Map provided courtesy of Toporama which contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. I have marked my route in blue and portages in red. 

I booked my first campsite on the access lake. It was early May, and the sun would be setting just after 8 PM, so I needed time to drive to the park after work, unload my car, park, paddle to a site, and set up camp. It's not enjoyable to do the last part of that in the dark.

After a quick stop for a snack and a break, I was turning off of Highway 11 and driving down the Rain Lake access road just after 5 PM. As I got closer to my destination, I was delayed a bit by slick conditions on the logging road. I guessed that no one told the road that ice-out was a few days earlier. I had already removed my snow tires for the season, so I flipped the AWD on my vehicle into off-road mode and proceeded slowly. 

I made it to the launch site unscathed. I chalked that one up to ze German efficiency of the AWD on my Volkswagen rather than my driving skills. 

The parking lot was not full, but nearly. I wasn't surprised by this; it is Algonquin Park, after all. I was actually encouraged by the fact that I found a parking spot at all! 

I unloaded my vehicle next to the swollen waters of the access point, and then drove it back to the lot to park. Walking back to my canoe, I was getting excited. Yes! After a long and harsh winter, I was getting back on the water for a canoe trip, albeit a short one. 

The skies were a bit worrisome, however. Dark clouds were socked in and the forecast was rain for the night. At the moment, it was dry, but I just wanted to get to a site on the northeast end of Rain Lake and set up camp before it got wet. 

I shoved off and took my first few paddle strokes of the year. Ahhh, yes, I was back on the water for my first canoe trip of 2025! I turned to take a shot of the dock at the launch site that was trying to stay afloat in the high meltwater conditions. 

I could only imagine what was going through that dock's mind at the time. I would have asked what it was sinking about, but I had to get to my campsite. 

I paddled up Cripple Creek toward Rain Lake, humming that classic tune by The Band. 

Up on Cripple Creek, she sends me

If I spring a leak, she mends me

I certainly did not want to spring a leak; alas, I had no Bessie to mend me. 

As I got closer to Rain Lake, a couple of loons guided the way for me. I named one of them Bessie just in case I really did spring a leak. I smiled—my first loon sighting of 2025. Indeed, I was back on the water, and that was a good thing.

I paddled into the lake proper and began looking for a nice site to call it a night. It was starting to mist a little and I wanted to get settled in. I would be taking the portages into Islet Lake the next day, so I wanted to get closer to those trails. I made for the site on the western side of the island at the northeastern end of the lake. 

As I paddled closer, I was pleased to see that it was vacant. 

I enjoyed my steak in the light mist. I am happy to report that both the steak and the mist disappeared fairly quickly. Before I could say, "Who needs a tarp!", I found it getting dark. I had a nightcap or two and offered a toast to Algonquin and the 2025 canoe tripping season next to the fire. It was lovely.