July 1, 2021 - A Paddle Around Keji
- Keith Weagle
- Sep 2, 2021
- 15 min read
Day 1 It has been a long time coming, but we made it on our first canoe trip if the year. It is not for a lack of trying. We had one planned for the beginning of April, but winter decided to make an appearance that weekend, so we made alternate plans. We had another booked for the middle of May, but the lockdown prevented us from doing that one. So here we are on Canada Day weekend in Kejimikujik National Park.
Our plan for this trip is to do some long distance travelling. We will cover almost every lake in the park with this one trip beginning at Jakes Landing. The parking lot here is full of day paddlers and backcountry enthusiasts like ourselves. In just the time it takes us to unload the trucks and get the canoes packed, there are at least eight other families coming and going on the water. Yes, I did say canoes. Robert and Heather will be joining us on this trip as well.
Our best doggos Ana and Bear are coming along on this trip, and it will be Ana's first time in a canoe. I only had about half an hour to try and train her in the yard with the canoe, focusing on the command "boat" to tell her to get in. She is a quick learner, so we will see how it goes. Bear knows all about the canoe, and hates every minute of it, but he has come a long ways. His first big canoe trip was only a few years ago, and much of the time at the other end of a portage was spent trying to catch him to put him in the boat. at least he doesn't run away at the sight of his lifejacket any more. Maybe if Ana does good it will give him some courage.
By 1pm we push off from the dock at Jakes landing and are on our way to our first nights destination, backcountry site 30 on Lower Silver Lake. The first leg of our journey takes us directly across Keji Lake. For the most part, none of us have had much experience out in the middle this lake. Most time when we have to travel Keji lake we use routes that follow the shoreline, or only cut across small sections. Keji lake is notorious for getting very choppy on what would otherwise seem like a calm summer day. The lake is quite long and shallow, and it doesn't take much wind for the waves to kick up. Today, the gusts are only supposed to reach 30kph, but even that is enough to stir up the occasional white cap and one and a half foot swells. Ana doesn't mind the waves at all, and actually lays down and goes to sleep half way across the lake. We are able to take a route that goes behind a few islands in the middle of the lake that blocks much if the turbulence, so over all the trip is not too bad. It takes just under two hours to make the paddle across to our first portage.
There are a couple possible routes to get to site 30 from Jakes Landing, the one we choose takes us though six lakes and six portages in total. The lake on the other side of this one, portage A, is North Cranberry Lake. There is a campsite on the Keji Lake side of this portage where a couple and their kids are setting up camp. Another couple with two beagles are also travelling this portage to North Cranberry Lake as well. Normally you don't run into too many other campers when travelling the backcountry, but being a long weekend, no doubt the park is fully booked.
Portage A is only 1200m, and is a fairly easy climb over rolling terrain to North Cranberry Lake. The other end of the portage has a wooden dock, likely due to the fact that the shore here is mostly muddy and boggy. Ana feels this is a good location to jump in and go for a swim, I disagree but didn't get much say in the matter.
From here we have a short paddle to portage B and a 120m carry into Puzzle Lake. From Puzzle Lake it is another short paddle to portage C and a 400m carry into Cobrielle Lake. At the end of portage C on the Cobrielle Lake side there is a nice little campsite that I stayed at a few years ago on Canada Day weekend. There is no one here yet, but I am sure that will change before night falls.
The Paddle across Cobrielle Lake takes about forty-five minutes to Portage D. This is a 640m carry over a height of land to Peskowesk Lake. It is only a short paddle on Peskowesk Lake to the 800m Portage G where we will cross a height of land into Hilchemakaar Lake. The portages have all been fairly easy going so far. We have been using canoe wheels on all of them which can make life a lot easier if the terrain allows. Canoe wheels are simply a set of two wheels on a small frame that you can balance the canoe on. The canoe it strapped with ratchet straps to the wheels and you simply roll the canoe across the portage instead if having to carry it on your shoulders. Now these work great where the portage is fairly flat and wide, but if there are too many roots or rocks, you may as well not bother and throw that canoe on your shoulders. You will fight the wheels to much and burn way more energy than just carrying to the next lake. Trust me on this one, I speak from experience. For the most part, a park like Keji is the only time wheels are practical to use. Most portages found on crown land or in protected areas, such as the Tobeatic Wilderness Area are not used enough or cleared enough to even think about using wheels. In fact, sometimes its hard to follow the portage even without the canoe!
At the end of portage G I notice I have lost one of the wheel nuts that holds my canoe wheels in place. My setup is designed to be collapsible so it takes up less room in the canoe while paddling, and the wheel nut is what holds it in the upright position when the canoe is on it. It definitely fell off somewhere on this portage so we all begin the walk back in hopes to find it. While it is possible to complete the trip without the wheels, it will make it much less fun on the portages. Never mind the fact that it really sucks carrying around a broken peice of gear that you can't use. All the way to the start and back again, and we didn't find it, then I just happen to look in the bushes a few feet from where the canoe is sitting and sure enough, there it is. A lucky find to be sure. This is actually the second time this has happened since having these wheels. I added a lock washer after the last time in hopes it would prevent a repeat situation, but I guess I will need to come up with something else.
With everything back in place we are on our way again. This is the last lake we need to cross tonight. Our campsite is on the other side of our next stop, portage H, only a 200m walk, on Lower Silver Lake.
The lakes in this area of the park are quite special and unlike most of the other lakes which are a dark brown color caused by tannins ground water picks up running over spruce, pine, and hemlock forests, the water on these spring lakes are crystal clear. On a sunny day when the conditions are right, you can see straight to the bottom of the lake, 30 feet or more down. It is really something to witness. That is part of the reason we wanted to travel through these lakes, but unfortunately the conditions are not very favorable for us tonight. It is 7pm by the time we reach or site, and the skies are overcast. The forecast is calling for heavy rain overnight and most of tomorrow so we will not get a chance to experience the crystal clear waters on this trip.
With only a few hours of sunlight left, we don't waste any time setting up camp. Melanie and I each in our hammocks, and Robert and Heather in a tent. We string up a couple tarps over the picnic table in preparation of the coming monsoon.
We cook the same meal as last weekend, steak and foil wrapped potatoes and veggies. As always it is delicious. Just as we are finishing up supper, the rain begins to gently fall. After a long day, it is time for some rest. We are going to need it because it will be another 6 hour slog, likely in a downpour, to our next campsite tomorrow, island site 16 on Keji lake.
Day 2 The rain falls gently throughout the night, pitter-pattering on the hammock tarp above. It doesn't last for too long though, and most of the night is dark and still with the odd call from a bull frog here and there. Even with the overcast skies and soon to be a new moon, I can see a gentle glow falling over the lake from my hammock. There are a lot of reasons to love hammock camping, but being able to see the environment around you is probably my favorite things. Its even better when there is no chance of rain and the tarp is not needed. Nothing beats lounging back and gazing into the starry skies above. Unfortunately, tonight is not one of those nights, and by 7am, the a steady rain has made its presence known. With no reason to be in a rush to get wet travelling to our next site, everyone opts to sleep in this morning. I am the first one up a little past 9am.
While the others remain in their slumber, I begin the process of making the morning fire. A task which on any other day would be quite simple. Today however, not so much. The site is fairly well stocked with wood, though it is all green spruce. Park maintenance must have been here in the last week or two and cut a standing tree as evidenced by the fresh sawdust and stump not far from the wood pile. Under the best conditions, softwood is not a desirable choice for fire building, with everything wet this morning, and the green bark still solidly attached, you might as well try to start a fire with a wet sponge. Lucky for us we were able to dig out a couple pieces of dry hardwood that had been left on the bottom of the pile. Finely splitting these is what enabled us to get a fire going when we arrived yesterday. There is not much left, but with a little patience and determination I am able to get one more fire going. Enough for morning coffee and some fried bacon.
No one is eager to get going today and it is 1pm before we are all packed up and ready to set off. It is still raining, but is more of a light shower/heavy mist. This is not the first time we have had to paddle in the rain, although somehow while packing I forgot to bring a rain jacket. So this will be the first time paddling in the rain in a t-shirt. Yesterdays temperatures where still quite warm, and in fact some rain may have been welcomed on the way in to cool us off. Today however the temperatures have dropped significantly. We don't have a thermometer with us but I would guess it is no warmer than 15c. That is great for paddling on a sunny day, not so much when it is wet and windy.
Our original plan was to continue across Lower silver Lake, to Portage I into Back lake, and then cross Portage J aka the "portage from hell" into Peskowesk Lake. Given we didn't want to take any longer than we needed to, we opted to back track the way we came, into Cobrielle Lake, where we would cross that lake into Mountain Lake, where we would take a the 2300m portage E back to Keji Lake. This is the fastest route to our destination, site 16.
We are making pretty good time, but I am soaking wet to the bone and freezing. Every light breeze across the lake sends shivers through my body. Paddling hard and fast is the only thing keeping me somewhat warm. Every now and then my hand dips into the lake water which is still a balmy 20 degrees or more. It feels like bath water compared to the conditions only a foot above. Ironically, taking a swim might be a good way to warm up today rather than cool down.
Portage E goes pretty quick. Once on the other end into Keji Lake it is just a mater of paddling to our campsite, still about two hours away. The lake is windier than the other small lakes we have been on. Most of the route is sheltered by small islands, but there is a section or two we have to paddle with no shelter, and the waves make it known.
When we finally arrive at site 16, I find myself literally shivering. I string up the tarp while everyone else gets to work making a fire. Working together, It is not long before we have a dry place to stand and a fire to warm up next to.
We spend a couple hours going though our gear and hanging any wet items up to dry next to the fire. Soon after we begin supper. Tonight we are making fresh spaghetti instead of the rehydrated variety we normally bring.
The rest of the evening is spent warming ourselves around the fire and enjoying the heat. Tonight is a rather late night for us but it is good to enjoy the camp life after a hard days work. Around 11pm we turn in. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow, so hopefully we all get the rest we need.
Despite the day being cold and wet, the night has turned out to be beautiful. The wind and rain has stopped, and it appears the bullfrogs from site 30 have followed us here. Except their numbers have grown to the size of a symphony. Their vocals are now backed up by the hollowing cry of loons nearby. This is what camping in the backcountry is all about.
Day 3
By daybreak, the wind has picked up. It appears to be blowing much more than the gusts of 25kph which was called for. It should make for some interesting travels to site 45 on Frozen Ocean Lake.
Just some snacks and other quick bites for breakfast today. We still take our time tearing down camp and packing up the canoes. It is a little after 12pm when we finally hit the water. We will be travelling back out into Keji Lake first thing, only this time we have a pretty good cross wind coming at us. We decide the best way to tackle it is to cross to the other side now, and track up the shore of Indian Point to Little River. Once on the other side we should have a little relief from the winds. The crossing is rough, but not as bad as we thought it might be. Swells up to a foot but pretty gently rolling and well distanced apart.
The paddle up the shore to the mouth of Little River is easy going. We pass several other paddlers coming from the direction we are heading. Once on Little River it is usually easy paddling all the way to portage V. Summertime water levels however can make the leisurely paddle a little more difficult. There are a few sections of the river where the water is flowing fast, and is only six inches deep or so. With our canoe loaded down to about 700lbs of human, canine and gear, we are sitting pretty deep in the water. Pushing our way up these short runs is difficult, but we manage.
The 700m portage V from Little River to Channel Lake is very well used and pretty easy to navigate. We are soon into Channel Lake and we are on our way to portage U at Rocky Falls. This is probably the best portage in the whole park. 90% of it is a boardwalk so rolling the canoe over the 330m is about as easy as it gets. Unfortunately we can't get all the way to Frozen Ocean Lake from this portage. We will have to put back in and do a short paddle up a Stillwater to the last 130m portage T into Frozen Ocean.
The cove at this end of Frozen Ocean is sheltered and calm, but we can see ahead what is waiting for us out in the middle of the lake, and it doesn't look too friendly. We round the point where site 8 sits and we are hit with a strong head wind and white caps. We have a thirty minute paddle to the other end of the lake. The waters are definitely rougher than what we had on any lake this trip so far. We paddle strong and steady and are rewarded with our stay at site 45 just after 5pm. In my opinion, this is one of the best sites in the park. It sets atop a hill overlooking the lake and has beautiful sunrises. Though we will not be seeing any of those tomorrow.
The last hour or two of our travels it has been threatening to rain, with the odd heavy mist coming down then subsiding. We didn't waste much time getting our tarps up. The firepit still has warm coals for the previous occupants, and we are able to quickly blow it back into flame.
For supper tonight we are doing rehydrated lasagna and mashed potatoes. The lasagna is a freeze dried one from Canadian Tire which I had on my trip to Cape Chignecto a few weeks back, and they were not too bad. The potatoes are going to be a first. Idahoan Butter and Herb instant potatoes. Just add to boiling water and done. I was skeptical but man it works good. I can't believe I have not had these before! They will be a staple in my back packing meals from now on.
We only have a 3 hour paddle to get out from here tomorrow, but it looks like it will be another paddle in the rain. On the plus side, we will have some warm trucks to jump into this time.
Day 4
The rain started early in the night, and was probably some of the heaviest we have had yet. By morning it is still falling, but at a much slower rate. We only have about three hours of travelling to get to the exit today. I have checked the forecast from several sources, and all say something different ranging from a 30% chance of showers to severe thunderstorms. I guess we will just hope we get a good window of opportunity that cooperates with us.
The potatoes were so good last night we decide to make more this morning, mixed with some rice. It is a filling breakfast for sure.
A little past noon and we are on our way. The rain has stayed consistent all morning but has stopped for the time being. I decided to make a rain jacket out of a spare garbage bag just in case. I have no idea why I didn't think of that on Friday instead of getting soaked to the bone! Just one of those things you learn as part of the Backcountry Evolution I guess. We have a short paddle across Frozen Ocean Lake to the mouth of Still Brook where portage S awaits. This one is only about 160m, so it is a quick in and out. Ana has definitely surpassed our expectation for this trip. She has been waiting for the canoe to be on shore before getting out of it and getting in with little guidance. This time all I have to is say the word "boat", not standing any where near the canoe, and she jumps in and is ready to go. It makes me so happy to see how well she is taking to canoe tripping.
The paddle to the top of Still Brook is always a long one, but for some reason seems to be going by good today. About half way there the rain starts falling. The garbage bag makes a huge difference. Just being able to keep my torso warm and dry is a bonus.
There are a couple shallower sections of the brook nearer to the top where we spot a large snapping turtle sitting and waiting for his next meal to float by. We come within feet of him before seeing him, but he couldn't be bothered to move from his perch.
When we arrive to portage R at the top of Still Brook, I am surprised to see how many people are heading into the backcountry. We pass two groups of people on the way and meet two more groups at the other end of the 800m portage. Most people are heading out on a Sunday afternoon, but I admit, I envy those who can go in at that time.
The last lake of the trip is Big Dam Lake. It is a long and narrow lake and we need to travel the length if it. This was actually not supposed to be the end of the trip. We had originally planned to portage the road at the end of the lake to the Mersey River via the flowing waters access road and canoe down to where we started at Jake's landing. It was a last-minute decision to leave one truck in the Big Damn parking lot just in case. It turns out that was a very good decision, as none of us felt like doing another hour portage and two-hour paddle in the rain!
It took us exactly three hours to reach the end of Big Dam lake and our final portage Q. It is only a 400m walk to the parking lot from here. With it still being early in the afternoon we are able to enjoy one of our favorite camping traditions, a filling meal at EJ's Bar and Grill just outside the park.
This trip seen us paddle 38km through ten lakes and portage about 10.5km over sixteen portages. We originally had planned to stay at Masons Cabin the first night so we could get those last couple lakes in the trip, but given the distance we would have to travel, and also wanting to detour through site 30, we decided to just stay at 30 instead. That turned out to be a very good decision as it would have added a lot of time that we probably wouldn't have had. The whole point of this trip was to cover as much territory in Keji as possible in a short amount of time. It was a good warm up to a trip we have planned later in the year which will see us cover about three times the distance in only 5 days. There is only one section of the park that none of us have travelled yet, the Liberty Lake trail detour to site 22. We plan to check that one off the list in October.
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