Pukaskwa National Park
Pukaskwa (pronounced Puck-a-saw with an emphasis on the last syllable) has some of most beautiful trails we’ve seen in our travels so far.
Bimose Kinomagwan
On our first day in the park, we chose to hike Bimose Kinomagwan, a 3.5 km interpretive trail. The name of the trail means “A Walk of Teaching” and there are plaques of the seven grandfathers’ teachings along the trail. It contains reflections and drawings of young members of the neighbouring Anishnaabe Pic River Reservation or Biigtigong Nishnabeg.
The trail has varied terrain
Lots of different mossy textures.
Maybe wild rice?
Granite and quartz
Evidence for beaver.
More evidence.
And then there was gorgeous vistas at every turn.
Pebble Beach
After this beautiful walk, we drove to Marathon, the closest town, for some more supplies, gas, and a walk on Pebble Beach.
This long beach is hard to walk on as it is covered with large pebbles of different kinds.
We wondered on the beach and looked at many rocks, but most were too big for our pockets.
Rumour has it that there are yooperlites and spectrolites on the beaches of Marathon. But so far we didn’t find any.
We did find a flake of chert that may have been a remnant of of ancient stone tool making activities on the beach. This chert looks like chalcedony and if you look closely you will see that it is translucent.
Camp hosting
Once we returned to the campsite we were swamped by Trick-or-Treaters campers looking for firewood, how to register after hours, or other random questions. We were taken by surprise by the steady stream of people which lasted for a good few hours. I handled the forms and payment envelopes and Tony ran back and forth to the woodshed. Luckily we had some food prepared from the previous day, so once the requests subsided, we were able to grab dinner and spend the rest of the evening by the fire.
We tried to remember the different people we chatted with, but they all blended in. There was the couple from Columbia, another couple from Newfoundland, someone from Ohio, a few campers from Germany, some from Ontario and a few others. We had a lot of mini conversations, mostly about camping, rigs, and where everyone was from.
In one night we talked to more people than we did in the past year.
As camp hosts we need to be available between 5-10pm as the park’s kiosk closes for the evening and there is no staff available on site. Campers can purchase their wood from us, get information about the park, or get forms for self registration. In addition, we are provided with a Walkie -Talkie in case of an emergency.
So far we survived two nights, one of which was a bit challenging. Are we going to survive the two weeks?
Stay tuned to find out.
What beautiful and varied vistas you’ve encountered during your hikes! You must also be starting to see the fall colours come to life up North. We remember driving through Marathon on our way to Thunder Bay but never stopped by. Will remember to do so next time. The pebbled beach looks nice and something our T will surely enjoy.
Fall colours are starting to peek through! Yes, T will have fun on this beach!
If it wasn’t for pesky school, we’d do an extended fall Roadtrip along Lake Superior too. I can only imagine how beautiful it is.
Some gorgeous scenery. Being a camp host sounds very busy and social. Have a great Monday. Allan
Have a great Monday too!
I adore the trail, “A Walk of Teaching” about the seven grandfathers’ teachings. I wonder if something like that is available in my state? If not, I’d love to see it created. What a wonderful way to show values of a First Nation.
The vistas are gorgeous.
I think it would be awesomely fun to meet people from so many different locations.
I thought it was great too! I hope that you have something similar in your state!
Pretty scenery! I’m glad you clarified the pronunciation of Pukaskwa because I was definitely saying it wrong in my head.
Haha, I’ve been saying it wrong too!
Like!
I thought that the liking issues were resolved…???? I’ll try and see if I can figure it out when I get back home.
Nice hike. Have fun the next 2 weeks and keep us informed.
Thank you and I will!
How does one become a camp host? Is it a paid position or do you volunteer? Is this something you’re doing just for these two weeks?
Why does this nosy little bugger keep asking me questions?????
One applies through Parks Canada’s website ???? I love that you are asking questions, and yes, we’ll be here for two weeks and then we are of for a bit of Upper Peninsula Sightseeing.
Sounds like an interesting adventure. I am always amazed how much certain parts of Ontario look like Nova Scotia. I used to love camping in Ontario when we lived there. Always felt like going home. Beautiful pics.
There areas here that look like Cape Breton, and some like Peggy’s Cove 🙂 It is a big and beautiful country for sure!
And others that look like just down the road from me.
I love the plaques that accompany the trail walk. Hang in there, enjoy, and hopefully the walkie-talkie doesn’t see any action!
Thank you! So far the walkie-talkie was silent!
my money is on the two of you to survive the two weeks with flying colors. 🙂
the walk of teaching looks amazing, both from an educational standpoint and from a nature persepctive…
Thank you for the vote of confidence ????. That trail was wonderful!
????
Those two weeks will fly by – and then you won’t be talking to anyone and it will feel strange!
It’s strange when you do, and strange when you don’t ????
Those mossy photos are so lush!
I love photographing moss!
We have a similiar camp hosting system in Australian national parks
Oh, cool! There aren’t many opportunities here, but at least there are some.
Such beautiful scenery! You are the perfect people to be hosting. Have fun with it! And keep us updated ????
Thank, Linda, and we will try and keep up with the posts as long as the internet gods will allow us to ????
Gorgeous trip! I especially love the pebble beach with all of the colorful stones– definitely a beautiful sight to see!
I love that beach too. In fact, I am typing now at that beach again ????
Looks like a lovely area – I also, like other readers, really love the pebble beach and its colours 🙂
I love that beach too. In fact, I am typing now at that beach again ????
If you’re having to work, you sure picked a beautiful place to do it! Best wishes.
Haha, very true!
What a charming area and opportunity to be a camp host.
It is beautiful!
I never was a camper and prefer my bed and pillow so I’m so glad you take me along to these beautiful places. Thank you! (Still can’t ‘like’ your posts???) Muriel
I don’t know why you can’t like…I’ll try and figure it out when we get back. We do have our pillows with us and a pretty comfortable bed, which we are very grateful for!
Pukaskwa is such a great park and the landscape looks so beautiful. I’m such a fan of trails that have storyboards that add an extra element of education while hiking. The signs along the Bimose Kinoagwan Trail look very well done. I can’t believe how busy the campground was in mid-September, especially with so many people from different countries or provinces!
That was the best part for us, meeting people from all over and exchanging adventures with them!
That is so beautiful and so very different from anything we have here in Australia. Please can you point me to an explanation of the Seven Grandfathers.
It is the seven teachings of the grandfathers; the seven principles of First Nations to live by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teachings_of_the_Seven_Grandfathers
Thank you. Got it.
The teachings of the First Nations are new to me, beautifully presented. You’d need some good shoes for the pebble beach!
They did a fantastic job!