2019 - Crotch Lake

North Frontenac Parklands, Crotch Lake, Site 38

Our first shot at Crotch Lake, in 2016, got deflected by my mother’s hospital stay and our worry about being out of touch. The next year we were too late and went elsewhere, and in 2018 we skipped canoeing in favour of a big trip to Thunder Bay.

Site 38 appealed to us because it was on an island not too far from the access point. This island looks large on the map, but it turns out that site sits on just a small point, cut off from the main island by an overhung moat. Still big enough to explore but not to hike.

https://www.northfrontenacparklands.com/

Nothing but sunshine

It’s interesting how much the weather can influence the experience of a place. On our Charleston Lake trip we were overhung by trees and sullen skies. Crotch Lake was wide open to a clear sky and the blazing sun. There was always shade to be had, but the canoeing was best done early or late.

Of course, when you’re canoe-camping, you can always go for a swim to cool off. And this site even had a small beach.

Our 2019 Canoe expedition took us to Crotch Lake in the North Frontenac Parklands, where we camped on this island with its own small beach.
Crotch Lake has been on our to-go list for a while, ever since acquiring Kevin Callan’s “Weekend Wilderness Adventures in Southern Ontario”.
From a satellite view, the whole area looks wonderfully remote and rugged. We identified one particularly promising camp site on an island not to far from the canoe launch.
We had booked Site 38 three years earlier, in 2016, but ended up not going because my mom was in the hospital that whole summer. We were too late rebooking it the following year because this site is so popular and fills up fast.
The road going into the access point is well past the signs for the lodges that sit at the bottom of Crotch Lake. It’s partially highlighted here by a red line. From this boat launch it’s only a twenty minute paddle to site 38.
This close-in satellite view shows the tip of Long Island (unfortunately, in its winter cloak). The marker shows the canoe berth and just above it the clearing in the campsite. Where I’ve drawn the line is where a channel separates this bit of land from the larger one. I canoed over only once and explored it a bit, but without my camera.
We arrived at the Crotch Lake access point parking lot at 11:30 am on a Monday morning and quickly found our way down to lake level via a one way loop. It was busy with boats coming in so we had to jostle for space to stop and unload.
An hour later we’d found our campsite and had our first load piled up on a tarp in the shade. It was hot and there was no chance of rain. We explored just a little before heading back for our second load.
By 2:45, we were back with our second load. That’s around three hours for loading and transporting.
After a full day of travelling, transporting and setting up camp we managed to have supper at six on the nose.
The campsite is very large and sunny. We managed to find a good place for our tent back in among the trees where it would get mostly shade. There were a couple other possible places for pitching a tent.
By quarter to nine, the sun was setting with a subtle display of colour
And by 9:30 we were safely behind the mesh of our tent door ready for sleep, but still able to enjoy the view.
At quarter to six the next morning (Tuesday), I ventured out to see what I could of the sunrise. Although the lay of the land prevented a direct view, there was still plenty of colour.
Where the sun finally did manage to reach, the shoreline was wonderfully cast in its low, warm light.
Looking across to where the mainland is just catching the sun I found some seagull sentinels on a one tree island.
Wendy was well rested enough to be up and about by 6:30 and getting things ready for our morning coffee. You can see the orange food bag and red cooler still hanging between trees.
I was using my new 3/8″ rope for the first time, hauling it way up over the branch of the tree and then tying off at another.
We knew that the Crotch Lake campsites were not supplied with picnic tables, so we were pleasantly surprised to find a camper’s construction of plywood and boards jammed up against a tree. This was the perfect spot because of its shading from the hot afternoon sun.
By nine we were enjoying ‘bacon’ and eggs, me in the shade and Wendy in the sun. You can see a bit of blue water above Wendy’s head, and beyond that a rise of land, a patch of sunshine and a cliff face. That’s the other campsite that belongs to 138.These two sites (for the price of one) are separated by water would be great for extended families, especially if there are factions that don’t get along. We knew we would be on a large island, but what’s impossible to tell from the maps is that our site is on a relatively small island that is separated from the large one by a narrow channel completely overhung by trees. Our own ‘sub’ island turned out to be only a quarter km in circumference and under an acre in area.
We swam often during our stay, especially as an antidote to the heat. After a cold winter and spring we were worried that the water would be too cold this early in the summer, but we were pleasantly surprised to find the water temperature, at 27C, to be as warm as the air.
I don’t really like camping on an island. I feel stuck if I can’t hike my way out. This one, though small, still had lots to offer, so after lunch I set out to explore its perimiter and to see what I could see. First find seems to be a ‘fall dandelion’ in the Aster family.
Around the island there are lots of shallows, and here the small water plants glistening in the overhead sun make for a fetching texture.
Tall grasses, set off against the blue water channel between the two islands.
Another shallow, this one swarming with tiny fish.
Light play is a primary force for beauty in the Canadian Shield. Here the contrast between sun drenched rock and deep dark water is sublime.
There’s plenty of cedar on the island and the colour contrast between its fresh green and the blue sky is lively.
This is probably a disease of some sort, but it is pretty nevertheless.
Whenever I see my reflections and my shadow together, I can’t resist taking a picture.
There were lovely stands of blue flag iris around the island.
I’ve always been drawn to contemplating/photographing the iris. There were fine specimens in my childhood backyard. I like that they are trinitarian.
More grass swaying in the breeze. Not as organized as an iris but uniform in its own way.
The loons made regular appearances during our stay, but mostly in the distance. This is the best I could do with a cropped telephoto shot.
That evening, while we were paddling in the marshy area between the two islands I managed to snap a fleeing beaver.
Tuesday’s sunset was a little more colourful than Monday’s
Wednesday morning, at 5:30 am, the sunrise was obviously not coming to me, and the water was calm, so I ventured out on my own in the canoe to meet it face to face.
It promised to be yet another clear sky, hot day, but for now anyway I could enjoy the cool morning and low clouds
Sometimes the sun is most glorious when it’s behind the scene.
A sunrise that will never be the same
When I returned to the campsite at 6:15 the sun was finally reaching in. You can see the food line clearly and the food suspended from it
Paddling around the island I could see the stands of iris that I had previously photographed from land.
I spent some time setting up for the day before taking another shadow portrait.
This rock rises like some primordial beast from the calm water
Parts of the rock at water level are like microcosms of the general topography
At ten, we set out under clear skies over calm water to explore. The shore opposite our island (to the west) showed various inlets that would be more intimate than Crotch Lake as a whole.
Glassy water and weathered stumps are fascinating to glide by.
A glide by shot of swamp milkweed
In a shot of a root clump on water, only later do I discover a green water worm/snake? hanging around
The inner bays are full of the fallen
On our way back we see two (or the same?) herons roosting and then spooking away on broad wings. Multiple shots of both flights result in only one that is passably sharp.
Approaching our landing on site 38. This is one of the best canoe docks we’ve ever had – nose in to a sandy beach and in deeper water along side low rocks.
After lunch we enjoyed the water again, exploring the shoreline from lake side. There were submerged ledges and platforms everywhere for our resting and sunning pleasure.
Between swims we would sit and read in the shade or sun as needed. The rocks on the right are where we swam – they afforded a step-wise descent into the water to the point we could flop in. One of the nicest swimming entries we’ve had. In the background is our kitchen nestled up against a stand of cedars.
Late afternoon we felt the need to return to our van to pick up a forgotten box of medications that Wendy needed for a headache.
That pushed our supper back a bit, but still respectably at 6:30
Just for show, Wendy tries out our private beach while I try to keep the canoe from twisting in the wind long enough to get a shot or two
When the water and air are warm enough there is still the chance for an evening swim
Standing tall
At home in the water
Crotch Lake is a fisherman’s lake. We were at the turn lane for motor boat traffic heading from the lodges at the south end to a wide expanse of fishing holes north of us and well beyond the crotch where the lake branches out again. So our wilderness silence was punctuated too regularly by the buzz of motors, heading out early in the morning, coming in for lunch and returning after the evening’s catch. For this alone, we will probably never return.
After three days of camping we’ve used up three quarters of our drinking water
The far away loons put on a sight and sound show for us
“Our third and last sunset was unremarkable but pleasant enough. By then we had decided that we would leave the next day (Thursday) rather than Friday. We still had not had a drop of rain and forecast still predicted an end to that. We’d seen what there was to see on our small island and the prospect of having to pack up wet weighed heavily against the possible pleasures of another lazy day.
We enjoyed another campfire before being driven by mosquitos into our tent. And that put an end to our carefree days. This would be the shortest of our canoe camping trips.