The last couple annual trips were easy, canoed one way, stayed on the campsite for two days and came back the same way.

2013 = challenge

Yes, approximately 70 km of paddling over four days.  This is not a trip for the faint of heart.

Canoe Lake access point, on the dock and packing the canoe.

Canoe Lake Access point dock.

The first day was a six hour canoe to one of our favourite spots, McIntosh Lake.  A 2400 metre portage to McIntosh Lake with thousands of mosquitoes.  Thousands may be an exaggeration but definitely hundreds of mosquitoes on the way through.  At least on the open lakes there were no mosquitoes.

Our first campsite, on an island on McIntosh Lake.

McIntosh Lake campsite.

A view of McIntosh Lake from our campsite.

McIntosh Lake in the early evening.

The next day, seven hours of canoeing through rainy, windy conditions.  Another portage with even more mosquitoes.  Windy, swampy grasslands but no wildlife.  One of the worst weather days in our camping history.

A small piece of the large Big Trout Lake.

A south view of Big Trout Lake from the campsite.

A north view of Big Trout Lake from our campsite.

The final night on Burnt Island Lake.  Six portages and a really long river later (with more mosquitoes) the second last day of the trip.

Burnt Island Lake campsite.

An evening view of Burnt Island Lake from the campsite.

If you are not telling yourself you wish you planned something easier it is not a challenge.  A great back country trip for any outdoor enthusiast.