NetNude - Canuding Report

North River Lake Report

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North River Lake
Labour Day Canuding Trip

September, 1996

The Labour Day weekend was looking like it was going to be one of the better weekends of the year, so my friend Karen and I decided to head out on a weekend canuding trip to North River Lake in Algonquin Park. Algonquin Park can be found in Ontario's near north, about a three hour drive north of Toronto. Located on the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, the park is 7725 square kilometres of classic Canadian canoe country. With over 2100 Km of canoe routes connecting 1500 lakes and rivers, extended trips of a week or more are possible.

For the uninitiated, the North River can look a little discouraging. The access is nothing much more than an overgrown muddy creek that looks like it goes no where. As a result, most people tend to over look this access and head for the more popular access points at Brent and Winndego. Such was the case when Karen and I arrived Friday afternoon. The parking lot at the access was empty, and according to the reservations, we were the only people scheduled to be camped on the lake the whole weekend. We quickly loaded our canoe and just as quickly got rid of our clothing. This was shaping up to be a good weekend.

Paddling the North River can be a bit difficult because of the great many over hanging twigs and branches and the narrow and twisting nature of the river. There are a number of blind alleys you can head down only to find a dead end. However, Karen and I persevered and soon found ourselves out of the brush and into the wider open spaces of the marsh. It was a pleasure to be paddling this time of year. The hot sun and the absence of biting insect made being naked second nature. The only thing we had to wear was lots of sun screen. It was about an hour and a half after we started that we left the North River and entered North River Lake. This was Karen's first trip to the lake. After her initial apprehension at the access, she found the lake, with it's tall pines, sandy beaches and rocky islands a real beautiful spot. We found a great camp spot on the north side with it's own sand beach and immediately went for our first of many skinny-dips of the weekend. The water temperature was just right and was very refreshing after a hot paddle.

North River Lake is an ideal spot for a canuding weekend. There are three routes into the lake, all of them quite difficult, requiring long portages, paddling or lining through swampy creeks or both. You more than likely will not see casual family canoeist. On the chance that you do, the lake is big enough that you can discreetly make a wide pass as so not to bother them. Consequently, Karen and I felt quite comfortable about being nude anywhere on the lake without the danger of being disturbed. The lake offers some interesting bays to explore, as well, you can continue down the North River at the outlet of the lake. Just be advised that this is a very swampy route and can be quite difficult. One of the attractions of the lake are the many small rocky islands and sand beaches that make great picnic, swimming, and sunning stops. On one of our excursions, we went over some of the portages that lead south out of the lake. We joked about what we would do if we ran across anybody on the portages. We figured we would just grin and bear it, but to be safe, we did pack along shorts and tee shirts just in case.

It was great to be able to paddle and portage nude. The end of August and into September is a great time of the year to canoe in Algonquin. By this time of the year, the mosquitoes are pretty much gone, the weather is pleasant and the water is still warm enough for swimming. Karen and I promised each other before we left, that if the weather and temperature co-operated, we would leave our cloths packed from the time we left the car until the time we got back. For the most part we were successful. It was warm enough during the day, but the nights this time of year can be a bit cool, so warm clothing was required at sunset. As it turned out, we did not have the lake all to ourselves. One afternoon while paddling down the lake, we did see another party of canoeist coming towards us. We gave them a wide berth, exchanged friendly waves and continued on our way.

I would be amiss to say that this is the way is all the time in the park. We were fortunate that the lake was not busy that weekend. That is not always the case. You have to remember that Algonquin is located within a two to three hour drive of over eight million people, so the park can be quite busy at times. Don't let that dissuade you. A busy lake in Algonquin means sharing the lake with one or two families of loons, the odd racoon, the occasional moose and if you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) bears and/or wolves. The reservation systems prevents the lakes from becoming overcrowded with people. You may have to share the lake with one or two other parties which will more than likely see only in passing. Nudity at your campsite should not be a problem. Remember, the more portages you put behind you the fewer people you will see.

Like all weekends, this one, sadly had to end. Karen and I paddled out Monday afternoon eagerly making plans to return. The only problem with the take out is that, as much as we wanted to, we could not go for a swim as it was just to muddy. We packed up and drove to the Winndego access, which is just off the main road out of the park. There was no one there at the time, so we were able to go for one last skinny dip before heading back to Ottawa.

NOTE: You can check out the Algonquin Park web page at www.algonquinpark.on.ca.