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Looking forward to the Spring Paddle

It's still winter at Algonquin Park, but the warm temperatures and sunshine are definitely making us look forward to the first paddle of the season. Check out "This is Canoeing," highlighting some of Canada's notable paddlers.

Calling all Anglers - Spring Trout Fishin'

A new trip will debut this spring at the northwest corner of Algonquin Park.
Join local fishing guide (since 1942), Frank Kuiack on a canoe trip into Algonquin Park. Frank has been guiding fishing parties in Algonquin since the age of 8 when weekend fishermen would offer him money to tke them fishing. He grew up in lumber camps, gold mines, on Algonquin's rivers and lakes, and has seen the Algonquin highlands change over the years.

You will learn the tricks of the trade from Frank as we paddle into North Tea and reel in one of Algonquin's famous lake trout.

Last minute for March

Algonquin conditions could not be better for March 2010! I was out snowhoeing yesterday and the snow base was at least one metre. Both Surprise and Kawawaymog Lakes are super for skiing. The Olympic oval in front of the Outpost is still in great shape for those that are keen to strap on the blades and fly around the track.

We have space at both the Algonquin Cottage Outpost and Algonquin Log Cabin for both guided and private advesntures. Call Tracy and she can line you up with the best package

Countdown to the "Stew and Brew" Winter Men's Retreat

Calling you men who love a good winter adventure mixed with some good food and drink. We are now just weeks away from our first ever "Stew and Brew" winter men's retreat. There is still space to snowshoe, sauna, ice plunge, feast on tasty stews , enjoy craft brews and win some $ in poker.

Igloos at the Outpost

There is lots to do at the Algonquin Cottage Outpost this winter. With lots of snow there are amazing snowshoe and backcountry ski trails. Enjoy torchlit skating under the stars, or build an igloo!

Here are some great shots of the Lindsay family building igloos at the Algonquin Cottage Outpost this holiday season!

"Stew and Brew" Winter Men's Retreat

A winter stag weekend for refined gentlemen, the "Stew and Brew" promises a great weekend mix of adventure with hearty feasts matched with ales, lagers, stouts.
Bender has been testing recipes while our guide team have been testing for the ideal brew matches....an example from last weekend's tasting .. "cider braised elk sauages and mash" washed down with a glass of stout. Outstanding ! Of course, the story is not all feast and brews, Peacock will be guiding snowshoe treks and a fun ski excursion followed by sauna and ice plunge. Poker is on the agenda for the evening . Should be a blast! Call soon, as we are liniting this trip to 12 hungry/ thirsty men!

Snow for December

December arrived with snow this morning. About 4 inches or 10 cm covers the forest today at Algonquin's north west corner. This shot taken from our Oupost shows the ice forming in the bay. The soft light of early December makes for a great time to photograph winter images.

Bald Eagles on Round Lake

This fall, our canoe trips saw bald eagles on Kawawaymog lake at the mouth of the Amable du Fond. One of our Lodge guests, Tommy Vanhee sent in these pictures taken on a sunrise canoe excursion. In October, the construction team that is working on our new Kawawaymog island retreat saw these eagles daily circling above the island. Great to see these magnificent birds back in Algonquin.

Olympic month at the Algonquin Cottage Outpost

Join us at Algonquin this February to celebrate the spirit of the Winter Olympics. Experience unique winter "events" while enjoying cozy accommodation at our lakeside Outpost. For this special time, Voyageur Quest will be supplying televisions for each chalet suite so that you can catch the action and then head out, be inspired and then head out for your own winter adventure.

Snowshoe to the top of cardiac hill for a hair raising run down our home made luge run. Skate on the frozen Roudn lake or joing ina game of torchlit brooomball.

This special package is available throughout February , 2010 and features accommodation at the Algonquin Cottage Outpost!

Happy Faces of Fall

The girls of St. Clements were back exploring the waters of Algonquin for the Duke of Ed expeditions. Congratulations to all for your top notch participation and hard work on the trail.

Voyageur Quest in Lifestyle Magazine

Julia LeConte wrote a nice story about our 3 day winter trip at the Algonquin Log Cabin featuring dogsledding, snowshoeing and backcountry skiing.

Have a look!

When five Siberian huskies hear another team of sled dogs off in the distance, they go nuts. (With a heightened sense of hearing, they can sense them before you do.) They’re not huge dogs, but incredibly strong – the weight of two adult humans can bounce along behind them like wedding cans on an old Chevy. And what’s the cause for excitement? To mate? To fight? The sheer joy of meeting another bunch of canines? As our musher Ed Schmidt explains to us, it’s to establish a pecking order. His team of dogs already has leaders and followers. But when they mix up with other teams, it gets confusing.

It’s dogsledding that brought my fellow traveller and me to the great outdoors in the first place. Like many foreigners visiting our native land, the idea of mushing behind a pack of huskies seemed acutely Canadian to my Irish companion — something not to be missed if one was only here for a single (albeit long) Canadian winter. And so I found myself cautiously looking forward to a three-night, three-day stay with Voyageur Quest, a tripping company based 3 ½ hours north of Toronto near the town of South River, on the doorstep of Algonquin Provincial Park.

Though I fretted about the dark cold that awaited us at 10 p.m. in a frigid log cabin with no electricity, my fears were quickly assuaged when we pulled up to a large, cozy retreat, windows glowing in the pitch black thanks to the fire roaring in the cabin’s hefty hearth. The log cabin (perhaps lodge is the better word) served as headquarters for most of our vacation, and as such was absolutely paramount to our enjoyment. We were cheerfully greeted by our fellow trippers — five vacationers from the Netherlands who swiftly handed us each a beer. (They drank Canadian, while we had brought Heineken.) We spent the first couple of days with our Dutch companions, learning (and for me, the lone Canuck, re-learning) favourite Canadian outdoor pastimes.

Chapter 1: Skiing

Day 1 started with breakfast and a quick cross-country ski lesson. One of our two guides, Matt Rothwell, instilled enough basics to get the group through a day’s worth of skiing. For someone who just recently picked up the sport, he had a knack for teaching. “I originally made fun of my mom, dad and sisters whenever they went out. I thought ‘that just looks like work,’ and they’re big, unwieldy skis,” he says. “I definitely learned the err of my ways.”

We followed a quick zip through some woods with a long ski over beautiful lakes in the afternoon, and a trickier, hillier trail ski to finish off the day. Our group was a mix of intermediate and first-time skiers, but sticking together while enjoying a workout proved easy.

“THE MORE YOU UNDERSTAND THENATURE THAT'S GOING ON AROUND YOU,THE MORE YOU CAN APPRECIATE IT”

Chapter 2: Snowshoeing

While our Dutch friends were off dogsledding on Day 2, we traded in our skis for snowshoes. I was impressed by the technological advancements that have been made in this type of footgear since my class trips to the sugar bush in the early ’90s. The awkward hardwood frame and rawhide lacings have been replaced with more compact, metal or plastic shoes.

We hiked up to stunning lookout points and crossed a running river via beaver dam. Later, as we left the log cabin for the privacy of Voyageur Quest’s cottage outpost — our private, spacious, well-furnished modern cottage — we snuck in one last snowshoe on Once-A-Day Trail — an easy and scenic track, not to be skipped.

Chapter 3: Dogsledding

Our day of mushing was finally upon us. Our leader and dog-yard owner, Schmidt, gave a surprisingly brief tutorial. He explained the commands: “gee” to turn right, “haw” for left, “let’s go” or “hike” to get them started (actually you just need to take your foot off the brake), and “whoa” or “easy” for stop (this one, we would find, the dogs take as more suggestion than command). “On by” was the decree of choice when you wanted the pups to ignore something along the road, like other dogs, or a darting squirrel. (There were plenty of both.) In truth, most of our commands would probably have fallen on deaf ears had we not had Schmidt in front of us — he drove the sled with the confident, co-ordinated relaxation that comes with experience.

There are two approaches to two-man dogsledding. In the first, one person sits in the basket, while the other stands behind, with one foot on each runner (the sled’s skis). The second option has both people standing on the runners — either side by side with each driver having his own runner, or one in front of the other. The former one-man-in-basket approach is slightly easier to master, and thus advised for first-timers.

Later, on the trail, as I flailed behind the sled after losing control of my team going downhill — my gloves wrapped in a death grip on the sled’s handlebar as my body bounced along like a bad cartoon — I realized that Schmidt’s brief instruction had purpose. He employed a hands-off teaching style. We learned as we went along, with little instruction when we didn’t need it, but lots of help when we did.

After lunch, with the sunny afternoon peaking at a temperature of 6 C, we were comfortable in our sled, cruising along with little incident. Maybe the March heat and the animals’ fatigue (sled dogs are at their peak at -15 C and below) is what made us feel so expert, prompting us to adopt the second approach to driving. By the time we came to the trailhead and helped corral the dogs, we were feeling a bond with our pooches that made it difficult to say goodbye.

Creature Comforts

Three things you need not worry about on your winter retreat

1) Food
You won’t go hungry on a trip with Voyageur Quest. Hearty and delicious meals are supplemented by surprising snacks at every turn — hot chocolate and cookies on a ski break, apple slices and brie by the fire in the late afternoon and hot apple cider on the trail. Our guides’ philosophy on meal times was also welcome. Instead of rushing out the door to the day’s activities, we were encouraged to “ease out” of breakfast and lunch, allowing time for our grub to settle in before we headed out.

2) Warmth
There’s no electricity to heat the log cabin, but a giant, two-storey stone fireplace that shoots up the middle of the lodging keeps the entirety very cozy indeed. Likewise, the sauna building in the backyard will get you downright sweaty.

3) Guides
Not only expert chefs, outdoor enthusiasts and deft at keeping the log cabin perfectly heated and lit at all times, Voyageur Quest’s guides are also expertly versed in nature knowledge. They recognize animal tracks, differentiate betwen tree types, point out moss and lichen and identify their potential uses. “The more you understand the nature that’s going on around you, the more you can appreciate it,” says Rothwell.

For a variety of winter (plus spring, summer and fall) adventures, including multi-day dogsledding trips, visit voyageurquest.com.

Duke of Edinburgh canoe trips in Algonquin

Many of our Algonquin adventures are popular with schools and camps for the expedition requirement for the Duke of Edinburgh award. 3 and 4 day Canoe trips are ideal in the spring and fall . For something out of the ordinary, bring your school or Duke of Ed club with us in winter for snowshoeing, backcountry skiing and winter camping. The Algonquin log cabin offers a great base for winter expeditions.

Uncorking Algonquin Rustic

Look out VQA! Tracy, Eva and I had fun tasting our very own 2009 Voyageur Quest vintage... Smooth and great tasting, look to sample "Algonquin Rustic" on special harvest departures this October at the Algonquin Log Cabin.

2009 Photo Contest

Our 2009 Photo Contest is coming to a finish at the end of October. Please send your pictures to us soon. We offer free trips in three categories:

1. Best People and Wildlife
2. Best People and Site (Log Cabin or Cottage Outpost)
3. Best People and Landscape
   
   Here are two submissions both from John Weatherburn:

Summer Heat - Get here soon!

With a damp July behind us, it appears Summer has finally rolled in. We have been experiencing heat and loving every second of it. It looks like it will be a late summer like last year with summer coming in August and September. For those of you who missed a summer trip to Algonquin - come in September - it will be like summer!

Georgian Bay Sea Kayaking

On August 21st an excited group of guests departed from the shores of Britt on a 3-day Georgian Bay sea kayaking trip. "Thank you for putting together a very enjoyable weekend trip. We had fun with a great group and expert guides. We really liked the location for the trip and congratulate the guides." - Karen (guest, August 21-23, 2009)

Ehud and our Israeli Friends

We had the pleasure of hosting the families of Ehud Raanani and Alon Peled who travelled all the way from Israel to experience our Algonquin canoe trip and a few days at the log cabin. With children ages 7 to 19, both families had great energy and our guide team had a blast. Thanks Ehun and Alon and hope to see you all again!

Mid Season Staff Unwind

With the busy season of summer, it is hard to find a time when many of our staff are back at base at the same time. Sunday was one such occasion and we made the most of it with drinks and dinner at the Log Cabin. Thanks to Blair and Gill for making the extra effort to be there!

Red Rock Plunge

Nothing beats a summer jump off Red Rock on Surprise Lake. That's Kate Dotsikas and John Rolland taking crazy jumps!

Log Cabin Sunsets

After an action packed Saturday filled with fishing and diving off red rock, we enjoyed Voyageur canoe cocktails and appetizers dockside! With the afternoon fading sun and warm summer breeze off Surprise Lake, the Log Cabin features wonderful summer sunsets and a great way to enjoy a summer mini vacation. Come by yourself on one of our 3 day adventures or bring a group and rent the cabin for a private retreat.

Canoeing the South River

I enjoyed a great afternoon canoeing a portion of the South River last week with naturalist Blair ( aka Dr. Baldwin). The river is so peaceful and thankfully unspoiled. With it's headwaters in Algonquin Park, the South River flows west out of Algonquin and all the way to Lake Nippising. We saw plenty of moose tracks, 2 black bear cubs climbing a tree and were accompanied by a family of Morganzers who swam with us for a few hours. Our Algonquin Outpost has a few unique adventure tours that include a river run down the South River.

Couples will like the "Algonquin Adventure for Two" while seasoned canoers might enjoy our "Algonquin Canoe Discovery" which fetaures paddling 3 different lakes / rivers in 3 days.

The South River has a few obstacles to manoevre around including this massive old growth white pine.

Oh Canada! Algonquin Log Cabin Special Departure

Where will you celebrate Canada Day this year? How about at the northwest corner of Algonquin Park following the Pathways of the Algonquin?

Voyageur Quest is offering a special Tuesday to Thursday departure on the popular Pathways of the Algonquin package. Join us as we celebrate our "home and native land" the Canadian way with canoeing, hiking, and wildlife interpretation. Stay in the rustic log cabin and enjoy delicious Canadian themed meals.

Spaces are limited to 12, so don't delay!

Super Summer Specials at the Algonquin Cottage Outpost

Voyageur Quest just announced a Super Summer Special to repeat customers, great for the whole family! From now until mid-July all repeat guests who visit the Algonquin Cottage Outpost will receive a complimentary canoe, fishing rod and as an added bonus a bottle of Ontario wine!

Explore Kawawaymog Lake from end to end. Take a picnic lunch and a fishing rod and catch your dinner! Enjoy a glass of wine on the dock in the evening hours while watching the stars overhead. Relaxing at the Cottage Outpost doesn't get much better than that.

Spaces are limited, so call today!

Moose, Moose and more Moose

The past two weekends at Algonquin Park have been amazing for moose viewing! It couldn't have been better timing as our Moose Photography workshops were held June 5-7 and June 12-14, 2009. Photographers of all ability levels from Canada and the United States joined wilderness Photography expert, Rob Stimpson and our Voyageur Quest guides on an experience to remember.

Everyone had the silent approach down perfectly; words were whispered, hand signals were used, paddles moved quietly through the water. Everyone was all smiles after seeing a combined total of 38 moose over the two weekends. Also sighted were loons, birds and some beautiful flowering flora!

We look forward to a few more weekends of moose viewing in Algonquin on our upcoming 3-day canoe trips.

Spring dining at the Log Cabin

We missed Joe this spring at the Log Cabin so our team filled in with receipes, sampled, sampled again, again and again ! Get here soon for homemade soups, breads and our famous maple bacon ! We love our cookouts at Bonfire point where the fish is grilled on the open fire.

Fields of Trout Lily

One of the many delights of spring is the abundance of trout lily which cover the forest floor in May.The light green in the above picture is all trout lily. The Trout Lily is a great addition to spring salads...The leaves are delicious as are the flowers and small onion looking roots. Also out at this time of year are Red Trillium.

Surprise Lake Creek and spring creek runs

The sound of rushing water can be heard from the Log Cabin dock at this time of year. The creeks are swollen which presents a great opportunity to bring out the playboat and have some fun in the moving water. There are several creeks/ small rivers around both the Algonquin Log Cabin and Algonquin Cottage Outpost with good access. For those of you white water fans, call our office for how we can shape a great late April/ early May weeknd for you!

Meet the Team

Our Log Cabin staff team of 2009 kicked off the season with a week of training, sunny weather and lot's of laughs. Meet the team... in this picture Gill, Danielle, Amy, Vanessa, Blair, Spencer and Matt. Peacock was in for a short stint as was Zane and Carol.

April in Killarney

We were back in KIllarney with a Duke of Edinburgh school trip last week and enjoyed picture perfect weather! The snow made for some long days but the clear skies more than made up for it.

Spring is HERE!

Yup, it is official. With rain showers and the occasional truly warm day, we must sadly say goodbye to another wonderful season of snow. Many moments stick out in my mind from a winter of both seasoned winter adventures, and a few individuals who have only seen snow a handful of times in their lives. Epic snowshoeing adventures in four foot snowdrifts, x-country skiing debacles ranging from super slick conditions to even a snapped pole by one of our guides were uncommon but entertaining, and of course beautifully still starry nights out on the frozen lake. I will miss the Columbians and their ungloved skiing antics, the Ole Mississippi university group who had endless energy and excitement, and of course Unionville High School with their polar dips into the lake, but it is the relaxed conversations in the deep couches by the fire or over home cooked meals that really cement the ideal of the winter experience in my mind.

Thank you to everyone who visited us for a great experience out there on the trails. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the bush, perhaps in a canoe or on a hiking trail in the seasons to come!

Cheers,
Matt Rothwell ( lead winter guide)

The Dutchmen, a writer, and the ER

Who knew that one of our final trips of the winter would be such a splash. Trekking across beaver dams as the ice melted off the pond, variations of card games taught by our five Dutch guests, and unbelievable dinner conversations (lets just say that working in the ER of a hospital gives you plenty of experiences to talk about… thanks Fergus). We laughed, we played, hit the sauna, we dined, and even the occasional adult beverage was consumed.

All in all, a great last trip.

Cheers to our guests and Peacock my fellow guide,
Matt

The Adventuresome Youth of Unionville High

With all the swirling comments about the youth of today not getting out into nature enough anymore it was excellent to host the outdoors class from Unionville High School for the weekend. The spent a night outside in a tarp shelter they created they day they arrived, made tracks on their snowshoes, bonded as a class, and amazingly enough did the polar dip in Surprise Lake! As a matter of fact, several of them sprinted the run from the sauna to the hole in the ice and back several times. This definitely put to rest some of the worries that society has about our youth’s sense of adventure in the wilderness, at least in the minds of us guides at the Algonquin Log Cabin.

Guides
Matt Rothwell, Gill Dagg, & Dave Peacock

Algonquin Winter adventure for 2

Nick and Sue Burgin from the UK were up at the Cottage Outpost on a winter adventure for two that included snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, dogsledding, snowmobiling and a visit to the dogsled races in Kearney. Great to have winter-lovers from across the pond!

Its Negative 40 Celsius and I am All Alone

I wake up to my clanging alarm clock and recognize that it has been a colder night than usual, as the cabin is feeling a little frosty. Getting out of the warm sleeping bag is tough, but once I manage to feel my way outside to stoke the fires in our fire places I notice on the thermometer that it is registering well below the bottom of the scale, and that is –30 degrees Celsius. No wonder the trees are creaking, the air is so crisp, and my nostrils feel the light sting of the cold! I am positive that I won’t be seeing any of the birds at our feeders today, but with such cold weather should come some fantastic skiing conditions. Too bad there isn’t anyone to adventure in this true north winter up at the log cabin currently, I’ll just have to make sure that the sauna is toasty to come back to for an après ski.

Guide
Matt Rothwell

Going to the Chapel

Going to the Chapel… well err… Well they are Getting Married!

What a magical event! A winter wedding to be held at the Algonquin Log Cabin was something of a dream. A fantastic group from Sudbury and Northern Ontario arrived for a weekend of fun and festivities at the cabin and brought with them the most fantastic weather. As temperatures hovered in the ten to twenty below range, the sun shone brilliantly and made for great snowshoeing, skiing, skating, and dog sledding conditions. After an adventure filled Saturday, the setting evening sun didn’t disappoint down at the lake, as it seemed that the wedding ceremony was blessed from above with warm temperatures, no wind, and a spectacular sunset. Memories to last a lifetime for sure!

Log Cabin Staff

Happy New Year !

Our guide team had fun with a great group who were up at Algonquin Log Cabin to bring in the New Year.... Thanks to Julianne and Marcin for some great pictures. Happy New Year all and wishing you a healthy and happy 2009!