It has been pretty quiet on here lately. Are any of you heading to WCPP this year? I'll be heading to Leano on June 19th for a 2 week solo with the pup. I plan on spending 2-3 nights on Mexican Hat, Wrist, Aegean, and Paull. I'll probably day-trip to Jigsaw and the lake just east of Aegean.

quote karola: "It has been pretty quiet on here lately. Are any of you heading to WCPP this year? I'll be heading to Leano on June 19th for a 2 week solo with the pup. I plan on spending 2-3 nights on Mexican Hat, Wrist, Aegean, and Paull. I'll probably day-trip to Jigsaw and the lake just east of Aegean. "

You're describing our first trip to WCPP back in 2012. It was a great trip and we've been back to WCPP every year since. This will be our 6th year and we're flying in to Larus and paddling the Bloodvein down to Lake Winnipeg. This will be our first trip that includes any white water but since we'll be paddling our carbon kevlar Bell we won't be tackling anything beyond Class II so we should be okay. We're putting in on August 3 and coming out August 31. Looking forward to an amazing adventure - fishing, photography and generally chilling. Can't wait!

I am leaving on June 17th. I turned 60 this year and wanted a challenging route.
Putting in on Wallace Lake and heading north to Aiken Lake then east on the Gammon River to WCPP. Then north, up through Craven Lake to Artery Lake. Layover in that area for a few days. Then down the Bloodvein to Stonehouse Lake, portage over to the Gammon River and back to Aiken Lake. I don't have to be back until July 4th.

BTW... you can now pull your permits online.

Ontario Parks Permits

It was a simple process, however you you can't pull the permit until two weeks before the trip.

That's good news on the permits! I may be going in the Chukuni river access but it won't be until September I'm guessing. All will depend on what's going on at my end and whether I can get away. Otherwise, it will be 2018.

Really looking forward to a trip in late August; Albert (Goldseekers) has us dialed in.

Dunstan > Royd > Irvine. Can't wait...

I just got out today. Great trip. We went in at Leano, spent day 1 in Bunny. Then a night on Paull. Two nights on Upper Kilburn. Then a final night on Leano.

Windy today, but overall couldn't have had better weather. Saw 5 other people the whole trip. Amazing!

Sounds like a great trip! I really liked the Paull Lake area..I wish I was up there now.

We were in the burn area on Paull. It was a nice spot, but I was ok w/moving on. Couldn't believe we had Upper Kilburn all to ourselves.

I didn't pass through that area. But it seems like it would be more populated due to the motorboat traffic.

Not sure the motorboat limits, but didn't see or hear any where we were. Just the occasional plane, and didn't always see those even if we heard them.

Exited from Dunstan on Saturday...was an amazing trip. We saw a solo gentleman from WI and a group in the distance on Royd. Kudos to Albert & Kelly at Goldseekers for the help.

quote sueb2b: " We went in at Leano!"

sueb2b - what's the road to Leano looking like these days? Is it passable with a smaller 4wd SUV or is a full-sized pickup required?

Glad you had an awesome trip - the weather was indeed phenomenal.
Cheers!

Sns - I think we saw same guy. Did he have a Wenonah Fisherman?

We took an XTerra out to Leano. There was a Forester parked out there. I think my little Outback would have made it, if I took some parts really slow. Seemed like there were a few places where it also could have gotten pretty wet along the way, but seemed like it hadn't rained in a bit.

Agree on the weather -- awesome.

Sueb2b-
Yes, he did... And an ear-to-ear grin.
He was there to fish and was in the chips.
(How's that for a pun?)

Said he was from FDL.

Thanks for the road intel...encouraging.

While I'm at it, the series of portages from Leano to Kilburn... What are they like? Thinking about another trip with someone who (though enthusiastic) could struggle with too many challenging portages.

Cheers!

sns

That was probably me that you saw on the lake directly west of Irvine. I'm from FDL and had a Wennonah Boundary Waters. And yes I was smiling and still am!

Sue2b2

I did not get that far south in the park.
My trip route went from Irvine to the n/w, then south through a series of no name lakes (where I encountered four folks in two canoes , the first folks that I saw in eight days and the only folks I would see until a fish camp on Gammon on day thirteen). As stated above it was probably sns and company.

.........Mike

leano to Kilburn: portages well used...easy, most are short...some take outs with shallow water may extend the length a bit...enjoy

Mike, that was indeed us.

We had almost as fun as you!

Cheers!

Should have read "almost as much fun as you".

Cheers

sns

Nice to hear that you enjoyed the adventure. How was the paddle from Royd to Dunstan? That route was part of my original plan but changed. I may make that part of next years trip. I did stop at the 800m portage landing on Royd that goes to Dunstan/Wanda but didn't walk it.

........Mike

Mike:

Royd to Dunstan was smooth sailing (the 800 was pretty straightforward) all the way to the Creek. (The creek that takes one into Ugly Lake, then a 750, then Dunstan. )

The boys named that creek something unprintable.

If you miss the side channel to Ugly, you end up in Wanda. I had not gone too far before deciding to turn back - but that side channel had less flow & volume than a sink drain. One map shows the whole thing as "Seasonally Shallow." It was a mile, maybe mile-and-a-half-long slog, dragging the canoes through muck about half the distance.

Four more inches of water would have made all the difference.

We portaged the last hundred yards as the little channel to Ugly could not even be dragged.

I won't be able to convince anyone from my group to do that one again. Recovery may require years of psychoanalysis for some of us.

:-)

Cheers

Thanks sns.
In a previous life I paddled a "Seasonally Shallow" section of WCPP and had pretty much the same experience. I guess that's the price we pay for going later in the year. If it don't kill you, it'll make you stronger......... I guess.

.........Mike

I did that section going south a couple years ago in June. I was able to paddle it with ease.

That photo is sparking horrific flashbacks...

:)