Im unsure of the exact reason, but I routinely find myself drawn to the backcountry during the fall. Maybe itÂ’s a sense of urgency brought on by the changing seasons as the year rapidly comes to an end, or possibly its an attempt to hold onto the last semblance of summer before late fall and winter tighten their grasp on the world around us. Whatever the reason, fall is one of my favorite times to explore the backcountry.
Ive been blessed with the two best younger brothers a guy could have, and while were vastly different, were strangely similar. Each possesses traits or skills the others dont, but these differences are true complements to one another. I would go to the ends of the earth with my brothers. Whether exploring the backyard or the backcountry, for an hour or a week, theres no one else Id rather adventure with. As the years have gone by, responsibilities such as marriage, careers and children have drastically limited the opportunities for the three of us to break away. Im embarrassed to say the last time we were all in the backcountry together was in 2018, making us well overdue for a trip, so when our schedules aligned in the fall, it didnt take long for us to clear the calendar, pack our bags and head north with canoes in tow.
Our neighbors to the north in Ontario Canada have an astonishing amount of explorable water, with more river and lake miles than anyone could possibly paddle in a lifetime. If youve ever traveled through northern Michigan into Ontario, youll understand when I say the landscape transforms almost instantaneously once you enter Ontario. Low lying bogs and swamp forests are replaced by granite cliffs, rocky outcrops and boulder lined shoulders along the Trans Canadian Highway. We set our sights on a sparsely used canoe route in search of solitude, companionship and the sense of adventure that exploring a new route brings.
We spent four near perfect days and three beautiful nights in complete solitude in the Ontario backcountry. The late September weather was straight out of a dream, with daytime temperatures hovered around 70 degrees and night temps in the 40s. We werenÂ’t the only ones taking advantage of the exceptionally nice weather either, the smallmouth bass fishing was some of the best Ive ever experienced, and we were even fortunate enough to luck our way into a few lakers along some of the deeper parts the lakes. I cant recall ever having such a favorable forecast.
It was just what we needed when we needed it the most. Good food, great conversation and gorgeous scenery. While this trip was without a doubt worth the half decade wait, none of us plan on allowing so much time to pass before our next brothers adventure.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Cheers,
A.A.
Big Lake Country
First Laker
Fire and moon
Dinner after dark
Morning Glass
I look at our cedar grove camp (Yes, we had a ground dweller among us)
Breaking Camp
Rocky, rugged shoreline
Trail clearing mission
Love - Hate: Love the excitement that comes with exploring a new lake, but hate what comes just before
Fall colors
Summer sausage and jalapenos cheese shore lunch
Beavers have been busy
Northern Ontario Lake Trout
World class appetizer
Chef at work
Near perfect finish to a near perfect day
Morning Mist
Dreamcatcher
Taking Maple for a walk
Searching for the port
Trail marker
Wolf Scat
Regrouping before exploring a new lake
Football sized smallmouth
BBQ chicken quesadillas with spicy guac, bacon and jalapenos
Blackbird XLC with Minifly stowed away... Just in case
Sunrise
Morning fire
A big travel day calls for a big breakfast
Fall beauty
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JK. And great pictures too, the one with the cloud reflections in particular. Oh, and a nod to the scotch drinkers... I'm a Lagavulin man myself and carry a flask on the trail from time to time.
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