I lied to you. Last Tuesday, I wrote we had a wonderful day and that it would be difficult to top it. Well, I was wrong. It was not difficult at all. I still can’t believe that the last few hours were real… That it was not a dream… That I did not imagine this trip. Yet…
For a sixth consecutive day, it was a bright sunny day. The strong winds of the past days have given way to a soft breeze, a caress on our tanned skins result of our non-stop exposure to the elements. With the exception of a few waves over the shoals of Georgian Bay, the waters offered but a gentle ripple. If the waters were calm, we were not. Many wars broke out during our trip: water splashing with the paddles, water pump wars, kayak races and many more. There was also another colourful activity: cliff jumping! From twenty feet up, teens and adults jumped in the cool waters. If I may say so, the kids were braver than some adults…
If the high point of Tuesday was the technical challenges, today’s highlight was the beautiful scenery. Paddling along spectacular rocky cliffs, slaloming between the islands, denuded points and peninsulas, we could easily have been on a tropical lagoon. Finally, a fresh bass, courtesy of Sébastien who got up early to try his luck at fishing, enhanced our supper of tapenade, chicken and wild rice with Portobello mushrooms, and pears in caramel.
To top it all, we set up camp at Phoebe Point, one of the most beautiful camping sites I have ever seen. No kidding. And this writer has spent more than 1000 nights camping (I was, and still am, a guide before becoming a blogger and photographer…), and more than 90 per cent of those were in wilderness camping sites like this one. Nothing less than outstanding! We were spoiled, very spoiled, in our previous night’s sites, but this one is miles above. It has everything you can wish for: kayak ‘parking’ in a small bay sheltered from the wind, a small grey pine area to relax in the shade, a large partly shaded stone platform for our kitchen set up, naturally shaped stone shelves to store our equipment, panoramic stone mounds to pitch our tents, a bay opening on the lake serves as a natural swimming pool with unbelievably clear waters, crazy Dali-esque stone formations, batrachians in the nearby swamp provide the music… I feel my description is falling short of expressing the full beauty and practicality of this natural site.
And, on our right, the sun sets in the pinkish waters as the moon rises on our left…