Someone asked me recently to identify my best trip.  My reply was that all trips have highlights and low lights, and this one was no different in that respect.  I am happy to say that the former far outweighed the latter (but never the food barrels!).  We set out on July 24th, a happy troupe of 9 in four canoes and one kayak, including Mike Bankier (our trip organizer), Catherine Johns, Keith McDonald, Joyce Anderson, Xuan Qi, Flossy Hogg, Mandy Murray, Henry Nur and Kathy Empey.  Mike took the helm of the kayak and it proved the perfect venue for his love of photographs and filming of the trip. 

We arrived in Hartley Bay and unpacked our three vehicles to discover that one barrel containing a tent for two, a sleeping bag, thermarest, stove, fuel and some personal items had been left at home.  Nine heads immediately started coming up with ways to solve this problem; should we drive straight to Sudbury and purchase the missing items, could we rent them somewhere; could his son drive them up to us the next day ... and then Henry approached some canoeists who had just come off the water (Debbie Field, David Kraft, Harriet Friedmann) and asked them if they could help out.  They willingly lent us their tent, sleeping bag, thermarest – thank you so much to Beautiful North Outfitters for lending us equipment, (www.beautifulnorth.ca ) and to Henry for his quick thinking.

Due to low water conditions we altered our original route.  Instead of going down the Old Voyageur Channel, which was not navigable by water, we would travel down the Bass Lake Route and hang out in the delta, returning the same way some 10 days later.  We encountered few fellow travellers and were almost always rewarded with the campsites we wanted, and which could accommodate six tents.  Yes, some of you will be rolling over in your sleeping bags, I can hear you now, but we went with six tents (not a club recommendation).

We camped in Wanapitei Bay the first night.  We had planned on four stoves, but one was in that barrel I mentioned.  Another one died that first night out, and then there were two.  Within a day or so, another one bit the dust, and I am sure you can figure out how many we had left for nine people for 10 days.  We finally resurrected one which worked well until the second last day.  Moral of this story - you can never have too many stoves!!!  

We headed on down to Obstacle Island the next day.  After we were well ensconced, we bushwhacked the entire island and were chagrined to find a seal bag that had been transported, ripped open and all items scattered and tried out for taste (bug stuff and sunscreen  - they didn’t gobble them right up, but the granola bars and hummus appeared to have been scarfed down).  The bag was still rolled up and clipped.  That, and the black scat, helped to keep us alert for big hairy predators.  As a caution, don’t park your barrels anywhere near your escape route – barrels and canoes do not make good sleeping partners.  We all enjoyed the hikes that Mike led – as a consummate hiker, he enticed us all on adventures on foot wherever possible.  The next day some of us went on a canoe day trip around Cantin Point and back to our camp.

After two nights on Obstacle we headed east and searched out a suitable campsite in Fox Bay.  The winds were picking up and the next day they were two metres high in the bay.  We know this because we had a weather radio that, when tuned to channel 8, gave us updates on the marine conditions.  On big waters like Georgian Bay it takes a whole day following the wind storm to calm down –We also walked across some rocks to Vixen Island where we picked our way over rock formations, junipers, crevasses – we travelled .5 km. in 1 ½ hours.  It was tough going, and very hot.  That was enough for one day and some of us returned the next day to traverse the second half.  The next day the waves were one metre in Georgian Bay, so we headed out on a day trip around the neighbouring islands and checked out campsites.  The wind picked up and made it a good workout for the paddle back.  Luckily for us, we were on the leeside of the island during the wind storms, but some of us were pitched up top with little protection – there was a cacophony of dancing tents. The wind drove Flossy, Catherine, Keith and Xuan down to join us on the lower level for the second night (kitchen space was at a minimum) –A storm was approaching and the rain whipped up and most of us retreated to our tents.  Catherine was forced to move one more time as a lake formed outside her door and onto her groundsheet. Due to the storm, we stayed an additional night and headed out early the next morning for the Finger Boards.  We did an amazing job of getting packed up and on the water almost at the appointed hour, considering we could only launch one boat at a time (due to the geography of the island).  As an aside, this island was informally named S_it Island by us as there were not a lot of places to do our business, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, I had a less than pleasant encounter with some business on the bottom of my shoe – many discussions took place during the trip about the best way to “poop in the woods.”  I also lost my sunglasses on this island and finally, after retracing all my steps, paddling back to the other island where we had hiked and stopped for a swim, ripping all my stuff apart yet again, I thought to ask Flossy if I had them on in the photo she took as we returned from our hike.  She affirmed that they were on, so I went back to our swimming spot with my goggles and found them about eight feet down – I also retrieved Joyce’s earring (she hadn’t even missed it yet).

We encountered one group of kayakers while going through the Fingerboards.  We saw more sailboats and pleasure boats mooring in the bays to avoid the winds than fellow paddlers.  The Fingerboards are always tricky, and this year even trickier.  We got hung up a couple of times and left various colours of canoe blood on the rocks.  I have been to Georgian Bay seven times and have never seen the bay so placid; the second night I was unable to hear the swells.  We stayed on what I called Rattlesnake Island and Mike had two encounters with rattlers.  He spit his toothpaste on one (can you blame him for rattling??) and almost stepped on the grandfather of rattlers the next day.  Check out his photo.  The rest of us searched, but came up empty.  Our neighbour in the cottage came over to chat with us when we were on one of our forays of the island – her family have had their cottage since 1918.  Lucky them, but lucky us to have the means, the need and the yearning to share the magnificent gifts of nature.

 Life would not be complete without ice cream – we spent our last night at The Elbow and paddled the Canoe Channel out – the French River Lodge’s ice cream sign drew us right up to their docks and we indulged while admiring the most spectacular view of the river from their deck.  It was a leisurely and pleasant paddle out and we were grateful to have been together to share 10 days and 90 kilometers of laughter, adversity, and opportunities to test ourselves and to support one another.  We are all better people for having had the time to trip together.

As for food – we were no exception to the Y custom of having barrels too heavy for one person, but we seldom had any leftovers.  The meals were excellent, and Henry outdid himself by baking a cake for Mandy for her birthday, which was completed with candles, sparklers, and much good cheer!  Happy Birthday,  Mandy!  Some surprises:  that Kolbassa Coil keeps well for 6 days (limit of our test), cream cheese lasts all week, even after opening, that leftover oatmeal (miscalculation of ingredients) can be added to some bannock dry mix and gorp to make a great dessert in an outback oven (see http://www.youtube.com/user/mbankier#p/a/u/0/TJXZn2hJZNc)!

The sunsets were magnificent – large red orbs of light and our nights were well lit up by the full orange harvest moon.  Many photos serve to keep these memories alive.

Notable Quotes

Xuan – what a great fire!

Criticism, criticism, all I get is criticism!

Can we get up at 4:00 and be on the water at 6:00 – NO!

Caffeine before salt.

Oh, yours doesn’t have a calculator – let me find it for you!

Is anyone going swimming?

Henry, want to play Bifen (card game)?

Must be time for tea.

I’m not thinking, I’m just playing with my equipment.

If you want silence, go away.

Tomorrow is another day.

Sometimes you plan really well, but anything can happen.

Absolutely.

Oh, what a beautiful day!

Highlights

Keith – the generosity of people (strangers from Toronto and club participants), the camaraderie between all participants.

Mandy – the people – their sharing and laughter, seeing 4 bears

Mike – spitting on a rattlesnake after brushing my teeth, stepping over, without seeing, a much larger rattlesnake while taking photos

Flossy – “wild” white dog passing through our campsite, pausing and peeing at Joyce’s tent site delta rock formations andchannels, , the moon and sunsets, not getting lost!

Catherine – hiking, exploring new places, paddling narrow channels, swimming rocks on Fox Bay

Henry – Georgian Bay rocks; navigating the fingerboards

Xuan – first time I saw a black bear when canoeing, swam a lot, including circling a small island

Joyce – swimming, sunbathing on warm, smooth Georgian Bay rocks, variety of canoeing and hiking

Kathy – the warmth of the nurturing Georgian Bay rock, bushwacking, eating wild blueberries, picking our way through the fingerboards, swimming, identifying birds and plants, Sand Hill Cranes

 
Wildlife

Four bear sightings (two on Obstacle Island while paddling out – hm, I think I’ll skip that one next time)

Sand Hill Cranes

Yellow Warblers

Black and White Warbler

Geese

Cormorants

Gulls (named by Keith as S_it Hawks)

Terns

Two Massassauga Rattlers

Merlins

Hawks

Dekay’s Brown Snake

Red Fox