He Who Returns From A Journey Is Not The Same As He Who Left

We woke up at 7:45 in the morning. Heather got out of the tent first. 
As I lay there still trying to convince my body that it was a good idea to get up, I heard what sounded like a Spruce Grouse fly over our tent so low that it seemed like it would almost hit it! 

Turns out it wasn't a Spruce Grouse at all. Once I got out of the tent Heather told me how she had been sitting down at the beach having her coffee when she heard the flapping of wings over by our tent. She was surprised to see a Merganser duck come flying through the trees, low to the ground and narrowly missing our tent. It somehow managed to miss every tree and flew out to the lake and joined another duck who was already swimming near by.

​Who knew that ducks would be flying through the forest? 

Today we would hike out of the trail and back to the Agawa campground. Our plan was to stop and see the pictographs along the way. It had been a long and rough couple of days and the trail was a bit more than we had bargained for so we were ready to be going back now. 

After breakfast we packed up and got ready to go. Kelly joined us at around 10 a.m. and we headed out. 

Heather and Kelly hiked on ahead while, as usual, Carsten and I took it a bit slower and were further behind. 
The day was beautiful and sunny and we were in good spirits. 

It wasn't long before we had left the Coastal trail and were back onto the Orphan Lake trail. We only had to do half of the Orphan Lake trail to get back. Originally we were going to take the right leg of the trail on the way back because we took the left leg to get here. We figured that then we  would be able to say we had hiked the whole Orphan Lake trail. However, after discussing it with Kelly, who had hiked the trail before, we had come to the conclusion that the left leg of the trail was nicer than the right. And so we went down the same trail that we had come in on. 

This meant that we knew exactly what to expect . All we had to do was get up that big rocky hill and after that is would be smooth sailing from there.  When we got to the big rocky hill it didn't seem nearly as bad as we had remembered. After all the other worse terrain we had traveled the past few days, this hill seemed like peanuts in comparison.  That's not to say that we weren't tired when we reached the top though. 

Near the top of the hill we caught up to Heather and Kelly who had stopped to take a break and a little detour.  They pointed to a path that went even further up a hill  and told us to climb up there and go and see the look out.  We thought they were crazy. There was no way that we wanted to climb anything more than we absolutely had to, and this was not  a necessary climb to get us back to camp. So, naturally we refused at first.  But then they said that we wouldn't regret it and they somehow managed to convince us to go up. We took off our backpacks and made the extra climb. 

And of course, they were right. It was definitely worth the extra climb. The view of the lake was breathtaking!
And we could see the Baldhead campsites where we had slept last night. It looked so tiny in the distance. 

With my camera, I was able to zoom in for a closer view of it. It was hard to believe that we had just come from there.

Looking off to the left, we could see how tiny the trees were and we could see clear across the lake. It was one of the better look outs I had been to in a long time. 

After spending a few minutes up there we eventually came back down and re-joined Heather and Kelly.  As we were putting our backpacks back on, the straps on Heather's backpack fell apart. Thank goodness it fell apart when we were almost done the trip and not when we were in the middle of it. She managed to tie it up well enough that she could still carry it back without  too much trouble, but she will probably need a new pack for any future trips. 

After the big hill everything was smooth sailing. The terrain became easier and easier as we went. We started to see more people on the trail. Most of them were just doing a day hike and had no backpacks. 

People weren't the only thigs we saw.  We also saw a moose print in the mud. Seemed relatively fresh, but we did not see the moose that went with this print. 

Soon we were seeing markers that indicated the direction towards the parking lot. We knew we were getting close! Then it wasn't long before we could hear the sounds of the traffic on the highway. It was probably one of the only times we were ever happy to hear traffic driving by. 

Finally we reached the parking lot!  It was about 12 :15 p.m. We had made pretty good time (about 2 hours) .  In the parking lot we met up with the German family who we had spoken to the day before. They were about to head out to Kilarney Park for a few days. We chatted with them for a bit but not too ling because we were anxious to go and see the pictographs. 

The 4 of us hopped in the car and drove the 10 minutes or so to where the pictographs are.  We were happy to not have to wear our back packs anymore.  There is a "no dogs" sign right under the sign for the pictographs and yet, before we left we saw at least two or 3 dogs at the pictograph site. 

Kelly and I stopped for a moment to admire a huge boulder that was suspended between two rock walls. 

Kelly told me about how when she was a kid she once swam over to this section.  You can see below the boulder where the lake comes up under it.  

There were large red warning signs about how dangerous the pictograph area can be. Apparently some people had died there. The rocks can be very slippery when they are wet. Once I saw where the pictographs were I completely understood why there were supposed to be no dogs and how people could lose their lives there if they weren't careful. 

Just before you get to the pictographs there is an informational sign about the pictographs and about the area. 

When Kelly and I got there, we found my brother waiting for us. Heather was still looking at the pictographs. 

I could see why Carsten was waiting. The way to see the pictographs was to climb out onto a rock ledge that got narrower and narrower the further you went. The rocks were angled down into the water. There was not much room for more than a few people at a time. 

Kelly waited by the fence while I ventured out before her.  She had seen them before so she let me go first. 

You don't have to go very far before you see the first ones. These ones  were easy enough to see. 

I walked a little further and found the second set.  By this time Heather and a couple other people were coming back so I had to step aside and let them pass. 

It was a bit nerve wracking because the path was so narrow. There were not a lot of places to hold onto comfortably. The rock walls were fairly smooth. They did provide a chain and a rope to hold onto, however, they were situated close to your feet rather than your waist. So those were not easy to hold onto either.  I was worried about falling into the water and damaging my camera that had all the pictures of my trip on it.  I looked up above me and saw how high up the rock wall went. It makes you feel very small and insignificant when you stand at the bottom of such an enormous structure. It was exciting and scary all at the same time.   I decided not to risk going too much further to see anymore of the pictographs. I had seen a few already and that was good enough for me. So I turned around and headed back to the safety of the guard rails. 

Heather and Kelly were waiting for me there. 

On the way back to the parking lot, we saw a set of stone stairs that we had noticed on the way in. They were situated between 2 rock walls. They were kind of mysterious. 

Of course we had to climb them to see where they led to. Turns out they didn't lead to anywhere special. Just to another path that led back to the parking lot. 

After the pictographs we drove a little ways down the highway and reached the parking lot of the Agawa campground where Kelly's vehicle was parked. Kelly was considering doing more of the Coastal Trail but was not 100% sure how she felt about it. We were all pretty tired.  So she said that if she changed her mind, that she might met up with us again inside the campground.  We told her what campsite we would be at and let her know that we would be happy to have her company if she did want to come and join us. With that we said our goodbyes. 

I went to the gatehouse and registered us for our last night in Lake Superior Provincial Park. 

This time we got site 148 which was one of the good sites!  We were really looking forward to spending time on this site. 

This site was quite large. It was right across the road from the beach. It had plenty of sunshine and was very close to the showers (which we were in desperate need of at this point) and the comfort station, as well as the park store.  

We set up the tent and then started to relax. We became thankful for all of the little things that many people take for granted. I was happy to see Jerome, my stuffed giraffe that I use as a pillow.  I hadn't had a pillow to sleep on in days!  We were happy for a tent that we could actually stand up in. 

We were happy for a cold drink of pop and some ice cream that we had bought at the park store when we registered. 

But mostly we were thankful for a shower! 

And unlike some parks, these showers were clean. Plus there was hot water and you were able to control the temperature and the pressure. 

​It was heavenly! 

We brought out the chairs and Heather made a fire and got a pot of coffee going. 

Then we just sat. Even just sitting and doing nothing was a luxury we were grateful for. We sat and enjoyed the view of  the lake from our campsite. 

As we were just sitting, along came a visitor. It was Kelly!  She called out to us "Are you tired of me yet?"  We laughed and said "Not at all!"   She said that she was just about to continue on the trail when it dawned on her that if she did that she probably wouldn't reach her next site until late in the evening and she would have missed all this gorgeous sunshine and relaxing all day. So she decided to just stay here in the park and get some beach time in. We told her that she made the right decision. And so, we sat around talking for a long time.

​She had with her a bag that had the crests of all the different Ontario Provincial Parks on it. We went through each and every one saying "Have you been there?  How about that one? Have you been to that one?"  And when we came to one that we had been to we would share the stories or our opinions on that particular park. 
I asked her where she got the bag from and she said that when she bought something at the park store they gave it to her for free. I decided that I was going to go buy something at the park store later on to see if I could get one too. 

But first we took a walk down to the beach and sat on the shore and began picking through the rocks to find all the best ones.  This was something me and my siblings used to do as kids when we went to visit our grandmother and I loved it. This was something Kelly also liked to do too. 

The stones here are very colourful and quite interesting to look at if you are into that sort of thing. It wasn't long before we had a handful of our favourites. Kelly told me about how there were some places on Lake Superior where you  could find rocks that  glowed in the dark. She also told me about Lake Superior Agates. 

Heather found a rock that looked like a bean with a giant smile. I was almost tempted to draw two eyes on it and make it into a cartoon character.  I found a smaller rock that looked like an actual bean. 

Once again Carsten decided to brave the cold waters of Lake Superior and go in for a swim.  It was too cold to stay in long though. 

Kelly told us about a hidden gem not too far from here called "Bathtub Island" She said that there is a rock formation that is in the shape of a bathtub and the water from Lake Superior washes up over the edges and fills it up like a bathtub. The water gets warmed up by the sun and people go there to swim and to picnic. You can get to it by going down the Katherine Trail. We didn't have time to go there on this trip, but if I have the opportunity to come back, I will definitely check that out. 

Later in the afternoon Kelly went to take a shower and I decided to take the opportunity to go see other parts of the park and to walk to the park store to see about getting my other sister (Anika) a birthday present and maybe snagging one of those park crest bags.   The road was paved so it was an easy walk on a beautiful afternoon. 

Along the way I passed other sites that also had a beautiful beach view. 

There was a place where you could rent a canoe if you were so inclined. 

I came to the amphitheater but it was closed to public use because they were fixing the balcony on it. It was in a bit of a state of disarray at the moment. 

Close to the amphitheater were 2 log cabins.  I peeked in the window of the first one and it seemed to be used as storage space. 

I couldn't peek in the window of the second one because the curtains were drawn. But I assume it was probably also storage space. 

Along the way to the park store was the pet beach. 

It looked like a fun place for dogs to play in the water. The bench for the humans could have used a bit of TLC though. 

There were some pretty Seaside Peas growing near by. These flowers seem to be pretty common throughout the park. 

As I was checking out the rest of the area I started to get swarmed by blackflies. I was surprised by this because blackfly season should have been over by now. I don't know if this was common for this area or if this was just a weird year for them.  They hadn't bothered me on the road but once I had left the road and roamed the dog beach it became a free for all.  They were getting in under my hat  and stuck in my hair.  ​ ​The blackflies were worse than the mosquitoes had been.

I hurried over to the park store which was not too far away. I went into the bathroom, took my hat off and looked in the mirror. It was the only way I could see the blackflies and get rid of them. 

Once I was free of blackflies I stepped back out into the hall.  They had a visitor center here and I figured I may as well take a quick peek at it while I was here.  

Just outside the door of the exhibit area was a beautiful log bench made out of some drift wood. 

Inside were various displays of different animals and things found in nature. 

There was also a miniature replica of a lighthouse on display. 

After visiting the exhibits I headed over to the section of the building where the store was.  I was looking for a birthday present for my sister (Anika) and I spotted the perfect gift. It was a piece of handmade pottery. You put a tea light on the inside and the outside was decorated with various plants that had been pressed into the clay before the piece was fired.  It was lovely. 

I also picked up the sticker for my Ontario Parks Passport book along with a sticker that said ":I hiked the Coastal Trail, Lake Superior Provincial Park"   I figured it was a sticker I could be proud of after the adventures of the last few days.  

Sure enough, when I got up to the cash register to pay for the items, they gave me a free bag with all the park crests on it.  I was a happy camper. 

I took my treasures back to camp and we had supper and  hung out with Kelly some more.  Once the sun started to get low on the horizon we headed down to the beach in order to catch the sunset.  The sunlight was bouncing off the blades of grass and shining like diamonds. It almost looked like the grass was wet with dew but it wasn't. 

While we waited for the sun to go down we decided to take a few group pictures.  Kelly took one of  Heather, me, and Carsten.  

And then I took one of Heather, Kelly, and Carsten. 

Soon the sun started to go down. People that were out on the lake with canoes and kayaks were starting to come back into shore. 

We watched as the sky started to turn to shades of oranges and reds

Other campers from other sites also came down to the lake to take pictures of the sunset. 

The whole horizon was wrapped in vibrant rosy colours. It was spectacular. 

After the sun had put itself to bed, we went back to the campfire and made some hot chocolate. We didn't stay up too much later because we were tired from a long day.  We said good bye to Kelly because we were going home in the morning and we were not sure that she would still be around when we left because she was leaving too.  Before she left she told us that on the way home we should stop at the Voyageur and buy some Apple Fritters. Apparently they are well known for them and people come from all over just to buy them. Sometimes they are sold out in no time because they are that popular.  We told her that we would go there and try them out. 

We slept well that night with the call of the loons in the distance as our lullaby, 

The next morning as we were packing up I came across a June Bug on my tent. 

I picked him up to move him so that he wouldn't get squished. I love June Bugs. Heather and I used to have races with them when we were kids. Their picky legs feel a bit funny when they crawl on you but they are completely harmless. 

Once we were all packed up, we headed down the highway towards home.  Sure enough, we came across a road sign that said  "Voyageur Lodge -  Home of the World Famous Apple Fritters".   It was about a half hour away from the Agawa campground.

When we pulled into the parking lot, the place was hopping. There were people everywhere and there was a line up inside the door of people waiting to get apple fritters.  

Apple fritters were not the only thing you could buy here. They also had drinks and other snacks and food items. I picked up a bag of Maple Kisses to take back home to my dad. You can't get much more Canadian that Maple Kisses! 

I also picked up a bottle of mosquito repellent that Kelly had shown me and told me about.  It is called "Buzz Off!" and is made with all natural ingredient like neem oil, cat nip, lemon eucalyptus, citronella oil and other essential oils.  Best of all it is DEET free!  I had to buy  a bottle for myself and one for my mom. 

In case you are interested in purchasing some for yourself, it can be found on their website here:  ​https://www.oc-beauty.ca/products/buzz-off-insect-relief 
​(I do not get paid for endorsing this product. It is purely in the spirit of  community service that I am presenting this information). 

Not only does the Voyageur Lodge have an Apple Fritter house, but it also has a liquor store, gas pumps, motel, cottages, and a store next door called the "River Rock Gift Shop"  that sells crafts and souvenirs. They have a little bit of everything all in one place. The staff was super friendly and the whole place was warm and inviting. 

It was a nice way to end our trip. I am sure that we will stop in here again on our way through to our next camping or hiking adventure.  But for now we were anxious to get home and rest our weary bones.