Day 54 & 55: Snug Harbour, Mary Ann Cove, The Pool

Day 54: September 10: At 5:30 a.m. the stars lit up the black, silent sky. the crescent moon assumed its commanding position over Venus, glistening so brightly that its reflection lit up the still water. Very soon the stars disappeared into the slowly brightening sky as the sun rose; its light reflecting on the trees, making them look like maple trees changing color. 

We got UW, reluctant to leave this pristine spot, but promises of another stunning sight that might be waiting for us made the exodus a bit easier. The 2 hour cruise to Mary Ann Cove was perhaps one of the most incredible I have ever seen. The water was smooth as silk causing our wake to glisten and roll, like thickening jello. You just can't get enough of moments like these. 

Our voyage took us through Lansdowne Channel, into Frazer Bay, and the beautiful Mary Ann Cove on Baie Fine, one of the largest freshwater fjords in the world. Pronounced BAY FIN, it means a wide inward bend of a coastline in English. It lies on the north shore of Georgian Bay, on Lake Huron, in what is known as Killarney Provincial Park. 

All around us are mountain ranges including the Killarney Range and the La Coche Range. Being this far north they must become frigid, traveled only by the bears and deer who are known to live on these remote islands, away from all of us.

After anchoring, we jumped in the dinghies and headed to the west end of the island, looking for the trailhead that will lead us to Casson Peak. We spotted the pink ribbon folks told us to look for hanging on a tree and landed the dinghies. As we entered the path we picked up "walking" sticks others had obviously left behind after completing their own exploration. 

The trail was well marked with orange and pink ribbons along the entire route, guiding us upward until we reached an elevation of about 1170 feet. Although the hike had been described by some as strenuous or challenging, we weren't sure what to expect. We did see what John said was evidence of bears scratching in some of the rocks. Whether it was or not, it was pretty cool. 

We climbed slowly and carefully, sometimes grappling our way straight up through jagged granite, stopping for a frequent breather. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the top. The view was magnificent; each one of us could be heard exclaiming "wow" as we stepped onto Casson Peak which has an elevation of 1165 feet. From our vantage point we could see for miles; the crystal, clear bay and its inlets and the mountains rising out of the water, stretching to reach the sky. Our pictures will never do it justice. 

Within a few minutes a younger couple appeared. The young man told us he hadn't been to the area in years but was preparing to offer guided tours starting in October. He told us a bit about the area including information about the La Cloche Mountains or La Cloche Range that surround us. Composed of white quartzite, they line the northern shore of Lake Huron near Manitoulin Island. According to legend,  the hills were warning bells or tocsins used by local First Nations for signaling because when struck, these "Bell Rocks" could be heard for a great distance. In response, explorers named the range with the French word for bell - La Cloche. Looking over this range, I can imagine how the sound of the bells would echo for all to hear. We stayed on the peak for quite some time, trying to engrave the images in our minds, assuming we will never pass this way again. 

We got back to the boats around 4:30. A few clouds started to roll in, covering the warm sun, but for me it was still warm enough for a swim. While John sat on the platform dangling his feet, I plunged into the chilly water, washing off the efforts from the hike. I think it was the most refreshing swim I've experienced. At about 7:00 David and Sandra came aboard for some more conversation. We had to laugh when Sandra's phone alarm went off. Evidently she had set it for 9:00 so David would stop talking and they would call it a night. I'll have to remember that trick to use on John! 😉😉😉

Day 55: September 11: A bit overcast this morning, the sky is not as bright blue as it has been for the past few days and the breeze has picked up. Given the way we are tied up, this caused us a little concern about drifting into shore when we free the stern line from shore. Teamwork was the answer. John ran over to David's boat to untie his stern, allowing David to pull up a bit on his anchor and swing his boat into safe water. He then came over and did the same for us. 

We left Mary Ann Cove and traveled a straight shot to the end of 9 nautical mile-long Baie Fine. Surrounded by wilderness and looming quartz mountains, it offers cruisers spectacular scenery. Boaters are enticed to explore its edges, looking for out of the way coves in which to drop an anchor. 

Shortly after we got UW, David radioed to look to starboard; there was a black bear laying on the rocks. As we passed, he got up from his nap and lumbered into the woods. We are grateful to have captured a glimpse of one from a distance and not while hiking. 

It was a chilly trip, a bit different than yesterday's perfect voyage. There was a sail boat and a trawler anchored just outside the entrance to "The Pool" in what are called "Baie Fine East and Baie Fine East 2. The Pool is one of the oldest and best known anchorages in the North Channel but at this time of year it, along with most "off the grid" spots, are empty of most boaters. We passed the entrance to The Pool very carefully as the chart-plotter did show some depths of 5 to 7 feet. We have found however, that we almost always have much more water than shown and this time was no different. Where the plotter showed 15 feet for example, we had 40 feet. 

Just before the starboard turn into The Pool is the Evinrude (the first commercially feasible outboard motor) family cabin. Once owned by Ralph Evinrude and his wife, star of the Silver Screen, Frances Langford before they passed, I imagine it continues to provide the family moments of pleasure and relaxation. 

We dropped anchor in 12 feet of water but took time to ensure the anchor had stuck. The Pool is very weedy, sometimes making it difficult to get a good hold. Zendeavor was having a bit of difficulty dropping his anchor and kept trying to reset it. John noticed a huge pile of weed had completely engulfed it when David pulled it up so he dinghied over to help remove it, knowing there is no way the anchor would grab covered with so much weed. 

Our surroundings are picturesque with the white granite mountains as a backdrop and pink granite rock formations off our stern. We rode to the dock located west of the Evinrude cabin and hiked the 20-minute somewhat challenging path to land bound Topaz Lake. Knowing we are definitely in bear country, Sandra and I kept glancing around a bit anxiously, half expecting, but not wanting to encounter one. 

Topaz Lake is definitely the epitome of Killarney landscape. The turquoise water is surrounded by white granite that, when the light is right, reflects in the crystal clear pool. Without the sun I shied away from swimming but could picture a hot July day floating in this shimmering hidden gem. We came across one hiker who passed by us and headed to the other side of the lake. I'm pretty sure I would not want to be on the trail by myself but that's just me. 

After taking time to breathe in the scents and sights of this "off the grid" spot, we circled back and headed to Artist Lake, another place recommended by previous hikers. The path shifted from mountainous where bears are likely to hang out to more of a swampy like terrain where we were hoping to spot some moose! We only saw chipmunks and a couple of wood ducks flying across the marshy area. 

When we arrived back at the small dock where the dinghies were, three men came up behind us. They had been hiking as well. We chatted with one of them named Brian (floating by on his paddle-board). He told us about the boat that was anchored near us. It is a 45 foot Sargo that was made in Finland and shipped to North America; the first one of its kind. Brian and two other gentlemen are delivering the boat to Duluth. Unfortunately they hit something and bent the prop so need to take a side trip to a marina to have it replaced. The hazards of boating in the unknown! He talked with us for some time, commenting on the wonderful experience he was having exploring Canada's beauty while "working". 

Dinner of chicken and rice was served by Chef David and we settled in for the night. John did keep vigil, checking a few times during the night for any anchor movement as we had expected the wind to pick up. Fortunately it remained extremely calm and we didn't move an inch!