by Jennifer Kilbourne
Photographs by Gerry Croney
The spring of 2011 was a wet one. It was a rare stretch of two or three days in April and May that didn’t see a few showers, if not heavy rains. Gerry, the trip organizer, wisely changed the destination of this mid-May kayaking and camping adventure from Franklin Island to Beausoleil Island due to the presence of a very good cooking shelter at the north end of Beausoleil.
The group met at Honey Harbour the morning of Friday, May 13 (roll eyes here). That is, the part of the original group who had not checked their e-mail that morning, possibly because they had left home very, very early. Due to the ever changing (and deteriorating) weather forecast for the weekend, the trip had been called off very early Friday morning. However, Gerry came to the launch site anyway, in case anyone else showed up. Six other kayakers showed up, so the trip was on.
Kayaks were loaded, wet or dry suits were donned and the paddle to the north end of Beausoleil Island began. It was a peaceful paddle, as there were very few powerboats on the lake at this early date. Upon arrival at Honeymoon Bay, everyone set up their tent and bear-proofed their food supply. A couple of members went to register their tent sites with the Park, but soon realized that it was so early in the season, the “No Camping” sign was still posted at the registration kiosk.
After lunch was the nicest part of the day (and the weekend, if sunny and very low winds are your definition of “nice“). An exploratory paddle to the north of the Island, by the YMCA camp, and out into a bit of more open water was a good way to see some more “up north” landscape. After a couple of hours, dark clouds were rolling in from the west and north and the wind was starting to pick up, so we pointed our kayaks back towards camp.
Suppers were prepared in the cooking shelter, with the comfort of picnic tables and level surfaces to set stoves upon. Water purifiers, stoves and menu choices were compared (breakfast for supper, Kaz?) and Harvey’s bear barrel was admired by some in the group, even though he thought it would be safest left inside the wood stove that was in the cooking shelter. After supper, a relatively bug-free hike around the north end of the island on a marked trail allowed everyone to stretch their legs and take some beautiful photographs. The evening was very quiet, again with the lack of powerboats. Loons and Canada geese were the loudest visitors to the Georgian Bay Islands National Park on Friday night.
Saturday morning after breakfast, Gerry told the group that he didn’t feel well, so was heading back to port. Everyone else was welcome to stay, but it was no longer an official GLSKA trip. Harvey also departed early, but the rest of the group decided to stay on. After listening to the VHF marine weather forecast, we decided on a paddle out and around Bone Island.
Ralph had a chart of the area, Wolfram had a map and Victoria had a GPS, so among the three of them, the group did not get lost in the maze of islands. The wind was fairly brisk, making for a good workout while paddling. Everyone was looking forward to the return trip when surfing through the waves, with the aid of the wind, would be possible. After a of couple hours, a steady rain started, putting everyone’s foul weather gear to the test. A shore lunch (in the rain) at another part of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park provided a break before paddling back to Honeymoon Bay (in the rain). Ironically, the wind had changed, and visions of surfing back with the aid of the wind soon came to an end.
A meeting was convened at the cooking shelter on Beausoleil Island. The rain was showing no signs of stopping and the marine weather forecast was calling for stronger winds through the night. The group decided to break (a wet) camp and paddle back to Honey Harbour a day early. Jennifer waved good-bye to the departing group in late afternoon, as she had decided to stay until Sunday morning.
The rain persisted through most of the evening and night, but that is what cooking shelters and good tents are made for. The loons and Canada geese were a little harder to hear over the wind and the rain, but they were still there. However, by morning, the rain had stopped and the wind had diminished. The final tent was packed up (dry!) and the paddle back to Honey Harbour was uneventful (and sunny). And finally, I had the wind at my back and the sun shining over my shoulder, as I cruised down Beausoleil Bay between Little Dog and Big Dog Channels!