Shall Lake Loop

The most recent loop was the Shall Lake loop, looping up from Starting Point 17 through Crotch Lake and around the chain.

The route itself was beautiful - the restored “End of Steel” cabin and the logging camp ruins scattered along the way give the whole loop a haunted, lived-in feeling, like the bush is just barely keeping the old camps swallowed.

But I’d be lying if I led with the scenery. The real story of this trip was the bugs.

The spring insects were the worst I’ve ever experienced. Blackflies and mosquitoes came down like rain on a still day - constant, indifferent, everywhere. We were hounded at every corner on portages, swatting with one hand and balancing the boat with the other, never able to stop moving for more than a few seconds without being swarmed. Bug nets did almost nothing. The only mercy was the middle of the larger lakes, where a bit of wind would finally buy us some peace.

But we completed the loop anyways, a day ahead of schedule, specifically to get off the water and away from the bugs. Camping with a goal is still my norm, except this time the goal had teeth - or rather, mandibles. There’s nothing quite like spite to keep your paddle cadence up.

Same kit-list as last trip - I’ve stopped tinkering with it, it just works now. Flameless food again, light pack, nothing I didn’t use. The next trip is the Kawartha Highlands.