Georgian Bay to Lake Superior

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day…or not.  

I'm in Thunder Bay and it's raining.  Yah, whatever, theme of the trip: Canadian weather is unpredictable.  Luckily, Thunder Bay is pretty cool.  It has an amazing central library that's full of books on Ojibway myths, legends, and general life lessons, and we've once again found a lovely internet snatching, fair trade B.C. roasted coffee providing hang out spot; it's called The Bean Fiend and it just happens to be attached to a most tempting store - Red Earth Imports, which is reminiscent of Halifax's Black Market combined with Mary Jane's Smoke Shop - cool clothes from south east Asia, incense, wooden jewelry, leather sandals, plus a head shoppe all in one.  Too bad I'm poor as dirt right now…it might not stop me from buying the multi-coloured wrap sweater that was handmade in Nepal and feels oh so soft on the skin.

Picture stolen from Bean Fiend's facebook page...it's not sunny here.

   

After leaving Pembroke, Duncan and I ventured into Killarney Provincial Park on the north shore of Georgian Bay.  Woo, is it ever gorgeous!  After spending way too much money on a site in the park camp ground ($40.50/night - no joke), we decided to camp out in the van beside a community hall in the town of Killarney.

   

I want to take a minute to discuss this little pickle that Duncan and I have been dealing with all along our trip - the price of camping in provincial parks.  When did camping become so damned expensive?  $40 for a 20 x 20 foot clearing in an area plastered with 150 other campsites, small bushes and minimal tree covering dividing you form your next-door-camp neighbours, who may be anyone from David Suzuki to Al Bundy.  Yah there are "bathrooms" and a water tap a short walk away and a picnic table on site, but I'm not sure that this justifies the highway robbery that the government of Ontario is committing on us Canadian campers.  What happened to the collective spirit of poverty (thanks, Kris) hovering around camping?  Doesn't anyone realize that one of the most enticing reasons for camping (besides it being awesome) is because it is cheap, or used to be?  Granted, backcountry camping in Ontario's gems is less pricey (generally $11 per night, per person), however, when in a pinch or arriving too late to hike out to the backcountry, the alternative is not accessible to us young adults looking for affordable options.  Camping in the van or in the tent on public property near by has become the only option when being gouged like this across the province...That campsite was nice though, it had gorgeous views of George Lake and some nice flat rocks to sit on while the sunset all around us.  

                

Room with a view of George Lake.

Anyway, we spent two days doing day hikes from our squat-spot, which left me breathless (figuratively…and sometimes literally).  The first hike we did was Chikanishing, which was really short (two or three km), but outstandingly beautiful.  It reminded me of Peggy's Cove - it's the Peggy's Cove of Georgian Bay, I dare say.  Huge flat, rolling rocks, rugged trees and berry bushes struggling every minute to cling on, high winds sweeping off the bay, sea-spray (or lake-spray, rather) in your face when you get too close to the water, which is crystal blue and looks so inviting, but upon dipping your hand in you realize is heart-stopingly frigid (as Georgian Bay has always been and will always be).  The trail was marked with plaques explaining the local history of the area - from Aboriginal fishing grounds to Colonial pulp and paper processing town, deadly mines, near abandonment, and the eventual arrival of the Group of Seven who were so taken with the landscape that they lobbied the government to protect the area from development (you go, Group of Seven!).  As the clouds moved in, Duncan and I called it a day and hung out in town (which consists of a few restaurants, a general store, a boat launch, a hunting lodge, and lots of spirit) doing our smelly laundry. 

Looking at Georgian Bay.

Cold Water.

Day two we took on The Crack, which was well worth the climb.  The trail leading to The Crack is part of the 78km La Cloche loop, which Dunc and I did not attempt.  It takes you through beautiful Boreal Forest, wetlands, by a couple lakes, and glacial boulder minefields to "the crack", a divide in the granite ridge, which is the steep gateway to the top, where the view is unbelievable.  Can't be described, just check out the pictures.

Cheer up, Duncan.

Looks like it's going to fall...

Getting to The Crack.

Leading up to The Crack.

Here we are...

We arrived and the sun came out!

From Killarney we headed to Sault Ste. Marie, from which we were planning to head into Lake Superior Park, but the weather wasn't looking so good so we scooted on up to Sleeping Giant, a peninsula just east of Thunder Bay.  

Lake Superior north shore.

Van/Bus stopping place.
A couple in their 60s from Shediac, NB is traveling across the country in that van, as they have been since the 70s.

I'm pretty sure they graffitied this on the rocks.

We got one day of hikes in before the clouds rolled back in.  We checked out an old graveyard dating back to when the area's claim to fame was a silver mine, a trail passing over a stream that salmon and lake trout swim up in the springtime to spawn, and a path weaving through an area that had been altered specifically to make it a prime bird habitat.  Pretty cool stuff, but when the weather gets better we're going back to take on The Giant himself (a trail leading up Thunder Mountain and around the Giant's head and feet) in the backcountry.

Silver Islet Cemetery.

Peek-A-Boo.

Duck Habitat, I think.

A Fine Fat Pheasant.

Blue skies at Sleeping Giant.