Fri, Jul 31 2009, Sat, Aug 1 2009, Sun, Aug 2 2009, Mon, Aug 3 2009 - Canoe Trip - Massasauga Provincial Park (View Original Event Details)
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We started our adventure on Friday morning driving north with the rest of the long weekend, early start, cottagers. Once we passed Barrie it was clear driving to Massasauga Provincial Park (Pete’s Place put in). We stopped at a greasy spoon in Mactier for our lunch. At Pete’s place we picked up our canoes and sorted out the parking. Stephen and I shuttled the second car to Woods Bay Marina. It was a nice day to start with temperatures around 20C and clear blue skies. We paddle west for about 10 km to our first campsite (#323) near Loon Island. The winds were fairly calm today. On the way we passed an Osprey family who built there nest on top of a navigation marker. Campsite #323 was on a small tree covered island facing east. We set up camp and had supper and watched the moon rise just before sunset by our campfire. Day 2. Our mission this morning is to get to Wreck Island (which sees the full force of Georgian Bay winds) and then find the wreck of the Waubuno. We got an early start at around 9 am and the winds were actual helping us travel north to Wreck Island. It was another beautiful day with temperatures around 20C and blue skies. Get the sun glasses and suntan lotion out! With the tail wind our speed was about 5 km/hr. On Wreck Island we picked up the self guided trail booklet and hiked the 1.5 km trail to explore an amazing geological history. The twisted and folded rocks are evidence of the incredible tectonic forces that shaped the island. These rocks used to be 20-30km deep in the earth’s crust. We passed shallow ponds filled with tadpoles. Misty enjoyed this! We passed a percussion boulder. This boulder was black in colour (different from bedrock around us) and have travelled from far away in glazer melt waters tumbling into a round shape. Another rock looks like a giant clam shell. A small snack and were off again, around the western side of the island and between Wreck and Bradden we discover the wreck of the Wanbuno. The ship ran aground in 1879 during a November gale, and all souls on board were lost. The steam ship was made in 1856 out of wood. Investigators surmised that the ship was seeking shelter in around the islands and ran a ground. Her deck and superstructure, together with 24 passengers and crew, sank somewhere in deeper water. The hull drifted between the gap of the islands, where she lies today. Continuing NE we work our way through the maze of islands and channels to our first portage of 235 meters. We basically had a tail wind all day and we made it to our campsite #611 mid afternoon. Thank you GPS for get us where we want to be! On the way Stephen and I did some fishing. Stephen caught a Small Month Bass (catch/release) and a Pike (about 4 lbs). Campsite #611 was a little sparse on tent sites but it did have lots of good wood. However, it also had a healthy supply of mosquitoes in the woods. Jane help me clean the Pike. She had a lot of questions during the process. We wrapped the fish in some pieces of aluminum foil and cooked it on the fire for supper. Beautiful taste of fresh fish! The weather is changing and dark clouds are rolling in. It rained all night. Day 3. In the morning it stopped raining before we got up but the skies had thick low level clouds. It wasn’t looking very promising! We finished our breakfast and the clouds started to break up and we were off for another other nice partially cloudy day with lots of sunshine and a tail wind. We headed NW towards Spider Lake. The guys in the next campsite told us about a jumping rock. ADVENTURE! So we had to check it out! Near campsite #016. I figure it was about 10 meters high (have a look at the photos of Stephen flying). The thing I remember is the slap force on my hands on entering the water. It is like taking your hand and open palm hitting a wall hard. Ouch! Sure glad I wore my runners. Turning south we headed down to the Spider Lake 780 meter portage. This is our last portage for the trip. The trail was muddy and some of the board walks were rotten. In fact, I broke one on the first canoe/pack traverse. Back in Clear Bay with the power boats crowd we headed SW into a gentle head wind for a few kilometers to campsite # 601 and Jenner Bay. All trip Stephen has been pulling out interesting meals. Tonight is no exception. Suchi anyone! He followed this with desert, bannick on a stick, cooked over the fire. This was a big hit with the kids, young and old. Later on, after supper, we had a visit from a friendly Snapping turtle, just off our campsite. Heather passed around the bacon bits and were kept busy feeding the turtle for about an hour in our canoes. Got some great under water shots(check the photos out). Early night because tomorrow we are shooting for an 8 am exit. We have about 14 km to paddle. The canoes have to be back by 2 pm or you get hit with a late fee. Day 4 and about 20C and overcast skies but nice around 20C. Tail wind most of the way, puts us back at Woods Bay, in less than 3 hours. As we paddle pass campsite #507 we see a black bear with 3 cubs in the woods behind the campsite. They see us and Misty. Time to go!. Back at Pete’s Place we get organized, return gear and pick up the second car. The plan is to have lunch at the greasy spool in Mactier before driving home with the long weekend cottage crowd. On our way out of the park we saw a large wild turkey along the road side. It’s been a great weekend for wildlife sightings. We covered 61.3 km total and did not get wet all weekend, except for swimming. Have a look at the photo maps of each day to see where we went. It was a great trip with good company. See you next time! Gary
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