Day 48 - Hiking Chikanishing Trail
When I awoke this morning and opened out screen doors I saw a pile of dead mosquitoes whose dying wish was to get inside Ciara. So thankful for those new screen doors! None of us slept well though because all their family and friends had already had gotten in. Under the covers, fans blowing on our faces just hoping we could get some sleep.
I let everyone sleep in a little and woke them a little after 9am. We made breakfast quickly out of any leftovers we had or quick grab breakfast items. I was excited, we were going to use Mike’s motor for the first time. Sure we used it last night, but today was why we had it.
When we were at Killarney Mountain Lodge I had noticed a board in the recreational room that had a list of hikes that guests could drive to for good day hikes. There was one called Chikanishaing Trail that I noticed started at a parking lot that was right next to Chikanishaing River which was a small river coming down from George Lake a few miles inland. I consulted my charts and saw that we could get our dinghy up there and since we now had a motor with range we could do it! This would have never happened with just our electric trolling motor. Hikes in the North Channel last year were mostly bushwacking; the only one that wasn’t was Topaz Lake. I am beyond thrilled that thanks to this motor we have been able to confidently tackle new hikes this summer.
Once we were all boarded, Captain let Cory take the helm and we set off to the trail head. We motored out of the anchorage and had to hug the shore just a little in the big water of Georgian Bay. Soon enough we cut through a variety of red stone islands and to the mouth of the Chikanishaing River. Red towering boulders to our starboard side and marshes to our port we gentle glided upstream with no issues of bottoming out. When we came around the final bend we saw a boat ramp and also a kayak launch with many people getting ready to set out on water adventures or parking to ho hiking. The dinghy parking was right up against vertical red cliffs. We used natural stairs to climb straight up and out while trying our trusty dinghy to a metal rod that had been pounded into the rocks for us.
Once all settled we headed on our way on the 3km loop. We followed the trail by blazed trail makers on the trees or cute little arrow markers on the stones in front of us. A moderate trail that never felt hard as there was no real elevation but with ankle twisters it was very engaging. We passed informational markers that taught us about the First Nations and first white people settlers. The first part of the hike followed the river we just had come up and then took us out to expansive views of Georgian Bay. The red rocks were stunning, with an occasional quartzite band running through them. Surprisingly the return part of the loop put us in a deep forest (well maintained trail). Dani and I slowed down and just took in all the senses. The sounds of a deep forest and all the smells! Eventually the rest of the crew up ahead stopped for us and we got cast out of our spell as when they stopped to wait the mosquitos took over so they were not wanting to wait anymore. We were soon enough back at the start of the trail as the forest was, compared the first half, much faster.
I knew the predicted winds were to be higher in the afternoon so as we glided out on the river I made everyone put on their life jackets as I expected the seas of Georgian Bay to be pretty big for our dinghy, although very doable. Glad I did! As soon as we let out of the river we had nice two-foot following seas. We saw a Canadian Coast Guard boat not far off and he made a bee line towards us. As soon as he got close enough to see us on his looking glass and saw we were all in life jackets he turned away, not needing to come over and tell us to put them on!
We made it back to Ciara just fine and in time for the predicted afternoon rain. We all took the time to relax after having a late lunch.
The rain started to break up around 4, but the forecast said we had a chance of a little rain all the way under 9pm. None of us really wanted to just sit inside Ciara and were all wanting to do the campfire BEFORE the mosquito hour. We decided to take a tarp to shore along with our smore gear and have a fire. It worked well. We only had a little drizzle here and there and a tarp to stand under if needed. Another sail boat had dropped anchor nearby earlier with kids aboard. The kids paddled to shore and soon thereafter their parents in the family dinghy. We all chatted a while and the kids hung out. Bert sliced his finger pretty good whittling a stick for his smores. He has yet to fully learn his lessons there. Captain and I did some emergency wrapping of the wound and he will live. I played Last Post from shore and the hauntedly beautiful notes of this piece are starting to become dearer to us every time we hear it. Playing in the best concert halls in the world is such a joy and a blessing I count every day.
The kids had their fill of smores ashore to count for dinner so Captain made me some more cheesy potato soup before we all called it a night.
We have decided to not visit MacGregor Bay. That will have to wait until next year. 1st mate says with forecasted weather we need to officially start heading west tomorrow. We still have time in the North Channel as we make our way back. Much like last year, our time up here is incredibly short and we are left with an overwhelming desire to return.
