We slept in again. The nights are getting cold and we had the heater on and extra blankets to keep us warm. The days are still nice and warm though so we headed out for a hike on a few of the park’s trails.
MAnito Miikana
First we took Manito Miikana (The Spirit Trail) up to a series of beautiful lookouts over Lake Superior. This trail is a moderate 2km trail with a 17m elevation and rocky terrain. The views from the lookouts are spectacular
and tossy vegetation lines the traill.
We came across interesting rocks,
mushrooms
and blueberries.
Picking and collecting at national parks is strictly forbidden, but we did come across someone picking them. When we mentioned the rules, Blueberry Girl Boy said “oh, I know, I work at a provincial park but there is no one here to see me…”
We said: “actually, we are the camp hosts…”
It was an uncomfortable moment as the guy didn’t even apologized and had his kids watch and listen as he said: “I’d like to see them kick me out of the park for picking blueberries” I wonder what his job is in the provincial park system. Clearly not in policy enforcement.
All we could do is let him know what the rules are and continue on our walk.
Boardwalk And Beach Trails
After Manito Miikana we took the Boardwalk Beach trail,
an easy flat trail with some boardwalks. The trail takes you to a small sandy beach
Do you think that if we pan this black sand we will find gold?
and from there we continued on another beach trail that went over a ridge to the next beach.
There are lots of large driftwood logs on this beach and some interesting rock formations.
This rock was scoured and polished by the glaciers!
Whale rock?
We ran into very few people on these hikes, and interestingly, we spent a lot of time chatting with a couple of them. Perhaps Camp hosting is making us less socially awkward…
We walked to the end of the trail
paused by this solemn sign,
and went back to the camp site to post for duty.
Back at the campsite, it was a cold night with very few clients. Tony improved the whole wood-selling situation by pre-bagging some wood, so it was much smoother. I forgot to mention that the wood is not pre-bagged and we need to estimate a square foot to give out campers. They can either put the loose wood in their cars, or borrow a tote. Tony pre-filled the totes and had a bit of a head-start. This guy is always thinking of ways to to improve the system!
We had a nice chat with the couple in the campground across the road from us and again, we sat by the fire and enjoyed the quiet night.
A great post as usual. The pics are fantastic 🙂
Thank, Fawaz! Sorry we missed missed you guys, but it looks like you had a good trip.
Is there a reason Ontario Parks forbid clients picking blueberries? Seems ridiculous considering 99% of the patches we have picked from along the side of the highway where we go just rot and fall off.
I think it’s a general rule to prevent resources from being depleted. As to blueberries, I think a lot of animals rely on them for food and are just part of the natural cycle. Part of their mandate is conservation of the land and it’s resources.
Those are quite beautiful photos and that fall light is so evident. Last night was the first time I wore pants and jacket out for my evening walk. You definitely feel the autumn chill in the air. Heavier blankets are so comforting to sleep under during this time of the year. Enjoy the beautiful trails!
Beautiful scenery. Whale rock is a good name for that outcrop! It looks like a whale back. We had our first frost this morning so break out those fleecy blankets. I’m sure the park rules are there to preserve food for the wild animals not to prevent human animals from a couple of blueberries in their mouth.
Wow, frost already! And you are right about the rules. A lot of animals rely on these little blueberries!
Thank you! It is definitely getting chilly!
Beautiful!
Thank you!
Loved the trails. The area is beautiful. The blueberry picker not so much. What a @$$#O<<. Sounds like you are enjoying the gig
It annoyed me that he works for provincial park and still had this attitude!
Looks like a good outing. Good on you for talking with the scoff law. This rules are for others thing drives me crazy. On a recent hike in Jasper NP, we came across a woman with two large dogs hiking up Wilcox Pass. They were bounding ahead of her off leash. My wife warned me not to say anything, but I told her this was not allowed and she listened and then went on her way with them off leash. I had never see so many people hiking with large dogs on this trail. Sigh. Did the picker get kicked out? Happy Friday. Allan
Yeah, it’s annoying! We were not there to enforce, but rather to inform campers of the rules. I doubt he was kicked out unless a ranger caught him in the act. Maybe he will get kicked by a moose instead 🙂
I enjoy hearing all about your adventures 🙂
Thanks for coming along!
You guys are living the life! Looks like moose tracks on the beach? There is a 12volt heating blanket available at most outdoors stores. The blanket doesn’t take up too much battery power, and I recommend spreading it out above your mattress—then your spread, next is you and a quilt on top. This way you don’t need to heat the cabin. Heat will rise from the blanket, warm you and the lite weight feather quilt will trap the warmth . . .
Yes, we do have an electric blanket, but it wasn’t cold enough for it. A bit of heating with the space heater was enough. As camp hosts we have an electric site too, so our batteries are not being used at all.
I enjoyed all of your photos, the area looks so beautiful. I have 2 competing thoughts about the blueberries. 1. They should be left for wildlife whose diets require them. 2. As a kid we did a lot foraging in our local forests to survive. I never heard anyone say we couldn’t, hopefully we broke no rules.
On a slightly different note, some critter came upon my porch last night and ATE ALL the blossoms off my mums, asters, and begonias! I only have sticks and stems left. Maybe they didn’t know my rule about not eating my potted plants. LOL.
Hahaha, they should have read the signs! I don’t think that you were breaking any rules as a kid since you were probably foraging on BLM and not in a park. Here too, you can forage on crown land, but if you are within a park boundaries it is generally not allowed.
Thanks for sharing! Nothing better than having “seasons”…where you can be warm (or hot) during the day but refreshingly cool at night!
Yeas, seasons can be fun! Thanks for coming along!
Beautiful photos all. It got much colder here in PA overnight and when I saw you had a new post today the first thing I thought of was how colder it is where you’re at. But, it sounds like you have everything you need to cope. I would never deny the wildlife their wild fruit. That’s one rule I could easily adhere to. Pre-filling the totes certainly “wood” make life easier!🙂
It is definitely getting colder here, but we are well equipped. We will start heading south soon so it will be a bit warmer again I hope.
Blueberry Boy is obviously one of those who believes that rules are for everyone else.
Yeah. Very annoying!
Gorgeous photos! I hope to visit someday, and hope to avoid Blueberry Boy. 😉
Haha, I am sure he won’t be there 🙂 Hopefully you get to go to this beautiful place!
Isn’t it annoying when you meet people who think they’re entitled? That would have spoilt my hike until I came to the beautiful location of your later photos.
Yes, the beautiful views certainly made up for it!
What a beautiful trail. The viewpoints and lookouts of Lake Superior are gorgeous. The guy picking blueberries on the other hand, not so much. I can’t believe that he actually works in the provincial park system too!
Yeah, surprising and an upsetting attitude from someone who is supposedly a custodian of our natural resources.
The man picking blueberries in front of his children was disturbing to me. I can only imagine how much is bothered you. Some people….. All the best,, Muriel
I know! Happy New Year!
Those lookout points are certainly spectacular! Glad the camp hosting was a great success. 🙂
It’s a beautiful park and a bit overlooked as it is tucked away from the highway.
I am left to wonder what the “solemn” sign about Silence and Calm actually says! Wish I could enlarge it enough to see, but it’s too low def. What a beautiful area! And what a gift to be able to camp host there. I’m glad you seem to be finding your rhythm.
Thanks for letting me know, I think I uploaded the wrong photo, which can be the price you pay for posting on the fly while on the road. The sign warns to respect the powers of the lake and tells the story of a boy who was lost to the waves. The area is stunning and camphoting so far is fun!
Camp hosting seems like a good gig – you have time for hiking and exploring. Is it a Canadian thing?
It’s not a Canadian thing. There are many more opportunities in the States, but usually for an extended period and may include things like cleaning bathrooms. We thought that two weeks of basically being there in the evening if someone needed help suited us better. I heard that in Australia they have them too!