Saturday

We meet at the Physical Activity Centre 8:30 in the morning. We are looking forward to a tour of paddling and hiking, organized by Koorus, an Outers Club Executive. Like always in a big group it is hard to get started, we have to wait for a rental car. Meanwhile we load the canoes and our baggage. About 30 people take part on this trip, even Sabine manages it to show up right in time ;-) As we finally start at 10am, I am sitting with Elsa and Carol in Koorus' Jeep, two canoes on the top. We somehow survive the drive ( ;-) ) and reach Honey Harbour - our starting point - in a slight snow flurry.

After another hour of lunch and rain we are ready for take off.

As we are on the water the rain stops, but the sun remains hidden behind dark grey clouds.

Our way leads us along waterways busy with motorboats, weekend cottages and islands with evergreens. These many motorboats are somehow distracting, they even have a garbage disposal boat. Only the waves caused by the big yachts bring some fun. After just one hour of lazy paddling reach honeymoon, our campsite for the next two nights.

This site is located on the northern end of Beausoleil Island, the main island. The 30 people are divided in 4 groups with self-sufficient catering, everything is planned in detail by Koorus who watches over all of us. (Take it easy, Koorus ;-)). In my there are Peter (pleasantly chaotic, executive of the Outers Club, too.) Deron, Cornelia, Tanya (another executive), Sylvia and Alex. We pitch our tents on the designated wooden plains, developing a marvellous construction out of ropes.

Following we have spaghetti with meat-tomato sauce and some cookies for desert. Peter, who wants to explore our bay, is getting about 5 meters away from the beach, then the wind and the waves turn over his canoe. Although it is really cold, he is still able to laugh about it, as do all the others on the beach. Night is rushing in and so have a wonderful moonlight walk along the shore. The rocks are dipped in a odd light, just amazing.

It is cold and so we warm up ourselves with a cup of tea, sitting around the fire pit with the other groups. We are roasting marshmallows and after some time we go to sleep. Sabine (from now on equipped with a bivy sack) and me, we are sleeping on the rocks with view across our little bay.

Sunday

The night is frosty and as I wake up the next morning a thin layer of ice covers my bag beside me. I have to force myself to get out of the warm sleeping bag an to put on my cloth, but at least the sunrise is luring me.

The others are still sleeping, a good time to get some hot water. As the others wake up we have a hot chocolate and muesli buns with jam. Breakfast with a scenic view across the sun-drenched bay, just marvellous.

This day we don't have a common plan so as the others plan to go for a short walk, Sylvia and me, we decide to hike round Beausoleil Island. We have 6 hours of hike are approaching. I am looking forward to this, because although the sun is shining it is still cold and last week had not much sleep for me. So hiking is the best, if you are freezing.

After one hour we reach a lighthouse on the west side of the island. A sign at the trail tells us, that the further trail is not maintained anymore and therefore closed, but, who cares? There must have been a powerful storm recently, sometimes it's just not possible to make out the trail, we have to climb several trunks of knocked down trees.

As there is no way anymore we continue our hike on the rocky beach, that runs parallel to the trail. Another hour later we come to a campsite where we have a short break for a snack.

After three hours in total we reach the southern tip of the island where we have our lunch on another campsite. On the other side of the bay we can see the beach of Clearwater Beach, that is located on the promontory, north of Midland.

We talk for a while, sitting in the sun and then decide to walk on. Three more hours of hike are still to come. Suddenly we see a big owl, sitting in a tree above our heads. As we approach the tree the owl is flying away with silent flapping of its wings.

The eastern side is significantly more crowded, a visitor centre was built here, but in this time of year it is closed. Still, we meet some people along the track, more than we would like to see. We stay on the trail that runs up the coast on the eastern side now.

In the early evening we return to the base camp exactly 7 hours after we left. We got just about enough time to collect some firewood in daylight. With the dawning the cold is coming, too, and so we gather around the fire, eat a hot potato-pasta stew and finish the cookies.

We have a hot chocolate and afterwards to go to sleep. this time Sabine and me, we choose a different place on rocks, that will be in the sun the next morning for sure ;-)

Monday - Thanksgiving

The morning is f.. cold again, but inside the bivy sack it is endurable.

We have to be back at the cars at 1:00pm, because the rented canoes will be picked up then. So begin early to break camp and so we leave the bay as the first group.

The way back is done very quickly, once again passing the weekend cottages.

We arrive very early in Honey Harbour and we are lucky: the owners of the only shop around here open their business for 5 minutes. An opportunity, we don't want to miss. And we have a big feast with tons of cookies.

As the others arrive - they get some cookies from us - we load the cars and head way home.

We stop for a short break in Wasaga Beach and go for a little walk along the beach and play some haggy-sac. In this area it has been snowing this morning, snowman line the curb. The Canadian weather is incredible. On our way back we see amazingly coloured trees over and over again, Indian Summer is getting down south.

Shortly before Waterloo we stop once more at the Elora Quarry, now flooded with water.

Finally we reach Waterloo, unload the canoes and sort the equipment. Then a long weekend is over, we had much fun and quit a lot adventure stuff. At this point I want to say thanks to Koorus, who excellently organized this tour. Beside a stiff beginning Koorus relaxed and so the tour was a great success ;-)