Thursday, November 22, 2007

Massassauga Provincial Park May 26-29 07

- Looking out on one of the many countless bays Spider Lake is known for


Well, we were able to squeeze in another trip before the end of May. This time we headed to Massasauga Provincial Park - a place we haven't been to before, but heard about many times. Its apparently a busy place due to its popularity and proximity to the city. Therefore to avoid the crowds, we took the opportunity to go during prime bug season! (At least that's what all
the reports coming in stated.)

- Inclement weather on Georgian Bay highlights the dramatic shoreline colours


A new thing we experienced was the registration system, where we had to pick individual campsites. Hell, I didn't know which ones to pick!? I asked the park staff for advice but she hadn't been there herself, so she couldn't help. I might as well have chosen sites by throwing darts at the map! We picked campsite #201, 319, and 34, if that means anything to anyone. We registered at Oastler Provincial Park as they administer camp registration for Massasauga, which may explain why the the park lady couldn't help.

- These beautiful Lady Slippers were prevalent around our campsites



My next challenge was the Massasauga PP map. It isn't at 1:50,000 scale that I'm used to on regular topo maps. I believe it was 1:25,000 scale which for some reason really messed my head around. I thought it would be easier to read, but in the end let's just say I got my fair share of sarcasm from Marylou by the time we ended the trip. (5 screw ups in 4 days isn't that bad, is it?!)



- The watery grave of this unfortunate canoe's demise

The one bonus was that the bugs weren't so bad. Certainly there were blackflies and mosquitoes around, some times more than others, some places worse then others, but generally, it certainly wouldn't have deterred us from staying longer. I generally gauge that by how many bites you get while visiting the box - certainly one bite in the nether region on this trip doesn't count as much! Especially when compared to our Chapleau trip last year when any exposed flesh meant "blood donations"!

- Heading into a dense low wall of fog on Georgian Bay

Our trip was an easy loop around the upper part of the park. We started at Three-Legged Lake access point and stayed in Spider Bay, then Georgian Bay, then to Clear Lake and back. Georgian Bay was good to us, a little windy and choppy but not too bad. Although we experienced a wall of fog out on the Bay which was kind of freaky as we approached it thinking we would lose all sense of direction, but it didn't stick around too long. Phew!





- Paddling down the shoreline of the aptly named Clear Lake



The park is definitely a nice place to paddle. Many pretty cliffs, outcrops, points, and sandy coves. The downside was all the cottages with boat noise and traffic. It certainly wasn't too bad (we are just used to more isolation) but I couldn't imagine what it would be like in peak season. Maybe that is why there is only a 15 min limit at the access point to unload/load your gear!



- Not all shortcuts are what they are cut out to be. Do you see any water?!!!




One of the highlights of the trip was being able to witness a protected/endangered species not once, but twice - Ontario's only lizard called a Five Lined Skink. I really wanted to see a Massasauga rattler, but I only lucked out with a Smooth Green and a Northern Water snake. Oh, I almost forgot, the eerie canoe under water. Looked like a shipwreck, - don't know the story behind it, but it gave Marylou the creeps! Actually this was the second canoe wreck we saw, the first being a smashed aluminum canoe against the rocks out on the Bay.



- A canoe trip is not only about the place, but the experience



We had a great time paddling at Massasauga and I know we will head back as there are some prime campsites that we would love to go back and experience. Our next trip won't be for another couple weeks so stay safe, paddle hard, and stay tuned! Ciao!

Cheers,
David and Marylou

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice Pics!