Mon Aug 30, 2021 @ 11:47

Leaving our last tiny portage (115m) on Lac au Barrage, still high from our bear sighting.

Our route to the car is through the channel and to the right.

We arrived at the car 2 hours after leaving camp and damien calculated the distance as 9.7 kms. I’ve learned with this trip that the map distance doesn’t match Damien’s gps calculated distances. But the trip was in the ballpark of 80-85 kms. It is marked as a 76km circuit but that only accounts for the circuit part and not the 5 km access through Lac au Barrage. Those are the pesky details but for us, newbie canoe campers but experienced backpackers, the trip was very doable in 5 nights and 5 full day (6 days with 2 half days on either end).

We did a clockwise loop and this was advantageous for us since the days that we had wind, the wind was largely at our backs. I don’t know enough about the prevailing weather patterns in the area to know the usual wind direction, but it worked well for us.

The park recommends either direction so I think we just lucked out.

Summary: amazing trips on many levels. Highly recommend the area for canoe camping enthusiasts who appreciate and seek wilderness experiences.