I have recently returned from a wonderful five (5) day canoe trip in northwestern Algonquin Park organized by Voyageur Quest and led by a superlative guide named Evan. By way of background about myself, I should say that I am a man in my early thirties with some past camping and canoeing experience, although none of the former and very little of the latter in the past several years. I consider myself healthy, although I am certainly not muscular. I could not have had a better canoe trip than I did with Voyageur Quest. The environment, the pace of activity, the food and equipment, the company, and particularly Evan’s skills and affability made the trip quite excellent. I am seriously contemplating taking my next vacation with Voyageur Quest. Moreover, I strongly encourage anyone else wishing to sample the Canadian wilderness to reserve a spot on a trip with Voyageur Quest. Please note: While I hope to avoid imposing a stream-of-consciousness piece on the reader, this review is longer than I had initially anticipated. If you were to read little beyond this point, I would encourage you to at least skim the penultimate paragraph. The landscapes were stunning throughout the trip. The northwest corner of Algonquin Park is as picturesque and as diverse a region in which to camp as any I have seen. Steep forested hills were combined with sparkling lakes and vivid green marshes. Lichen-coated granite complemented thin soil supporting tall coniferous and deciduous trees. We enjoyed impressive views while canoeing, while dining in front of campfires in the evenings, and even while portaging. We were fortunate to see a variety of wildlife, including a female moose with her two (2) calves and numerous loons. Biting insects were fewer in late July than they would have been earlier in the season, they were never a significant distraction, and, in my opinion, a few mosquitoes bites are intrinsic to a genuine camping experience. Great weather added to all of the other boons we enjoyed while afloat and while on land. Evan, in consultation with the other participant and me, set a very sensible and enjoyable pace throughout the trip. Everyday we paddled a moderate distance, the portages were reasonably spread so as to make them pleasant rather than onerous, and, because we moved to a new location each night, we enjoyed a diversity of campsites, including a sandy beach and a sheltered island (the latter of which came equipped with a very civilized outhouse). We had time on most afternoons to nap, read, swim, explore, and to otherwise indulge our interests and inclinations in the fantastic settings we found ourselves. The equipment Voyageur Quest supplied was high-quality, perfectly effective, and simple to use. When a tent is supplied by Voyageur Quest, nobody needs to fear setting-up a vexingly over-engineered shelter or having rain and / or insects as sleeping companions. As for the food, I was far better fed than I would have been at home. Having systematized his culinary chores, Evan handled most of the cooking, and he did an exemplary job of it. I would have been fully satisfied with the mundane camp food I had experienced in my youth and which I had expected on this occasion. “Hors d'oeuvre ” was not a term I had previously associated with camping, but the term was clearly ingrained in Evan’s tripping vocabulary. Even more surprisingly, through his skills Evan was able to make meal preparation surprisingly easy and seemingly effortless. Although we stood ready to assist as required, there was little for my co-participant and I to do other than help with dishes. Good travelling companions make for great trips. I consider myself fortunate to have had a very amiable, practical, sophisticated, and intellectually-curious co-participant. As for Evan, the guide, I cannot easily imagine someone more suited by his or her skills or personality for guiding. Evan always knew perfectly well what needed doing and how to do it. Evan’s technical knowledge and capabilities were impeccable. My co-participant and I benefited immeasurably from Evan’s years of camping and canoeing, supplemented by his formal training. Throughout the trip Evan enabled my co-participant and me to contribute as much as we could to the expedition and to comfortably challenge ourselves, while he did everything else without making us feel in any way inadequate relative to his vast superiority in bush-craft. Without being fussy, Evan was consistently conscientious and took pride in his guiding. Throughout the trip Evan was unwaveringly genial, witty, communicative, supportive, and befitting of numerous other positive adjectives. While different guides undoubtedly have different interests and strengths, any guide with Evan’s technical skills, sociability, and understanding of his participants would make a camping trip anywhere, and under any circumstances, a success. Encouraged by my recent experience with Voyageur Quest, I hope to partake in a similar camping trip, quite likely again with Voyageur Quest, as soon as the metaphorical stars align and the rest of my life allows. I have the presumption to further hope that this electronic epistle encourages others to do the same.