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Background
I booked this trip 5 months before my arrival—the earliest date allowed by Ontario Parks—because I wanted to snag a specific campsite at Rock Lake campground.
The campsite at Rock Lake was far away from the highway, out of cell service, and it had its own beach for easy water access. Well, things changed, and I actually wanted the opposite of all of those ‘perks’. I needed to take a few work calls, so cell service was important. I wasn’t bringing my canoe with me for the trip, so the beach with water access was no longer important (plus, any breeze from the lake would make the cold nights even colder). And the long road to get in and out of the Rock Lake campground would only add extra time whenever I wanted to leave the campsite to go search for wildlife.
So, I made some last minute changes and split my original reservation at Rock Lake into two separate bookings, at Lake of Two Rivers and Pog Lake. My previous trip report “Waking Up With a Wolf at my Campsite” covers the first half of the split booking, while this trip report will cover the second half of the booking.
Day 1 — A Crazy Cool Wolf Experience
My standard routine all season was to get on the road by 6:00 AM so I could arrive at Algonquin Park by 9:00 AM. I decided to change things up. I knew where the wolves liked to hang out and I knew that 9:00 AM would likely be too late and I would miss the action. So, I set an alarm for 4:00 AM and was in Algonquin Park by 7:00 AM.
It took some waiting, but the wolves showed up. The entire pack made an appearance. I didn’t see the pack together at any point, but individual wolves kept popping out in different directions. They would cross the highway, stand on display through the trees, and occasionally, there would be ridiculously cool wolf pack howling, surrounding us in all directions.
There was one downside though. The crowds. Word spread quickly, and literally 15 to 20 cars were pulled over at the side of the highway. The majority of people were talking loudly. They all had expensive gear, but didn’t seem like they had ever actually spent time around wildlife before. When the crowd was still small’ish I tried asking one or two people to stay quiet. It not only prevents disturbing the wildlife, but it also allows us to hear where they are, so we could keep a safe distance and also be ready for a potential photo. One person got offended when I asked her, but the other person was receptive. Coincidentally, right after the receptive person stopped talking, we heard, and then saw a wolf moving nearby in the bushes.
My “crowd control” efforts quickly ended once people were literally calling their friends, telling them to come see the wolves. One person was talking on speaker phone. At that point, I distanced myself from the crowd. I didn’t like the scene and it wasn’t respectful to the wildlife, so I didn’t want to associate with the group.
With the exception of the crowds, the entire experience was kind of insane. The photos turned out great, and the surround-sound howling was epic. A thick fog rolled through the area in the middle of it all, which only added to the mood. I’d be looking in all directions waiting to see if a wolf would emerge from the fog. It had strong Game of Thrones white-walker vibes. The reduced visibility made the howling even more eerie and cool. Excuse my language, I almost never swear in my trip reports, but the entire experience was fucking incredible. It was easily one of the coolest wildlife experiences I’ve ever had.
After roughly two hours in the same location, I finally left and went to set up camp. On my way, I saw a few cars pulled over, watching a bull moose at the side of the highway. Seriously? Could my morning get any luckier? I only caught the tail end of the encounter, but it was enough to snap a few photos of the bull feeding beside the beautiful fall foliage before he went inland (maple flavoured, yum!). The bull stuck around inland for 20 minutes, with his antlers occasionally poking out from among the trees.
I arrived in Algonquin Park at 7:00 AM, and by the time I finally got to my campsite at Pog Lake Campground it was almost noon. The wolves and moose encounters lasted for close to five hours! But alas, I made it to my campsite, Site #466 in Section C at Pog Lake Campground.
I chose this campsite because of the privacy it offered. It’s located on a side road with only two other campsites. On one side of the campsite was the damn, which provided relaxing white noise from the moving water. On the other side of the campsite was an overflow parking area that separated my site from the next adjacent site. In three directions, there were no campsites at all, and in the fourth direction (to the side) the next closest campsite was pretty far away. Basically, my site was very secluded, and being a dead-end side road, it would get no traffic passing through either. The only people passing by would be those using the bike trail, but that didn’t bother me.
The campsite itself was small but provided everything that Elo and I would need. It had a few tent spots, two picnic tables, and a fire pit near the back of the site towards the dense bush. The small enclosed site also meant that it would be protected from the wind and offer shelter from light rain, both of which were pretty important for cold October camping. Combined with the relative isolation, it felt like I was in the backcountry. I can understand why other people may not like this site, but for me, it was perfect.
I set up camp and went for a midday nap with Elo. I hadn’t done anything too strenuous, but I wanted to recover some lost sleep after my super early wakeup. With an extra hour of rest and some caffeine in my body, I was bursting with energy at 3:00 PM. I drove to the Hemlock Bluff hiking trail.
Hemlock Bluff had lots of pretty sections with the fall colours and the late afternoon sunlight poking through the trees. I especially liked the various different water-level observation points throughout the trail, along with the one elevated lookout. I didn’t spend too much time at the elevated lookout because it only had a small opening and there was another group with two dogs sitting on the single bench.
Lots of the Hemlock Bluff trail felt like a portage, with the varied terrain of roots and rocks. It was very muddy after the heavy downpour from two days earlier. I was able to keep my feet dry for most of the trail, but near the end they got wet a few times. When I finished the trail, I quickly changed into my Crocs to let my shoes and socks dry under the blasting heat from my car.
I did an early-evening wildlife search. I didn’t have any luck, but I did enjoy the warmth from my car during the chilly evening. On my way back to my campsite I saw a fox run across the Pog Lake campground road. I quickly pulled over and snapped a few photos, but it was late in the evening, and there was barely any light outside. I cranked my ISO and still had to shoot with a 2-second shutter speed, handheld. As you can imagine, the photos turned out quite blurry.
The rest of the evening was spent sitting beside a fire, sipping on some beverages, and snacking on banana bread. I used some of the firewood that was gifted to me from park staff (see the previous trip report “Waking Up With A Wolf at my Campsite” for context). Even while sitting beside the fire, it was still pretty chilly outside.
At the end of the evening, I drove to the comfort station to use the facilities, and also to enjoy some more warmth from my car. I didn’t see a single campsite occupied during my drive. Everything was dark. No trailer lights, no campfires, nothing. My campsite was already secluded, but it was at this point that I realized how alone I really was for that evening. The backcountry comparison that I made earlier felt even more appropriate.
Before leaving the comfort station I layered up to prepare for the overnight temperatures. I wore two pairs of wool socks, three bottom layers (Uniqlo heat teach, long underwear, sweatpants), three pairs of top layers (merino wool long sleeve, cotton long sleeve, sweatshirt), two pairs of cheap gloves, and my toque. Bring on the cold, I’m ready for you! Elo was wearing her Hurtta Extreme Warmer jacket, which was all that she needed.
Day 2 — Wolf, Moose, And Hiking Trails
How many days does it take for something to be considered routine? Well, for another consecutive day, I went searching for wolves in the morning. I was awake at 6:20 AM and onsite before 7:00 AM. Around an hour later, a friend messaged me that he spotted a wolf nearby. Shortly after, I spotted another one in the forest and I was able to snap a few pictures before it disappeared. After reviewing the footage, the wolf had quite an arch in its back, and I’m pretty sure I photographed the wolf pooping. That might explain why it stood still for 10 seconds!
Immediately after I took the photos, a man got out of his car, which he parked at the shoulder of the highway. “DID YOU GUYS SEE SOMETHING??” It was one of the loud people from the day prior. I didn’t give a straight answer but he quickly caught a glimpse of the wolf through the trees, as it was walking away. He called one of his friends, and before I knew it, crowds of cars started pulling over on the side of the highway. My friend and I stayed in the general area, but distanced ourselves away from the group.
We heard one or two howls but didn’t have any luck seeing more wolves after the earlier sighting. The crowds of people were stationed in one spot with their cameras pointed into the forest, where the wolf was spotted earlier, as if it would just show up on command. People driving by would stop and ask “Did you guys see a moose!?” That’s always the most popular question.
Next, I went to Whitney to get some gas and firewood. I spent a while speaking with the lady who runs the shop and took Elo for a short walk in the area. On my way back into the park, I stopped to check out a few wildlife spots but didn’t have any luck with sightings. There was only one thing left to do… midday nap!
I woke up at around 1:30 PM and found out that another wildlife photographer friend was in the park, and was hanging out with the person that I was with earlier in the morning. I drove to meet up with them. The three of us hung out for a while in the general wolf vicinity. We didn’t see anything but it was still nice chatting and spending time together.
Throughout the entire day I was debating if I should do a hike. I wanted to do one, but it kept raining. Then the sun would appear and I’d say to the other guys “alright, I think the rain is done for the day, I’m going for a hike”… and then it would rain again. This cycle repeated the entire day. I don’t mind hiking in the rain, but since I’m documenting the hikes with a 360-degree camera mounted behind my back, any raindrops on the lens would ruin the footage. Each hour of the day slowly passed by until it reached the point of no return, where doing a hike was no longer viable. I did see two very pretty rainbows during separate highway drives, so at least that brought some happy vibes to an otherwise gloomy overcast day.
The day was cold, hovering around 5 degrees at its warmest. There was heavy cloud coverage, rain, and moderately strong wind that made the 5 degrees feel even colder. The evening only got chillier. I made myself dinner while I was pulled over safely in a side section of the highway. The moment I finished, I got a call from the other guys… they had spotted a moose. The sun was getting low in the sky but I quickly made my way over to their spot.
I was able to get some decent photos of the cow moose feeding in the water. Since there was very little light left, we didn’t stay too long. They continued to look for the wolves while I went back to my campsite to get a fire started. The forecast called for even more rain, but I made a fire anyways. It was hovering around zero degrees and I needed some sort of heat. I didn’t want to get into my tent at 7:30 PM and I didn’t want to sit in my car for several hours either. I took my chances with a fire.
While sitting by the fire I got a message from the other guys. They weren’t staying overnight, and while they were driving out of the park, apparently they saw two more moose, a wolf, and a fox. It was too dark by that point for them to get photos, but still, that’s a pretty incredible way to end the day!
Thankfully I didn’t get rained out, and I was able to spend a few hours sitting beside a warm fire. At one point I heard a screeching sound in the distance. It honestly sounded like an animal was dying. Around ten minutes later, directly above my tent I heard a loud screech followed by two hoots. The hoots gave it away as an owl, but otherwise I would have never known. The screeching was very odd and something I had never heard before. I tried to get an audio recording so one of my friends could ID it, but I missed my chance. I tried to get a visual too, but it was too difficult in the nighttime.
The overnight temperatures were forecasted to be the coldest of the trip, with a “feels like” minus three degrees. I made a late-night visit to the comfort station at 10:30 PM, bundled up in all my layers, and then cozied up in the tent with Elo at 11:00 PM.
Day 3 — The Amazing Aurora Show
As per routine, I woke up early to go look for the wolves. The spot that I had luck the previous days was no longer a secret. Far from it. Cars kept pulling over directly in front of the location and setting up their tripod towards the opening in the forest where the wolves were previously spotted. It was hilarious for them to think that the wolves would just show up on command, on location, while their car engines were running and they were talking loudly to one another.
After a couple hours of failed wildlife searching I drove to the Big Pines trail at 9:00 AM. I spent a few minutes in my car responding to messages on my phone before I started the hike. When I got out of my car I let out an audible “Woah, what!?”
There were two foxes on the other side of the parking lot, maybe 15 feet away from me. I love foxes. They’re so pretty. But every time I see one, it runs away before I can get a good photo. I’ve only ever had one good fox photoshoot before.
One of the two foxes quickly ran away, but the other one was a bit more curious about my presence. It hung around for 30 seconds, walking towards me before regretting its decision and turning around… it must have been the Day 3 stinky camping smells coming from me! I was happy with the content I was able to capture in the very short window that I had with the fox, but I did wonder how much prime photoshoot time I missed by sitting in my car with my face glued to my phone!
After the foxes disappeared, I began the hike. The Big Pine’s trail had exceptionally pretty scenery throughout the trail, despite not having any elevated lookouts. Many other trails were muddy from all of the recent rainfall, but Big Pines didn’t succumb to this fate. There was some mud, but nothing to complain about.
The only complaint I did have was about the numerous fences throughout the trail. I didn’t take the trail guide so I didn’t have any context as to why they were built at the various checkpoints, and I’m sure there is a good reason for them, but seeing long fences throughout the trail definitely took away from the nature vibes of it all. It kept feeling like I was approaching someone’s private property.
Despite not having an elevated lookout, there was one really nice observation point during the trail. I thought to myself that it looked like great moose territory, and then ironically, shortly afterwards, I heard a moose call from somewhere in the forest. When I finished the trail I continued walking and explored the trail that connects Big Pines and the Lookout Trail. It follows alongside the highway with a rather consistent and steep elevation climb towards the Lookout Trail side.
I was the only car in the Big Pines parking lot when I started the hike, but on my way out at 11:00 AM, the parking lot at both trailheads were almost full. I made my way back to my campsite for my post-hike midday nap with Elo. After re-energizing, it was time for one more trail. Next on the list was the Bat Lake trail. It’s a medium length trail at 5.6km and roughly 2 hours to complete. The first stretch is mostly flat and goes through a forest with lots of fallen trees, many of which are birch. The next stretch is where most of the incline occurs, and has more challenging terrain than the earlier flatter section. At the top of the incline is where the main lookout is located.
The main lookout provides a beautiful view onto a rolling shoreline in the distance with eye-catching fall colours. There’s one bench that faces the opening, and not too much space otherwise. The lookout is not ideal for several groups to enjoy at once, but thankfully, I was the only person there. There are some trees directly blocking a portion of the view as well, which makes the lookout slightly limiting.
The next section of the trail covers most of the decline, including some observation points with pretty views onto Bat Lake and some adjacent ponds. There’s one long boardwalk out in the open, as well as some more indirect observation points that had semi-flooded boardwalks due to the high water levels. The final section of the hike is basically identical to the first section; it’s flat, wide, easy terrain, and leads back to the trailhead parking lot.
I finished the hike shortly before 5:00 PM and I had a few messages about a potentially epic aurora show that evening. I made a side-of-the-highway dinner first. Trunk Tortillas is what I called it, which will also be the name of my future food truck business, which, I decided in that exact moment, I would start one day. It was same meal as the previous night, the Cajun Jicama & Pork Skillet from Flat Out Feasts, wrapped in my few remaining tortillas. Then I went straight to the Canisbay Lake campground at 7:00 PM to set up for the potential aurora show.
The forecast was still looking promising so I set up my camera gear on the campground beach. I took a selfie video with my iPhone and noticed a pink cloud behind me. The last remaining colours from the sunset.
Wait, hold on… that wasn’t a cloud! It was the auroras!
Before I knew it, the entire sky turned a deep vivid pink’ish red. It honestly felt apocalyptic, like the world was coming to an end. At the same time, green streaks began to appear in the sky in front of me. Within minutes, the northern lights were visible in every direction. North, south, east, west, and directly overhead.
I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. It wasn’t the typical “the camera can see it but the human eye can’t”. No, it was very visible across the entire sky. Reds, purples, greens. In every direction. I didn’t even know where to point my camera. Every time I would start taking photos for a timelapse, something epic would happen in a different direction. Even my iPhone was able to get pretty decent photos.
There were other groups at the campground beach but everyone had their own slice of ground that they were enjoying. I had enough room to do some selfie photos with Elo in front of the auroras, which was the highlight of the event for me. The photos turned out amazing and they’re something that I’ll cherish forever.
I started taking photos at 7:00 PM and the shutter on my camera didn’t get a moment of rest. I was mostly using the automatic interval mode to take hundreds of consecutive photos. This allows me to stitch the photos together to create timelapses, while also giving me the flexibility to edit individual photos from the series. At 10:00 PM I legitimately couldn’t feel my toes. It was so cold outside. I drove to the parking lot beside the campground office to continue enjoying the show while the warmth of my car helped me regain feeling in my feet. Staying in my car near the beach wasn’t an option because the car headlights would get in the way of everyone else’s photos.
At 10:30 PM I was driving back to my campsite at Pog Lake Campground, but I decided to stop at Lake of Two Rivers first. I figured I might as well check out the view from the east-facing campground beach. There were a handful of people setup with their cameras, though less than I was expecting. It was much less busy than the Canisbay campground. Despite being east-facing, the sky was still unbelievable. It literally didn’t matter which direction you were facing, the entire sky was putting on a magnificent display the entire evening. I ended up staying at Lake of Two Rivers for an additional two hours.
At 11:00 PM I thought people from the campground were shining really strong flashlights across the sky. Then I realized it was actually the auroras pulsing and dancing. This continued for around an hour and left me completely speechless. Finally, at 12:30 AM, I went back to my campground. I had taken literally 2,500+ photos and my brain was in disbelief of what I had just witnessed. Even while driving, the entire sky was lit up with the auroras.
The five hours that I spent under the sky that evening was honestly one of the craziest things I had ever witnessed, and was one of the best nights of my life. I fell asleep at 1:00 AM and literally dreamed about the auroras overnight.
Day 4 — My Best Fox Photoshoot
I followed my usual morning routine and was on the road by 7:00 AM. It was nice to see the wolf spot empty for a change. No cars were pulled over. I kept driving and found a cow moose in the distance, crossing an open valley opposite of the highway. It was close enough to get decent photos, but far enough away that I didn’t stay for too long because the photos weren’t that noteworthy.
I was feeling tired and heavy-headed after my long night outside under the auroras, followed by a rather short sleep. Despite my body telling me I should go back to the campsite and get more rest, I went to the Track and Tower Trail instead. Pro tip, when your body is telling you to get some rest, don’t go and hike one of the longest trails in the park! But it was the Friday of the Thanksgiving long weekend, so the trail was going to be jam packed. If I wanted any sort of peace while walking the trail, I needed to get an early start. At 9:00 AM, there were only a few other cars in the parking lot, so I began the hike.
I’ve hiked the Track and Tower Trail a handful of times before and it’s always a pleasure to walk. The first half of the trail has a few notable moments; during one section it follows alongside the Cache Lake waterline, and during another section there are stairs to climb across some waterfalls from the manmade dam. The waterfall area offers a particularly great setting for photos.
There’s a gradual incline during the first half of the trail, but the main elevation climb begins a few hundred metres before the lookout. It has a steep uphill, followed by a few long staircases, and then one final stretch of flat ground before the lookout. I was alone at the lookout for the first 15 minutes, and then two other solo travellers joined me. There was thick overcast in the sky, limiting the expansive view into the faraway distance. It was also very windy, making the already frigid morning feel even colder.
The colours were surprisingly vivid given that peak fall colours had been announced one week earlier. Leaf fall was more noticeable than at the start of my trip, but it was still quite minimal given the one-week post-peak timing. There was maybe only 10% to 20% leaf fall. The fall colour landscape overall was much prettier than I was expecting it to be. I spent close to an hour at the lookout, chatting with the other travellers, while watching the overcast slowly disappear to reveal the distant rolling shorelines.
After the lookout, the trail gets a little bit less exciting. The path follows the old railway bike trail, offering some completely flat terrain for a few hundred metres. I was surprised by how little mud there had been throughout the trail so far, but that quickly changed during the final few kilometres. There were so many wet muddy sections that I would need to take side routes to go around the main trail. It was sometimes difficult to connect back with the main trail, since the leaf fall covered most of the ground and many of the trees were bare in the forest. The ground conditions were the worst of all the times I’ve hiked this trail.
After a few kilometres of monotonous walking without much excitement, I finally arrived back to my vehicle. The parking lot was completely full and there was plenty of overflow parking along the highway. What a difference from when I started the hike a few hours earlier! The overcast had completely cleared from the sky and it had turned into a warm sunny day. This was also a big change from when I started the hike a few hours earlier!
After my routine post-hike midday nap, I went to get gas. I was lucky enough to get yet another fox photoshoot under the late-afternoon sun. The fox photoshoot from the day prior was great, but it only lasted about 30 seconds. This one lasted for several minutes and I was able to capture some amazing photos of the fox. It was a small fox, but it was so damn cute. And incredibly photogenic! I wanted to cuddle it and bring it back to my campsite to hang out with me and Elo, but of course, I kept my distance. I let my camera capture the moment and I kept my hands to myself. I’m extremely happy with the photos I was able to capture. The fox encounter from the previous day scratched my itch, but this was the fox encounter I had always dreamed of.
Before going back to my campsite I went for a walk at the Mew Lake airfield with Elo. It’s one of my favourite places to walk during dusk hours. Seeing wildlife would be a nice bonus, but even without any wildlife sightings, it’s a beautiful area to walk around. I continued driving and searching for wildlife afterwards, but with no luck. The fox photoshoot earlier was more than enough to keep me happy.
Dark clouds filled the sky and deep thunder rumbled in the distance as I drove back to my campsite. I keep Elo leashed while we sit beside the fire, but at one point she lunged at something. I quickly turned around, curious to see what animal had made its way into our campsite. At the far end of the campsite, I saw a fox slowly walking away, while continuing to look at me and Elo. I honestly felt bad, it had a look in its eyes like “Come on guys, I just wanted to say hello!” I do appreciate Elo being protective of me though. She always has my back… literally. I was facing the fire so I didn’t see the fox approach. The exact same thing happened the previous week with a raccoon at our campsite at Lake of Two Rivers. Whenever this happens, Elo will then spend the rest of the evening sitting, facing in that direction, locked-in and waiting for a potential reappearance. She goes into full “must protect Cody” mode.
The forecast wasn’t calling for much rain, but the threat of thunderstorms were looming above while I sat beside the fire. For the first hour or two, there was only a few short moments of drizzle to accompany the rumbling thunder. It wasn’t enough to make me leave my warm spot beside the fire. Eventually, heavier rainfall began, and it forced me to take shelter. I bundled up and went into my tent for the evening.
Day 5 — The Matching Bull Moose Photo
Anyone that has met Elo knows that she’s a silent dog. I get comments about it all the time. “Does she ever make noise?” So, when Elo does growl, it means something is off. I awoke at 2:30 AM to the sound of Elo growling beside me on the left, and the sound of leaves rustling beside the tent to my right. There was definitely something bigger than a chipmunk out there. At first I thought it was the fox from the previous night. That would have been the most logical answer. But then I heard a few branches snap. It was too loud to be a fox, but also not loud enough to be a moose or a bear. Then I remembered the week prior, when I woke up to find wolf at my campsite at 6:00 AM in the morning. Maybe this was a repeat of that experience, and there was a wolf beside my tent!
I somehow managed to settle down and fall back asleep. But not for too long. I awoke again at 4:00 AM to hear more branches snapping. It was a bit further away this time, not directly beside my tent. It was extremely windy throughout the entire night, with very loud whistling wind noises. It only added to the spookiness of the entire situation while I lay inside my tent, wondering what animal was walking around the campground.
I fell back asleep one more time and woke up for good at 6:00 AM. I carefully left my tent and scouted the area, but didn’t find anything. The overnight rain and strong winds created lots of leaf fall, making it difficult to find any tracks on the ground. I took my time doing my morning routine and went for a drive to look for wildlife. I didn’t have any luck, but the tired and grogginess that I mentioned from Day 4 came back with a vengeance. I desperately needed more sleep. My stomach starting bothering me too. I went back for a nap and then spent a few hours letting all of my gear dry while slowly packing up camp. Other groups began making their way into the campground, settling in for the Thanksgiving long weekend.
I left my campsite shortly before 2:00 PM. The morning was chilly but it turned into a warm, sunny day outside. The temperature was in the low double digits, which made me happy since I didn’t need to wear my jacket or gloves. I did have a few additional nights booked for this trip but I decided to go home early. Here’s why:
1. I wasn’t feeling great and I really needed some proper rest. I took a few short naps during the day but I was constantly fatigued and had an upset stomach.
2. Elo threw up, coincidentally right after I finished packing up camp. This alone would be enough to make me get back to the city ASAP. Thankfully, she was fine afterwards, but I’m a paranoid dog-dad, and Elo is aways my number one priority.
3. This trip was already incredibly satisfying with the numerous wildlife encounters and the unbelievable aurora show.
4. The forecast was calling for lots of rain (and even snow!) over the coming days. With only a daytime high of 4 degrees. I’m fortunate enough to have the flexibility to come to Algonquin Park whenever I want, so I’d rather skip that forecast and come back later in the week when it was going to be nice again.
5. I’ve never had a memory card fail on me while camping, but I wasn’t going to let this be the first time it happened. The footage I captured throughout this trip was too valuable. I wanted to get home and create backups as soon as possible. It might sound like a crazy reason to end a trip early, but there was too much once-in-a-lifetime content.
I made one final stop to go for a walk and let Elo poop before starting my drive back to the city. When I finished with Elo, I saw an Ontario Parks vehicle in the parking lot. The driver rolled down the window and said “Are you that nature photographer from the other week?” It was the same park staff that I spoke with during my last trip, about the wolf at my campsite. The same one that gifted me the firewood. If you need context, read my previous trip report “Waking Up With a Wolf At My Campsite“.
He said “So no one knows this yet, but there’s a bull moose right over there, near the comfort station. Here, follow me, I’ll show you”. Was this really happening!? This one park staff was seriously looking out for me! Over the past few weeks I had so many near-misses with this specific bull moose; I was so excited to finally get a chance to see it. I was alone for the first few minutes, but people quickly took notice and piled in. It doesn’t take too long for word to spread when there’s a bull moose in the middle of a campground. People were standing in the middle of the road taking photos.
The bull wasn’t phased by the people and enjoyed feeding in the bushes for probably 30 minutes. It finally got spooked and went further into the bush, which made the crowds of people disperse. If you’re familiar with my cow moose experience from a few weeks earlier (from my trip report “A Wildlife Wonderland While Camping at Mew Lake“), this was a repeat of that scenario. Once again, I knew the experience wasn’t over yet. I followed the bull from a safe distance and kept my eye on him in the bushes.
The bull followed the EXACT same route that the cow moose took two weeks earlier. Both moose went from the road into the bush, while crossing a few different trails at the exact same spots. I couldn’t believe how identical the two encounters were.
At one point, the bull was standing in the middle of a trail. I had a feeling I knew the final trail it was going to cross, after this one, which is where I got one of my favourite moose photos ever (the previous week, with the cow). If I could get the exact same photo, but with the bull moose, I would be ecstatic.
I waited until it was safe and then ran to the next trail to get the vantage point that I wanted. I made it just in time and saw the bull in the distance. A few seconds later, he crossed the trail at the exact same spot that the cow did, two weeks earlier. I got the exact same photo, with the exact same framing. Even the time of day was the same, so the lighting was consistent, despite being two weeks apart. I quickly compared it to the photo of the cow moose on my phone and I was beyond happy. I couldn’t believe I captured the identical photo, but with the bull!
The bull moved into the dense bush, and now, the encounter was finally over. I went back to my car and the park staff was still in the parking lot. We spoke for another hour or so. I showed him the side-by-side comparison of the cow and bull photos, and thanked him sincerely for giving me the heads up. I had no idea I was going to end up with the matching photo, but it was only thanks to him that I did.
It was already an insane trip with two wolf encounters, four fox encounters, four moose encounters, and the incredible aurora show. Capturing that final moment with the bull moose crossing the trail was the perfect ending. I guess it was a good thing that I decided to end the trip early! Thank you Elo for choosing that campground as your favourite poop spot. And thank you to the park staff for being awesome and giving me the heads up literally seconds before I was about to drive back to the city.
I had the biggest smile on my face the entire drive home.
The Aftermath
This is one of those trips that I reflect on, and think to myself “Can it ever get better than this?”
This trip created some of my favourite memories ever in Algonquin Park. I seriously don’t know how anything can ever top this. I had several wolf encounters, several fox encounters, several moose encounters, and other wildlife sightings beyond that. The matching moose photo at the end of the trip gave me so much joy.
But none of the wildlife encounters compared to the aurora show. Spending five hours watching the display of the northern lights, capturing some of my most cherished photos of me and Elo, is something that I’ll never forget.
In addition to everything above, I was also very happy with my campsite at Pog Lake campground. The weather was consistently cold, but I came prepared and was able to tolerate it. The fall colours were past-peak but were holding onto their colours, with vivid reds and oranges still on display throughout the trip. I spent time with the other wildlife photographers earlier in the trip, and made great progress documenting some of the hiking trails for a new project on my website.
As usual, Elo was a total rockstar the entire time. She had so much fun on all of the hiking trails and behaved so well the entire trip. I loved cozying up with her in the tent during our post-hike midday naps. And with the long hours spent in the car every day, she never whined or complained once from the backseat. She truly is amazing and I’m so fortunate to have such a well-behaved four-legged adventure buddy.
I’m going to stop myself there, because I don’t know what else I can say without repeating myself. This trip was incredible. It gave me some of the best photographs I have ever captured, and countless memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you, Algonquin Park.
