A Week Camping Alone on the Notorious Sixth Great Lake

I'm here at the headwaters of the great lakes lake nepigan some call it the sixth great lake and standing here on the shore I'm inclined to agree the cement's body of water flushes down the nipikan river into Lake Superior and onwards through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic it's full of islands and Bays teeming with wildlife and has a renowned fishery most famously the world record brook trout was caught in the nipigan river at a staggering 14 pounds eight ounces yet for this seemingly epic Lake there's little documentation on it by paddlers and what there is is generally not favorable firstly nipigan is notorious for rough conditions wind and waves can transform a surface in a matter of 30 minutes and present danger not just for canoes but even for larger vessels to add to that I've read that there are junked up punk camps strewn about the lake with tarps and trash left there to rot there was even a grow up on one of the islands that got busted some years ago some say that the damning of the nipigan River flooded out many of the best beaches and campsites on the the lake and that a decent site can be a struggle to find one of the better known trip reports on nipigin mentions nuisance bears and having the gas siphoned from their car while they were away that woman paddled over 80 kilometers by kayak on her final day just to get the trip over with with this sort of information floating around online Lake nipigan sounds like an unpleasant and perhaps even dangerous place to take a canoe trip my goal is to spend a week here exploring it and hopefully to disprove that notion [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Music] foreign fantastic start beautiful sight wide view for Sunrise and I'll be able to sneak around the corner to get sunset [Music] because I won't be portaging on this trip I was able to bring in some treats cheers to starting this trip off right lack of Portage is on this trip meant that I could afford to bring two shelters as well both the tent and hammock to maximize the possibilities for finding a good camp sometimes there's a good place for the hammock but no good spot for the tent and vice versa so tent tonight foreign ificant [Music] so here's an overview of Lake nipigan the largest lake wholly contained within Ontario I'll just be in this Southern section here and that may not look like much but here's the southern half if I accomplish what I want leaving from South Bay going in and around here in this Bay around and back that can easily stretch to 200 kilometers it's a huge Lake with the stories of nuisance bears in mind I'm also going to set up a trail cam at my camps overnight and see if anything comes by I highly doubt it just checking the weather for tomorrow I got it on my zolio it's a satcom device uh use it for safety as well and it could be a pretty interesting day of paddling it looks like 35 kilometer an hour winds from the south which is a Tailwind for me in the morning but then switching to 37 kilometers an hour from the north quite intense winds especially for paddling on a big lake and somewhere in the midst of that transition from the south to the north winds could get pretty stormy [Applause] the wind blew hard all night and there's a ton of energy in the air that today looks like the thunderstorm is supposed to Peak around noon hopefully I can make some progress today feels like it could be a wild one foreign foreign here energy is electric Eagles are putting on a show so is the Sun hitting the cliffs ahead on Otter head started coming down here randomly a little foreshadow for today foreign [Applause] Camp was very ideal because it was so sheltered from the South Winds now outside of the island I'm in the force of the wind and we've got three kilometer Crossing to Otter head be a little relieved when it's over because the conditions are definitely getting choppy it's not white capping yet thankfully the North End of nipigan I'm sure is just a complete washing machine with 50 kilometers of fetch here it's not too bad yet waves are definitely building it is white capping now a bit but still manageable got PFD on full dry suit ultimately I'm responsible for my own welfare out here I'm completely alone no other boats around and I don't think any motor boats are going to show up today thinking it's a good day for boating or fishing so I'm taking the necessary precautions but getting close to Otter head which is looking stunning fall colors are coming in here in early September big Cliffs what an amazing start to this day and the air stinks of leaf litter it's beautiful like smells like Halloween or Thanksgiving foreign intimidating gusts of wind coming around otter head but I'm into three Mount Bay and I can either cut across or hug the shore which would add about four or five kilometers of paddling but open water crossing here I can see is there's enough fetch to create some pretty big white cops out there so I'm gonna have to at least go into three Mount Bay a little bit back to my spot and I'm gonna make this Crossing about three kilometers to the West Shore and from there I hope I can continue up that West Coast because it's not really a good spot to camp here and on this map which is very small scale for identifying campsites there's the Campsite in a general area possibly Point ahead hoping I can sit up there before anything rolls in too serious thank you made it across and conditions were not bad in fact the wind pretty much died Midway through calmed before the storm maybe some weird clouds overhead if I hear any Thunder then my day is probably done the sketchy thing about the edge of a storm is it can be the most violent and have the most lightning but usually there'd be some kind of a warning some Thunder ahead of it about one o'clock now and that looks like the end of this front so I may have gotten through unscathed problem now is I can't find anywhere to Camp he's paddled all around the islands behind me looking for the campsite marked on the map I don't think it exists anymore hopefully something turns up found a little bit of rock to pull over and have lunch I struggle in meal planning to find things that don't require cooking but I'm trying these veggie wraps the garlic hummus and Sriracha mini cucumber grape tomatoes and we're gonna try some Tzatziki I could have cut the veggies up but foreign back there unbelievable spot it's too good wild raspberries amazing spot to hang the hammock over there such a unique campsite so happy I carried on uh this campsite also comes with a pet bear hello wow I've got bear spray that's why I have some sense of security but that's just crazy you just swim right by oh going under this tiny little Island I have no idea where he's gonna go from there because it's there's nowhere else to go hey get out of here that's amazing So Beautiful to see look at him oh what a sight this spot is officially Magic I was just getting the other camera to film The White Caps right around the corner it's as exposed to the wind and it looks just nasty so this was really as far as I could go which is perfect I got to use the Tailwind to get to this point I'm gonna have to keep an eye on this island since I know there's a barrel in it foreign quickly swam away and it seems scared of me that's good but it swam just on the other side of this point so I'm hoping it knows the right way to go I also have bare bangers can fire one of those off if it gets close it's just like a little kind of explosive that shoots into the air makes a loud pop so I think I'll be fine I love bears and it's a thrill for me to see one every time never gets old but I usually like to see them not where I'm camping and I'll have my back to it in the hammock and once this wind really kicks up today it's gonna be loud so it's hard to hear too so it's a little unnerving Aaron's dad Bill gave me this bear Banger kit it's very simple to operate this is spring-loaded take one of these out and thread it onto the stick and then release the spring and it pops It Off tested one that's why one is missing here from the bear bangers and then these are colored flares Stone those side of them pretty much always have bear spray holstered on my belt and I'll keep a bear Banger in my pocket just in case I was planning on napping and reading this afternoon it seems a little less relaxing now couldn't have asked for a better sight and I really love this one of a kind waves and wind are building massively over there but I'm really sheltered here and should be all night forecast is now calling for 42 kilometer hour winds at 11 p.m so yeah it's probably best to be on the beach too rather than in the forest just in case it was blow down ended up setting up the hammock and it was too close to the water to set up the tarp so it'll be in the tent tonight but yeah that works foreign it's like one of those rocket popsicles there's an Impulse buy at the checkout couldn't resist um yeah it tastes just like it oh man this is such a good living speech is pristine so I didn't want to ruin that with the fire fired up the stick stove of black bean burgers fried Red Onion tomato cheese and this one's got mustard this one I'm gonna try in the tzatziki should be good oh yeah just came around the corner to have a look at where that bear probably came out and sure enough this tracks are right here [Applause] winding down day two and I am loving like again that was another incredible Day scenery is fantastic the weather's beautiful and the vibe kind of reminds me of Lake Superior which is really special got a couple of glimpses around this point into McIntyre Bay which is the next big leg of this trip and it looks like a lot more magic left to come [Music] [Music] importantly waves are hammering the beach loading lights are glowing and there's one star that's glowing in particular and I checked it out of my star tracker app Jupiter foreign [Music] foreign raged all night and it's picked up quite a fury on the lake I'm not gonna be on the water anytime soon it's cold North Wind reminded me that it's September hot coffee's gonna feel good I don't know what it is about chili but it just goes perfectly with camping especially when garlic bread is involved and green onion foreign so I'm going to try and get back on my way right now I'm camped around there if I get three kilometers around this massive Peninsula I should have a north wind to blow me down into McIntyre Bay maybe even cover 20 kilometers quickly there with the Tailwind the waves are dying a bit so I think it'll be manageable but getting around here could be nasty it's just afternoon so I lost half a day of travel but given the conditions that is really not bad and if I can get around the peninsula then I should be able to get some good progress in today with the Tailwind in terms of nipken having bad campsites they're junked up with nuisance Bears nothing could be further from the truth so far two amazing campsites and the one bear that showed up ran away right away that's exactly what you hope for [Music] [Music] thank you I waited just long enough for the waves and wind to settle down enough for me to get around the point in hindsight I would have waited another hour or two that was a pretty unpleasant paddle but it's done should have a Tailwind now and the scenery ahead looks phenomenal foreign ly have conditions here suitable for wetting a line and nepigan has some very interesting and Progressive regulations such as only one barbless hook may be used which is excellent for the fishery but also some some other ones that are very unusual in Ontario for ice fishing you can only use artificial lures no live bait no person shall use stringers impounding devices or live holding boxes which I love stringers I'm not a fan of no possession of live lake trout or brook trout permitted so you can't put trout in a live well which is great because they're way too sensitive for that warm water will kill them quick and then a number of great management practices by species that'll help ensure that this lake has a great fishery for Generations it's amazing how big this lake is just McIntyre Bay here which is about 20 kilometers by 20 kilometers takes a long time to battle around thinking Midway through and at a really nice island chain here in the Southeast corner okay [Applause] hold over to grab some snacks this is one of our favorites dehydrated pineapple so good looking for somewhere to Camp here at the South End of the bay and tonight is extremely exciting because it's supposed to be completely clear and it's a six on the KP index meaning that there's a good chance of a good Aurora show which could put last night's show to shame so the the number of times that I actually am out camping it's kp6 and it's clear with little Moon interference very rare so I'm very excited for that and it could be the case tomorrow as well [Applause] okay here's camp tonight it's not perfect but it is the perfect spot to shoot the night sky tonight massively wide view to the north and a really cool accent tree here the photographer in me is very excited very unique spot good water access loving it [Applause] I was hoping to be in the hammock tonight but the third straight night the tents just worked out better so on a little bit of a slope here and it's amazing how a one or two degree slope will just ruin your sleep so I'll just tuck my PFD under there it's a nice treat vodka soda Ontario Peach let's get this party started a message Baron on the SAT column about the detailed Aurora forecast and it's supposed to Peak around 11 but it could be good for a while after that too so it could be a late night that beautiful water [Music] do an instant mashed potatoes with e is clarified butter and I don't like it as much as butter but it keeps better in the back country cheese green onion it's pretty good actually some Pepper too thank you huge host boat or something coming up [Applause] weird that was really weird they putt-putted over here for like 20 minutes came close shouted something I couldn't hear over the motor threw something out of the boat and then put it all the way back no idea sets my nerves on edge when I see people when I'm not expecting them I think that there they came out of nowhere I felt way safer around it than a random person out here in the middle of nowhere [Applause] they threw out another boy with a flag on it that's what it was originally but for some reason it didn't stay there it kept dragging along but they dropped another one I can see it and now I'm wondering if it's part of the indigenous commercial fishery on nip again maybe seems like a pretty remote place to host of that kind of operation but yeah maybe that's what it is [Applause] okay [Applause] by yourself [Applause] I heard there was a marijuana grow off on an island yeah it was a funny experience it was not expecting anyone to come by so just caught me off guard but very nice guys stop by for a chat the uh yeah they're part of the commercial fishing operation here so they were just setting Gill Nets I think out there for Whitefish yeah oh man what a night this is unbelievable it's so clear and I can't wait for it to get dark should be a good show yeah in the boat we're Adam Abraham Adam again and Nate older of the two atoms asked me if I was alone out here and he seemed surprised I told him it's good thinking time and right now I'm thinking about the fact that I was more way way more on edge about unexpected human presence than I was about a bear that swam right past my camp humans I've come to realize about myself I feel that humans have the ability to disrupt my sense of order I'm someone who thrives on order I plan I try to avoid chaotic or unpredictable situations we need people who are good at thriving on order and some people who are good at thriving on chaos and that's balance thankful to have a partner who can roll with the punches Aaron's a lot better at dealing with chaos than I am and I'm linking two of those thoughts which is that I like Solitude I love Solitude actually I need solitude more than most people understand but I think a part of that lonerism is just escaping the possibility of humans who can disrupt my order I don't I don't know if that's healthy it probably isn't but anyway it seems to be me to the Core at the same time I know that I do need people I know that from experience after a certain period let's say 10 12 days alone I start to Crave human contact I just I need this in doses and that seems to be my medicine [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] night this Trip's been incredible so far very wet dewy conditions this morning got some stuff hanging trying to get some the dry core of the cedar not the cedar here I wouldn't touch this tree it's too special mostly Cedar Forest back there on this island foreign guys are out checking their nests this morning I've got burritos the black bean mix again red onion green onion tomato Sriracha cheese delicious what an amazing night just at a loss for words really I think it was the best show late show I've ever seen terrific campsite three for three getting day four underway and I'm trying to head from the southeast quarter of this Bay to the northwest another beautiful display of the sun big ring around it so I camped the boat down there last night and I could continue to the bottom of the bay and back along the shore but I'm going to cut across the islands in the middle of the bay more or less you look quite Scenic requires a four kilometer over open water crossing though so hopefully the wind doesn't kick up it's not supposed to [Applause] lots of loons and Eagles here in the bay nice day for to make this Crossing through most of it and behind me are the islands I'm hoping to potentially even camp on tonight just came through the Lagoon between the two big islands in the bay it's really hoping the camp here and catch up on some sleep especially because there's supposed to be another kp6 tonight with clear skies so I think tonight will be a late night as well so I'm looking for a North View campsite and ideally somewhere to hang I haven't had any hammock time yet found a nice bit of exposed rock here good spot for the canoe and some nice Spruce Woods in there for the hammock with the North View I'm calling it a day I'm Ghast [Music] foreign [Music] that'll wake you up good to go for a little while now then I'll rest and get ready for the big show tonight really excited after last night [Music] today was pretty uneventful 15 kilometers or so of Open Water paddling not too much to see but this day was really about the nights stayed up last night and had to sleep until almost nine today didn't get on the water until close to noon and today I'm going to bed early to get some sleep for hopefully some another light show so totally worth it sacrifice a bit of progress today who cares last night was worth every minute and if tonight's the same I'll be overjoyed I'm not bored of it [Music] set an alarm for 10 30 to check the lights and it seemed like nothing and then suddenly looks like they're starting out thank you [Music] [Music] foreign a very peaceful one northern lights weren't uh as good last night but probably for the best because I needed the sleep need to make some progress already day five and I have a long way to go yet back of my way and I'm trying to put in some good progress today I don't really have an angle in mind I'm just carrying on along the North Shore of McIntyre Bay and that's some of the scenery I'm most excited for on this trip especially the North Shore once I get to the open exposed side of Lake nipigan this has been the longest crossing of the truck five kilometers as the crow flies almost there oh nothing I'm back to shore I got my line back in the water got a bite pretty quickly it was like some weight oh how you can think a mid-sized one [Applause] feisty one strong little Pike wow that's pretty stout my hands real good and wet support that belly yeah that's not a bad Pike at all right thank you buddy there he goes on nip again you can't keep a pike between 70 and 90 inches so that guy might have been on the low end of that but either way I'm not keeping right now I want to make some progress if you're more familiar with inches I believe that's 27 to 35 roughly so yeah that could have been a 27 inch Pike I also have 12 inch markers on the Yoke so I can do a quick measurement and see if a fish is legal and if it's anywhere it's not a precise measurement so if it's anywhere near illegal then I'll put it back but it's a nice quick way to measure fish foreign [Applause] there again probably another Pike yeah oh looks like a bit bigger one [Applause] foreign nice fish holy here hands oh my goodness that's a big one oh big fish thank you oh wow what a beauty [Applause] foreign [Music] here at the North End of McIntyre Bay for a campsite now how long it takes to get around this Bay really speaks to the scale of it but I'm just getting close to getting back to the mouth of the Bay now where I came in but first Brown island is ahead it's been catch my eye for a couple days I'm looking forward to seeing it up close thank you oh otter I think yep snorting at me freak him out foreign [Applause] otter caught himself a burbot I can't see him but you can hear him back there all yours what an interesting catch foreign Survivor amazing Day scenery has been fantastic nice Pike just needed a great campsite to cap it off and back out to the mouth of the McIntyre Bay what an experience it's time to head north and get toward the open Lake it was glass column in the bay 30 minutes ago chops building out here but I'm hoping this little Island's gonna work out it's going to be amazing great water access hopefully somewhere to hang the hammock [Applause] foreign magical spot here on this island and it's even got some chaga just gonna slide off and take it home and make tea with it [Music] this one I'll leave that stump there so it can keep growing oh whoa there was a beetle larvae in there no not larvae it was like a fully grown beetle right up in there that was weird a spot for the hammock it's worked out perfectly gonna fire up the stick stove and get dinner going at first here is another amazing day [Applause] foreign Burgers and Fries before with instant hash browns and this Bean mix this one is more of a Backcountry Burger and Fries casserole trying to use some stuff up before it goes it could be delicious smells good [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Applause] last night is I was getting ready to light this quick stove I saw a bunch of spider webs on the birch bark that I found and I kind of like pried open the Birch Park to make sure I wasn't going to burn hundreds of spiders alive and sure enough a bunch exploded all over me but why they didn't burn them alive because that's just not cool it resulted in some pretty intense spider nightmares though I found some other interesting markets on this island first I found this which based on past feedback is either a sternum bone of a turkey I don't think we have turkeys here so maybe grouse or from a turtle shell I don't know then I found some much larger ones this is the hip bone of a moose uh this I'm not sure it looks similar to this actually yeah that's interesting just a much smaller version [Applause] other hip and then the skull look at that skull of a moose such big animals look at those teeth [Applause] beautiful did you three for breakfast let's have a look at the map while that rehydrates Camp there two nights ago carried up along here yesterday went to the top of brown Island there came out to a small Islands here right at the mouth of the bay so twin blew up the bay 20 kilometers so it was pretty wavy all night but that wind if it continues should blow me right up the coast here up into the next section of the trip which on the toppo looks like it could be the most scenic really excited packing up here and I better get on my way fast conditions are really building it's getting a little sketchy a lot of white cops out there I'm heading the other way though back this way a little shelter there but still pretty exposed for about seven kilometers on the water for day six as soon as I get out from behind the lead of this island they'll be exposed hopefully this is all right it's kind of like a blind corner and rap as I can't see around and they can't see just how exposed it'll be but on the topple map I can see that there's a couple of small Bays that I should be able to take refuge in if it comes to it it's actually much easier to paddle into waves in terms of safety taking them through the stern is definitely trickier foreign [Music] a little break in here I think that should be the worst of it this is all pretty exposed but it's a glancing Blow from the wind and waves so should be all right looks beautiful ahead and then down there is open lake lake I wanted to say Superior it feels like it today beautiful Cliffs here amazing colors the Fall colors the greens and the orange xanthoria I believe it's called that orange lichen on the rocks so much color starting to worry about a couple of things though the point ahead still about five kilometers more but I'm worried that the condition is gonna be pretty rough there see when we get to it across that bridge when we come to it but uh also starting to it's been itching at my mind for a couple of days getting back if I don't get the right wind conditions it's going to be a grind to get back to the access point I planned on ending in about seven days which would be tomorrow that would require a massive day tomorrow to get that done thank you swell incredible scenery here along this Coast so far is living up to the topo map final point is coming up one last push here and then I should be in the clear [Applause] all right should be in the clear now that final stretch around that point turned about to be not a big deal at all it was worse in the middle but the scenery here is just dazzling Eagle just flew off there his Grand cave comes into view [Applause] foreign there on that rock along with some bones here's the rest taking a little break here Grand Cape is one of the most amazing geological features I've seen in Ontario two straight kilometers of hundred foot plus Cliffs I'm truly Blown Away there's some cool tracks here which I I'm assuming are eagles I don't know if that is an eagle I can't recall seeing Eagle tracks in the sand like this so distinctly but look at the claw marks started foreign back on the water time to go back up the bay past all these cliffs [Applause] this is just the east side of grand cave still a west side of this big point you can put a tent on that rock [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] working my way back down the cape and the waves are not a concern here but the wind is still pretty fierce so I'll try and make Camp before too long going around St Paul's Island and then I'm going to start working my way back to a small Beach campsite that I saw already unless I find something even better scenery really speaks for itself but I'll say I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful display of poplars in the fall trembling Aspen so yellow current orange ale green some are still green just providing a beautiful contrast never appreciated poplars so much I've lived in Ontario my whole life I live and breathe canoe tripping I don't think I've ever heard someone say you should really check out Lake nepigan and I've never heard mention of grand cape I find that shocking such a gem my map marks a couple of campsites in this area I haven't found one of them yet this came up to this exceptional campsite pristine Beach like the perfect fine sand Flawless except it's heavily used up on top there's a really impacted campsite the view is fantastic but it was also very good at the other Beach site that I found which had almost no signs of use hard to pass this up but I think I'm gonna move on to go back to the other one yeah if there was a site that was going to have bear problems it'd be one like this heavily used there's some food left in the fire pit eggshells and cigarette butts around so it's too bad really One of a Kind sight just got dealt a pretty tough blow when I was checking out that campsite the wind ripped my double blade paddle carbon fiber out of the canoe and set it a drift and it should float but I haven't seen it yet I can replace it that's not the biggest problem mostly it's that it's huge for paddling solo into the wind and I might have a lot of that coming up to get home so that's a tough pill to swallow I don't see it anywhere it floats so someone's going to be the lucky new owner of a carbon fiber double blade paddle I followed the wind to the pretty much the North End of St Paul's Island no sign of it so I'm gonna be without it I feel pretty exposed now shows the importance of bringing a proper backup paddle not a little two foot plastic paddle but yeah now I have to hold on to this one for dear life it'd be really bad if I was caught with an offshore wind without a backup paddle and this one fell out of my hands or something that shouldn't happen on Flat Water it's more of a white water problem but still gotta be careful now and it's gonna make getting back tougher for sure [Applause] thank you foreign to that little beach between Grand cape and St Paul's Island it's a relief to be here coming around the corner the Northeast end of the island the wind was intense it was swirling just a reminder of the challenge that's ahead of me to get back I'm gonna get to bed in good time today because I'm gonna be up real early to get hopefully good paddling conditions I'm gonna get this paddle secure can't lose that aside from the double blade and potentially a grueling paddle ahead of me to get back it was an amazing day cheers okay making a game plan here as the crow flies it's over 30 kilometers from my position there to the access point in South Bay as the paddler paddles following Coastline and making reasonable Open Water Crossings it's closer to 40 kilometers my general direction of travel is so Southeast so an ideal wind is from the north northwest and that is what I will have starting at 2 am got a weather report on on the zolio and the northwest wind is supposed to continue until 8 A.M so that's not an ideal paddling time I should be asleep then but I'm probably gonna have to wake up at 3am maybe maybe even 2 A.M by 2 P.M tomorrow it's supposed to turn so Southwest but only at four kilometers an hour so virtually Dead Calm building to a 40 kilometer hour south wind ahead wind the following day so if I don't get out tomorrow then I probably won't be able to get out the following day and then we'll see for the day after that everyone has their limits 40 kilometers with the single blade is a huge day for me on Flat Water River travel with current that'd be fine but yeah all right almost nine o'clock I really gotta get to bed because I'm setting alarm for three if conditions seem good then I'm getting on my way [Applause] I'm thinking about the grueling paddling ahead wind is Raging out there moon is rising over the cape feels a little spooky up before three nice mild conditions moving just set stars are popping seems calm this is eerie beautiful though paddling on nip again Under the Stars put a perfect ending to this trip if today is the end a long day if I can keep up even three kilometers an hour theoretically should be able to get there by mid-afternoon but yeah body's already pretty tired from the rest of the trip so we'll see [Music] okay and now this is really amazing there's some Northern Lights fate but still it's an experience [Music] foreign coming around the point Grand cave and it's about 4 AM good two hours till first light three hours till sunrise and I'm coming to realize that's going to be a long paddle Open Water Crossings in the dark are very very creepy just crossing the Gap from Saint Paul Island to here was Missouri and paddling along Shore is also kind of sketchy because it's hard to see rocks that are submerged so yeah I'll be looking forward to First Light amazing though here with Northern Lights and stars okay starting the first crossing over a kilometer in the dark I did up the top to the dry suit I feel much more to use now paddled at night a little bit before nothing like this Northern Lights Jupiter is very bright again tonight your Orion constellation I've never noticed how much it twinkles relative to the other stars which are pretty static it's just there's no way to describe this it's amazing if you're not a camper or a stargazer you're probably wondering why red light saves your eyes you can use red light and you can still see the stars if I use white light it'll overexpose my eyes and then my star Vision won't be as good almost 5 a.m now to make this Cosmic paddle complete balloon's starting to call been watching the seed of the sunrise start to sprout back in the sunlight that was incredible though I at times didn't want night to end but after a few hours that was enough so it's nice to have brightness again hope to see rocks and things and there's a headwind building there was no Tailwind calm conditions at least and now yeah you see what shoots up well past the mouth of McIntyre Bay back to Camp number two this incredible Beach site and there are all these tracks on it I think they're mink or weasel sometimes all four feet come together and that looks like Manker weasel to me I ended up only getting about three hours of sleep last night can barely keep my eyes open so I'm going to put snooze with bear spray in hand this is where I saw the bear coffee to go it feels a lot better yeah that did wonders onward 15 down 25 kilometers to go conditions are really calm so I'm going to cut straight across six kilometer open water crossing but it'll save me a number of kilometers back to Auto head into the home stretch in South Bay still almost 15 kilometers left but that feels good compared to where I started today and if today was the price for this trip it was so worth it it was like a script I could hardly write a better trip wasn't sure what to expect with nip again and it didn't sound that great coming into the trip but day one started out with Rocky shorelines and a great established campsite across from that Eagles Nest and immediately the vibe changed and I was very hopeful day two started out with that beautiful sunrise and the paddle tube here otter head the first time and then there was that one of a kind Peach campsite where the bear came by conditions got rough there and stayed rough into day three but eventually I got around the peninsula into McIntyre Bay and there was an incredible light show that night and into the next day on day four I didn't have a lot in the tank after staying up late to watch the Aurora but eventually found a peaceful camp on that island where there were some more lights day five got into a decent Pike and then a very decent Pike afterward and then hit up the North End of brown Island which was really special I saw that otter eating the burbot there and then ended that day on another Island camp at the mouth day six started with another pretty tough paddle but got up to Grand Cape where an eagle welcomed me that was scenery wise the Highlight Grand Cape was just magic and then I ended up with last night's nice Beach site on St Paul Island across from the cape today brought yet another amazing experience every day had its own highlight and something different the cosmic paddle this morning that was something else one of the most unique paddling experiences I've had new tripping on this Lake sounded dubious coming into it based on the information that I had read there's no question that conditions on nipigan can be rough as on any big water and established campsites might be few and far between but that's just the nature of tripping on a big Wilderness Lake and like anywhere else in the bush you might encounter junked up campsites that perhaps have habituated bears but that's the exception not the rule any Wilderness trip has variables that could lead to someone having a bad time and I'm sure lots of people have had bad experiences here and everywhere else where you can paddle but so reassuring to know what a special destination this is it's so deserving of the title sixth grade Lake there's no Lake I can think of that reminds me more of Lake Superior and that's about the highest compliment I can give and maybe the greatest thing about this lake is there's so much left of it to explore [Music]

Channel: Lost Lakes

Views: 1,557,552

Keywords: lost lakes, camping, fishing, ontario, canada, bushcraft, backcountry angling ontario, winter, wilderness, solo

Id: OvP4LmN_GmA

Length: 69min 58sec (4198 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 19 2022