Circling Lake Superior--Entry 3

Thur. Sept. 6-Sept. 8: The clear sky persisted through the night and it got down to a chilly 47° but we stayed cozy. As we closed up camp the day warmed quickly into the low 60s and for the rest of the day it was high 60s (when the clouds prevailed) or low 70s (when the sun won out). We drove northwest through spectacular scenery of rock cliffs, boreal forests, Lake Superior vistas and little sign of civilization. We ate lunch at Nipigon, the farthest north point of the lake. Ross & Pat were having increasing problems with their kayak holder on the back of the fifth wheel, which was sagging backwards and compromising the support welded onto the frame. We stopped twice for them to secure the ropes he added but it was clear he’ll have to do something else for the rest of the trip. West of Nipigon we headed north to Ouimet Canyon. Marv & I visited it in 1974, when there was no development whatsoever. Now it is a Provincial Park, but there is no camping there. Signs cautioned us to leave trailers & RVs in a parking area at the bottom of a steep, winding road, so we unhooked our trailer and Ross & Pat got in our backseat, leaving their whole rig. We proceeded up to another parking area with only one car in it. We walked a 1KM trail that took us to two viewing “pods” overlooking the canyon with interpretive signs. The 100M canyon was as impressive as we remembered and well worth the side trip. The climate at the bottom of the canyon gorge is subarctic and includes rare plants not found anywhere else in Ontario. The signs compare the change as the equivalent of traveling 1000KM north! When we had had our fill we drove on to the turn to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. It is a 37KM drive down a peninsula to the park. Like the other parks, the registration is now self-serve and the Visitors Center is only open on weekends. But we got sites next to each other right on Lake Marie-Louise. As we set-up a big wind arose and it spit a bit of rain. We decided to eat inside our camper and wondered if Marv would be able to grill the pork chops. But the squall soon ended and we had a good dinner of pork chops, sweet potato “fries”, marinated salad, and baked beans. Ross was practically falling asleep and excused himself right after eating. Pat headed back to their camper and Marv and I took a short bike ride around the campground, marveling at the Pileated Woodpecker that flew over our heads. We returned in time to take our chairs down the steps of our campsite to the shoreline to watch the sunset. The Sleeping Giant reclines right across the lake from us and the sunset just to the right of his head. As the sun sank into the tree line we could hear the plaintive call of loons. What a spectacular way to end our day!

It didn’t get as cold overnight as Wednesday night had and we woke to intermittent sun and a stiff breeze. We had pancakes and did the dishes before we met up with Ross & Pat to explore the park some more in our truck.  As we drove past the headquarters we realized it was open and stopped by for more information. The ranger encouraged us to take some of the hiking trails we had considered so we drove on to the parking lot for Kabuyen Trail from which several other trails depart. We took the 2.4KM “Sea Lion” trail out to the edge of the water to see the diabase dyke formation that, until its head broke off prior to 1900, looked like a lion (not the seal-type) sitting on its haunches. It is still easy to imagine the resemblance. The trail involved a bit of rock scrambling but we all made it. We were considering another hike from the same parking lot but decided to first drive down to the tiny Silver Islet community at the tip of the peninsula to see if we could find some ice cream at the general store. What we found instead is a summer community of “camps” that prides itself on being “off the grid”. Most of the dwellings include small wind turbines and/or solar panels. Others appear to do without electricity at all. The General Store (established in 1851) had a sign that said it was open from 1:00-5:00 and it was only about 11:30. But we saw some people walk in and on closer inspection saw that if you needed supplies you should ring the doorbell. Little old Mr. Saxeberg was helping some people get some things and told us we were welcome to look around. The museum-like store is like stepping back 150 years and he and Mrs. Saxeberg, who was at the back making pies, apologized “for the mess”. After Mrs. Saxeberg put the finishing touches on a blueberry pie she came out and wanted to “show us some things”. We found out they bought the place 20 years ago when it was all boarded up but most of the artifacts were in the attic of the large building. The front is the General Store and in back they run a small lunch counter where you can get the soup of the day and a biscuit for $5.25 and a HUGE piece of pie for $5.25+$1.00 for a scoop of ice cream on it. She also told us more about the silver mine that was on the 80 ft. diameter island just across the inlet. In the approx. 40 years it was active in the late 1800s they removed $3,000,000 worth of silver before the lake eventually won out and shut them down. Many of the dwellings (called camps) in town are converted miners’ cabins and we saw one that traced its residents back 7 generations of the same family! The summer population is between 400 & 500 people and in winter about 4 or 5. The Saxebergs retreat to their winter home in nearby Thunder Bay. Armed with a map and some directions from Mr. Saxeberg we looped around the bottom of the peninsula and went to the 1.4KM “Cemetary Trail”. Ross, Marv & I hiked through the forest to about a dozen old gravesites which were each surrounded by hand crafted picket fences and had wooden markers on which writing was rarely visible anymore. Most of the fencing was falling down and the sites were full of trees and brush. We did see two carved head stones, one from 1872 & one from 1884. The cemetery was used from 1870-1942 but there is little record evident of the 60 or so men, women & children buried there. We returned to the car and by then it was 1:00 so we returned to the General Store for homemade Chicken Noodle Soup & a biscuit followed by Blueberry Pie. Surprisingly, as we ate the 5 or so tables all filled and the Saxebergs were really hopping to keep up with locals and tourists alike. The Chicken Noodle we had ran out and they switched to Beef Barley and the Missus had her husband from front peeling potatoes and carrots and then in back chopping them up. We regretfully left the charming scene and returned to camp. Ross & Marv rode their bikes up to register and found out that the sites we were on were “Premium Electric” so they cost more. But with our view of the lake and the convenient steps down to the shore we didn’t begrudge them the extra. The Macks hung out at their trailer while Marv & I took the kayaks out on the choppy lake. As we paddled around the point to our left we found that the wind was stronger out there and the lake had white caps. We decided that it was a bit treacherous and we were getting occasional splashes so we head back to camp. The wind picked up behind us as we paddled and it was a bit tricky getting back to shore. As I struggled out of my kayak some big waves, almost like a boat wake, swept in and knocked me right into the water. Marv was still seated in his kayak so he just got a little wet from the waves going over the side but I was soaked. Luckily, we were right at the campsite and the water wasn’t too shockingly cold so we just hung my clothes out in the wind to dry. The temperature never got above the low 60s all day and the wind and the scuttling clouds were constant so a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt felt cozy. We took our Dominoes over to teach Pat & Ross how to play Mexican Train. Afterwards we cooked brats over a campfire but we ate indoors as the wind continued and the temperatures dropped as the sun sank lower and lower. Ross, Marv & I ate S’mores beside the fire while Pat ate hers inside. Then we all enjoyed the sunset and got things put away for an early departure tomorrow. Ross & Pat managed to get their kayaks inside their fifth wheel so they don’t have to worry about the dangling carrier until we can get to Thunder Bay tomorrow to see what their options may be. 

                                                                 Sea Lion Today

                                                                 Sea Lion in 1920