22368-AikensLake-2021-US

Afforded with the opportunity this season of beautifying our camp and to tackle items of repair, we made the best of our time at the lake this summer. We accomplished a long list of minor and major upgrades through this unique season. No paint or lumber in camp was spared. We are proud of the elbow grease and of the time we spent getting camp shined up for your next visit. Our Big Guy’s Bait and Tackle shop got the final item of its renovation when we milled and installed custom Aikens Lake white spruce flooring. We also added a few small décor pieces to round out the rustic charm aesthetic. Our Great Gray Owl got an extensive reno when we gutted the generator shed and moved in a second genset. This gives us electrical redundancy at the outpost. The other outbuilding also received some practical upgrades. We reframed one of the outside walls and cleared out the interior to add shelving. Lost Lake Outpost saw some improvements as well. We built ramps to store the boats on land. These slick tracks were inspired from a set built by our neighbours upriver. They worked out so well, we are toying with the idea of installing some for our Bonaventure boats. Back at camp we got busy refinishing the exteriors of numerous cabins with stain, chinking and lots of touch up paint. We repainted the interiors of several cabins. Even the old yawl (since repurposed into a one-of-a-kind flowerbed) got a fresh look including custom pin-striping. In the boat shop, we tended to our guide boat fleet by replacing floorboards and recovering them with fresh vinyl. The skiffs came out looking clean and quick. Our Alumarine guest boats also received some TLC. These were repainted and given a new set of benches and decking. We were pleased with the end product. The boys worked their tails off clearing over 3 miles of trail throughout the Peninsula. Our network of walking paths now stretches from camp all the way to the furthest points of the Peninsula, sweeping by numerous scenic views along the way. The trailblazers had fun naming the different paths and made signage with great monikers such as Gibby’s Cruise, The Mossy March, and Balsam Way. These hiking trails are a fantastic way to see the Boreal forest and to work off some of that delicious Shorelunch. Big Molly’s Bar got some attention with a refinish of the big horseshoe bar top. It is glossy, shiny, and a great place to rest your elbow and a pint. Our fantastic golden sand beach now boasts new firepits and lounging chairs. We also landscaped the grounds by removing cumbersome stumps and lining dedicated approaches with boulders down onto the beach. An evening beachside fire is an amazing setting to enjoy a refreshing swim at dusk or to capture that insta-worthy sunset selfie. Our guests are aware that attention to detail is one of the hallmarks of the “Aikens Experience”. We were fortunate in 2020 to be able to do these small tweaks. We hope you like some of the new frills you’ll discover on your next visit. BEAUTIFYING AIKENS There’s a lot of buzz about Aikens Lake online. Our Facebook page now has over 16,000 followers! www.facebook.com/aikenslake Our Youtube channel has lots of cool videos www.youtube.com/user/aikenslakelodge Our Instagram page: Username: aikenslake Social Media Follow Pit Turenne (@aikenslake) on Twitter: twitter.com/aikenslake