Magnetawan Loop

I recently did an insane magnetawan loop with some very competent and trained friends.

(That’s a cap from mapsbyjeff - go buy them if you’re passing through the area! They’re the best, hands-down.)

It was quite challenging! Highlights include the 2km portage followed by the double 800m portages, hopping out to lift the boat over a beaver dam that blocked daisy lake, and both of the sites we stayed on. Jubilee had some obvious bear signs, with claw-marks gouged into a handful of trees and tons of droppings. Little Trout lake is my new favorite spot in the park. The islands and long, reaching peninsulas block sightlines in a way that feels dreamy and mazelike. The sites are meticulously cleared, sunny, breezy, remote, and a little bit lonely.

I believe I used every item I packed on the trip except for some spare socks and my poncho - the weather was fortunately beautiful the whole weekend, despite the thunderstorm warning.

Camping with a goal is my new norm: I’m never looking back! Waking up in the morning with the knowledge that we have to make it to the next site before dark is motivating in a way I didn’t expect.

The landscape was as gorgeous as it was varied. We saw lakes coated in carpets of flowers, campsites blanketed by moss; shallow creeks and wide, deep, choppy lakes.

We went flameless the whole weekend, too. I expected this kind of food to impact my morale a little bit, but it was great!

It was easy to pack, light and convenient.

Macros weren’t great, though.

I subsisted off of nothing but cold meat, cliff bars, trail mix, bread, and gatorade. It was excellent. I didn’t need to bring any meal kit whatsoever, which kept my pack light and spaceous.

I believe the next trip will have to be cliff diving at Lake Eustache…