Here, we started to encounter lots of local boats from the Midland area as well as a whole contingent of mostly powerboats exiting the Trent-Severn Canal system. We proceeded up Beausoliel Bay and anchored with a handful of other boats between the camping areas at Tonch Point and the YMCA camp nearby, Camp Kithchekewana.
It was hard to miss the camp activities ashore, but they were amazingly quiet, we only heard the odd dinner bell and occassional distant chatter
We only had one day where the weather was supposed to be good before a pair of strong cold fronts blew through. We were up early with a plan to make the most of it. Since Beausoleil is within a national park, and since most of the land in Georgian Bay is private, we knew this may be our last chance for a while to go for a good, long, all-day walk. We hit the trail at the Tonch Point dock and then headed to the main section of the island for a circuit of its biggest loop trail. It was the usual, regenerative forest walk through tunnels of varying shades of chlorophyll-fueled green. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife, but the island has more varieties of mushrooms than either of us has ever noticed. This would be a perfect place for a so-inclined biologist to study them more intently. Mostly, it was just nice to get the blood flowing and to have long, meandering talks under the shade of the canopy. Half the loop was even a thinly-used dirt road, where we had the luxury of walking side-by-side.
Tonch point is quite a way from the main visitor center - but offers campsites, and dock space for one boat (we anchored off). For a small fee of $6.25 we could take our kayak ashore and explore the whole island for the day
Our hike ended up totaling about seventeen kilometers. At about the 11k mark, we happened across the tail end of a guided walk being given by a pair of park rangers. There, one of them spotted and then pointed out a tiny little snake, a 15cm Hognose weaving its way through the grass. The Hognose is neither venomous nor dangerous. Its main defense is that its markings mimic that of the island's Mississauga Rattlesnake, which is mildly venomous but very shy. We didn't tease it to check, but the Hognose will strike repeatedly if bothered. It does this, however, with its mouth shut, so it's really more of a head-butting. If this doesn't work and make you flee for fear of being almost bitten by what possibly could be a rattlesnake, it rolls over and plays dead until you lose interest and go off to find another interesting-looking mushroom.
This cute chipmunk didn't seem to mind us hanging around, and this hognose snake (baby) had probably hatched the previous day according to one of the rangers
We made it back to the dinghy almost exactly at the time where we were tired enough that sitting down ran the real risk of being pinned by gravity for much longer than we thought it would going in. Since we were sitting in the dinghy, the only climbing we had left to do for the day was to get up Begonia's stern steps. The first set was actually the hardest. The second followed a lovely, rejuvenating swim.
And yes - there is plenty of fungi to find ashore (I do wish I could recall more of my University lectures)
Anchorage location On google maps
No comments:
Post a Comment