u/Bobbtail

(eta: to be clear this is not my first backpacking trip just my first time on la cloche, also edit because I put a wrong campsite number 😅)

So I have my first backpacking trip on la cloche booked starting next week. Looking at the weather and the onX map, it looks like my toughest day is going to be when the weather is the worst. I have a few options I can shuffle my camp sites around but I'm wondering what is actually best.

Currently the section in question is H18 three narrows, to H23 Moose pass, H34 David lake, then H37 Silver with the worst weather being between moose and david.

I could go little mountain lake instead of david, but then I'm not sure I'll have the energy to do silver peak if i feel like it? Ive also heard silver peak isnt really worth it for backpacking since its about the same views as I'll be seeing though the whole trail anyway.
Or I could skip moose pass and go to shigaug so its a bit shorter to david, it adds 5km to the day before but the terrain doesnt look too bad. (i think im leaning this way but moose pass looks like an interesting place to camp so im a bit sad to miss it. But then again I have no idea what else id be missing at other sites either)

So I'm just looking for recommendations on what would be best, either because of better camp sites, terrain thats worse or better than it looks etc.

For context, I hike a lot in Algonquin and generally prefer a more casual hike around 10km/day, just so I can stop and enjoy the scenery and dip my toes in the streams as much as I like without stressing about getting to camp before dark. I always end up moving faster than expected anyway with only my slowest days averaging around 2km/h. I do generally end up with a few 15-20km days with the camp sites that are available, so I know I'm capable but I've heard la cloche is a lot tougher than Algonquin's trails.

If you got this far, thanks for reading and I appreciate any and all advice :)

I haven't made a booking yet because I'm not 100% sure when I can get off work, so I'm looking for recommendations for an out & back, or if its plausible to do the whole loop with the limited bookings that are still available.

For context, I regularly backpack in algonquin and usually take a lot of luxuries since they're relatively easy trails. I have some decent ultralight gear but I'm still usually carrying around 30lbs base weight. So I can definitely leave out a lot of stuff and get down to about 15lbs maybe less. Last time I went out for a 6 day trip I carried 8lbs of food and that was overpacking quite a bit. I know a lot might depend on my capability so hopefully that's enough context to make an estimate.

So the questions:

Where do I park? I see people saying to start at the crack, so I assume parking there is included in the booking? Where's the lot if I go up the other side? What if I need to go counter clockwise from the campground?

Is it worth the trip up to silver peak? The sites around it are mostly all booked up for the season, so could I hike all the way from shigaug to bunnyrabbit in a day if I also do the peak? Could I do that section without the peak?

I appreciate any and all suggestions and tips!

I recently went on a trip that was around 0 to -5 at night and I realized I would really like something actually warm for my legs. My immediate thought was to just go straight for AD 120 because its the weight of an extra pair of leggings but - I assume - much warmer. However, I feel like it could also be overkill and if I don't need it then 60gsm is half the weight. I don't currently own any AD so I'm actually really unsure how warm they are. I am generally a very cold person and my biggest issue this trip was that my legs would get cold and just not warm up. This would probably just be for static insulation since I'd rather be a bit cold than sweating while hiking but once I get to camp I want to be warm.

So basically, if I'm too cold wearing a merino base layer, a synthetic base layer, and rain pants, can I replace one of the base layers with 60gsm and be significantly warmer or should I go for a higher weight? Split the difference and go 90? I was hoping 120 would be similar to a pair of sweat pants without the bulk or the weight. Is there another option besides AD that would be better?