Holy Name of Mary goes for Gold!

Holy Name of Mary school is up at the Algonquin Log Cabin for a fantastic custom log cabin adventure! As part of their Duke of Edinburgh, Gold programme we have been learning winter camping and survival skills, building quincies and exploring the Surprise Lake area both on skiis and snowshoes.

Setting up the Wall Tent

Jody and I have been busy setting up the wall tent at the end of Surprise Lake. The wall tent, a popular option for enthusiastic outdoor groups staying at the log cabin , sure takes a lot of wood in the stove to keep it comfortable! Our first night in the tent was quite comfortable inside while it was twenty below outside ! We awoke to a stunning clear day, and the lack of wind meant the thin layer of snow on the lake ice provided for a long lasting record of animal tracks! There were abundant moose tracks, fox, and snowshoe hare crisscrossing our sled tracks from the day before. When I went out for a ski in the bright afternoon sun, I was excited to come across wolf tracks. Following them for a bit, I was surprised to come up to Jody’s and my tracks from an hour before, where the two sets of wolf tracks veered off their earlier course and pursued ours. Puzzled, and a little apprehensive, I looked over my shoulder to see if perhaps they were intent on catching up to my ski tracks. The wide still expanse of bright white betrayed no movement. I skied alongside the tracks for a few minutes more, coming to where the wolf tracks finally diverged again from the human tracks and continued on their relaxed way across the lake. How neat to have the tables turned; it made me wonder who was investigating whom!

Self Guided Exploratory Snowshoe Mission Braves Lake Ice!

This group of intrepid friends from Ottawa is here to enjoy the Algonquin Log Cabin experience for New Years Eve. They are super happy to ‘do their own thing’ and having free run of the kitchen and barbeque, they are certainly going for gourmet, with all kinds of specialty sausages and homemade dishes, with Turkish coffee, etc. A great way to ring the New Year! The next day they braved the lake-ice and crossed to the Island Trail for a self-guided snowshoe outing. Unfortunately, they said, no wolf sightings! They look forward to returning, maybe in the summer to explore more of the great trails.

Winter Bliss - Snowshoe Algonquin

Our Algonquin Log Cabin and Cottage Outpost received a new order of Canadian made GV snowshoes this week - perfect for the Algonquin hilly terrain. Our 2008 winter line up has several trips which feature snowshoeing including:
Algonquin Winter EcoAdventure - 4 day package with dogsledding, snowshoeing and backountry ski
Winter Adventure for Two 3 night package with snowshoeing and chouce of dogs or skidoo
and our award winning Log cabin 3 day winter lodge adventure which features 3 days of guided snowshoe, ski and ice fishing.

Keen on picking up a pair for yourself? Check out the MEC
website who have a great information about choosing the right snowshoe.

Family Returns to Algonquin

It was wonderful to see Rainer and family back at the Algonquin Cottage Outpost this winter. The solar powered Cottage Outpost chalet suites are ideal for a family of 4. With two bedrooms, washroom/ shower, full kitchen, fireplace, deck and BBQ- the suites are set up for a comfortable 3 night or week long stay. Rainer’s family took advantage of the kitchen and prepared their own meals while adding on some guided days of snowshoeing and dog sledding.

Algonquin Winter holiday pictures

The skies have been clear and cool over Algonquin the last few days making for some fantastic hiking and snowshoeing. Hope you are enjoying the holidays !

Snowshoes, Skis Ready To Go

With over 3 feet of fresh snow, our snowshoes and backountry skiis are ready for action ! I tried out some of our new lighweight aluminum snowshoes on the Ridge trail this afternoon. They were fantastic in providing remarkable traction on the steep hills. Both the Algonquin Log Cabin and Algonquin Cottage Outpost have fantastic winter trails through forests and across frozen lakes and streams. For the intrepid, the backcountry offers endless exploration. Last February, I skied with a few friends up to a beaver meadow near Genesee Lake. Near an open section of water, we counted the tracks of beaver, wolves, mouse, rabbit, otter, deer and moose . We followed the wolf tracks which seemed to intensify as we crossed the frozen pond. Clumps of hair and bloody snow appeared in spots. We were now following what was clearly a wolf attack on a deer. 50 feet into the alders, we found the a half - eaten deer carcass. It appeared the wolves had taken a break from their feed and were likely still very close and perhaps eyeing us from a distance. It was jarring to see the carnage and rawness of Darwin's law on display.

50 things every Canadian should do in winter

The November issue of Explore- Canada’s outdoor magazine- has an interesting article and list of the 50 things every Canadian should do in a winter. Top 10 on their list



1. “Try speed skating”
2. Stay at an “original” lodge
3. Go to one of three listed resort bars
4. Learn about avalanches
5. Stand at Portage and Main
6. Ski a world Loppet series
7. Go dog sledding
8. Go for run on snowshoes
9. Learn to ski moguls
10. Ski a famous mogul run

For the rest of the list, pick up a copy of their November issue. If you are keen on knocking of any of the top 10 – three are available by signing on to our Algonquin Log Cabin or Algonquin Cottage Outpost winter adventures. (stay at an original{ rustic/ no electricity lodge}, go dog sledding and have a run on snowshoes