This one was a doozy. What was planned as an easy "front-country" trip to Rain Lake in Algonquin ended up being much more adventurous than we believed possible.
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Happy 3rd Moon Landing, Apollo 14 (1971)! 🚀👨🚀🌕
Snowed in on Rain Lake, Algonquin PP November 2015
- Thread starter tear_knee
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I haven't heard that expression for winter either. Definitely going to make use of it. Nice write up. Beautiful setting.
Gahhhhhhhhhh! I didn't hear any, but I have in Algonquin before. They were probably watching us the whole time, waiting for us to get fat on hot buttered rum
All's well that ends well. I guess it was an adventure of a different kind.
November Camping
Delorme inReach - $400
Down sleeping bag - $300
No bugs - Priceless
Delorme inReach - $400
Down sleeping bag - $300
No bugs - Priceless
I've been through a lot of snowy adventures in little cars I've owned (and loved, and abused). Go easy on it. It tried it's best. There'll be more adventures.
Having family and friends in a time of need is also...priceless.
Having family and friends in a time of need is also...priceless.
Odyssey this isn't the first time we've had the car get stuck in the snow/mud/at the bottom of a hill. It's good for summer trips.. Lots of room for gear, good on gas. Just not so great for winter adventures or any road surface other than dirt or tarmac. I think we need this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/-ySoXaEMXs/
https://www.instagram.com/p/-ySoXaEMXs/
Nice trip report. All ended well and nobody died, so a good weekend.
Having a 4x4 doesn't guarantee not getting stuck. I had my Chevy Colorado down to the axles last week, the contractor in his F250 got stuck and then to top it all we got a semi hauling gravel stuck. Fortunately we had a very large excavator on hand to pull us out. Oh the joy of winter construction!
I do like my Forester for paddling and winter camping trips, good ground clearance and proper four wheel drive. Could be bigger but then we would just take more stuff!
Having a 4x4 doesn't guarantee not getting stuck. I had my Chevy Colorado down to the axles last week, the contractor in his F250 got stuck and then to top it all we got a semi hauling gravel stuck. Fortunately we had a very large excavator on hand to pull us out. Oh the joy of winter construction!
I do like my Forester for paddling and winter camping trips, good ground clearance and proper four wheel drive. Could be bigger but then we would just take more stuff!
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As Bothwell Voyageur has already said, having a 4x4 won't always guarantee getting out. Years ago when I was guiding winter backpacking trips I had a bunch of clients with Jeep Grand Cherokees & Eddie Bauer Ford Explorers; all with 4x4. I was driving a lowly 2 wd Chevy S-10 pick-up with good snow tires and some weight in the back of the bed. In the end, I was the only one who didn't end up in a ditch that weekend. Good snow tires and some conservative driving, along with a bit of patience, may be all you need sometimes.
That's all for now. Thanks for the report and wonderful photos. Take care and until next time...be well.
snapper
That's all for now. Thanks for the report and wonderful photos. Take care and until next time...be well.
snapper
Well geez, I guess I will have to get that crazy tank thing I posted above!
The ground clearance was the biggest issue. Our car was just dragging and scraping its underbelly along the snow.
The ground clearance was the biggest issue. Our car was just dragging and scraping its underbelly along the snow.
4x4's generally just get you stuck where the towing is more expensive...
i no longer attempt heroic things in the tacoma, tho i carry a chain and give tugs when appropriate...
i never like being the only vehicle at the far end of a remote road in the off-season, besides stuck, there are so many little things, tires, hoses, batteries, etc, ...that can go wrong...
(last time i was at rain lake, in july, i had to borrow a compressor from the people staying the the ranger cabin to top up my slow-leak...)
i no longer attempt heroic things in the tacoma, tho i carry a chain and give tugs when appropriate...
i never like being the only vehicle at the far end of a remote road in the off-season, besides stuck, there are so many little things, tires, hoses, batteries, etc, ...that can go wrong...
(last time i was at rain lake, in july, i had to borrow a compressor from the people staying the the ranger cabin to top up my slow-leak...)
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Yup, 4x4 just get you stuck further and chains... Further yet... But if you use your head, you should be abba to get your self out. I have driven a bunch of different 4x4 trucks, and always try to go in on 2 wheel drive, and when you get stuck and need 4x4, use it to get your self out and not further... But it happens that the temptation of going further is to hight and you end up going full steam ahead, that tis why you cary chains so then when you get really stuck hopefully reason will struck and you will get your self out of the crap and go home, not further.... Unless you have a winch....
Wow, lucky you had someone there that could help you out. Something even more ridiculous: Once we got back to the city, we found the battery in the old Big Brown Chev work truck was dead, too. Two cars to zero in a weekend.
I probably should have researched the road better before we drove in, but after a quick poll on another forum I thought I had found a perfect spot for an easy weekend trip. We always like to go to new places, and my lust for adventure overrode my sense of caution, I suppose. I really had no idea that road was going to be so long and rough. I was given advice to put snow tires on, which Andrew had already done.
I think a big part of it is not wanting to go back to the same, easy-access destinations anymore. It's kinda dumb, because in the off-season it's not like we're going to be competing for campsites or lining up at portages, but some part of me always thinks, "nahhh, that's too easy, I want to be somewhere more remote!". We had been through the Canoe Lake access in Algonquin twice this year and I was looking for something new. I should have done Rock Lake or something, but it seemed like the same time and distance to drive to Rain Lake on Google Maps.
The lease on the car is up in July. I know the pros and cons of 4x4s, but I really think we need a car that isn't going to get stuck in muddy grass in Killarney, have to be pulled up a hill in winter in Muskoka, get stuck in a snowbank in Watabeag, nearly get blown off the road every Christmas between my parents' place and Andrew's mom's, and leave us with no option to escape in Algonquin. Andrew does too much driving in all seasons and on all types of roads to be driving a small city car. Our families live 1-2 hours away. It makes sense to me to start looking for something more rugged. I learned how to drive in a Jeep. I still crashed it when I was 17, but at least I could reverse it out of the tree/ditch. In all honesty, I miss our '94 Buick Regal Custom. That thing was a Land Yacht, and we never worried about it being stolen or having to ditch it because it was basically just a pile of turquoise scrap metal with a V6 engine that consistently only ran on 3 cylinders, but it always got the job done!
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I am pretty partial to the Highlander ( AWD) for the whole canoeing thing as it is super stable and gets you there in comfort. A bit pricey for me though.
I am a Buick chick for sure. I have had a succession of Buick centuries, 98-02. Rugged beasties they are and pretty good driving cars. You can fix em pretty easy also. The last one only cost me $1500.
I am thinking of a Rav 4 or maybe an older Dakota 4WD for my next ride.
When I lived in Alberta we used 2 WD trucks with chains and filled the box with logs...worked great.
Christy
I am a Buick chick for sure. I have had a succession of Buick centuries, 98-02. Rugged beasties they are and pretty good driving cars. You can fix em pretty easy also. The last one only cost me $1500.
I am thinking of a Rav 4 or maybe an older Dakota 4WD for my next ride.
When I lived in Alberta we used 2 WD trucks with chains and filled the box with logs...worked great.
Christy
we were up the weekend before you, off of #60 -- was aiming for pinetree ended up doing fork/norway -- it's a great time of the year to hit the more crowded spots, because, well they're not...but the access is still easy. i was once the only canoe on canoe lake...it was snowing
(then there was this time, a while back, in what is now kawartha highlands pp...the brake-light switch on my break pedal came loose and left the brake light on for the whole weekend -- dead battery -- lucky there was a marina a mile away that loaned me a deep-cycle jump-start...had to haul it back to the car tho...and then that time in chiniguchi, before the road was anything but a logging road, and i lost a catalytic converter...nice quiet ride from there)
keep on truckin'
(then there was this time, a while back, in what is now kawartha highlands pp...the brake-light switch on my break pedal came loose and left the brake light on for the whole weekend -- dead battery -- lucky there was a marina a mile away that loaned me a deep-cycle jump-start...had to haul it back to the car tho...and then that time in chiniguchi, before the road was anything but a logging road, and i lost a catalytic converter...nice quiet ride from there)
keep on truckin'
Wow. Quite the misadventure, but still adventure nonetheless. Glad you made it out safely and were able to save the car too. Your photos look so idyllic. Safe winter paddling can be quite exhilarating. Liked your Ikea stove too. I made one as well. Found some steel canisters from Goodwill to make a billy pot that nestles right inside for a decent cook system.
Seems like you had an awesome tripping season overall. Have any plans in the works for next year?
Seems like you had an awesome tripping season overall. Have any plans in the works for next year?
Iskweo all of my dream cars are under the hashtag #adventuremobile on Instagram. There are some pretty funny and awesome ones to look at there. I am a fan of any car that can be fixed with a hammer.. In our old Buick, the electric windows failed on the passenger side and our mechanic ripped off the door panel and banged it and it worked perfectly again.
tump_lion you've had a lot of car troubles on trips! Makes me feel better about what happened to us, if only because misery loves company.
Murat V yes, we've had a great year. I'm in the first stage of planning for next year's adventures. We really fell in love with Temagami this year, so maybe next year we will do a different big trip in the area. I would like to do something even longer than two weeks, but I doubt we would be able to swing that with work. I'm also dreaming about doing the Missinaibi sometime, but that's a few years down the road. We will definitely be doing a tandem whitewater course at MKC in the spring, but other than that I'm not sure yet.
tump_lion you've had a lot of car troubles on trips! Makes me feel better about what happened to us, if only because misery loves company.
Murat V yes, we've had a great year. I'm in the first stage of planning for next year's adventures. We really fell in love with Temagami this year, so maybe next year we will do a different big trip in the area. I would like to do something even longer than two weeks, but I doubt we would be able to swing that with work. I'm also dreaming about doing the Missinaibi sometime, but that's a few years down the road. We will definitely be doing a tandem whitewater course at MKC in the spring, but other than that I'm not sure yet.
I have 6 bags of softener salt on the back of my Colorado after a very scary spin last winter. I never understood P.J. O'Rourke's description of driving a pick up until I moved to Canada and was given a truck for work...
Maybe steer clear of the RAV4 I think they are mostly bought by urbanites trying to avoid the potholes!
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