Endikai Lake
Cross-Country – March 11th, 2023
This was an adventurous loop that included 17 lakes round trip
Dunlop Lake Lodge
Dunlop Lake Lodge was home for this particular weekend adventure and is always a good time. We try to make a once-per-year visit during the winter. The region offers a nice combination of OFSC trail running, with tremendous thanks going to the Elliot Lake Snowbirds volunteers and club. The area lakes are abundant with cruising opportunities leading into the BackCountry via cross-country routes. Lodge hosts Randy and Tricia are amazing and truly cater to and care for their customers.
The North Route – Heading West – 10 Lakes
On the Saturday morning, we started at the Lodge, jumped onto the lake, then went west straight up Dunlop to the 6 mile point, where we cut through the bush onto 10 Mile Lake. From there, we sledded to the far end north-west corner where 10 Mile Lake Lodge is located approximately 3.8 miles from the landing. Just beyond the lodge, we caught a bush trail and onto Ezma Lake, where we followed it to the far end and met up with our Elliot Lake friends: Paul, Gerry and Curtis. They were enjoying a sunny day of fishing. We chatted for awhile, sharing stories from the winter gone by. We then carried on for 7 more lakes, ultimately arriving at Endikai Lake at highway 546 Deer Trail route.
The South Route – Returning East – 7 Lakes
We enjoyed the colorful spring-season scenery at Endikai Lake, snapping several photos before turning around. We re-traced our path back eastward to Big Lake and from there it was a new route heading south, then east, back to Dunlop Lake Lodge via Keelor Lake. In my opinion, the south route is by far more scenic, which included plenty along-the-river rides with rolling hills in the background. Along the way, we met 3 gentlemen on 2 sleds who were camping out overnight on Big Lake and were retrieving firewood for the cool night ahead. They said they were from Sault Ste. Marie. We arrived safely back at Dunlop Lake Lodge just in time for the late afternoon social, wrapping up their fishing derby.
Author: Dan Kachur https://sled-x.ca
