We arrived at Rain Lake (Access Point 4) after a 4-hour car trip from Buffalo to Kearney, Ontario (where we picked up our backcountry permit), followed by a 45 minute drive (at 10 mph) down Rain Lake Road -- a dirt and gravel road that was the bumpiest road we'd ever been on (even bumpier than the truck trails and logging roads we've explored).

We canoed a few miles down Rain Lake, then set up camp around 4:30 pm. We found a great campsite set high above the lake. Pine needles made the floor soft like a carpet, and there were great big rocks on which to sun ourselves.

Karl pointed out a moose walking into the water a few hundred yards down. (Too far away for a photo.) He gave me his monocular, and I watched a female moose and her calf cross the lake. They were the first moose I've ever seen.  Their huge heads were amazing.

I planned a fresh dinner for the first night: steak, mashed potatoes with swiss cheese, and carrots and onions cooked in foil over the coals. While I washed the dishes, I was visited by two chipmunks, who came very close to me and watched until I finished.

We went to bed at 10:30 and lay awake for an hour listening to the night critters. At one point, it got really loud outside the tent. It sounded like a party with all the footsteps, leaves crackling, and sniffing noses, interjected by eerie cries from loons.

Directions: From Toronto; Highway 11 brings you to the town of Huntsville. Take Highway 60 to the town of Dwight. The West gate of Algonquin Provincial Park is located just east of Dwight. Highway 60 runs through the south end of Algonquin Park, linking the West Gate with the East Gate near the town of Whitney.

Trails in Algonquin