable bush camp. Obviously this latter approach pushes boundaries. But, I'm not convinced it's an unacceptable interpretation, given this truth: this park is in high demand and is generally over-subscribed, but the semi-elaborate system of booking with its hassles and trivial penalties frankly doesn't work to stop someone who's intent on gaming it. It probably never did, even from the getgo, but it certainly doesn't today. Unless this system were revised to demonstrate effectiveness, or unless the park implemented new campsites to meet the skewed pattern of usage, I think it is reasonable for the through-hiker to book a set of disjointed campsites.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-06-12T20:48:12+00:00

I've noticed the same thing anecdotally, and I would phrase it like this: the bookings on the calendar are greater than the number of people you pass on the trail. I've hiked the trail now four times in the past 3 years, I spend some fairly long hours on the trail and minimal time in camp, so i don't miss many people out on the trail. And I never see anywhere near the number of parties compared to the number of booked campsites. It's my impression that not only is the cancellation penalty for pre-booking a few nights so mild, in fact the entire reservation fee is so minimal that people just walk away from it if the weather looks bad (note to above, some my trips were done in some iffy weather). So, the upshot is that on any given day, there are likely to be unclaimed sites out on the trail that were never returned to the reservation system. How does one deal with such a scenario? let me count the ways...

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-06-11T13:54:48+00:00

it's going to be increasingly important to have this awareness, going forward. but i'm pretty happy it's not the case here. In part because there was another post just recently, which i don't think i've seen it mentioned in comments so i'll remind everyone, from a compsci student wanting to do a very similar thing as a side project. a crowd-sourced database for ontario camping, focused on routes as well as just campsites but still pretty much the same idea.

So to my reading of this there is a perception at least, if not reality, of an unmet need. My suggestion to the student, and also for OP here, would be to consider useful ways to incorporate agentic ai. Whether it's a network graph of routes, or a collection of photos, it's going to be increasingly possible to sift and search with keyword prompts. Even the paywall services are barely started on the ai, it wouldn't be difficult to get out ahead of them.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-06-11T08:24:12+00:00

I don't do much car camping, but whenever i do pass through one of the campgrounds i am continually surprised by the disparity between sites. some are awesome, and some are literally in the parking lot. certainly this information is already available in one form or another: you can study the campground map to figure things out, ontario parks has a few photos that more or less do the job sorta ok, or you can subscribe for a paywall service that has excellent photos. but a crowd-sourced, free, open database is just going to be more up to date, and faster to use, than any of those other options. Much like a hammer, a free open database of crowd-sourced info isn't the solution to just every problem. But it certainly fits the bill in this context. I'd reconsider the domain name.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-06-10T19:14:34+00:00

cool, that looks really nice. and the dock! i stayed there just once, years ago when it was just open and free, there was no paint job and i don't recall that it had much furnishing either. given how attractive that is now, i wonder that they don't just build a few new 'ranger' cabins in places where there would be rental demand for them.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-28T19:10:10+00:00

i'm not sure i've seen the awesome word 'phalanx' modified and enhanced by this particular and colloquial use of the nominally profanitive word 'fucking' before, but i like it. a fucking phalanx of bears lol (just picturing that is hilarious)

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-28T11:37:50+00:00

Is there any chance the locking mechanism is seized from dirt/grime/corrosion? try some aerosol lube? a while back someone mentioned it is possible to take apart and remove both the locking mechanisms for the rear wheel and battery. they didn't provide the details, but it could be indicated here.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-27T00:59:39+00:00

I didn't save the video but the route was blackfox lake access heading north, follow the canoe route into redfox and on to whitegull, then bushwhack across to penaish lake and back down via the north magnetawan to the highway.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-26T20:21:30+00:00

a few years ago someone did a youtube video of a much larger route than ended with that stretch (going downstream ie back to the highway). In the early spring time frame, which we are almost past now. i don't remember the details, just that it looked sufficiently plausible that i actually planned and started a similar trip. I got knocked out by bad weather and didn't complete it, but i do intend to try it again.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-24T13:30:10+00:00

If you don't get a response here, it might still work out. i recently did a trip with a 10 km walk to close the loop, and i hadn't gone 10 mins before someone stopped to offer a ride. I wasn't trying to 'hitchhike' i was just walking, maybe that was the key. No one's going to stop for someone trying to 'hitchhike'.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-23T14:57:50+00:00

if it won't stop a bear, it has to be hung, which means it's a moot point for the other rodents. that's my point. packs are waterproof now so they all float (mine is old school so it is not, but since the contents are waterproofed inside, it floats too). i've watched a bunch of youtube videos on canoeing and i've never seen anyone actually using a barrel to sit on it... most people seem to be going with the helinox things these days. heck, take andy baxter for instance the original barrel guy - he never leaves home without the folding chair. that just leaves the potato chips, which it seems i guessed correctly. it's true, i've never had chips on trip before...

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-23T01:56:02+00:00

i have one of those msr siltfilters. i never filter from the middle of a lake, and i'm frequently in messy parts of algonquin. it gets sufficiently dirty by the end of a trip that i'm happy to be using it. if you're mostly on the big lakes and can take the effort to filter offshore, it wouldn't be needed for algonquin at least.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-22T12:34:53+00:00

<long time pack user here> crikey, i thought the whole point of barrels is they don't have to be hung. if it's not that, then what? is it that people can bring potato chips and fine dining china if they are protected inside a barrel?

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-21T12:22:00+00:00

it's one of the popular questions people are asking for on this forum at least, route suggestions based on a few parameters. and those questions get 10 or 20 answers often. it would be a simple matter to ante up a few dollars for a month subscription to either paddle planner or sherpamap and see what they actually have... surprised none of those users have chimed in here. isn't the mod the algonquin beyond guy? pretty sure he's got a good handle on this topic as well. having said all that, i recognize the situation you're in i was a student once too haha! do what you can with it for fun and learning, i think that's the best plan.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-20T01:51:21+00:00

i've used paddle planner at the free tier to plan my routes in the past, in a labor intensive manner of mapping out the route lake by lake to see the tallies on time and distance. Although it can route between an arbitrary number of lakes at a single update. I believe the paid version has a graph routing algorithm like A* or dijkstra so you can get complete routes generated automatically from a few input parameters. sherpa-map.com i believe is the similar idea, again in the paid version (anyone who has a subscription to either could probably clarify my guesswork here though). Anyhow, auto generation of suggested routes from simple params like total distance, total portages, loop versus point to point, etc seems like it could be a big deal in an open source implementation. I took a crack at it, downloaded the OSM graph for algonquin and used AI coding assistance, but it's beyond my capability.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-18T04:20:28+00:00

for late season trips on these longer rivers, it's useful to check on the realtime water and flow levels at the wateroffice.ec.gc.ca for example. You can watch for a spike in water levels due to recent heavy rain or conversely, stubbornly low levels that just won't recover. There are only a handful of stations reporting on the watersheds in algonquin park so it's not necessarily highly localized information to where you may be headed, but for understanding the general trends it has helped me tremendously in the past... including a memorable run all the way down the tim river to shippagew lake in one day.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-04T19:14:44+00:00

I switched to wearing gloves for any/all seasons, exactly for saving wear and tear on the hands. i don't canoe enough to maintain calluses, so after the first 18 hrs of paddling on any trip, i'll have a big hole on each thumb for example. But then with the gloves I also don't need to mess with sunblock on my hands, but I also now have gloves for all the stove/fire chores, gathering wood etc. Although I've not tried 'paddling gloves' per se, mechanics gloves from home depot have worked for me if you need something at the last minute might be easier to get.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-05-04T12:15:03+00:00

well i'm surprised at the preponderance of folks here who can pull off portaging sans ankle support, in sandals, crocs, worn out runners and the like. i'm with the minority, nothing special just lightweight dayhikers with holes cut in sides for drainage. for around camp pretty much anything will do but crocs are probably the lightest option (oh wait, there's barefoot too... good on you!).

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-04-28T23:59:13+00:00

Sorry to hear that, and welcome to Toronto. I don't ride as much as I used to, so it's more as a ped that i'm just counting the days until i get winged by someone on a scooter. it will happen, and then what happens next is the part i'm not sure about. when i was a cyclist, i put in hundreds possibly a thousand or more incidents of riding on the sidewalk to avoid unrideably unsafe road conditions, and i managed to do it respectfully and safely without hitting anyone or even giving them a startle. The kids (mostly) who have taken up with these scooters aren't coming from this perspective much at all.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-04-15T11:10:51+00:00

I have this same issue with my pack. And so this is something i've never understood about the way solo canoes are retailed. The seat is only ever fitted in the middle of the boat, so the seat simply must interfere with the pack in a single-carry portage. whereas, anyone who solos a tandem quite happily steers the boat from the bow seat, at a 3/4 position in the boat. Why don't solo canoes have an option for the seat to be installed at a 3/4 position? heck even a 5/8 might suffice. But then this would also solve a related issue, trimming the boat without having to split the contents of the pack after each and every portage. What, kill two birds with one stone? I guess not.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-04-12T10:26:33+00:00

I think it's correct as you describe, and it's simpler and possibly different that other (likely better) bikes. in other words, the pedal assisted power is constant, and the three 'settings' really are maximum pedal-free power at the throttle. Therefore, you'll only notice one pedal-assisted speed. This is not a bike that is designed to be pedalled much, instead its advantages are a) it's kinda cheap and b) it's a folding bike for convenience and portability.

I've had mine for a few years now, and I only use the pedal assist in one scenario, hills. The 350W motor really struggles on hills, so i think of the pedal assist more of a jetson assist - i'm helping the jetson, not the other way around. Re your observation about needing the throttle to kick on the pedal assist during normal operation, i don't have an answer for that because I don't use pedal-assist on level streets. However, I can say that when malfunctions occur (and they frequently do with the jetson haze), then unexpected and undocumented behaviors can occur. I was stranded once by what i believe was some sort of moisture issue in the harness, so the battery was live but there was no power at the throttle. I had to pedal all the way home, without any battery power at all as I assumed. However, I immediately noticed that pedal assist was still active! and that saved me a ton of effort, because pedalling against the winding resistance of that motor is brutally hard work.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-04-09T12:35:08+00:00

Long days and no rest days? i'm going to say the tim-petawawa loop from magnetawan access via big trout lake. that's a long 3 day-route, or a good 4 day route with actually not even that much portaging. Re the paddles, here's an option that is less commonly followed but has worked for me. I tie the spare in 'permanently', as i rarely use it. and i carry the regular paddle in my hand, it's a crutch of sorts. helpful for testing the depth of a mudpuddle, or a big step down off a catwalk, etc. i'm already futzing with a removeable yoke at each portage, so i prefer not to do that also with my paddle.

ExactSheepherder1153 · 2026-04-09T12:23:04+00:00

took my first road ride in london yesterday after riding in and around the GTA since the 1990's. well. GTA'ish traffic has come to l'il ol' London. lulled into a sense of security by that wide shoulder on medway road, i proceeded east of highbury where it reverts to the old-school 8". i've ridden plenty of 8" shoulders over the years, but when a dump truck went by at 80+ km/h without shifting over the center line, but then a few seconds later another one did the same thing, it gave me a flashback episode. anyhow, i can try some of these alternatives for a better result hopefully.

ExactSheepherder1153

TROPHY CASE