On our last day in Pukaskwa, we decided to walk the Coastal Trail an hour out and an hour back. We passed a couple of young men finishing up the entire walk. They were smiling proudly. The entire trail is 65 km. but it is rated difficult. To stay along the coast, it has to go up and down on all kinds of surfaces with roots, rocks, boulders and sand to keep you occupied.
We just walked the section around Hattie Cove, across the marsh at the top of the cove, then some up and down through the woods. We weren’t too far from the from the start of the loop out to the coast that I’m sure is gorgeous. At the other end of the loop is a swinging bridge over the White River below a waterfall. A couple of young ladies passed us to do this overnight hike with a fishing rod in the backpack. A couple of guys passed with fishing rods too, but they hadn’t caught anything. They thought it had turned too cold.
The highlight of the walk was seeing three grouse. Obviously accustomed to people, they weren’t too shy. That makes five grouse we have seen here.
Martha has caught the cold now, and took a power nap after lunch. We are a sight to see, sniffling, coughing and bundled up while our neighbor across the street is in shorts and a t-shirt.
We were pretty efficient getting ready, and were soon out on the Trans Canada Highway. It was cloudy with some fog, but few were on the road this morning. I was happy to get behind a good tractor-trailer driver. He was maintaining a sensible speed, so I stayed well-behind, and kept looking for moose crossing the road.
The fog got a little worse, and it started raining hard. the truck put his emergency lights on, so I did the same. I could barely see him while he slowed down. Then it stopped raining for a bit, then started again. My truck driver pulled over in an unlikely spot. I couldn’t do much, but pass and go on in those conditions, but I wondered what had happened.
The skies cleared, and Martha found Robin’s Donuts, so we stopped for egg sandwiches and coffee. With two people working behind the counter, they were busy. We wondered what all these people were doing. Obviously some were working, but Martha asked 6 guys at the table next to us if they were here for work or fun. “Fishing,” one said with a smile. It was a fly-in to a lake with Walleye and Pike.
We only had an hour left to go, and we pulled in at 10:30. “Drive around and choose an empty site,” she said. We loaded a bag of firewood and headed off. Passing up one spot, we thought we should take the next, and it turned out to be a good one. With some practice, we have gotten better at backing into a site.
We set up and had lunch. I finished the excellent chicken and rice soup from the Witches Brew in Sault Ste. Marie, while Martha finished up the chili she had made. Then I took a 1-hour nap – out like a light.
I got up with a spark of energy and built a fire. I spoke to Mike across the way in an Airstream. We exchanged greetings and I asked how long he had been here. “Since May’” he said. He said he moves every 15 days. He said this is the jewel of Canadian parks!
Sitting by the fire in the sun felt good. It’s an iron fireplace unlike any I have seen, small with a flat cover about 2/3rds the way toward the back. A grill hinges down from that to cover the front. There are slots on the sides to draw air to the fire, and a cutout on the front side so you can see; It also serves to send the heat out the front. It resembles a wood stove and works great.
Does this chair belong to David Gordon Sutton??
We enjoyed it until rain drove us in. We must have had 20 changes in weather. It rained, then blue sky everywhere, then the clouds returned, some rain, blue sky, wind blowing, calm.
We walked down to the Visitor’s Center to get WIFI. There is no cell service here, so many were gathered . Our neighbors across the street came up to say hi. Luis and Anna are from Puerta Vallarta. They are very nice, and have been on the road for two years. They are heading to Vancouver next.
It is a beautiful spot behind the Visitor’s Center. It sits on a long, narrow bay, called Hattie Cove. There were warnings about an algae bloom where they usually launch canoes, but it is restricted now.
