Exploring Cache Rapids on the Barron River.
2018 May 23
Our original intent was to start at Squirrel Rapids and paddle upstream on the Barron River through the Barron Canyon and return. But it was too windy for that to be a pleasant paddle. So we improvised.
We spend most of our time photographing the southern channel of Cache Rapids. The access is via the upstream end of the rapids. (It might be possible to do it starting at the bottom, but we know that the obvious route, working your way upstream along the shore doesn't work. Perhaps somewhat away from the river ... ) The ground on the south side is very rough; lots of broken rock, discontinuous rock ridges and downed trees. But we felt that the hard work was worth it. (We would love to see some lidar images of this area.)
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - explore)
Getting ready to launch at Squirrel Rapids. (It seems that we always include this shot when paddling the Barron River.)
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Heading out.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Columbines in flower on the rock faces.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Aquilegia canadensis, Wild Columbine.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Approaching Cache Rapids.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
The outflow of Cache Rapids.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
We photographed the northern channel from along the portage. But the flow in this channel is less and it is hard to get an unobstructed view of the water.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Northern Channel of Cache Rapids.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
The intrepid photographer.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Fiddleheads. But I don't think you would want to boil these ones up for your supper.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
At the top of the portage.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Time for a snack but sitting on the bare rock to avoid the emergent poison ivy.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
We paddled over to photograph the southern channel. The flow here is somewhat more serious.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Down it goes.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
No line through there.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Southern channel of Cache Rapids on the Barron River.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Southern channel of Cache Rapids on the Barron River.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
Diana at the top edge of the mini-canyon that contains the southern channel.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
What Diana saw.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
The river falls into a crack in the bedrock. No doubt this is part of the fault system that that gives rise, upstream and down, to the upper and lower Barron Canyons.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
The crack / fault.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
The outflow below the crack.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
The outflow below the crack.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
There is rock gully to the south of the southern channel. We used this gully to work our way down river. (This gully may also contain flow at higher water levels.) This photo shows the rock spine that separates the gully from the southern channel. The previous photos were taken from atop the rock spine.
(photo by Bob: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
After we returned to our canoe, we traveled upriver to the first campsite for lunch.
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
A rock profile. But this is "fractal" profile ...
(photo by Diana: 2018-05-23 - map - explore)
From a more distant view, the previous profile is just the nose of a larger profile. We know, that doesn't quite fit the definition of fractal, but we like the concept even if it is wrong.
A short video by Diana of the south channel (main channel) of Cache Rapids on the Barron River in Algonquin Park.
On our lunch break, we decided that rather than fight the wind paddling up to the canyon, we would return to our vehicle and check out the small pond east of the Achray road less than a kilometer beyond the Squirrel Rapids parking lot.
Algonquin Park Barron River Cache Rapids (Barron River) Squirrel Rapids (Barron River)