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May 16, 2024 - Aaron Creek

Woke up to a beautiful morning, but rather cold. The cool temperatures were appreciated though as it kept the bugs at bay for the first few hours of the hike. Today was a tough day with lots of distance, elevation changes, and numerous sections of dense blowdown. The trail was well marked, however the low use that it receives made it feel more like a bushwhack sometimes, where we followed blazes through the woods as we strolled among the ferns, leaves, and fallen branches. Lots of nice view points all along Lake Temiskaming were found over the course of the day.

Dave and Dominique at one of the many lookouts along Lake Temiskaming


One part of the trail had been washed out and we explored along the lake shore through a tangled mess of trees, sand, and other debris. Finally I realized that the trees we were climbing over had been cut and looked like they had been dropped from above, indicating that the trail was likely on top of this dirty mess we were wandering through. At the far side of the washout we scrambled up the mud corniced ridge until we regained the trail.

Hiking through the washout


We stopped for lunch at one of the many campsites. The flies had the same idea and snacked on us as we tried to eat our sandwiches through head nets. Dave and Dominique both were experiencing blister issues so spent some time taping their feet up, but I was relieved to find that my feet were holding up ok so far.

Stopping for a break to feed the flies


After lunch the group started to slow down due to heat, sore feet, and just plain exhaustion from the long miles and numerous steep climbs. Slower speed meant the bugs had an easier time to find their targets, so in frustration I scampered ahead for the last kilometer to Aaron Creek camp set my tent up and dove in for some relief as the others slowly trickled in. Fortunately the flies calmed down a little for supper time. The smoky fire that Deb stoked up might have helped somewhat too.

Exploring a rock pinnacle high above the lake


Hike Time: 9.5 hours
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