More time at Grundy Lake

Mon. Sept. 19: There was a 60% chance of rain, but I still hadn’t seen any moose and the trails at Grundy Lake appeared to be my best chance. So after peaches-and-cream oatmeal with extra nectarines and doing a few small chores like putting away the kayak and making spaghetti sauce in the Crockpot, Marv and I rode our bikes over to the Gut Lake Trail to see what we could find. It was just starting to sprinkle a bit but the temperature was in the upper fifties and so we were plenty warm while hiking. The 2.5 km. trail travels by two different areas: the rugged rock of the Precambrian Shield (which supports most of the life in this area) and the lakes, streams and wetlands which drain excess water into Georgian Bay. It was a nice hike which took us longer than the predicted hour and half but we made lots of stops to take pictures and search for wildlife, to no avail. All that we saw were a few birds and one other hiker, with her dog. Arriving back at the campsite about 1:30 we were happy to find out that Ross & Pat had eaten lunch without us, but had Reubens ready to grill for the two of us. They tasted great after our long hike and bike ride! While we ate and chatted the rain began to come down in earnest. We returned to our camper and prepared to do a load of laundry while Marv took a shower. When the wash cycle finished we put the clothes in to dry and returned to the camper to read (me) and work on pictures from the morning (Marv). The whole time it rained hard but when we were ready to return to get the clean clothes, the rain had let up a bit. So I talked Marv into getting the laundry and then going on to the Swan Lake Trail. It was about 4:30 by then and I thought the conditions ideal for seeing moose. The trail is a 1.5 km. look that winds through a special area in the park set aside as a nature reserve. The trail was much like Gut Lake Trail but it includes a boardwalk over a wetlands area. Sadly, once again, no moose appeared in the heavy mist/light sprinkles. We stayed dry enough in our rain gear and Marv got a few more pictures before we returned for the last time today to our campsite. Ross & Pat came over for spaghetti and salad. We hoped to top off the evening with microwave S’mores but just as we finished dinner the power went out in the campground for some reason. So they went back to their trailer and Marv & I did the dishes and then looked at pictures on the computer until bedtime. As the evening wrapped up the rain showers seemed to finally end for good and the dripping of the trees slowly diminished.