Gary and I are at Pukaskwa National Park in Ontario. It is also the land be longing to the Anishinaabe, First Nation People of the North Shore, though in fact Anishinaabe live in Wisconsin as well.
We have finally found a spot that appeals to both of us. Gary has his campsite set up and can move things around to his heart's content. We have wi fi here at the visitor's center so he can check Facebook. We have cool Ontario days and even cooler nights.
As for me, I have a beach and hiking trails, the best kind. The trail in Seymour is straight, built on an old railroad line. I have yet to hike the full length. Me, I want curves, climbs, roots and rocks to trip me up, the chance of running into a bear or some wild critter, and above all, a chance to get lost. I had that today when I went hiking.
First I took the easy boardwalk Beach Trail along Lake Superior. The beach is sandy and about perfect except for one little problem. Pukaskwa is famous for its driftwood beach.
The problem is that that driftwood goes in and out with the waves, so big logs, left over from the timber industry, wash in and out. Last night the waves were a meter tall (when in Canada, learn metric!) and swimming became precarious.
If the logs came at me while I was swimming, I could have been batted around. But when the lake is calm, the sandy beach is great.
Next I took the Manito Miikana Trail. This one climbs up hills, going up 17 meters. Though there are some stairs to help the hiker, there are still many tricky passages. At one point, I got really lost, but I finally managed to get to the observation deck to snap this photo of Horseshoe Bay.
The haze in the background is caused by wildfires almost 500 kilometers away. Photographers here to film the Lake Superior wondered if they would be able to photograph at all. But I learned that later, because other than one couple, I was alone in the woods.
I came back from that hike thirsty, perspiring, and sore...and oh, so happy!
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