Entries about camping

June 11: After a wonderfully stormy night we woke to clearing skies and decent temperatures. Our camp site is right on the beach. Agawa Bay has a 3 kilometer long beach on the shore of Lake Superior.

After a leisurely breakfast of French Toast and Bacon we took a tour of the Visitor Centre and its many exhibits on the history of this area. The beach at Agawa Bay has been used by natives for thousands of years, and in recent history this beach was a stopping off point for voyageurs on their long journeys across Canada. As many as 15 crew on extremely large canoes paddled 16 hours a day on trading trips across this area, and slept on these beaches. Our campsite:

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In the foreground of this picture you can see the tree branch that narrowly missed our trailer:

Afterward we walked back along the beach to our campsite. The lake, which had 2 meter high waves the night before was calming down. A few days ago I hyper extened the big toe on my left foot and to dull the ache I stood with my feet in the 4 degree Celcius water. It worked really well and before long I could not feel a thing from the ankles to the end of my toes.

We headed off to see the famous Agawa Bay Pictographs, that date back hundred of years. It is a short, but steep hike down to the lake shore, and seeing the pictographs takes some courage. I stayed back and kept a photographic record in case Jenny fell into the lake. People has been killed walking along this piece of rock by large waves.

This is the payoff for taking the risk of walking along that ledge:

This is the trail up from the Pictographs:

June 12:

A rainy night led into a deeply foggy morning. We lazed about for the morning in the hopes of getting a decent hike in the afternoon. The weather forecast at the Visitor Centre was calling for much improvement in the afternoon. Surely it did clear and we were able to head out for a lovely 5 kilometer hike along the Sand River. Waterfalls and forest flowers. We thoroughly enjoyed the almost 3 hours of up and down hiking along the riverbank.

We played tortise and hare with a romantic young couple through most of the hike. They were quick along the trail, but would get distracted and we would come upon them being romantic time and time again. We suggested they get a room a couple of times, but we can understand their affection for each other. It made for fun encounters along the trail.

As this is written we are in Wawa, at the public library, using their internet. We head on from here to camp for the next three nights at Neys Provincial Park, where we will explore Pukaska National Park as well as other local hiking trails. The road is long and we are having a great time.